Who: Leliana & Kanan Jarrus What: Business talk, and Kanan freaking out about nugs When: Late last week Where: Leli & Gale's house Rating/Warnings: Talks about shady clandestine operations, but otherwise tame Status: Complete!
There were very few people in the world Kanan Jarrus would do a simple favor for, let alone drive across the country at a their request. But, he had known Nightingale for a while, since he’d gotten into the business of transport and smuggling, really. He kind of probably owed it to her for one reason or another – take your pick, and she was paying him for his time. So this was less of a favor and more of a business transaction between two associates. Plus, rumors of Nightingale’s retirement had greatly piqued Kanan’s interest. He wondered what on God’s Green Earth had persuaded Leliana to leave the exciting and lucrative world of information brokerage and wet works while still in her prime.
As luck would have it, he was able to find a buyer that required a few guns and ammunition in Los Angeles, so the cross-country drive wouldn’t be completely on his own dollar. He arrived in Southern California a day before he had agreed to meet Leliana. He sold his load of illegal weapons to the buyer and then proceeded to make his way south to Orange County. That evening, after scouting out the place Nightingale had arranged for them to meet (get a feel for the area, pinpoint possible ambush sites and overall make sure neither one of them were going to regret this meeting), went to one of the local bars and remained there socially drinking while gathering intel and local scuttlebutt until the bar closed down for the evening.
The following day, he arrived once more at the prearranged meeting place on time, not a second before or after.
It was a house, actually, their meeting space - because nothing was more private than the walls of her abode, nestled close by the seashore with enough land for the four-legged monsters that ran rampant. Plants in teacups (Gale’s gift!) all around, the tiny colored-lamps that gave the indoors a soft, kaleidoscopal sort of look. There were shelved bird figurines, and daggers that seemed of a place out of time to the walls. It was a home bigger than either of their last houses but nothing particularly massive. It was still cozy, and carried the perpetual scent of lavender incense.
Outside the door were wooden perches, an impressively large raven (with one eye) comfortably sitting there. Baron Plucky squawked at the newcomer’s arrival. Him or Tella were the two that let them know when someone was at the door, and Leliana was there to open it.
“If you aren’t a sight for sore eyes,” smiled Nightingale, blue eyes taking the sight that was Kanan in. Snow had stopped falling but she continued to dress warmly - a gray wool over the shoulder sweater, a tank top underneath, and flower-patterned fleece leggings. “Come in.”
No aforementioned four-legged beasts coming up to inspect him; the nugs and the chocolate lab were in the yard trotting around, digging holes and running with toys in their mouths.
Meeting and conducting business at a dwelling of some kind was nothing new, although Kanan had not expected the home he had seen during his scouting mission the day prior. It oozed domestic bliss and everything the American Dream was supposed to be. Did Nightingale live here now, wrapped up tightly in a homemaker’s dream of domestic charm and with ravens as guard dogs? Was this why she had chosen to retire?
Kanan snuffed out the half-smoked cigarette and replaced it in the pack. Long ago he had learned to never leave traces of himself behind, to police his brass and his smokes. He gave his long-time colleague a casual smile. To anyone watching - of which Kanan had been sure there were none - he was an old friend coming for a visit. It wasn’t too far from the truth, he had known Leliana for a long time - although he hadn’t exactly seen or been in communication with her much over the past year or so - and it was good to see her again. She had changed, though. Kanan couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was, but he couldn’t ignore it. More clues towards her retirement, he decided.
“Been awhile, eh, Leliana?” He said as he came up her front steps and onto her porch. He gave her a bright smile, showing off those pearly whites, crystal blue eyes shining happily over a full beard of which he had only just started growing the last time the two had met face to face. Unlike Leliana, Kanan wasn’t quite dressed for the recent unique weather happening in Orange County: a simple black form fitting t-shirt and a pair of jeans under a soft black and red leather jacket. The jacket concealed the .45 pistol in a custom-made holster in his armpit. Nothing against Leliana. She was one of the painfully few people in the world Kanan actually trusted, but along with policing his brass and cigarette butts, he had learned to never go into a meeting unarmed.
