Calistaris
Adventurer
[TI1]
Name: Calistaris Ardelion
Race: Turian
Occupation: Shadow Broker Wet Worker
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Post by Calistaris on Apr 2, 2015 3:14:19 GMT
"And a pleasure to meet you, Taleeze!" She replied ecstatically, continuing to chow down on the dextro eel. This stuff is addicting... She thought to herself, occasionally having sips from her drink.
"Illium's, well... Illium, I guess. During the war it was hit pretty hard like any other major civilization, I guess. It didn't take too much damage, surprisingly, and it rebuilt pretty quickly. However, I only just recently got my head out from under a rock, admittedly. Before that, well..." She trailed off, looking as though she was having a flashback, using her biotics to weakly stir her straw. "... Well I was a cabal as you can tell. That's about all I can say about it." She picked up again, her mood looking better than it was just a moment ago.
"I mean, I can kinda get that with the whole unexpected thing. Just not with romance, never was much for it." She stated as she took an other plate of the dextro eel. "Well, that's a lie," she continued as she took a bite, covering her mouth with her hand as she spoke. "Only two people have made me feel that way, but, well..." She started, trailing off again, but followed it up short after with a shrug. "Stuff happens. You said your other bondmate was human? And was studying something? May I ask what?"
"Nah, I already missed my flight because the one I was just in docked way late I guess. The Citadel. I'm going on a, uh... Business trip. First time going actually." She began, thinking to herself for a second. "I'm thinking of moving there as well, actually." She finished with a nod in a happy manner. "And yeah, this stuff is awesome!"
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Taleeze
Creator
[TI0]
Name: Taleeze Driana
Race: asari
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Post by Taleeze on Apr 2, 2015 12:25:07 GMT
Taleeze noticed the slight pause in ‘business trip’. But true enough, it was none of her business.
“I am not sure if Illium was that well of. I mean, sure, Nos Astra was the main focus of the attack but there it was pretty much hell!” She got a bit excited talking about that. The description Skylar had given her had been graphic enough – Taleeze didn’t want to think if the human had even died there. they had never met, and history would have turned out to be very different, much much sadder probably.
“I’ve been there right after the relays opened again, the destruction was horrible but nowadays, yeah, I suppose money makes a difference in such cases?” It was true, the new areas that now were forming new Nos Astra were as shiny as the old had been and growing to be as big quite fast.
“My human mate was on Illium when the Reapers hit – we didn’t know each other back then though. But she got injured pretty badly, I’m sorry, I suppose it’s an emotional topic. Have you been fighting there?” She took a sip of water, slumping her shoulders to get some stiffness out.
“She is a lawyer, she has been practicing on Illium, which makes her a pretty awesome one I suppose.” She laughed. “We now live on Nevos and she is currently taking the necessary courses to get her license there as well. For someone who managed to get an Illium license it should be possible to achieve. She keeps telling me it’s a lot of work but I have more confidence in her excellence than she herself has probably.” Taleeze’s face had become soft as she was thinking of Skylar. Two weeks without her on a trip and she was missing hers o badly. How did they even manage a long distance relationship before?
“So you’re not active military anymore I suppose?”
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Calistaris
Adventurer
[TI1]
Name: Calistaris Ardelion
Race: Turian
Occupation: Shadow Broker Wet Worker
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Post by Calistaris on Apr 2, 2015 14:22:11 GMT
"Dang, that must've been scary to hear after you guys got together; the whole fact she was on Illium, even before you met." She said, taking a sip again of her drink. "Yeah, I guess you could say I was fighting, but I wasn't apart of the Turian hierarchy at that time. It was more so a... resistance movement by the lower class. Guerrilla warfare kinda stuff, given that there weren't many of us with powerful weapons and all." She said, a 'smile' again appearing on her face. "It was... Fun, really. I was put in charge of training my own cell and everything... We were all so scared, but we were also so brave and excited!" She said, starting to look like she was reminiscing. "I mean, we had casualties, and many of them, but they all knew they were doing it in hopes we could keep our homes, our families, our friends..." She continued as she recalled the war, shaking her head as well.
