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It is apparently just post-chow at Red Eclpse, although the few plates around the mess area table seem to have been hardly picked at. The latest news report regarding the REM is blaring on the holo. Jocaira herself is farther in the back, unpacking a crate of food with another merc. The mood is unmistakeably low. Judging from the smattering of blank lables on lockers, not everyone is taking the news as well as the long faces.
A member of the press, this one is a Lotorian, prehensile tail clutching a PDA shaped roughly like a notepad. He chews on his nails as he walks. It doesn't appear to be the action of someone nervous. Perhaps he just likes the taste. He lifts his nose up, catching the last scents of a dinner eaten. "Izz zat zzspecial Ouzzsou Sszzzteak?" He asks, wandering further into the enclave.
For what must be the hundredth time today, a couple of mercs closer to the door square their shoulders and prepare to shove off the press, but are interrupted. "Non," Joca calls. "I will 'andle sis." She strides forward, every step a drum beat, belt and bangles jingling in time. Canting her head at the Lotorian, she smiles, politely enough, if a bit strained. "Apologie, but it is not se steak... 'ow may I be of assistance, Monsieur?"
The Lotorian adjusts his whiskers slowly, eyeing up the mercs. "Izz reporter. Will be asszking zze questions, yesz? Now, izz looking for the outverzer, Jocaira." His tail snakes around from behind him, allowing the Lotorian reporter to take his PDA, a holographic interface flickering to life in front of it.
Jocaira executes what would be a rather high-class curtsey, were she wearing a dress. "You 'ave found 'er, Monsieur. I am Jocaira d'Agneau, and... It seems sat it is about time sat I answered some questions, ne? Come." She crooks a finger, and heads for the reception desk, flicking off the holo monitor. "Please, be seated. Would you care for se drink? Coffee, per'aps?" She pulls her own chair around to the other side of the desk.
The Lotorian reporter watches the curtsey curiously, beady eyes following her. "Oh! Yes! Coffee!" He exclaims, with the enthusiasm of someone who doesn't drink as much coffee as they would like to. "Doctor izz telling Grezz to not drink the coffee, but Grezz telling doctor to not be so fat, yeah? Yeah." He climbs nimbly up onto the offered chair and pulls his notebook out. "Okay! Firzt off, what izz your relation to the deceased mercenary leader?"
Jocaira heads over to the coffee machine with a small chuckle. Notably, as the Lotorian asks his question, the rhythmic jingle that usually accompanies her saunter ceases, and it is with a sober expression that she returns with the coffee. "Mastair Diri," she begins, sinking into her seat. "'e found me when I come through se rift, yes? 'e took me in, and teach me 'ow to live in se 'ivairspace." She presses her lips together. "We made se agreement. I would assist 'im wis se mercenaire, and se recruitment. We took care of each usser, yes? Togeser."
Grezz writes all of this down furiously, looking from Jocaira to his notepad. The member of the press may not consider himself a master of reading emotions, but a subtle twitch of his furry little ear hints at some kind of understanding. "And would you be szzaying that you and mister Dirionis were... close?" He makes a complicated gesture with his paws that's a cross between catching a ball and kneading dough.
"Yes, I would be saying that Mastair Diri and I 'ad been intimate on numerous occasions," Joca replies, without a drop of shame but with a significant amount of wistfulness. "'e was a good man, Monsieur, and 'e deserved to be taken care of." She clears her throat. "I would 'ave been lost wisout 'im, yes?"
The Lotorian continues to make his catchy ball kneady dough gesture in the air for several moments after Jocaira answers the question. It takes a while for it to filter through that he should be writing this down, and he gets to it, scribbling furiously on his PDA's holographic interface. "In that caszze, how is lateszt newsfeedsz making you feel?"
Jocaira sighs, quietly, pressing her lips together as she looks into her coffee mug. "'onestly? I lost 'im once when 'e left wis Madame Raisa. I lost 'im again when 'e died, and now? Well, quite simply, Monsieur, it feels like I am losing 'im for the third time." She clears her throat again, and gestures for the next question.
The Lotorian takes all of this down. "One moment, izz giving appropriate amount of time to be szeen to be sympathetic, yes?" Grezz chews thoughtfully on his PDA. "Tastesz like cheezzse, yesz." He clears his throat and moves on. "And does Miszz feel that szhe has claim to mercenary group?"
Jocaira just pinches the bridge of her nose, gently, and nods after a sip of coffee. "I 'ave been responsible for se mercenaire for some time. When Mastair Diri was away on Pyracan, and sen when 'e... fell. Aftair all se care 'e gave me, I could not... what is word. Abandon. I could not abandon what 'e 'ad built." She gestures as she searches for words, clearly not content to just let Comorro translate. "I wanted to 'onor 'is last wishes, and I most certainly did not want... people to ignore what 'appened to 'im and fight over what 'e left be'ind, ne? Some of us, not only me, we -live- 'ere. We depended upon se Mastair, 'e took in many from se Rift."
The question comes naturally. "And what will happen if ze enclave iz sold from under you?" Grezz asks, tail curling curiously behind him. The Lotorian shifts in his chair. "What izz your response to claims that the will which waszz recovered isz invalid, and that you are," He gestures, "Szzome kind of crook?"
