Ask I'm Not Above Degrading Myself

[Jules]

Cormund, Brentaal IV

You can do this. He won't know what hit him.

Jules kept that thought in her head as she checked her make-up in the mirror. Everything had to be perfect. She had no reason to doubt the info she'd paid for but she wasn't going to let this chance slip through the net. Gerlan Cormund had just entered the building. Third son of a noble house with absolutely nothing to distinguish himself other than acting like a washed up playboy. Recently split from his fiancee and trying to enjoy himself. Her eyes ran over to her datapad, checking the notes again.

G. Cormund - Cormund, Brentaal IV
​

- House Cormund, 3rd in line
- Out of favor with father
- Recent break up with fiancee, Reisha Elegin
- Spotted frequenting high class clubs and cabarets
- Rumours of infidelity throughout relationship
- Considered to be least capable of current Cormund heirs

Dumb, promiscuous and currently trying to get with anything with legs in Brentaal's classier clubs. Perfect mark. That's how Jules found herself in that club, wearing a dress that threatened to cut off circulation and showed about ten miles of toned leg. It's why she'd chosen her best, ostentatiously tacky lip stain and the most expensive, trashiest eyeshadow she could find. It'd have to do. Hopefully, Gerlan liked brunettes. With one last glance in the mirror, Jules psyched herself up and fixed a half-smile on her face, heading back out.

It only took a few minutes to find him. Enjoying himself at the bar, showing off to a few hangers on. Jules sauntered over there slowly, taking her time. An eye on him, always, deliberately making sure she was showing herself off. When she reached the bar, she slipped herself into a spot near him, ever-so-slightly brushing her body against his side.

"'Scuse me, sorry," she said, her voice rich and soft as molten gold. She leaned slightly forwards, looking at him side on. A perfect eyebrow raised, biting gently into her lower lip. Please, tell me everything you know about your family's priceless treasures.

"Buy a girl a drink?"

@Reyn

 

[The Storyteller]

Seeing Gerlan up close, Jules would quickly realize her notes only scratched the surface of the young noble's ineptitude. Just turning to face her caused the man to stumble slightly, quickly catching himself on the bar and doing his best to recover into a more impressive pose. The reddened cheeks suggested either her getup was working just as intended, or he had been quite thoroughly enjoying the bar before her arrival.

"Oh, don't worry about it..." He slurred. Definitely the latter... The man was swimming in cologne, hair slick with some overly-expensive product. His eyes remained on hers only for a moment before traveling the length of her body, quite leisurely and blatantly. When he finally turned his attention back to her face, he only offered an oblivious smile.

"Sure," He cleared his throat and turned towards the bar. "Sure, Relus! Get the lady something nice!" He looked back at her with ravenous eyes. "Anything else I can do for you miss...?" He asked her expectantly. The woman he was previously talking to, a pretty young aristocrat in a white dress standing on the other side of him, appeared quite annoyed by his sudden shift in attention, and glanced in Jules' direction as well.

@Charndley

 

[Jules]

Jules always got a rush when she was playing someone. Slipping into a role was like a living dream. Nobody knew who she was and, if she was as good as she thought she was, nobody ever could work it out. It felt wonderful. Freeing. Like she was the smartest person in a room full of fucking idiots.

Gerlan's eyes wandered over her and she smiled, enjoying the attention. Not in any real way, if someone like Gerlan came onto her outside of work, she'd have stabbed him before she let him touch her. Still though, sacrifices had to be made.

"Seerdon. Callie Seerdon," she replied, laying on her natural 'Chandrilan noble' affectation. Risky to play her native role, but she wanted everything to run smoothly. The Seerdons were a noble family, not quite as distinguished as her former one, but with means. They'd pissed away a lot of chances by being tangled up closely with the Empire and had stumbled along in iniquity since, hungry for a clawback. "And you?"

The bartender arrived, passing her a glass filled with some kind of spirit. She lifted it to her lips, taking a sip. It tasted... expensive. "Mmm, you do know how to make an impression." Another winning smile as she laid down the glass, just a smear of red on the rim of the glass. "I noticed your shirt from across the room," she told him, a single hand reaching out. Her fingers danced over the fabric, as if she was trying to feel it. Gently pressing into him, almost stroking his chest. "I like a man with good taste."

Jules looked over his shoulder at her 'rival' for his attention. A white dress? What an amateur. Save it for your wedding, purity would get you nowhere in this game.

@Reyn

 

[The Storyteller]

"Gerlan. Cormund." The noble replied smugly to Jules' question, clearly looking for a reaction. "You may have seen my name a few places around town." He joked. He watched very closely as she took a sip of her drink, and as she moved her hand close to his chest he glanced down briefly before looking back at her and chuckling. "You don't look too bad yourself." He complimented her. "What brings you to Brentaal?"

The woman on his other side scowled at Jules as their eyes met, then put on a friendly smile. She stepped forward, brushing up against Gerlan and wrapping one arm around his. "Demera Tatham, it's so nice to meet you Miss Seerdon, I know I haven't seen your face around here before." She was good at looking the part a charming young lady, but there was enough venom in her words to poison a gundark.

Gerlan for his part looked at the woman with a hint of embarrassment before turning back towards Jules and awaiting her response. As defenseless as Jules' mark appeared, it seemed the woman that had gotten here before her was fiercely territorial. And the nobleman didn't look too eager to get rid of her either.

@Charndley

 

[Jules]

Her eyes widened, filled with 'shock.' Her smile grew ever bigger, flashing her pearly whites for a second. "Well, aren't I a lucky girl?" she replied, giving him a wink. "My uncle is arranging some business here. He thinks there's good money in the change of government. And I've always wanted to see Brentaal. So much more vibrant than Chandrila. The view's much better already." Unfortunately, her flirting was interrupted by yesterday's model butting in. Clearly, Gerlan wasn't wasting any time trying to replace his ex-fiancee then.

"Oh darling, I know you haven't. Very few people forget me," Jules replied with a cold giggle, cocking her head to the side slightly. "I adore your dress, by the way. I think I had something like this once, gosh, maybe when I was eight? White doesn't do for me anymore, looks a little too plain, too chaste." The smile never left her face. Aristocratic sniping was a lot more fun than she remembered.

"But please, do call me Callie. I like to keep things quite intimate, much more fun that way." Another flick of her eyes towards Gerlan, another wink. Leaning forwards ever so slightly towards the both of them, letting her expensively-trashy perfume wash over him. Making sure he had plenty to look at if he was eying her up.

"I hear you're a man who likes to enjoy himself, Gerlan. May I call you Gerlan?"

@Reyn

 

[The Storyteller]

Both smiled back at Jules, one genuine and the other... not quite. Gerlan opened his mouth to reply, but Demera was much more eager to snipe back. "Oh I know it's not everyone's style." She said cheerfully as she looked down briefly, brushing a hand along her dress and smoothing it out before looking back at Jules. "I'll admit I'm a bit old fashioned, not like you. A woman with your figure must be very daring indeed to wear a dress like that. I wish I was as brave as you." Like Jules, her smile never faltered. Gerlan laughed nervously.

"Gerlan is just fine, Callie, and I'm quite glad you've decided to join us here." He said more diplomatically, his eyes fixed below hers. "And yes, I do like to enjoy myself..." He cleared his throat as he looked up again, glancing between the two women, still smiling. "That's why we're all here right? To have a good time?" He tugged on Demera a bit. "I think there's good times enough for all of us... Aren't there?" He looked at the woman in the white dress hopefully. She looked back at him unimpressed. The nobleman then turned an inquisitive eye towards Jules, testing the waters as it was.

@Charndley