"Not anymore necessarily, no." She said in response to her question, taking more of the sushi. "I sorta... Well, defected." She said, a hint of shame in her voice. "It wasn't... I didn't... Gah, how do I put this right..." She thought, scratching her left shoulder as she got her thoughts together. "Okay, so cabal's are looked at with high suspicion for unknown reasons. There's not a lot of us, so it's not like we can start an uprising, and even then we're still turian and are bound to the same honor system as everyone else. However, we're segregated and looked upon with suspicion. I was told because of how centuries ago, during the Unification Wars, we were often placed as covert operatives, relaying information as double agents. But at the same time, any turian could do the same! It was simply because we are more powerful than the normal warrior, I guess." She informed, exaggerating her tone at some points, clearly distraught when she cited certain areas. "But I defected because one of my squad members, Bacarius, he had essentially shown me how much the heirarchy didn't trust us..." She explained, thinking again. "... He would always say how after we finish one more mission, we'd defect and run off to Omega, become mercenaries and live like royalty in a big apartment and seek out other cabals and start a mercenary band made entirely of biotics that 'shouldn't exist' or were really rare..." She stated, 'smiling' once more.
Cali scratched her chin for a second after recalling the story returning her attention to Taleeze. "So a lawyer, huh? Of what kind, I may ask? If she was on Illium, I'd assume business?" She asked, interested in Taleeze's life. From what she'd been told so far, it didn't seem quite as exciting action wise, but still rather intriguing to her. She wasn't necessarily always exposed to more civilian affairs, so being able to listen to it all was rather interesting.
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Taleeze
Creator
[TI0]
Name: Taleeze Driana
Race: asari
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Post by Taleeze on Apr 3, 2015 6:43:42 GMT
Cali got really worked up as she was telling about her history with the cabal. Taleeze knew about them but just in a sketchy mostly theoretical way. The asari wasn't surprised abut the agitation in the turian as she told about her war memories, everyone had them and never were they pleasant.
“For a defector you're quite open.” Taleeze said with a chuckle, washing down a bite. “My dad was a Hierarchy man, I know my way around the turian military, growing up near a base and with turians. I never had personal contact with cabals though, it's right, they are not much talked about. I saw a handful during the war but they mostly kept to themselves, so you're maybe the first I talk to.” she shrugged.
“My girlfriend at the time was a commando huntress – she's my bondmate now, a bit of a longer story, but when she had to embark for Thessia I soon after couldn't sit on my hands, right? I was volunteering as an engineer in the Asari Corps of Engineers. They were looking for support like crazy back in the days. So I spent basically all of the war on Cyone. There was a lot of coming and going of all kinds of forces, it is a strategically important place but we managed to hold it till the end.” A shiver ran down her spine and she pushed back the memories of the creepy patrols in the dark corridors of the reactor buildings, the noises.... the noises. Her eyes went to some far away place for a second before she recovered herself. “I made it out alive.” Not all of them did and this was a chilling moment thinking about it. “So yeah, a few cabals came through as well, that's where I saw them.” She took another sip and ordered another can of water.
“Yep, Skylar's been doing all kinds of lawyer stuff on Illium, I understand only half of that though. Illium is terrible when it comes to the corporate world! I used to work there as a dancer for some time and then I got together with my bondmates of today, I still have very good friends there and I wished I could see them more often in person. Nowadys I've become partner in a casino on Nevos, I was just on a business trip to the Citadel, some contract stuff. We are going to be an official APU fan place, all the merchandise and the games on holoscreen.” Her face lit up talking about it.
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Calistaris
Adventurer
[TI1]
Name: Calistaris Ardelion
Race: Turian
Occupation: Shadow Broker Wet Worker
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Post by Calistaris on Apr 3, 2015 12:53:50 GMT
Cali shrugged, scratching her stomach as she set the plate she was working on to the side and began eating pieces from her new one. "Eh, gotta tell your story to someone before you die." She replied with her own chuckle as well.
