Maggie was busy and Tens had finished his information gathering so he casually leant up against the bar and waited. He knew it was coming. There was an expectation now that the job had been completed and Grand had been...reactivated? Reinvigorated? Whatever. The point was this: there was going to be a moment.

So he waited. You didn't interrupt Saph at her own party.

Any searching around he might have done, he found no sign of Saph, even at this event. Curious perhaps but any thinking on that thought would have to wait as Grand himself walks up to Tenzing's side, dressed in the afforded clothing and honestly making the outfit look just a bit better than it ever had with the way Grand cleans up. Despite his state mere hours ago here he was, back in his element. One of Maggie's coworkers seemed appreciative of the way he walks with confidence through the room. Shaking hands with people he's only briefly met.

At Tenzing's side however he pulls the other man into a big hug and places a platonic kiss on the side of his cheek, grabbing his cheeks, "Ah- my angel of redemption," he says with glee, dropping his hands from Tenzing's cheeks and onto his shoulders. "Let us go see the woman of the hour, hmm?"

"You gotta teach me how to make an entrance like that pal." Tenzing gave him a sardonic grin and patted him on the shoulder right back. "Scrubbed up nice."

Finishing his drink he placed the empty glass back down on the bar. "Let's do this." Saph had to be watching from her office, so he set off with Grand at his side.

"Alas, it's not an entrance one can learn. You have to possess a certain degree of.. presence and will," he smirks, appraising Tenzing, "you have some promise my friend," he claps him once on the shoulder and turns, "Hang around me though and you'll pick up all the tricks you need," he grins devilishly, handsome as a devil.

"Lets," he says, and the pair come up the same way past the groups on the ground level and even one pair who stopped to talk on the stairs. Up the way and passing most of the private rooms they approach Saph's door, there's a guard watching them but upon seeing Tenzing he relaxes and gives him a nod. Facing them with that same steel door he saw all those days ago.

Tenzing smirked. "I'm detecting a side of shamelessness too." As they walked he saw the other groups of people mingling, seeming carefree. They all needed to spend a day in the Lower City without their guards.

The guard's gesture was politely returned. Saph would already know they were here. "She's expecting us."

Assuming the guard was happy with that Tens walked up, knocked once, and opened the door.

As he was about to knock Grand places a hand on his shoulder, "Oh, shamelessness in spades my friend, in spades," he laughs, and then nods toward the door.

As it was opened they walk into a similar sight, Saph sitting at her desk with a pipe. Smoking peacefully alone in her room as the party around her mingled on. Within this room, and certainly as the door shut, it was quiet- the din of conversation cutting out completely.

"Welcome," she says, a smile slowly forming across her lips. "I see you're as efficient as I hoped, Investigator," she looks to Tenzing with an appreciative nod.

Grand steps forward, arms wide, "Madame Saph, how long it has been. Sorry to hear about the-" she glares at him, cutting him off and with an awkward chuckle he dims slightly for a moment.

Meiyokashi wrote: ↑

Sat Jun 05, 2021 6:19 pm

"Welcome," she says, a smile slowly forming across her lips. "I see you're as efficient as I hoped, Investigator," she looks to Tenzing with an appreciative nod.

Tens nodded. "I don't like messy. Happened the way you thought it would." He noted how Grand diminished in the face of her glare. Power.

His focus remained on Saph. She was the boss around here. The real question had always been what she wanted next. Finding Grand had been relatively trivial for him. What was the real job?

"Excellent," she smiles, it's a small smile compared to most but there is that weight to it in comparison. Tapping out her pipe she looks to Grand, "Grand, do enjoy the party for now, hmm?" she looks to the door, "We will have much to discuss about the future and mutual friends," she says, that smile again.

With a dip of his head, "I do love a good party, and you throw the finest, Madame Saph."

"Just Saph, now. Thank you," she says, and then points with the pipe toward the door.

With a look to Tenzing he places a hand on the other mans shoulder, "Be well, my friend. Till we meet again," he says with the broadness of his smile and then one last dip of his head toward Saph before making his exit.

Saph's smile would be tucked away under 'things that might never seen again in a lifetime'. Tenzing returned Grand's smile, nodding. There would be time for talking to his new friend later. For now, business.

Once the former Pirate lord had left it was just Tens and Saph in the room again. The smoke curled. "So. You have a job for me?"

"I do," she gestures toward the seat in front just as before, "sit, please. This one comes with much more of a story than the last, but first.. how much do you know about the establishment once in this city I ran? Madame Saph's it was once called."

Taking the offered seat he took a few moments before replying. "Enough to know that there are several stories about what happened to it, depending on who you ask. Which tells me the truth is probably somewhere in between, or still buried."

"A young woman in my employ decided one day that the conditions of the establishment were not to her liking. That I was being unfair with her and the others there despite the protection I offered," she says, taking a drag from her pipe as she let the thoughts stir and smoke settle in her lungs. Letting it out in a small puff she resumes, "Vida, was her name. I would like her found, and I have no idea where she may have gone. Just that she is no longer within my reach, at least-" she looks to Tenzing, a nod, "not yet."

Tenzing leaned back in the chair and steepled his fingers. "A missing person cold case, years after the fact. Yeah, I can see why you'd want a professional."

And what exactly did Ms Powerful and Scarred plan to do with Vida once she found her? "Any reason to suspect she's still on the planet? It sounds like that would be unlikely, so this could be a significant investment of time and effort we're talking about here."

"Significant, yes- but that's why I had you tested on the first run. As well, payment for that of course.." she says, giving a nod toward a small lock-box style case that was sitting at the edge of her desk. With the only reason for Tenzing not noticing it until now being that it actually blended in really well with the rest of the items on the desk and was rather nondescript.

"If she were still on planet she would have been turned up by now. I've a good reach when it comes to Bellionas but.. beyond? I've never had any specialists on the payroll, people not cemented to this city. Which brings in you, someone who would certainly travel the galaxy for the sum of credits I'm offering on completion."

It wasn't often that Tenzing missed a detail like that. He collected the case, briefly checked the contents, nodded.

"It's a big galaxy, but I've seen more than my fair share. And I like a challenge." He'd enjoyed tracking down Grand. Felt like the old days. Might even be the right time to go, once the Resistance finished doing its thing they would probably need to lie low for while.

"Your Intel will be old, but it'll be a place to start." He knew she'd have files. Never knew what fresh eyes might see.

Saph thought a moment, taking a drag from her pipe in order to pass that time in thought. Slow inhale, slow exhale, the winding smoke trail running off the end does a couple whirls before she speaks again, "I'll have to have something special put together. All the information I can dig up..." she eyes him a moment, tapping her pipe.

"You'll still be here in a weeks time?"

The smoke curled like a sea monster seeking its prey. Memories of Mon Cala. He nodded.

"I wasn't planning on going anywhere. Obviously I'll let you know if that changes. If you can pull that info together, it'll help."

It really was a big galaxy after all.

"I shall," she gives a brief nod, looking to him for a moment and then glancing toward the door.

"That is all I have for you today. Is there anything else you'll be needing?"

[Tenzing receives 2000 credits.]

Rising to his feet he shook his head. "No, and thanks. I won't keep you." From your thoughts... "Once I've got the files I'll begin. Might need a ship, but I'm sure we can figure that out." Perhaps Mallory or Mysterious could help him out?

"I'm sure we will," she says, dipping her head and now gesturing toward the door. Certainly a man with connections like Tenzing would find someone who knows something when the time came.