Ask Black Sheep

The sounds of the urban jungle, down to the busy streets and equally busy pedestrians, were all drowned out by the music blasting from the earbuds she wore. Silver eyes remained glued on the menu held by pale, slender hands, almost seemingly uncomprehending as they jumped from one item to the next. The waiter, a human male, did not seem to mind the wait as he greedily took in the sight of the lady who was currently looking all the more undecided on what to choose from the variety of beverages the café offered. Swallowing the lump in his throat as if to gather his courage, he reached out and lightly tapped the woman's shoulder once. His face erupted into shades of crimson as those argent eyes swept from the menu then up at him.

"Are you ready to order, miss?" he asked, tone almost hopeful for something else as the woman tucked a stray of snow-white hair behind one ear. His gaze followed first her hand, then the impossibly long earrings she wore, the triangular charms glinting under the sunlight. His gaze then lowered further, a glint of annoyance flashing in his eyes at the attire she wore - while tasteful, it hid what he was sure was a slender frame beneath that overcoat. His eyes picked up quickly and spotted the earbuds a little too late and was about to repeat his question when her lips parted.

"No, not yet," she replied in honeyed tones, voice painfully gentle that quite matched her delicate features. Then, she added, "I'm waiting for my boyfriend."

Hopes immediately dashed by that one cursed word, the man visibly deflated and offered her an awkward smile before excusing himself.

Four's gaze returned to the menu, but the bewilderment in her silver eyes were quickly replaced with a more calculated glint. Leaning back into her seat, the young woman adjusted the volume of the music before switching over to some artist called Good Night, Moon. She listened for a moment longer, finishing the song, before turning the music off.

For someone who was on their first mission as a Cipher agent, the woman was not feeling an ounce of nerves. To her this was just another undertaking regardless of her new rank, a job that needed to be done. The current goal was to convince a local or two to become informants for the Empire, given how Bothawui was a critical ISC planet. Convincing prospective targets was one thing, but making sure that their loyalty would lie with the Din Empire was another. Four was not blind to possible treachery from their future informants. For now, though, it was a matter of finding the right people for the job.

She glanced at her chrono, not particularly phased about the prospect of waiting for her partner on the job. Four did not mind waiting, in fact - as long as she could watch the waiter walk on eggshells around her, it was enough to keep her entertained for the time being.

@Zay

Clair had taken the time to study whatever material that was provided for her regarding her partner for this mission. Unsurprisingly said material was only limited to his picture, along with the mission brief. It was highly likely that he had received the same. Four, however, believed that a picture often painted a thousand words, or so the old adage her mothers used to tell her.

Contemplative silvers met sunshiney, polite baby blues as she lifted her head to look at the man who had just occupied the seat across hers. A smile, reminiscent of dawn breaking after a long, stormy night, broke across her fair features at his greeting. She leaned towards him, elbows resting on the table before one hand extended to lightly brush the tips of her fingers on his brown curls.

”I don’t mind waiting,” she brushed off the casual apology, eyes twinkling with amusement. Withdrawing her hand, the pale woman then slid the menu card the waiter from earlier had given her. ”Ah, I’ve been told that their version of bantha burger is to die for… I wonder what’s so special about this one…”

The complete absence of the human waiter was duly noted as a Bothan one approached the pair. Four ordered a double patty burger on the go, a silent prompt for her colleague to do the same. Once their orders were placed and delivered, the woman rose from her seat, one hand carrying her food while the other reached for Seven’s. Pulling him with her with a meek giggle, the pair exited the sports bar.

Crossing the busy streets and taking refuge in a lonely alleyway moments later, Four dropped Seven’s hand so she could dig in to her food. The carefree, meek smile she had worn was now replaced with a more neutral expression, silver eyes glued on the burger she held at mouth level.

”The Bothan Spynet…” she began, voice soft and low. There were only the two of them in the alley, and while it usually offered other beings the freedom to talk freely, Four's voice remained a quiet whisper, her words only meant for her fellow agent’s ears. ”...likes to resort to blackmail to rein in unruly agents. I won’t be surprised if someone would risk double-crossing them for it.”

She took a bite of her burger, eyes flicking up to meet Seven’s gaze. Talking with her mouth half full, she continued, ”Also… there’s a Bothan woman who works with internal affairs in the senate building. She has friends who usually brushes shoulders with staff working closely with the ISC VP.”