"You were lucky to even see us, honestly. Most turian soldiers never even get to see a cabal, though I suppose that may have changed during the war." She said whist taking a piece and chewing on it, covering her mouth with her hand once again as she spoke with her mouth full. "It's true, even with the whole mandated segregation we still tend to keep more to ourselves. It's just easier that way, on us and the other soldiers, I suppose." She admitted with a shrug. "And your father was Turian Heirarchy? May I ask what rank or even division? And what did you think of it all?" She questioned, rather interested as to what Taleeze thought of it.
Cali noticed the shiver that ran down Taleeze's spine, something she herself was familiar with, but still wanted to know more. Basic stuff, she thought, nothing that would trigger a bad memory. "So, what are the Asari Corps of Engineers like?" She asked, washing down her roll with her drink. "And the huntress are a kind of stealth ops, right? That must have been fun, did they share any detail with you on that end? Like, declassified war stories or something?" She asked, interest clearly in her voice with this subject as well.
"Oh really now? That seems interesting. Are there any video games for the sport already out?" Cali asked, noticing the excitement on Taleeze's face and resting her elbow on the counter. "And there are casinos on the Citadel? That's a relief. Before leaving Illium, all I heard was how this was restricted and that was restricted and you can't do this without this permit and you can't do that without an other one and yada yada yada." She mocked as she moved her hand in a circle, rolling her eyes as well. "So you've been there yourself a bunch then, I assume? What does it look like? Is everything really so strict? Any tips you can give me for while I'm there?" She asked, clearly excited about her trip.
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Taleeze
Creator
[TI0]
Name: Taleeze Driana
Race: asari
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Post by Taleeze on Apr 4, 2015 6:49:30 GMT
Again, Cali was being really enthusiastic. Taleeze laughed about the question of her and her mate’s story. “Well, how much time do you have? Remind me later and I’ll digress gladly. My dad was instructor at the asari Fighter Academy on Lusia, It's sort of a top pilots training program for asari pilots from all over the Republics, operated by the turian Hierarchy. I grew up around fighters, that spiked my interest in tech things…” She took a bite and chewed. That was a lot of questions.
“..But I think there was a misunderstanding. My Casino – well the one I am partner off – is not on the Citadel, it’s on Nevos. A planet in Silean Nebula. That’s where I am going now, I had a meeting with APU officials about the rights to use the logos and such. Basically old friends, I used to play in the league some time ago, during my university years.” Well, for a non asari a century may be a little more than ‘some time’ really.
“Generally speaking, of course there are casinos on the Citadel too. How could you have the impression there would be none? Have you never been on the Citadel before?” Taleeze seemed to be really surprised. “It may not be possible to bet on certain Omega cage fights but otherwise I don’t know about it being unreasonably restricted. I used to work there as a dancer too and to be frank I found all the licensing systems on Illium more troublesome. But I liked their more strict ‘no drugs’ policy. Less dopeheads who ask you in public about sniffing red sand from your butt crack!” Taleeze laughed loud and hard at that. Maybe it was a very stripper specific joke.
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Calistaris
Adventurer
[TI1]
Name: Calistaris Ardelion
Race: Turian
Occupation: Shadow Broker Wet Worker
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Post by Calistaris on Apr 4, 2015 15:26:56 GMT
Cali quickly pulled up her Omni-tool to check the time, then let it phase away. "My flight's not expected for an other hour and a half by my understanding." She replied with a shrug, not looking to excited about having to wait that long, but still enjoying the conversation all the same. "Fighter pilots, huh? Think you can call one of them up and get me a ride out of here sooner?" She asked joking, chuckling to herself.
"Ah, my bad, must've misheard. These darn covered ears ears, you know?" She said, pointing to the plating on her head that covered where her ear would be if she were a human, or even other creatures for that matter. "And I can't say I've ever been to Nevos to be honest with you. What's it like?" She inquired, tilting her head as well.
