Listen To The Beat [Open to non Dark Jedi]

[Nadgkema An'Telkis]

Nadgkema had been spending the last couple of days on the infamous space station that was Drifter's Paradise. She wasn't much impressed so far, but she hadn't come for vacation. The accomodations were better than expected though and her suite was to her liking.

She had gone to the casino before but hadn't heard anything useful. She didn't even know whether the rumors she had become aware of had any truth in them, but she could always keep her ear to the ground and this place was better than others to do such a thing.

The brunette was dressed in a much more casual way than she normally was. She just wanted to blend in with the crowd at the nightclub. Being a chameleon was part of both an artist's and a Dark Jedi's life, so she did well.

As she stepped inside, the beat of the music - though not so much to her taste - made her comfortable and look like a regular as she strutted towards the bar to order a drink.

[Valerian M'adoc]

"You are the one responsible for keeping tabs on them, Clerik. For whatever reason, the Aristocra requires that it be you rather than your brother. It is your duty."

"Do you know what they are going to do to me if I get caught, Treva? This is madness. You know what they are capable of."

"We do. All the more reason to have you there. I have somewhere else to be, Clerik. May I inform the Aristocra that you will continue with your mission?"

"Yes, frak it!" Madoc'leri'kleoni, known as Valerian by his fellow Imperials, growled at the Chiss liaison who was already disappearing around a corner and into another corridor of the residential sector of Drifters. Once he was certain he was out of earshot, he raised a fist and plowed it into a wall; hissing under his breath as the sturdy metal refused to budge in lieu of his anger. His knuckles throbbed and he came to the very sudden, certain decision that he needed a very stiff drink. Which was seeming to become a habit after these little tête-à-têtes with Treva, a resprentative of the Ascendancy; more specifically, his father.

He knew the way to JDCrew's like the back of his hand and the throbbing of the bass did well enough to drown out the internal argument he was having with a man no longer present. Prowling to the bar with singular purpose, he ordered a double whiskey with no ice. The bartender was quick to accommodate his gruff request and then he turned with the tumbler toward the rest of the nightclub. A furtive glance to the side provided him an excellent view of the exotic looking human perched next to him. This was exactly why he always ended up here. Good drink, sensory stimulation.

He might as well get his kicks before the Ubiqtorate caught onto him.

He turned toward the woman, his crimson eyes darting across her outfit while the quirk at the corner of his mouth conveyed his interest.

[Nadgkema An'Telkis]

Nadgkema ordered an exotic and strong cocktail. She didn't know why she had decided to wander here, save that she needed a break from the rest of her time aboard. All of this insane man hunt she had done to try to find her husband back. All of this waiting and pain, had been exhausting. She had tried so hard to keep the faith, but it was becoming beyond draining.

She downed half the cocktail at once. She held her liquor well and tonight she just wanted a break. She crossed her legs as she felt eyes upon her. She didn't need the Force to tell her so, which was why she was able to get this intuition even on Drifter's.

She turned her face towards the man - a Chiss - who was not afar from her at the bar. She bowed her head with grace and returned the smile. "Good evening." She stated, surprising herself of how naturally this had come.

[Valerian M'adoc]

"Evening." He returned, snagging a sip of his alcoholic beverage before moving down a seat closer to her when the patron between them departed. He observed her with a keen eye, a sniper's eye, as she downed half of her own drink in one pull. A sable brow lofted but the quirk at the corner of his mouth remained. "Must of had a rough week to be in that much of a hurry to forget. And, I'm not judging..." He added, polishing off the last of his whiskey double immediately thereafter and setting the empty tumbler on the bar behind him.

Something about the woman, despite her blending attire, seemed out of place in this nightclub; in a 'I'm too beautiful and sophisticated' to be a regular. But, Drifter's saw a vast quantity of passerbys, himself included, and so he decided that her presence wasn't altogether strange. Clerik tapped the bar counter next to his empty glass and cast a glance over his shoulder at the tender, who nodded in acknowledgement and began making his way toward him. "Can I get you another, Miss....?"

[Nadgkema An'Telkis]

Nadgkema's gem like eyes didn't wander off the Chiss as she observed him move to a seat closer to her within the next minutes. She took another sip of her drink when she heard his comment. Maybe in another situation, she could have taken offense, but she didn't. She briefly looked at the remaining content of the cocktail. "A couple of weeks too many, you could say." It was the truth. As she had reached Drifter's and started to look and listen around, she had found herself questioning why she was still bothering in the first place. Love and faith were important, but after a while, absence didn't make the heart grow fonder but left it to dry up.

