Mind Games (Rayek)

[Tess tLhoell]

[Romulus - Ki Baratan - Senator Tocul's manor house]

==Taheen t'Raghaellh==

When Rayek teased her, hinting that his thoughts might not have been quite chaste, Taheen started to grin, her thoughts giving away nothing of objection but rather excited interest. "Oh really?", she teased back with a soft chuckle. "I was just one of many, I would believe." In her thoughts though the fact that he was thinking of her flattered her. She liked to be desired. It gave her power over men to a certain degree and she liked that.

When he asked if she was excited and nervous Taheen picked up Rayek's tumbler and would take a sip without asking. Looking up at him she grinned. "You bet I'm excited! Nervous too. Just because I'm not sure what will await me." Still holding the tumbler in her hand but not drinking further her eyes wandered over Rayek's features. Maybe he could relax her a bit about it. "How was it for you?", she asked. "Apart from thinking of me in the lonesome evening hours", she teased with a grin.

Smiling she looked brown briefly before she put the tumbler back down. "That stuff is awful." She grimaced. "I don't understand why my father keeps shipping this here." She chuckled and then suddenly grabbed Rayek's hands, her eyes sparkling with the excitement of an idea. "Hey! Would you like to take a walk through the garden?" The garden was more like a park with groomed bushes and trees where they played hide and seek as children.

[Rayek trLhoell]

Uhlan Rayek tr'Lhoell
[Romulus - Ki Baratan - Senator Tocul's manor house]

Surprise flashed in Rayek's eyes as he read Taheen's lack of objection.  It was a little sad how easily he was able to dupe her into believing his interest was genuine.  He also noted with no small disappointment that he felt nothing in return for her.  She was an ideal Romulan woman.  Beautiful, talented, near the top of her class academically, her status as a Senator's daughter put her in his same social class - he should count himself lucky to catch her interest; yet beyond playing the part of her would-be-suitor for this covert mission, he had no interest.  What was wrong with him?

His self-critical thoughts he pushed aside when Taheen teased him that she was likely just one of many.   He shook his head.

"Others hold no interest for me." Which was true enough.

When talk moved on to her upcoming assignment, she questioned how it was for him.  Rayek was reminded of how cutthroat he and his fellow officers were towards each other, each striving to prove themselves.  While the good of the Empire was the first and foremost goal, each wanted to be in a position to carry that devotion forward, even at the cost of those below them - and often times those above as well.  The best way to rise in rank was to prove your superior incapable.

"You'll  be assigned as a uhlan to a good ship.  Your status and academics assure it.  From there you must prove yourself.  But I have no doubt you will shine. Just watch your back." he warned.

Then Rayek went on to describe his first ship. "I started off on the ChR Hathan.  She was an Interceptor class.  Beautiful ship - fast too.  I spent my time - those infrequent few I wasn't thinking of you" he added, "learning everything I could about my missions, about the others on my crew." He paused.

"Taheen.. listen...you can't trust anyone. You'll learn that quick. You know that competition in the War College is tough.  Well, competition for rank and placement on the best ships is worse."

He wasn't sure if she heard his warning, as she was making faces at the orange liquid in his tumbler.  She set it down commented on her father's preference for it, then took up his hands suddenly excited asking him to walk in the gardens with her.

Rayek feigned a smile.  While he had no real interest in the 'romantic' walk, Rayek did realize that it was harder to listen when one was moving, and he was very conscious of the fact that he was likely being watched by the Senator even now.  Perhaps moving out into the garden would prompt the man to intervene - giving Rayek another opportunity to search the man's mind for a means to prove his conspiracy to the Praetor. "A walk in the gardens with you sounds quite desirable."

He let her lead them outside via the patio doors in the study, never letting go of her hand.  He knew for a fact much of the gardens were observed by camera.  He'd discovered as much when he'd been asked as a teen to 'watch the younger kids' when their parents  were attending City council meetings.  That had been back when both fathers were merely City Councillors.  It had taken Shinzon murdering the entire Senator council to make room for both men to rise from Councillor to Senator the following year.

Ensuring they stopped just in the peripheral edge of one of the cameras, Rayek planted himself and pulled Taheen back towards him with the hand he still held.  Since he wasn't sure if the camera's also had audio he kept his voice low and quiet.

"Taheen, I want to kiss you.  Does that offend?"

[Tess tLhoell]

[Romulus - Ki Baratan - Senator Tocul's manor house]

==Taheen t'Raghaellh==

Taheen had been listening to his words. But she had been distracted by the drink. When he spoke of trust though, the first hint of distrust towards him flickered across her mind scape.