He gave her a quick hug before entering her home. The house’s interior, smell of lavender and everything, brought back memories Kanan hadn’t thought of in years. It gave him a moment of pause and a pang in his chest. He covered up his distraction with a low whistle and a grin. “Beautiful home,”he commented appreciatively. “You live here now?”
“Far too long,” she agreed, that brief embrace returned warmly. Leliana had changed; it’s what happened when you wilfully remained in this place. It’d increased her skillset, almost killed her, reunited her with old friends and gave her love - good things with the bad, and nothing she’d trade despite the horrors. It was home.
Doors closed after he entered, she motioned for him to get comfortable. He’d traveled all this way to come meet her and stick around (and therefore being subject to the strangeness of this area), the least she could do was play hospitable host. All their furniture was soft, made you feel like you were literally sinking into a cloud or marshmallow. Feminine touches of a retired assassin. “It is, actually. I live here with someone. He’s at work right now, helping with his friend’s bakery. You will meet him eventually.”
Kanan was smart enough to put together that the man she was shacked up with was of the romantic variety. There was even a picture of them on the mantle, something cute from Disneyland on one of their double-dates. “May I offer you a drink before we talk? I have more than wine, I promise.”
Leliana was sure they still had whiskey, at least - she didn’t drink all of it from the night she had to guzzle it for anesthetic purposes.
She was living with some guy. Now it was all starting to make sense to Kanan. He wouldn’t have thought Nightingale to be the kind of woman to let a man dictate how she lived her life. But Kanan had never been in love and had no idea how much power that emotion actually had over someone. He saw the picture of Leliana and the man he assumed to be the one she was living with now on the mantle.
“I’ll take anything you got,” he answered her. Kanan wasn’t picky about his alcohol. He’d been drinking since he was thirteen. He had his favorites, sure, but he’d take anything offered to him, even wine. Nightingale knew that, but it was nice of her to offer him something more substantial than fermented grapes to open their talks.
“This him?” Kanan asked. He picked up the picture from the mantel to get a better look at it. He was handsome, this guy that had come in to change Leliana’s life. Tall and robust with eyes that looked as though they had seen more than any man should. Kanan recognized the look, even if the man was smiling. And Nightingale next to him looked happy. Kanan smiled at the picture. Good for her. “Good looking dude,” he said as he put the picture back. “Lucky dude too.” He gave her a wink. “You happy with him, Leliana? He treat you alright?”
Kanan knew he had to, the Leliana he knew would have politely slit the throat of anyone - male or female - who dared treat her the wrong way. She was strong and capable of taking care of herself - things that Kanan had always admired about her. Still, he had to ask. Old friends did that sort of thing.
“That’s him,” she confirmed, selecting the whiskey in the crystal decanter for him - most men she knew didn’t really appreciate the sweetness of her white wines anyway. A glass for him, a glass for her, and she walked over with both in her possession. Christmas morning was still a bit vivid for her, and this drink had been something of a savior. “And how sweet, you flatterer. I am happy, though, and if saving my life speaks about how well he treats me, well. There you have it.”
À votre santé!
Age difference hadn’t mattered either. Gale was in his early twenties, she in her early thirties - he’d seen enough as a soldier, seen enough in the dreams, he’d been involved in her network and paid the price for being with her. Part of the reason why everything that had happened, happened, and Leliana took a sip of the amber alcohol to prepare herself. “Before we delve into business, you will have to tell me about you. Anything I’ve missed, perhaps? Or do you remained married to your profession?”
“Flattery nothing. You’re as lovely now as when I first met you. Dude’s a very lucky man and I’m sure he knows it.” Kanan was a shameless flirt, but never fear, he didn’t mean anything by it here. Maybe a few years ago when he wasn’t as world-wise as he was now, he would have laid on the charm thicker with the intentions of spending the night. Now, however, was another story. Leliana was a friend, but also a business associate. It was rarely a good idea to mix business with pleasure, no matter how beautiful the associate was. Plus, Leliana had a man in her life and Kanan wasn’t in the business of wrecking homes.
