Posted by Civilian Jezem (Upstanding Citizen) in Forging the Future

Posted by Civilian Thyr Th’arialat (Resident) in Forging the Future

Posted by Civilian Jezem (Upstanding Citizen) in Forging the Future
Posted by… suppressed (21) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Shivan threw open the door to the house, moved towards the living room, and plopped himself down on the couch, one hand gently holding his injury. “Jezem! You’re not going to believe who I ran into today.” He called through the house. “You up for a shopping trip?”

~ Thyr

In the courtyard, Jezem suddenly sat upright, his feet and calves soaking in the wading pool. Shivan ran into someone? And they didn’t try to stab, kidnap or extort him? Something wasn’t right here. Jezem pulled himself upright and waded through the shallow pool to the other side where his towel laid on table. “I’m in the courtyard!” Jezem called back, quickly wiping down his legs with the large fluffy towel.

Jezem

Argh. Now he had to get up again. Shivan stood and headed out to the courtyard. “You remember Eryn, don’t you?” Under his right arm was a PaDD. “She’s not going to turn me in. Luckily. Actually, she had a proposal for me.”

~ Thyr

Eryn? Jezem paused mid-motion, his right foot lost in the volume of the towel. Eryn Romanov, now that was a name he hadn’t heard in a long while. She was the kind of woman one never forget, even after all these years. Jezem finished wiping his foot dry and threw the damp towel over the back of a chair. “Don’t tell me,” He said, his tone laced with aggravation, “You blindly agreed to whatever proposal she dangled in front of your face because she said she won’t turn you in?” Extortion. Why couldn’t Shivan just have gotten stabbed again?

Jezem

“Not blindly,” replied Shivan, offended. “She offered to pay off my debts, the non Syndicate ones, and protection from the Syndicate. In exchange for a job, with a steady pay.” He shrugged, “There’s a little catch, but I didn’t really think you’d mind the catch.”

~ Thyr

Jezem blinked. Didn’t mind? Didn’t mind?!? A golden opportunity too good to be true dropped into the man’s lap and he didn’t give her a ‘let me think about it and get back to you?’ Though knowing the Romanovs they could certainly take care of Shivan’s non-Syndicate debt but why would they? Eryn had no stake in any of this. She knew what the Syndicate was capable of. Even children knew to be wary of deals like this. Through gritted teeth he said, “And this catch is?”

Jezem

“I have to report on any suspicious behavior or deals… Basically, protection in exchange for snitching.” He spat the word snitching. “But if I do this we have less enemies to worry about. And if the Syndicate is off my back for a while we have time to figure out how to get me out of this.” He shrugged, “I’m a lot less scared of Eryn than I am the Syndicate.”

~ Thyr

“Clearly you haven’t spent enough time with her or her family,” Jezem muttered, just loud enough for Shivan to hear as well. Just what was Eryn doing these days that she’d want Shivan to snitch for her? Jezem couldn’t shake the feeling that Shivan had wandered into a trap. It wasn’t that Shivan couldn’t take care of himself (though, even that is in question these days given the events that lead to Shivan’s arrival. . .) but the man was currently on the unluckiest of unlucky streaks. What made this any different?

Jezem sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, “Don’t turn your nose up at ‘snitching’. It’s not like she’s asking you to spy on the Syndicate. When do you meet with Eryn next? I want to have a few words with her.”

Jezem

Shivan would agree with that. He’d arrived in debt, hunted, and hungry. He was still putting weight back on, slowly. This was the worst unlucky streak of his life. “I didn’t tell her about you. Just in case she did turn me in… Didn’t want her getting you in trouble too.”

~ Thyr

“Thyr” Jezem said, “I’m married to a stupidly wealthy ferengi merchant. We went through customs. He imports high-value goods from across the sector into the colony. I’m not exactly hidden.” A single search of public records is all it would take. “She’s no threat to me,” Jezem stated with calm confidence, “But she can screw you over and that’s what I’m worried about.”

Jezem

“She’s no threat to you unless she turns me into the Syndicate and they decide to hurt you just to screw with me. I know she knows you live here. I don’t know she knows I know you live here.” He looked at Jezem like Jezem had grown another head, “You’re worried about her screwing me over?”

~ Thyr

“Of course I’m worried about her screwing you over! She is in a position of power over you. You have no choice but to take her offer least she turn on you. She has no obligation to look out for you, no reason to be doing this for you.” She wasn’t apart of their crew. She wasn’t Syndicate. She wasn’t in their family. But Shivan was part of his family and he will look out for the andorian’s best interest.