She had done her homework by actually holing up on the planet for days so she could scrounge up information on potential informants. Personally, her best bet was the government lady, but knowing how suspicious Bothans were she had a feeling that the candidate would demand something from the two Empire agents first before they could ‘earn’ her trust.

Swallowing, Four took another bite, then another, decimating her food in mere moments. A tiny smudge of sauce was left plastered on the corner of her upper lip, but she didn’t seem to notice.

@Zay

Despite her upbringing, Four was not above showing proper human emotion. A look of visible relief crossed her face when Seven expressed his reservations about considering one of the Spynet’s many agents as a potential informant. She felt the same but had trouble expressing her own doubts, so she opted to test the waters. It was in no way designed to test her fellow Cipher’s assessment but her own. What Four did - especially when it came to those she would be working with - she did it to appraise her own skill, where she might be lacking and things to improve on. Nodding once in agreement to Seven, the Echani’s gaze shifted, crumpling the wrap in her hand and tossing it in the same bin.

Groc Do’hola was too public of a figure - to Four, anyway - and it was why she did not initially pick the Cabinet member despite his explicit dissatisfaction towards the ISC. But it was her preference speaking, something she knew she had to manage for it to not interfere with her work. The secretary wouldn’t normally earn the public’s gaze, nor her colleagues. But Do’hola’s reach was much farther than Four’s pick, to be honest. She found herself nodding in agreement with Seven’s proposition, silver eyes seemingly brightening at the idea.

”Yes, that is a good idea,” the woman agreed, licking her lips and frowning lightly when she tasted the leftover sauce on her upper lip. Just when she thought she had moved on from eating like a child…

”The info… yes, of course. Sorry.”

She withdrew a handkerchief from her jacket pocket and carefully wiped her face just in case there was any rogue sauce smeared on her face (which, thankfully, had none save for the spot she had already picked). Once done, Four then retrieved her NalPhone and typed in the passcode before handing it over to her fellow agent, the profile, information, and dirt on the Bothan lady she had dug displayed on the screen, along with the picture of an imposing female Bothan with shrewd, green eyes.


”It’s highly likely that Net would accept bribes and would be much easier to convince… and not just because of her criminal record.” Four blinked, eyes darting on the street. ”We need to make contact with Groc first. See what we can do to convince him to work for the Empire.”

@Zay

Clair politely declined the offer of smoke with a soft shake of her head. She did not understand the point nor the pleasure of smoking. Still, the Echani woman appreciated the gesture.

”Hmm.”

Four intended to take two birds with one stone - out of sheer practicality, more than anything else. Retrieving her datapad, she began to exit the alley. ”Let’s go to the safe house first, please. I’m ready as I am now, but it’s much better to plan how to properly proceed, come prepared, and be well-equipped for the task at hand.”


The safe house was no more than an abandoned warehouse both on the outside and inside. But underneath it was a forgotten but still functional bunker, hidden not only by design but also by the overall neglect of the establishment above. Upon its discovery, the agent that stumbled upon it had found it prudent to share its existence to field operatives that would utilize it.

Upon her arrival on Bothawui, Four had taken to keeping most of her weaponry in the safe house, along with a variety of clothes. After making sure that no prying eyes had managed to follow them, she entered the warehouse and proceeded to the bunker alongside her fellow Cipher. Shedding her coat, Clair folded it first before placing it neatly upon the empty table.

”Is there any particular way you would like to proceed with approaching Groc?” Four asked her partner as she moved towards a recently installed closet. Upon opening it, various clothing for specific jobs were hanging neatly inside. She ignored them in favor of opening a drawer, this time filled with clothes on the fancier spectrum; things that would fit the bill of clienteles the private club their prospective informant frequented.

@Zay

"It's an agreeable plan," muttered Four with an approving nod as she surveyed the media files with a narrowed, calculated gaze. The woman then proceeded to change herself after checking one file after another, moving to take off her turtleneck shirt - but stopped halfway when she remembered her mothers teaching her about modesty, and that her body simply wasn't transport. Her grey gaze landed on the slip of a dress her fellow agent had nodded off to earlier and she thought what the point would be if she would be showing so much skin out in the open. And Seven's was just one pair of eyes; his gaze would do nothing to her.

After changing, Four reattached her long earrings, swiped a streak of red on her lips that stood so starkly against her pale hair and skin, and made sure that her heels were properly strapped in place. The Echani woman could only manage to strap two pairs of small throwing knives so far up her thighs; if they weren't coming all friendly she would have donned a suit so she could get some proper loadout hidden in her coat, too. But beggars couldn't be choosers- wait, that was a wrong analogy. Was it?