Speaking of wrecking homes. Kanan raised an interested brow at the mention of Mr. Grey Eyes saving Leliana’s life. The story was getting more and more interesting by the moment and Kanan was anxious to hear all the gory details. All in due time, however. Leliana had asked Kanan about himself first.
“Oh, you know me,” he said as he took his glass of whiskey. “I’m never one to be satisfied with a partner.” Partner taking on multiple meanings here. The only person constant in Kanan’s bed was Kanan himself. “Business continues to be my main mistress and she’s good to me. For the most part.”
“That could always change, just keep an open mind,” Leliana teased with a wink, right before sinking comfortably into the sofa, glass in hand. But to business, yes - the reason why he was here. Restructuring, making sure there weren’t any moles, stepping in to handle certain things she vowed to mostly keep away from. Kanan was good for it. Whether or not he’d be subject to the weirdness of the OC, it wasn’t something she could predict, but she’d lay it all on him in an honest manner. It’s not like she could hide it. Something alarmingly obvious would spring up that would raise questions.
Now, where to start… “I stepped down, as you’ve heard. Gale,” a motion over to the picture on the mantle, “had become a bodyguard. Natalie had been harboring a grudge that spanned a decade, and decided it was a proper time for retribution. I had taken a break for sanity’s sake, she stepped in to handle most things, and in that, orchestrated a kill mission that would ultimately kill him. I came in before that happened. We faked his death, and took down all her agents - including her, eventually.”
It seemed to cover all the crucial points, no? Natalie had embodied the phrase ‘keep your friends close and your enemies closer,’ though Leliana had never thought they were enemies. They were close, but the woman had been a seasoned player of the game of lies - she wrote songs of them, and Nightingale caught it when it was almost too late.
Kanan settled into an easy chair, letting himself get nice and comfortable, glass of whiskey in hand, which he drank from liberally as Leliana told her tale. He sat forward when she told him about Natalie’s betrayal. His eyes widened a little and his mouth opened a bit in surprise as Leliana told him about faking the death of her lover-boy and then going on a crusade against her former second in command.
He knew he shouldn’t have been surprised by it all. It was the nature of the world they lived in. You never knew who was lurking in the shadows with a knife ready to slide between your shoulder blades and twist.
Still, that made it no less surprising. When Leliana had finished, Kanan sat back in the easy chair and let out a low whistle. “Wow, you’ve certainly been up to your eyeballs in piss and shit, haven’t you? Your man - Gale you said his name was - he alright? I take it since you used the term ‘fake his death’ that he’s back now.” He swirled the amber liquid in his glass thoughtfully, “Why him? If she had a grudge, why not go after you directly? Natalie wasn’t an idiot, Nightingale, she had to know that if she went after your lover she’d be calling Hell itself down on her head.”
That was a crude way to put it, ‘eyeballs in piss and shit.’ Leliana had to chuckle into her glass, refraining herself from the ungraceful chance of spitting after drinking. “He’s fine, yes. We had him in a safe house, the situation was dealt with until it was safe to resurface.” There was also the tidbit of contacting a vampire and having him practically eat all the traitorous agents, while she and Cindy took care of Natalie (a circle of life thing for them). Death in an old church with rotted wood; said a lot about her faith in things, nowadays.
“As it turns out, Natalie had quite the sordid affair with Marjolaine behind my back,” she continued, snorting softly - but with a smirk more than anything, glass raised for a toast. “Kept it quite a secret, that one. I did not know about until minutes before her throat was slit. I killed her love, she wanted to kill mine. All she had to do was wait until there was one. We thought it our...last mission, Gale and I. Playing that game - it’s not worth what I almost lost.”