She was curious about the man. The last time she had seen someone from his species had been among the audience of some of her performances back on imperial territories, more than two years ago.

When he offered to get her another drink, she knew she'd accept. "With pleasure, thank you. I am Nadgkema and you would be...?"

[Valerian M'adoc]

The Chiss observed her as she gazed into her glass, contemplating his words before she spoke up to agree. He nodded his understanding, unable to say that his troubles had been spread out over weeks; but, they had all culminated until they could be unleashed this very day. The whiskey was doing a fine job numbing him and even though their conversation was geared toward their tribulations, she provided a more than adequate distraction, regardless. "Another for my new friend, as well, sir." He told the tender as he filled his glass, idly rolling the sleeves of his black, button down shirt to the juncture of his arm/forearm.

"Nadgkema. The beauty of the name suits its owner perfectly." He complimented coolly, taking another sip from his newly filled glass. "My name is kind of a mouthful. So, we'll stick with the core of it. Clerik. Nice to make your acquaintance." He continued, nodding his thanks to the bartender after her own drink was refilled. He smiled wryly at her, then. "What brings you to Drifter's, Nadgkema?"

[Nadgkema An'Telkis]

Nadgkema didn't know whether she wanted to feel all the pain or just to be numb. It had been more than a year and all of this just felt surreal to her. She was resilient as life had ensured to teach her to be as such from a young age. Yet, she knew that her marriage, or what it was supposed to be, was a total mess. She had known that marrying a fugitive would be complicated, but she had honestly believed that they had a chance with him taking on a new identity. She had been sorely mistaken.

She smiled to the Chiss, a slight grin curving her lips. Her own named had been considered a moutful in the past. "Likewise, Clerik. And I prefer not risking butchering your name. That'd be poor manners." She replied, subtly canting her head to the side.

She soon thanked the bartender as another cocktail was presented to her. The question that was asked next didn't surprise her. "Personal matters, you could say. Turned out to be nothing." The last word was spoken with a hint of annoyance or anger, for it was hard to tell. "So, I decided to take the evening off my worries. What about you?"

She spared a glance around as more patrons came in. "I didn't know what to expect here, but the music is better than when I arrived." She added with a coy expression.

[Valerian M'adoc]

The smile she rewarded him with invoked another of his own, followed in short by a low chuckle. Only his family and those apart of the Ascendancy called him Clerik, usually when he was in no small amount of trouble. It was nice to hear it spoken casually, for once. As she spoke, it was easy to pick up on the annoyance that whetted her words as well as her desire to keep the exact matters she spoke of private. He wouldn't pry. He certainly didn't want someone sticking their nose into his problems, either. Particularly since that could see them both dead.

"I am also taking the evening off from my usual duties. I've been to this club a time or two." Before the Aristocra made me sign my life away to the Empire, he thought bitterly and down went his second double of the night. Warmth flooded him, an interesting sensation for one such as he. "The music isn't so bad. Fairly easy to dance to, if you like that sort of thing..." He offered obscurely, the way he spoke leaving one to ponder whether it was a statement or a question.

[Nadgkema An'Telkis]

Being a stranger to another stranger was somewhat what Nadgkema needed. She had been dead serious when she had said she was taking the evening off. She had been training pretty hard back on Ruusan and had devoted most of her spare time either to her performances at the Coruscant Opera or for the greater good of the Penumbra.

"My travels didn't bring me to Drifter's until this visit." She replied to his comment about the club. She had heard about it, in good and bad, but it was her first time on the space station.

The second cocktail still rolled down her tongue and throat with easiness. The strong alcohol mixed with the lighter and fruity flavors was enjoyable. "I'd dance on silence." She quipped with a grin.

"As a ballerina, this isn't my usual type of music, but the beauty of art is versatility."

[Valerian M'adoc]

"Yeah?" He inquired with interest. Then, it was revealed that she was a professional dancer and he suddenly felt very stupid for his comment. Her lithe form and natural grace should have thrown red flags in his face but they had a way of serving as a distraction, instead. "A ballerina. So, you could put all these ladies to shame if you were to go out onto the dance floor." He mused aloud, flicking his crimson eyes to the cluster of women on the lighted dais. The music continued to pulse, the alcohol teased his inhibitions.