Jezem

Shivan nodded. “I know. I did it to buy time. Once I’m healed, it’s not like I haven’t gotten off planets illegally before. If I have to run, I will.” This whole Jezem caring thing was weird to him. But the way he was talking… It was like he actually cared whether Eryn got Shivan killed or not. And there was no reason for him to care. Shivan was trying not to endanger Jezem. He nodded again. “0700 tomorrow morning. I have 200 credits to buy protective gear. She didn’t say what for.” He made a face. “Won’t be as comfortable and putting anything else on still won’t be easy but better than getting hunted down by the Syndicate.”

~ Thyr

That only made Jezem worry more. If Shivan left the planet then Jezem wouldn’t be there to save his butt when he got into trouble. “Then I’ll go with you and chat with her while you figure out your new job.” Protective gear? Did she rope Shivan into some kind of security work? Or maybe some kind of construction job? He would bet money Eryn purposefully told Shivan nothing about his new job just to mess with the andorian. All the more reason to talk with her. Messing with Shivan was his right. No one else’s. “Let’s get you your new clothes and what do you want for your lunch tomarrow?”

Jezem

“Huh? Lunch…? Uh, whatever you want to make, I guess.” Jezem was going to make him lunch? “Are you… Sick or something? Unwell? Suddenly embraced religion, perhaps? I mean, more than usual.” It was only 1300. They had plenty of time to find him clothes. “200 credits to spend on… Whatever I’m supposed to be buying. Where should we start?”

~ Thyr

Jezem pursed his lips in annoyance, “I told you I’d feed you while you’re on this rock. You’ll need lunch while you’re at work.” Who knows what disgusting food they’d have to offer? He pushed Shivan’s shoulder, not unlike how an older sibling would act towards a younger one, “I’ll make you samosas.” Jezem breezed past Shivan as though he weren’t acting like some over protective sibling. “I know a place that specializes in working clothes. You’ll need something durable.” Said business had prices beyond the 200 credit range but it was all purposeful. Eryn will get the hint that Jezem held just as much if not more of an investment into Shivan’s well-being.

Jezem

Shivan gave him a little playful push back. “I thought ‘feed’ meant getting a portion at dinner.” He said. “Not that I’m turning down the lunch.” Shivan hurriedly added. He eyed Jezem at the offer of a specialty place. “Last I checked, 200 credits doesn’t buy anything fancy. Or have you already forgotten I have no money of my own?”

~ Thyr

“Feed means I’ll keep you fed so shut up.” Shivan enjoying the food was only secondary to it’s purpose. He waved off Shivan’s concerns as he ordered transportation for them, “We’ll go look to get a sense of the styles and what’ll be most practical for you. We have the time to visit a couple stores before it gets too late.” All lies.

Jezem

Shivan shrugged, not about to turn down a good meal. “Alright, we can look, but I’m not about to owe you more than I already do.” Jezem had saved his life. Offered him food, shelter. No catch. There was no repayment enough for that. He got into the transport with Jezem when it arrived. “I hope I don’t have to try anything on. I hate shopping.”

~ Thyr

“I heard you the first time,” Jezem huffed dismissively and boarded the transport behind Shivan. While the shuttle carried them away, Jezem used a console on the inside of the transport to browse the store catalogue which did not list prices. Poor Shivan. Nothing is going to go his way, and now he’s trapped. Caught in the unfortunate winds of Jezem’s whims. “What’s got your panties in a twist over a simple shopping trip?” He couldn’t help but tease.

Jezem

“If it’s comfortable and does what it’s supposed to, I don’t care what it looks like,” Shivan replied with a shrug, gesturing to his current outfit, which fit those requirements. “I just wanna get something that works. And I still can’t bend very well. Dressing in regular clothes is going to hurt.”

~ Thyr

“Then don’t undress yourself. Go find some sweet thing to do that for you.” Jezem teased with a bawdy smirk. “I’m sure we’ll find something that suits your needs.” He added with a hum before closing the console screen. They weren’t far from their destination.

Jezem

Shivan made a face and then came up with a way to harass Jezem. “You’re a sweet thing, maybe you should be my personal dressing aid all day. Shopping trip’s your idea, anyway.” He gave Jezem a playful, teasing look.

~ Thyr

Jezem’s expression remained amused, but there was a flash of something dangerous in his eyes. He stepped towards Shivan with languid, easy grace and leaned close to the andorian. “I’m sweet am I? Careful, honey, even the sweetest of fruits can be poisoned. Are you sure you want my hands on your. . .” He drifted off, seemingly hunting for the right word, “Your vulnerable flesh?” Some of Jezem’s favorite poisons were those he could apply to the tips of his nails then quickly and suddenly deliver to his target with them none the wiser until it was too late.

Jezem

Shivan recognized the look, he remembered Jezem’s methods. Grinning confidently, not letting his gaze drift from Jezem he said, “Oh, yes, I really do.” He did not lean away from Jezem, instead holding his position, seemingly completely unintimidated by Jezem.

~ Thyr