Kanan, not being one for refinement, actually did snort into his glass. “Marjolaine and Natalia? Wow, now that comes as a surprise. Here, I thought she was jealous of your success or something sane.” Or what passed for sane in their world. “And she waited all this time for you to fall in love so she could kill whoever that was? Jesus, that’s pretty fucked up, even for our line of work.” He took a drink. “Can’t say as that I’m sad she’s gone, though. Insanity like that tends to fester, even after the objective is complete. Chances are she just would have turned her obsession on to someone else, and then someone else. You did the world a favor.”
Kanan’s glass was empty, he had never been one to savor a drink. Alcohol was for drinking, didn’t you know? He set it aside on the end table by the chair. “I am glad you’re alright though, however, it sounds as if you had planned to retire before this went down, which brings me to why I’m actually here.” He leaned forward in his seat, elbows resting on his knees to level Leliana with a look. “I probably could have gotten this mixed up little Spanish Novela by doing a little digging,” though probably not the part concerning Nattie’s love affair with Marjo, not if they kept it so well hidden even Leliana hadn’t been aware, “and you’re not the type to throw yourself a retirement party. So, why am I here, exactly?” He waggled his brows at her. “Just had to see my handsome face one more time before settling down permanently with your man?” He was teasing, of course. “Aww, Leliana, you could have just said so over the phone.”
It was a bit surprising, yes - but people have waited longer for their acts of vengeance, tried to do even worse things, and Natalie just proved to be something of a cliche. But all their lives were, at some point. Natalie’s body was non-existent. Dissolved, skin and bones, not a trace of anything left. A clean disposal. It brought Leliana unregrettable satisfaction. Whatever it took to make sure Gale was safe, she’d do it.
“The beard isn’t my type, dear,” she chuckled, scrunching her nose at him. “Anyway, I will be taking over a friend’s shoe boutique when it comes to operations, and I have Rosa taking my spot completely, but she needs someone who can devote their time for some restructuring. Checking up on active agents and jobs, making sure no one had gotten themselves compromised...” A pause, to sip her drink. “I have a a ‘to do’ list for you, if you’d like to see. Very organized.”
Kanan feigned hurt as he reached up to rub at the scuff on his chin and cheeks. “You don’t like it, huh?” He said. “That’s a shame. I’m told I look very dignified with it.” Ok, enough of that, back to business. A shoe store. A shoe store. That was about as far away from underhanded shady crime dealings as one could get. Hard to get in trouble when you were sizing people’s feet. Kanan couldn’t think of anything more dull. But, if that was what Leliana wanted…
Rosa was a competent woman from what Kanan could remember. A bit excitable and loud, but competent. A good decision on Nightingale’s part. As for Kanan’s part, he was a little flattered to be called in to help with this restructuring, although he fit the bill needed for it. Someone on the outside who had no secret plans or agendas that could lead to sabotage or worse. Someone with experience. In fact, it was in Kanan’s best interest that Leliana’s operation continued to thrive if he wanted to remain in good enough financial standing to continue to drink and carouse away his nights.
“Let me take a look at that list,” he said.
It was what she wanted. It was also what she needed. Something with stability that didn’t throw her into life-threatening scenarios at a constant basis. For her sanity and for Gale’s, whose main concern had always been about her overall safety (the one thing they argued about, when he uncovered her dirty little secret). Shoes were the best transition for her - she’d have to deal with some FBI tape here and there, but she was in it for the footwear. All the buying, all the shows, all the organization and advertising and fashion she got to judge - yes.
Still nursing her drink, Leliana wiggled to the edge of the couch to open a small wooden box. It wasn’t on actual paper, the list, but coded onto a flash drive that had names and contacts and assortment of intel for his use. “It is all in here,” she said, holding it to him. “Too much sensitive information to have on paper. Take some time to sift through it. And make sure you take every precaution necessary to make sure this information is not duplicated by any means.”
Kanan knew the drill. It never hurt to reiterate.
