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[Thel Xeros]

Toprawa

After acquiring and then selling a rather rare bottle of wine, Thel had something to work with. He then did some business on Ando, to finally raise the funds necessary.

He’d set his sights on a rather small, and quite remote, Vineyard on Toprawa. It had been a family run venture, but they were looking to leave the business. The family wanted a quick sale, which meant he got it at a lower price. He agreed to keep the existing staff at the Vineyard; it made things easier for himself.

It took him a while to settle in. He had big plans for the place; all in good time though. To celebrate, he’d decided to throw a small party at the Vineyard. Just those who worked there and any of their friends or family who could be persuaded to make the journey.

He had invited Param. She was the closest thing he had to a friend, or maybe even a family member.

It was early evening and all the guests were already enjoying themselves. The sun was just beginning to set. It warm, but there was a cooling breeze.

He was sat alone in the kitchen, away from the other guests. He had a glass of red wine in front of him, on the wooden table. The kitchen door was open, letting in the fresh air from outside.

Instead of wearing his robes, as he usually did, he had chosen to wear a suit. A tailor, who he had known since he was a Sith Champion, made it for him. It looked similar to something he had once seen a singer wear. He also wore a pair of black patent leather, low vamp loafers. His socks were grey in colour.

He glanced down at his drink. Hopefully Param would arrive soon.

@TheDudeMike

 

[Param Vour]

Param hadn't known quite what to expect when she arrived. Thel had invited her, and there were other guests, so she assumed it was some formal thing. It was rare for her to break out the dresses in recent times. They were her favorite thing to wear back when she was an Acolyte, and even a Champion. She hadn't worn a dress since, always choosing more practical wear. Today was different. There was no combat to be had, no one to end or fight; it was more of a celebration of sorts if she had to guess. So she'd broke out a black slit dress that she had been saving for a special occassion.

Vee stayed on the ship to keep it warm just in case. The only thing Param brought with her was a clutch that had her EZPhone in it. It was the first time she'd gone without a weapon on her in a very long time as well. It didn't feel wrong, as she expected it to, though. It felt... freeing. It was a good thing she hadn't brought anything but the clutch and phone too, as the other guests all seemed to stop and stare as she entered the vineyard.

She made her way through other guests until she stepped into the kitchen. Thel was there with a glass of wine, wearing a suit of all things. A warm smile spread across her lips at the sight. How long had Thel only worn his robes? Now he actually looked like he was relaxed, something that she hadn't even known was possible back when she was under his tutelage. Param stopped in the doorway of the kitchen, silver eyes flashing with amusement.

"Thel," she said quietly. "I'm happy to see you relaxing for once." She strode over to the table and sat down across from him. "I'm a little over dressed, I think. It was either this or the poncho." Param gave him a sheepish grin.

@DMCK

 

[Thel Xeros]

Thel was relieved when he saw Param stood in the doorway. If she hadn’t turned up, he would’ve probably spent the whole party on his own. The only alternative would’ve been to…mingle with the guests. Perish the thought.

“I am relaxed, yes. Thank you for accepting the invitation.”

Thel smiled slightly at Param’s comment. “No, it’s fine. It’s a nice dress.”

He reached over for a glass and the bottle of wine, on the table. “May I pour you a glass?”

The wine was from the vineyard. One thing he was definitely going to do was work on improving the taste. It was ok, but nothing special. Not yet anyway.

@TheDudeMike

 

[Param Vour]

"It's what my friends would have seen me where a lot," Param said. Her warm smile stayed on her lips but her silver eyes seemed to sadden at the thought. All of her friends were either dead, thought she was dead, or were off doing Force knows what. Except for the Mandalorians, that was. She would consider Rancor Squadron as friends. They had yet to see her in a dress though. The only two states of Param they had seen were poncho and clean and poncho covered in blood. They were Mandalorian however, so they took like champions.

"Yes, please. That would be lovely," she said, striding over the chair and sitting down across from her former master. It seemed like a lifetime ago that they were sitting just like this, albeit in much more rigid circumstances, the day Thel had taught her how to mind trick. It was also the day he electrocuted her. Param shook the thought away. She'd had plenty of time to dwell on what happened as a Sith, now was an opportunity a different side of Thel.

"It's a nice vineyard." Param took the glass gingerly between her index finger and thumb after Thel had finished pouring. She swished the liquid around a couple of times and then took a sip. It wasn't the best she'd ever had, but it was definitely good. It definitely had the potential to be the best in the sector with a bit of work. Param's warm smile deepened and her eyes flicked up to Thel.

"Is this what the bottle at the mansion was for?" she asked. The life of a slaver was well worth it to start a new, peaceful life. Param wouldn't lose any sleep over the thought of being used for asset retrieval over it- now that she knew what it was actually for. "I can see why you didn't want any of the guards. It's a little too high class for their type."

@DMCK

 

[Thel Xeros]

“It is a nice spot, yes. There are improvements that can be made though.”

Thel watched Param take a sip of the wine. He wondered what she thought of it. He couldn’t recall her having much of an interest in wine, besides occasionally swiping bottles from his collection on Troiken. Looking back, he was surprised at how lenient he had been in regards to that.

“Yes, that was a very rare bottle of wine. I sold it to a collector to help raise funds for this venture.”

He kept a close eye on Param’s facial expressions. She seemed to be in good spirits. He remembered her seeming somewhat unhappy about something on Eriadu.

“This venture will be entirely legal. This is the sort of place I could perhaps retire to, one day.”

@TheDudeMike

 

[Param Vour]

“You’ll never be done improving it, I bet,” she said with a smile, taking another sip of wine. Her pagoda on Troiken, and the garden that surrounded it, was a constant effort until it had been burned and poisoned. It was something she came home to after missions and work, something that kept her mind off of everything happening in the galaxy and in her life. It’s burning had brought with it the discovery that Param could be happy if all she had was Vee and her freedom.

“With time, I’m sure the wine you sell here will be just as rare one day,” Param said, taking another sip. “Maybe sooner rather than later.” If Thel was thinking about retirement to this place, he’d have a lot of extra time on his hands. He already would, not having any work to do for the Sith any longer. He could focus on himself, and on his new found craft.

She took another look around, and then another sip of wine. Everything was always go-go-go with Param in the past and recently. It was nice to have time to sit, to think. Time to just reflect and enjoy some company.

“If you need any help, I’d be happy to. I got flowers to grow in a small garden on Korriban, getting things to grow here would be easy.”

@DMCK

 

[Thel Xeros]

“Of course. I was actually going to ask if you would be willing to help here. I would welcome it.”

He finished off the last little bit of wine in his glass.

“There’s a good view of the fields, from the balcony upstairs. If you’d like to see?”

He wondered whether Param would consider setting up her own business on the planet, in addition to helping him.

@TheDudeMike