"Ready."

The ride from the safehouse to the private club was a quick one. Four swiftly disembarked from the speeder, immediately gravitating by Seven's side. Unlike earlier in the sports bar, however, the woman seemed to openly wait for her partner's permission before she would move to slip her arm around his.

A guard was stationed by the entrance, a broad-shouldered and mean-looking Bothan who frisked patrons as if every ounce of his wages depended on it. Maybe it actually did given how high-profile most of the clientele were. Still, security and personal bodyguards were seemingly being given less attention just in case the big bosses inside found themselves in a pickle of some sort. When it was her and her partner's turn, however, the bouncer sneered at the undercover pair then moved to frisk Seven.

"Excuse me," Four called out before the bouncer could reach for her partner. Though her gaze and expression remained wholly neutral, a playful edge bit the agent's words when she asked, "Isn't the policy ladies' first?"

Spluttering a reply (that mainly went along the lines of immodesty) and failing to get a proper sentence out, the bouncer only pushed Seven further into the entrance and barked out while glaring at the Echani, "Next!"

@Zay

She did not expect her attempt to distract the bouncer to fully succeed. Four, however, appreciated more than she let on when Seven played along, his flirtatious smile answered with a rather mischievous smirk. She wasn't even a bit jealous at the prospect of having the Bothan's hairy mitts wandering all over her, and not out of malice or anything, but out of sheer impracticality. With her skimpy dress, it would be so easy to feel the throwing knives she was concealing. Although not exactly expecting a full-blown barfight should push come to a shove, the Echani woman would not want to get caught empty-handed regardless.

As her partner was pushed forward, Four's gaze met the bouncer's when both of his hands landed on her shoulders. She was about to raise her hands, a somewhat disgruntled sigh ready to slip past her lips, when Seven came to her "rescue". One hand gliding up her thigh when the man's arm snaked around her waist, Four let herself be led into the club, but not before glancing at the bouncer over her shoulder. Quickly she snapped off the pair of knives strapped to her left thigh and tossed it over at the bouncer.

A parting gift, and a good show of faith, perhaps.

"H-Hey-!"

She simply smiled at the bouncer and entered the club alongside her fellow agent.

Music, the occasional laughter and disappointed groans, and smoke permeated the air. Four fought the urge to scrunch her nose and instead opted to order a rum and coke. As Seven pointed out their target, Four, still facing the bar, only looked up at the mirrors aligning the top walls and took a look at their target. Groc Do'hola was a sharply dressed Bothan - probably cared more about how he physically looked rather than the company he kept. But Four was not here to judge, she and her partner were here to make conversation. She turned to face Seven first and gave him a small smile.

"Why, thank you for the compliment," she replied, a hint of teasing lacing her words. The woman then took a sip from her drink before giving Seven a toast.

Four then sauntered forward towards Groc's table, not directly staring the target down and instead paying more attention on the game hey were playing. But it was so easy to feel the Bothan's gaze flicking towards her, taking in the sway to her hips and the way she held her glass. Four stopped by the table and beside the target, leaning forward slightly enough for the Bothan to sneak a little peek. With a warm and friendly smile, Four glanced at him and asked, "Are you winning?"

A laugh escaped Groc as he shook his maned head. "That remains to be seen," he replied, obviously checking out the Cipher agent incognito. Four made sure to preen under his gaze. "You're new here," he then observed, peering at her through his spectacles.

Four gasped, one hand rising to over her red lips in a show of bashfulness. "The loth-cat's out of the bag," she giggled a reply, "though I won't ask what gave it away." She glanced at the game, then back at Groc with a sweet but sultry smile. "Good luck with your game, sir. I hope you win."

The woman then moved to leave. Groc clearly had other plans, abandoning the game and the other players as he tailed Four rather eagerly. "Excuse me, wait. Do you mind if I buy you another drink?"

She turned to face him, acting surprised that he had decided to follow her. When he introduced himself, Four smiled and hooked one arm around his.

"Mister Senator, do you... want to talk somewhere more private? That booth over there, perhaps?"

The target was just too eager to please and agreed.

Subtly glancing over towards Seven's direction, Four began to lead Groc towards the VIP booth, giggling at the Bothan's jokes and leaning more and more against him as if to show that his stories completely enamored her.