Kanan certainly knew the drill, but he could appreciate Nightingale’s need to remind him. He leaned forward and accepted the flash drive and tucked it away securely in the inside breast pocket of his jacket and zipped it closed. He would take the time to pour over it back at his hotel room on his custom made laptop used strictly for such business dealings.
With the flash drive securely in his possession, Kanan sat back in the chair again. “Do you need my answer right this second?” He asked, “Or am I at liberty to take a look at the situation before I decide whether or not to take you up on your offer.” Kanan had already decided to accept the job - he owed Leliana the solid, he was sure - but he had appearances that needed to be maintained, even with an old colleague. “And I know without even having to look at your list that this is going to be a project. Making sure this transition goes as smoothly and seamlessly as possible will keep me here for a while. Won’t be able to do any deliveries, so, and I’m sorry to bring this up,” he actually was, but he had priorities, “but there is the matter of getting paid.”
“You’ve time to make up your mind,” she assured. It was quite the project to take on, it wasn’t anything that would be completed overnight, and she’d be around for assistance and questions, of course - old habits didn’t die as easily as she wanted, and it was merely a matter of weaning Leliana from all this for a clean cut. It was impossible say ‘I’m done’ and actually be done. Too many ties, her name in too many pots as it was. It was a matter of progress.
Crystal glass set on the coffee table (on top of a doily coaster), she rose to her feet and slipped on slippers. “As for payment, you will find what I am offering in those files. Your method of receiving it is yours to decide. But I should warn you…”
It was time to let the beasts in; Tella was already pawing at the door (they needed to install a door for all the animals to go in and out as they pleased), and she went to let all four of them in. The female chocolate lab, the three hopping hairless nugs - with their respective bows and name tags - all going to the water bowls in the kitchen.
“This place gets a bit...odd. I am offering a little extra to help compensate for the emotional turmoil this place may or may not bestow on you.”
That last bit Leliana said about this place being a bit odd went completely unheard when Kanan caught sight of Leliana’s...pets. At first glance they looked like homely little pigs, until Kanan saw their ears and their...hands? Where those fucking hands?! And what kind of pig hopped?!
Kanan yanked his feet off the floor as if he was some stereotypical 50’s housewife who had just seen a mouse scurry across her pristine kitchen floor. Although, unlike said 50’s housewife, Kanan was poised in the chair in a kind of coil, ready to defend himself in case those things liked the taste of human flesh. One hand had reached under his jacket to grasp the butt of his gun.
Manners forgotten (and let’s be honest, Kanan was never one for etiquette. Never had been.) “The hell are those?!”
They weren’t that terrifying, were they? Perhaps a bit unsightly, though Leliana had dealt with them enough to consider their bit of ugliness to be endearing. Ugly, in a cute sort of way? The nugs paid little attention anyway, with their snuffsnuff sounds and faces buried into their bowls, lapping up all that hydration. “Pets, Kanan. Harmless pets,” she clarified, passing him a stare of complete judgment. Maker, could he please not soil her upholstery with his shoes?
“This is Tella -” A motion to the only one of them with fur. A completely normal puppy (she was an adult but still a puppy in her eyes) with a helicopter tail. “Schmooples is the biggest. Boulette’s the smallest. Schmoople’s II is the one with the blue bow. They’re nugs. They...sort of appeared to me one day, along with the ravens.”
It was a gentle way of explaining how eccentric this place was, no?
Leliana could judge all she wanted to. It wasn’t that an unusual response When one saw something come trotting in the house that looked like it belonged on another fucking planet. Besides, his shoes were clean. Mostly.
Still, Kanan got over his initial shock quickly and curiosity soon took control. He got up out of the chair and went to investigate. What had she called them?
“Nugs?” He asked, glancing from the snuffling little creatures up at Leliana. The fuck was a nug? Had someone somewhere been successful in gene splicing and created them? If so, why hadn’t it been all over the goddamn news? A scientific breakthrough like that would have earned whoever had made it some kind of award, right? So why hadn’t he heard of it? Kanan paid attention to what was going on the world, he had to. Something was telling him that this was no feat of scientific prowess. This was something else.