"And I can't say I've been once at all. Not even in my younger years when I was just about everywhere." She informed, almost shamefully as she scratched the back of her head. "I had the chance, once, but turned it down. It was during a time that everyone seemed to be against me, and a turian cabal going through processing isn't exactly the most common things. So, to stay low, I decided not to go." She admitted with a shrug, cocking her head but quickly resetting it back to place. "Really, Illium is worse with licensing? That's a relief." She said with a sigh, finishing off her drink. Cali lightly chuckled at the joke, but not as much as Taleeze had. "Can't say I've had an experience with that, but it seems strange all the same. And you said less? That leads me to believe there were some on the Citadel who still asked!" She responded in a humorous tone.
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Taleeze
Creator
[TI0]
Name: Taleeze Driana
Race: asari
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Post by Taleeze on Apr 4, 2015 18:42:30 GMT
Taleeze nodded. She had never realized how the circumstances of the life of a turian cabal could prevent someone like Cali from ever visiting the Citadel. Or Nevos for that matter. Many turian soldiers were travelling around and many liked to spend shore leave on the Citadel - Taleeze, the dancer knew all too well how to pat them of their budget. But cabals were not treated the same. "Let's just say an asari dancer get these request anywhere sooner or later." she cheered with her glass. "Well, you know how Illium is. You can do almost anything once you have figured out how to provide the paperwork. Which really is the real hurdle in the process. On the Citadel you only get the long list what you can't do, no matter how much paper you provide.""Nevos is a bit like Illium, just with less paperwork in that regard. It's a nice planet! It's basically what you'd call a real garden world, large untouched areas of land, endless shores on warm oceans, two splendid moons. It's a great vacation spot and a lot of rich people have retreats there. I like it a lot there. and it has great seafood" She was presenting a sushi between her fingers. "So, what do you do for a living that sends you to the Citadel?"
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Calistaris
Adventurer
[TI1]
Name: Calistaris Ardelion
Race: Turian
Occupation: Shadow Broker Wet Worker
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Post by Calistaris on Apr 4, 2015 23:42:54 GMT
That was a question Cali was not prepared to answer, let alone answer truthfully. "Nevos sounds nice..." She replied while trying to think of an answer. "Too bad about the list of things you can't do..." She continued, nervousness rising in her voice and her eyes starting to dart around as she looked for something, anything, to give her a thought of a good answer.
Finally, her eyes landed on the sushi Taleeze had presented, making a quick choice. "I'm a, uh..." Cali began, coughing into her sleeve to clear her throat. "Loan shark..." She eventually answered, looking back at Taleeze, trying to keep her composure. She had the worst pokerface on this side of the galaxy. "Is it, uh, hot in here to you?" She asked, tugging on her collar as she tried to avoid Taleeze's eyes.
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Taleeze
Creator
[TI0]
Name: Taleeze Driana
Race: asari
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Post by Taleeze on Apr 6, 2015 14:36:41 GMT
Taleeze laughed. "Well, if you're taking kicks out of carrying and using a gun in the open, do drugs, preach religion on the Presidium or dive in the Presidium ponds, you should be fine." She snickered. "Actually, knew a man once who did dive into the ponds on new years night. He was arrested and spend a day with C-Sec but he swore there were cute tortoises in the lakes." Taleeze wondered where Mombasa was now and how he was doing.
Eventually, the asari noticed a certain odd behaviour on Cali. And really... a Loan Shark? "Well, I suppose it's none of my businesses... at least I don't know about any outstanding loans." She raised a hand. "The long list of Don'ts on the Citadel my also contain 'don't be Wanted in C-Space.' But I suppose that's nothing that would concern us." she winked and ate her sushi.
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Calistaris
Adventurer
[TI1]
Name: Calistaris Ardelion
Race: Turian
Occupation: Shadow Broker Wet Worker
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Post by Calistaris on Apr 6, 2015 16:01:30 GMT
The mention of the tortoises peaked Cali's interest and made her relax a little more. "Really? Tortoises? What other animals are there?" She asked, resting her elbows on the counter. "And what kind of pets are allowed, do you know?" She continued to question, looking intrigued on what may or may not be allowed. She always wanted a pet, but never knew what to get, and this might be a nice place to start.