His gaze flicked back to her's and his smile took a wicked turn. "That is something I would like to see." He stated honestly, relinquishing his glass to the bar top again. "Dancing is something you do because you thoroughly enjoy it, right? I would think that should help you unwind from whatever it is that has you stressed."

[Nadgkema An'Telkis]

The idea of putting all the other women on the dance floor to shame sounded suddenly appealing to Nadgkema. She gave a side glance at the dancefloor and grinned before returning her attention to Clerick. "Very much so." She downed more of her cocktail and realized that maybe, just maybe, having fun wouldn't hurt.

"That's something you will see." She replied with confidence. "It's been a while since I danced just for sheer fun." She loved her art, but over the past while it had mostly been part of her work and her training as well. In a way, she had thrown herself so much into it that it had lost a little bit of its enjoyment. She was going to change that.

"Shall I expect to hit the dance floor alone or shall I expect you to join me?" She boldly asked, quirking a brow as she spoke.

[Valerian M'adoc]

"Wouldn't want someone to obscure my view." He said with a wink, rising from the bar stool and turning his eyes back to the dance floor. The path of least resistance was mentally charted after a single glance and then he offered his arm to the woman. Whether she accepted the gesture or not, he began to stalk toward the plotted point on the dance floor. Lights of every color swiveled overhead, flashing across the ground in an array of patterns. The DJ was in the process of blending the end of one song into another when they reached the few, wide steps that separated the dancing dais from the rest of the club.

The beat was solid and he was pleased to find the new song would be something easy to dance to. Suggesting for her to step in front of him with a gentle press at her lower back with his palm, he stepped in time with the beat and allowed her to set the pace.

[Nadgkema An'Telkis]

Nadgkema grinned to Clerick's wink. She rose from the bar stool in a feline way, before reaching out to take his offered arm. She didn't hesitate an instant. After all, there was nothing bad in talking and dancing with a perfect stranger.

She noted the way he easily led them the quickest and easiest way possible to the perfect spot across the dance floor. She caught his gaze for a moment as she walked in front of him. She didn't know whether it was all the pent up anger, the raw side of her, his hand briefly on the small of her back or the beat of the music vibrating in her body. Yet, she sashayed just a little as she stepped in front of hip, her hips finding the rhythm of the song.

Looking at him again, she moved along the song as if she had done that her whole life. She was feeling bold and alive and it was a sentiment she hadn't experienced in such a way in a long while.

[Valerian M'adoc]

Nadgkema slipped into the rhythm of the music with ease, as he knew she would, and he endeavored to keep up. His focus was on her entirely and he found thoughts of anger slipping away as they wound around one another comfortably. The liquor he'd imbibed reinforced his moves with the right amount of confidence that had earned a few envious glances from other males strewn around the dance floor. He grinned to himself and then turned the expression upon his dance partner. Nothing quite compared to the looks the other women were aiming her way. Putting them to shame seemed to be an understatement.

His crimson eyes gleamed in the tenuous shadows that were constantly bisected by the sheer ribbons of light darting around them. As the bridge of the song started, he stepped in closer; acquiring her hand, he spun her until her back was to his front so he could follow the sway of her hips closely. Then, as the bridge gave way to the chorus, he twirled her forward and then snapped her close so they were face to face. "Feeling better, Nadgkema?" He asked a bit breathlessly, leaning close to her ear so his words wouldn't be lost in the music.

[Nadgkema An'Telkis]

Nadgkema was used to make do with a dancing partner of any skill level, but Clerik proved to be quite talented and it was inhebriating in its own way, just like the cocktails had warmed her up moments earlier. She lost herself to the music, most of her attention on the Chiss, save for a few glances to the rest of the - jealous - audience. She'd be lying if she tried to pretend she didn't like all of this.

She didn't retrieve her hand as he reached out for it and her hips easily moved in sync with his as he spun her around during the last time of the song. When he twirled her so she could face him again, she held her breath at the closeness between them.

She smiled at his question. She rested her free hand on his shoulder and her cheek brushed against his as she answered into his ear. "Yes." She didn't even realize that the next song had already started as they stood on the dance floor. "You dance well." She added for it was the truth.