Copper for the Charlatan

Ink it in Black

A little shorter than my usual chapters. I spent too much time reworking it and finally decided to just post it. :P

Things become official, in more ways than one?

Half plot, half... not plot, lol

"Stay"

"Alright."

Afraid the "gift" could be imminent death, Ichara didn't dress down for the evening. She cleaned and prepped her light armor, checked the daggers hidden in each boot, and coiled her hair in a tight bun. I seemed in her distraction with the General that her endgame had fallen by the wayside. Mulling on it made her realize how overly comfortable she'd gotten in enemy territory. The abundant over-indulgences could have endangered both herself and the mission.

"It seems as if the his paranoia is contagious" she mused, bitter at the thought of him.

She was putting the last touches on her makeup when the comm on her door went off. After a deep breath and steeling herself for whatever might come, she stepped through the doors. Instead of sending troopers to collect her as expected, though, Kylo Ren himself stood waiting.

He frowned and stopped her as she went to put her helmet on. "No. Leave it." She hesitated for a moment before reluctantly tossing it onto her couch.

"Why do you insist on wearing that?"

"I've done it for years. Other than a handful of people, no one really knows what I look like. If I want to make my way around somewhere covertly my face itself is like a mask. It's useful."

"Hiding behind it makes you look weak... afraid. I'd prefer you have more pride than that."

"Yes, Supreme Leader."

As they made their way through the winding corridors, she couldn't help but notice how everyone they came across scattered. Two troopers in front of the lift fell over each other trying to leave rather than share the small space with him.

It must be lonely, to have everyone so terrified. Amusement intertwined with pity at the thought.

The doors closed, and a small laugh escaped his lips "They're right to be terrified of me."

He lead her through his quarters back to the library, where a black case sat on a table. He poured her a drink, amused by the obvious look of apprehension on her face. "The baroness told me you are quite fond of this particular spirit."

She hadn't replaced her holopad after her fit of rage, and it seemed the sudden break in communication caused the baroness to go over her head. Beneath everything, the two women knew that they were really nothing more than tools to the other. There was no love lost between them; while each found the other almost invaluable, they both knew that their loyalty stopped where usefulness ended. Had the Baroness lost use for her?

"That's correct, it's very considerate of you." the floral aroma of the Spirulean whiskey was almost aromatherapy in itself. She was grateful to have something for her nerves, and did her best not to clear the glass at once.

Ichara wasn't the only one tense at their meeting. While she was nervous about the reasons for it, Kylo was afraid Rey might make an appearance. He was concerned he'd pushed her too hard earlier and that she might use her advancing control over the bond to make an attempt at meeting his apprentice. He was well aware that Ichara's loyalty was entirely conditional; knowledge of the force bond was something he would rather her not have to hold over him.

He finished his drink in one swift motion, staring off for a moment before speaking. "As you are aware, with the passing of Leader Snoke, it was thought that I was the last of the force users for the First Order. That is no longer the case." he motioned over her armor, an air of disgust on his face. "You are more than a hired hand, more than some filthy mercenary. Take that off, you won't be needing it anymore."