Cali shrugged and offered a smile again. "As far as I'm aware I don't think your name has crossed my or my employer's ledger, so you should be fine!" She said responded with a joking tone, looking at a plate passing by and trying to decide if she was still hungry. Instead, she simply let it pass. "And as far as I'm aware, I should be good there!" She said with a chuckle, checking her omni-tool again. "Sorry if I appear rude, I'm just a little eager to move on to the next big step in my life, you know?" She chimed with a chuckle, thinking of something to continue the enjoyable conversation.
"So I've looked a little into it, but where would you recommend renting out an apartment on the Citadel? Money isn't too much of a problem now, and you seem to know a bit. Any good real estate locations?" She asked, scratching her chin while pulling up her omni-tool to take notes.
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Taleeze
Creator
[TI0]
Name: Taleeze Driana
Race: asari
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Post by Taleeze on Apr 7, 2015 9:35:30 GMT
Taleeze laughed. "He was really drunk, I wouldn't put to much weight on the story."
"Unfortunately I can't help you with real estate. I never owned a place on the Citadel, I either stayed in hotels or lived with other dancers when I was working there. I wish you luck with that though." Money not an issue, hm? Seems like the loan sharking was paying well. Maybe it really was like in the vids and maybe it still was a lie.
She felt full by now and Taleeze realized the slightly exaggerated pricing such diners at space ports used to have. she shrugged it off though and ordered another drink.
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Calistaris
Adventurer
[TI1]
Name: Calistaris Ardelion
Race: Turian
Occupation: Shadow Broker Wet Worker
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Post by Calistaris on Apr 7, 2015 10:48:19 GMT
"Ah, I understand. Thanks all the same!" She replied with a brief nod of her head. "I suppose I can find out more on the flight." She said as she checked her omni-tool once more.
Eventually, Cali shook her head. "I'm sorry, I've been rude. Is your flight coming soon? I'd really hate to keep you." She asked, seeing she still had about an hour left of free time and not wanting to keep Taleeze from her own trip.
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Taleeze
Creator
[TI0]
Name: Taleeze Driana
Race: asari
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Post by Taleeze on Apr 7, 2015 11:04:39 GMT
Taleeze checked the holographic flight schedule across the hallway. "Nah, not for a while. I'm just all stuffed, I tend to eat at least two plates too many all the time." she joked. "Maybe that's something I picked up while I was on volunteer service duty. I don't know about turian military but the one thing you pick up is fast eating whenever decent food presents itself. It's a habit I obviously picked up real quick but it's hard to drop if I don't pay attention.
Not that the asari engineers had bad cooks! Cyone was probably a better place in regards to supplies, the planet was under constant pressure but never under full siege."
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Calistaris
Adventurer
[TI1]
Name: Calistaris Ardelion
Race: Turian
Occupation: Shadow Broker Wet Worker
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Post by Calistaris on Apr 7, 2015 15:11:40 GMT
Cali chuckled and smiled at the mention of the turian military and food. "Oh you have no idea..." She began as she shook her head. "So, declassified information, you learn to get to the mess hall ten minutes early so you could eat for fifteen minutes. They also feed you field rations so you have to heat everything yourself which takes a minute if you're quick." She said as she rubbed her forehead and laughed. "And the days they actually gave you time to eat were the worst!" She said, recalling some instances on which she was subjugated to the instance. "When they let you eat, it normally meant you were about to get sprayed. And what that means is they'd put you either in a room or out in the open and spray you with these chemicals, similar to human pepper spray. THEN they'd have you do all these trivial things like say your name and current location. On those days you wanted to eat light because, well..." She paused, laughing to herself. "Oh, I hated cleanup duty." She said, wiping her eyes. "Spirits, sorry, I rambled there."
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