@Zay

Four smiled sweetly up at Groc, keeping their gazes locked as she finished her drink in one go. The Bothan was just too eager to stare, grinning widely as she lowered her glass and lightly but playfully shook it as if to answer his latter question.

”A refill of my rum and coke, thank you,” she said politely, bordering on innocent as she blinked up wide, doe eyes at the target. As the server droid moved as instructed, Groc shifted on his seat so he was now facing her, one arm draping on the backrest and not so subtly around the Cipher incognito’s slender shoulders. Four, in turn, paused for dramatic effect, as if mulling over the cabinet member’s first question.

Though it seemed that her whole attention was focused on the Bothan, the woman was subtly extremely mindful of her surroundings. From the corner of her vision, she spotted her fellow agent take the booth next to her and their target, as well as the appearance of two new individuals - most probably more of Groc’s personal bodyguards. Four merely smiled at Groc before offering the latter an honest response.

Perfectly crafted concern flitted over the woman’s features, aimed solely at Groc Do’hola.

”I have to be honest with you, sir,” she began, the change in her demeanor rousing his suspicion. Seven had given her the cards; the ammunition. Four would not waste her partner’s efforts. Given the Bothans’ suspicious nature, she knew that fully deceiving them would not guarantee a hundred percent success. In this case, the truth was her weapon - a thing she could twist to her and Seven’s advantage. ”But first, I apologize for having to call upon your company and keep you to myself. What I’m about to tell you must never go out in public, for your sake and yours alone.”

”What do you mean?” asked Groc while maintaining a lax appearance. But there were cracks on the male’s perceived composure - shoulders tensing, a slight twitch to the corners of his lips, the occasional bobbing of his throat.

Four leaned towards the Bothan, making herself appear as harmless as she could. ”I am- well, was working for Ebrist Lay’lare.”

The sudden mention of his most hated political rival made Groc scowl, but he refrained from speaking and did not interrupt Four. She took his silence as her cue to continue.

”He plans to use your open dissatisfaction with the ISC to discredit you and remove you from the cabinet,” she continued. ”But he knows that your dissatisfaction alone won’t be enough to bring his plan to fruition. He intends to bring you down by shedding light on your… less than reputable dealings.”

At this, Groc glared at Four, gripping one of her arms and squeezing threateningly.

Should she flinch?

The woman steadily met the Bothan’s fiery stare with a calm but determined gaze.

”Like I told you earlier, I was working for Lay’lare as one of his aides. An admittedly curious aide at that, sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong. I heard him talking to his secretary about you. In his carelessness, he left his personal datapad accessible during one of his meetings. I took the opportunity to snoop around and discovered files filled with damning evidence against you-”

”And what good would telling me this do to you?”

”-so I decided to copy them and show you. Because I know that simply telling you as a warning won’t make you believe me,” the woman continued as if she wasn’t interrupted, still meeting Groc’s glare dead on. ”To tell you honestly, Mister Do’hola, I share your sentiments towards the ISC, but you need to keep your status as a cabinet member of Bothawui’s government. I… we can’t let Lay’lare succeed with his plans of removing you from the cabinet.”

Silence fell between the two, the chatter, laughter, and music in the background almost fading as Four and Groc stared each other down. The Bothan was the first to look away, lighting a cigarra as he seemed to mull over the Echani’s ‘revelation’. He took a long drag, gaze finding two of his guards making their way towards the woman seated beside him. Four did nothing, however, letting the armored guards loom over her.

Groc stood up moments later, taking one of Four’s arms but this time his grip was somewhat awkward, lacking the steel it held earlier. She rose with him dutifully, keeping her gaze steady.

”To see is to believe, young lady,” Groc finally spoke as he handed her over to his guards. ”My boys will escort you back home so you can retrieve those… files, and they’ll bring you over to my place so you can show them to me.”

”You’ll destroy them after I show you?” she queried. At the Bothan’s stern nod, Four made a show of shaking her head. ”It won’t be enough. They’re only copies, remember? But I have prepared a contingency plan for that.”

”And what would that be?”

”Would it be alright if I tell you after you’ve seen what Lay’lare has against you?”

Groc turned his back to her and looked at Four over his shoulder, preparing to return to his home. ”I guess that’s acceptable.” Turning to his guards, who have become Four’s impromptu escorts, he sternly ordered them, ”Keep the young lady under your watch at all times and bring her straight to me once she retrieves those files. If she runs, well… shoot her. We can simply ransack her place in search of these ‘files’ she so wanted to show me.”

@Zay