"I will 'ave to find somewhere else to live," Joca replies, simply, and chuckles over her coffee mug at the second question. "Well, I should sink sat if I -could- make such a document on se computair, I would -not- 'ave made it so I would 'ave to do all of se work..." She taps a short but manicured fingernail on the desk, "And be saddled wis giving se percentage to se woman who took Mastair Diri from me, hmm? But I would 'ave 'onored it, because it was se Mastair's wish to look after 'is girls." She reaches into her shirt front now, and withdraws a credit chit embossed with the logo of the Red Eclipse. "Sis was credit, connected to se Mastair's account. If I were crook, I would 'ave gone away and drained it dry instead of making more work for myself."
"More work, which iszz not leading to anything, aszz assets being sold by comorro!" The Lotorian continues, still writing things down on his PDA. "So! Let's talk about the mercenary leader's death! Wazz on Eiru, yes? What isz it you're knowing about the murder, and the mysterious events that surround it?"
Jocaira nods to the reporter, with one of those 'I know, right?' expressions on her face. "But yes. I should sink per'aps a crook would 'ave been on se beaches wis umbrella drink by now instead of -working-. Pah. I am a fool for caring." She tucks away the defunct credit chit, perhaps a bit sentimentally, and her hand closes into a fist, briefly, at the mention of the murder. "We... did not learn about it until it was on se news. Aftair a mission on B'hira, se Mastair and Madame Raisa went back to Pyracan. I did not go, but of course. It was se last time I saw 'im. Sey did not call for 'elp, wis all of se mercenaire 'ere who would 'ave gone. From what I was told, Mastair Diri and Madame Raisa were attacked in se... 'awk and Bull, I sink it is, on Eiru, yes. By a madwoman wis thugs. And... sey did not call for 'elp still. Instead sey went back to se place where sey were attacked... to 'ave sex. And were ambushed sere. And Mastair Diri..." She raises her hand to just under her nose, composure wavering. Setting her coffee down, she holds her free hand up. "Moment, if you please."
Grizz the Lotorian writes something down. "Wazz... reduced... to... tearszz..." He mumbles under his breath, his prehensile tail giving him a well deserved pat on the back. He picks up his mug of coffee and drains a good portion of it, heat be damned. When it looks like Jocaira has composed herself enough to continue, he asks another question. "Szo he returns to place he iz attacked, for the..." He makes his bally kneady gesture, "After he is attacked? It iz seeming stupid, do you have any explanation for it? Or clue as to motive for attack?"
"Aiii... I am not able to explain... why." Joca clears her throat and draws a kerchief out of her cleavage to facilitate composing herself. She shakes her head. "I 'eard it was an enemy of Mastair Diri's from before, a vendetta. Mademoiselle Vessa, she is one of our mercenaire, she came from Eiru to give us se details. I... I sought 'e was not answering my calls because 'e was wis Madame Raisa. None from se Red Eclipse knew 'e was in danger. Why would you stay on se vacation if you are being 'unted? I do not know." She places her hand on her chest. "'e did not deserve to die in such a fashion. Not wis such... foolishness."
"Szzo you... deny having anything to do with the murder itszelf?" Grizz continues, he tenses. Even a Lotorian knows what questions are likely to get a mug of coffee thrown at him. But it's part of the job. "Sztanding, aszz you did, to gain szzo much."
Jocaira just looks at the Lotorian, briefly. Apparently she was ready for this question. It's not so far a leap, from crook to murdering. "Actually I would 'ave stood to gain nussing. Madame Raisa 'ad taken 'im from me already. I did not know where we stood; in se few weeks aftair 'e left me, do you sink we 'ad time alone? Non. Se lines of territory were drawn. I came back 'ere and worked, as I 'ad promised to se Mastair, and se Madame took 'im back to Pyracan." She leans forward, and her weak smile curls upwards at one edge, revealing the glint of metal from a capped tooth. "Monsieur," she says. "I 'ad already been replaced, for all I knew I 'ad nussing at all to gain. Remembair, if I were a crook, I could 'ave taken 'is account and spent it on umbrella drinks before sis... circus evair started. My debt is to Dirionis Callot. Wisout 'im I would 'ave been lost in 'ivairspace. And se fact sat 'e would include me in 'is last wishes should prove what a good man 'e was. A lesser man would 'ave forgotten me entirely and given it all to 'is new girl."
As Jocaira finishes, the Lotorian closes his PDA's interface with a grin, and passes it to his tail, which handily wraps around it. "I think I have everything I need!" He declares, before drinking the last of his coffee. "It wazz pleazzure, ma'am! If iz ever lonely, Grizz is just one PDA beep away." He nods. Obviously a good offer has been made today.
Jocaira cants her head to the side, graciously. "I look forward to your giving my voice a chance, ne? And I will remember your PDA, Monsieur." She stands, smoothly. There goes that flickering grin again; a glint of gold, although the look in her eyes indicates that it is not interspecies action on her mind.
And Grizz the Lotorian gets up and wanders out, without a care in the world. His job is done, he smells faintly of coffee, and he met a pretty lady with shiny teeth. Shiny teeth is a good quality for a Lotorian wife. In the event of the wife's death, the teeth can be sold for a decent price.