The shower was relaxing. There was a strange comfort in the girl running her hands over his form, washing him. When he was done, he stepped out of the shower, drying with the towel, while the girl dried only her arms before she touched the clothing. He was dressed carefully by the girl's hands. The last piece taken from its place next to his bed was the heavy utility belt. The belt was a light brown, weathered and warn. Yet, he saw no reason to replace it. The pockets still carried their wares appropriately. The belt was cinched around his waist and locked into place. His saber was taken, placed in the special lock which rested at the small of his back. One last glance in the mirror as he fixed his short brown hair and then pet the girl gently on the head as he departed his quarters.

The lift already on his floor, he instantly stepped in when the door opened, and down he went. He was down in his office, settling in to his chair to begin reviewing day to day events. Monitors came alive behind him, beginning to pool reports form other facilities. He picked up a data pad and began his checklist. It wouldn't take long to tend to the matters before him. lani knocked on the door frame and only entered once she had been granted permission. He went over the slave reports and items for the tower and the Inn. She offered a small smile as he commended her on her dutiful work once more. She presented him with additional reports for his review and informed him that the Inn's orders were prepared and needed only his signature to begin the ordering process.

He nodded only. He turned to review the monitors once more behind him. There would be much to do and so many hours to do it in. There was only so much time spent in the office at the tower, the real work would begin once he got to the Inn. The trip into town was uneventful, stopping at only a few merchant stands along the way to barter for wares. Few merchants would actually call it "barter"...more like an unfair exchange: Their goods for their lives. The Inn was being cleaned and prepared for the day when he stepped through the door. nori informed her master that a potential customer had already come to call and was waiting for a conversation at his private booth. Travanix nodded and spoke quietly to nori, giving her instructions for the day, reminding her about special meals to be prepared. While lani ran the girls overall, nori ran the Inn when He or lani were not around. She had paid attention to lani, learning organization and preparation - it kept her on His good list.

He settled down into the booth after a brief introduction. Resting his arms on the table, he began to listen. He learned the guest was a slave handler from out west of the city who worked with the less developed villiages in a particular region. He took notice of the methods of the man, who seemed like he hastily cleaned up, probably at the suggestion of nori. Something Travanix learned early on - If you want to talk about business, respect the business. The chat lasted half an hour, the man asking if Travanix would resell the girls if he could get a cut of profit.

The deal was struck after a few more minutes of negotiation. Travanix warned the man that any sort of double-cross would result in the man being sold as stock along with any slaves he provided. The man nodded after a moment of terror rocked his body. They shook hands as they stood from the booth. The man turned and walked out of the Inn. The dark figure smirked as he turned to walk into his office.

Shopping this late at night was something of a sport. There were more people out at night - off of work, away from their responsibilities. All of them with their guard down, allowing him to manipulate and move in. The lovely young couple at the cafe caught his eye. They were giggling and talking sweetly in that way that only young love can do that doesn't make you sick. If you were young and in love. Unconsciously, he ran his tongue over his teeth looking for cavities. His senses relayed their emotions to him.

He had to turn around to avoid "being creepy". The girl was average height, and a delightful build. Lithe and active, but not athletic - probably works out a couple of times a week. The boyfriend seemed to be of bigger bulk then brains. The stories he told were simple and with little intelligence. He turned to watch over his shoulder slightly. The dark auburn of his eyes flashing in the street lights. The chill in the air was un-concentrated as it moved and crawled. With little effort, that chill became alive and active as it moved towards the girl piercing her clothing and caressing her flesh gently. Her legs began to rub together slowly and her mind became distracted from the boyfriend. Her arm shot out in surprise knocking over her glass into his lap. She released a slight shriek as he jumped up, trying to get as much ice away from his body as possible.

He turned slightly to face the two again. He was trying to wipe it away, and she was trying to get her napkin to him. He laughed and excused himself returning to the cafe. She sat flustered and frustrated. She didn't understand what had come over her. The black uniformed figure moved quietly through the street crowd, approaching the young lady's position. He smirked slightly, the chill in the air moving over the girl like a long lost lover. She let out a moan and then caught herself quickly, looking around to see if anyone had heard her. She was very proper - he would fix that.

He was less than a meter from her when he spoke in his chilled and quiet tones, "It seems that you have been left all alone, my dear."

She turned sharply to him, giggling then quieting down. "No, my boyfriend just needed to clean himself up a moment."


Travanix only nodded. "Still, it is a shame to leave such a delicious girl here, alone. Especially this time of night." He flashed a pleasant smile - a gentleman's smile. "May I talk with you a few moments until he returns?"

He could sense the warning bells going off in the back of her mind, feel the conflict growing between mind and body. "Alright, that would be alright." She seemed to stumble a bit.

He began to talk with her gently, quietly. Though the questions were simple - at first. Simple answers were given in a response. The first "hard" question caused her to blush but the answer quickly came from her mouth. The questions continued to become worse, darker - prodding. The truth came from her, whether she wanted it to come or not. But the gentle caress from the chill that had washed over her flesh rewarded her. A light sheen of sweat was forming over her flesh. He could see the small drops forming on her forehead, but her hands did not move to dry them.

She shifted slightly, one hand reaching up to her neck, smiling something wicked as he continued to interrogate her. His final question came gently, slowly as if pouring verbal honey into her ears: "Is this what you want?" She nodded so quickly, so harshly that he thought her head was about to rocket off her shoulders. He smirked in response. "You know what to do then." And then turned to leave. The chill in the air moved a way from her and she began to become disoriented, and slightly panicked - just as her boyfriend returned. Upon seeing her in her excited and disturbed state he tried to help her, only to receive a backhand as a response to his desire to help. She left the cafe quickly.

The only one that understood who she was, what she wanted was leaving.

She had to find him.