They...sort of appeared to me…
Kanan looked at Leliana carefully. Was she putting him on or giving him some kind of test? Well he had failed the reaction part, that was for damn sure. His old boss would have been rolling on the floor laughing his ass off if he’d seen it. But Kanan didn’t embarrass easily. There had been a time in his life in which dignity was a luxury too pricy to afford. So he let that roll off his back.
He narrowed his eyes at Leliana carefully. “What do you mean they just appeared to you? Where did they come from?”
The questions were natural, but the answers difficult to swallow - a little bit of honest truth here and there with details withheld seemed the safest way to ease him. Kanan would hear about it from the rest, see a pattern with those who lived here. More stories, more evidence. It could be that he trusted her enough to believe the truth from her, but right now, Leliana would do what she did best: dabble in just a bit of mysterious secrecy.
“It will be a discussion for another time,” she smiled, a sly edge. And the nugs were a bit skittish, sniffed in his general direction and investigated his shoes but mainly kept to their bowls - water and leafy things to chew on. “Your curiosity will be satisfied eventually, that I do promise.”
That was seriously the only explanation she was going to give him? Kanan shouldn’t have expected anything different. Nightingale had always played things close to the chest, never let go of any information without justifiable cause. The reverse was usually true as well. She always withheld information for the same reason. The results were sometimes cryptic one-liners like the one she had just given him.
Usually, Kanan would just shrug and leave it at that. Trouble had a way of finding him, even when he tried to avoid it. It stalked him at every turn of his life waiting to pounce on him at just the right moment. However, if he could be warned of trouble ahead of time, especially when he was taking on a huge project like the restructuring of an organization, Kanan would have preferred not to be kept in the dark.
“You’re going to have to give me a little more than that, Nightingale,” he said flatly. “You don’t have to give me the all the private details, I’ve already heard enough juicy gossip to satisfy me for a while. But as a professional courtesy, I’d appreciate it if you can at least tell me if I can expect more odd creatures to randomly appear or if something else is lurking around that might put me or your project in some kind of jeopardy.”
“Your request is fair enough, Kanan, but all I can say is that you will likely see for yourself sooner or later,” she replied, also flatly, and crossed her arms. “My words will not hold as much weight as you seeing it for yourself - and I can’t promise you odd creatures won’t appear, but I can’t promise you they will, either.”
Nor was she guaranteed that he’d experience dreams of his own. Orange County peculiarities, perhaps, but not actual dreams. Their population of dreamers was small compared to the actual citizens that lived in this area. Realistically, they were outnumbered. “Stay around, see what happens. There is no binding contract between us. Merely, it’s good faith. If you want to leave, you are free to do so. If you say, that is your prerogative.”
She could be a stubborn woman, that at least hadn’t changed any. Kanan hoped this Gale character knew what he was getting himself into. Pssh. He probably did. Hell, he probably found Leliana’s cryptic words and stubborn ways as frustratingly endearing as Kanan did.
“Alright, alright, Leliana,” he said with a light shrug and a relenting smile. “If that’s how it’s gotta be, I won’t drag it out of you.” He still intended on accepting the job despite the added layer of mystery. He was actually a little curious about it, to be honest. “I got my room at the extended stay for at least a week. I’ll be around for at least that long.” Kanan would use the time as a trial period for both the job and this place in general. “But if I find some weird animal in my hotel room, I’m calling you. I didn’t pay a pet deposit.”
“Just trust me,” Leliana chuckled, grabbing his upper arms for that reassuring squeeze. “Things get odd, yes, but I think you can handle it. In your own profane way, perhaps.” And with a good selection of spirits like most of them had, for intoxication and medicinal purposes. “You’re observant, no? You’ll see what I mean.”
Who knew! There could always be another gremlin invasion, something else random and hopefully harmless that’d ease him into it. Less environmental travesties of biblical proportions would be ideal. Kanan could survive it - another reason she’d chosen him. He had a spine.