Watch your back. You can't trust anyone.

While his words sounded sincere and like he was only worried about her, she wondered if that would apply to childhood friends too.

When he agreed on going outside with her, she held his hand too and walked along the paths with beautiful flowers and well groomed bushes. She knew full well that there were cameras and even microphones. Both in the house and the garden. But she grew up here and knew blind spots for the cameras.

When he stopped and pulled her down with him she let him and turned her head to look at him. When he asked to kiss her she smirked. She was inclined to accept. Simply because she was a teenager and she was sitting here with a handsome good looking man who was complimenting her. And claiming he thought of her all the time.
Which brought the doubts back. Her thoughts now evident for him to read. She didn't believe him.

She inclined her head as she looked at him still thoughtful but then decided against it. "It doesn't", she replied as she searched his face. "I want to ask you something first. If you still want to kiss me after that, you may." She grinned at him. "No need to lower your voice. He can't hear you out here."

She had been keeping a little show up for her father while they had been in the house but now that he couldn't hear her and only see her from a weird angle from the camera her features grew a little cooler.
"What did my father offer you? A position in the government? Money?", she asked and looked at him warily. On her mind was the thought that Tocul must have offered him something to curt her. He had been trying for a while now to get her into a relationship but Taheen just had refused the whole time. To have a childhood friend now return from military service and the first thing he did was coming over and curting her seemed odd to her. "Or are you trying to get your hands on my family's fortune? Or is it even ... something you found out about him?" Her mind brushed over information she had but her thoughts didn't linger on it. "Come on, you come here on your first day you're back from service and tell me you thought of me the whole time? I never received a message or letter from you." She grinned a little thinking her assumption was correct. As the daughter of a Romulan senator, she knew how things were in her culture.

[Rayek trLhoell]

Uhlan Rayek tr'Lhoell
[Romulus - Ki Baratan - Senator Tocul's manor house]

Rayek read her doubt. Fvadt and it had been him that had told her not to trust anyone.  Of course, he hadn't intended to warn her away from him!  That was stupid of him!

Rayek kept his expression hopeful as he watched her - playing the ardent suitor.

At her condition of one question for the kiss, Rayek nodded. "Ask of me anything." he responded, still keeping hold of her hand.  The fact that she knew that they were not overheard out here had him curious. Why she would suggest such a place?

Her initial question caught him off guard.  She thought he was here at her father's behest?  He began to shake his head, noting her wary gaze.

"You have the wrong idea of this.  I sought out your father." he stated. "I asked my father to speak to him so to arrange our meeting.  I had no idea your father would be welcoming of my intent to court you." he explained.  He needed to gain back her trust.  She was his access to the father.. if she demanded he leave, he'd have to find some excuse to get close to the Senator, which would waste time and put his family at risk.

Then she was suggesting that he was after money? Really!?  He was about to scoff derisively at that idea when she continued on her words all too close to the truth.  But before he could properly deny it any of it, Rayek caught a brief glimpse of something her mind thought was important about her father.

Was it possible she knew something that could be of use?  Or could he use her to speak to her father on his behalf.  It was a huge risk... if he was wrong... his whole plan could be in ruins.
He waited for her to finish speaking before he tried to assess her own loyalties.

"I did think of you - often. My hesitancy should not be mistaken as falsehood.  But in one respect you are correct.  I did hear something of your father that prompted me from my procrastination.  I need to protect you, Taheen."  With one hand holding hers, he lifted his other to place gently at her neck to draw her closer to him.   Meanwhile he invaded her thoughts... if she knew of something illegal this hint of danger should draw it out.

[Tess tLhoell]

[Romulus - Ki Baratan - Senator Tocul's manor house]

==Taheen t'Raghaellh==

Taheen looked down as she listened for Rayek's explanation, her eyes wandering over the pattern of the tunic he was wearing.

Her thoughts showed that she was unsure about what to think of Rayek's words. It did make sense and it sounded reasonable. But still something else could be the true reason behind his presence here and asking her out.

While she was thinking about that something he said made her falter and look up sharply, her eyes meeting his dark ones. He knew something about her father? Wanted to protect her?

While she felt his warm hand gently at her neck she was being drawn closer to him, so close that their chests were touching and she could feel his breath on her skin when she looked up.

His words triggered a line of memories - eavesdropping to her father speaking to someone about Praetor Chulan and how he was like parasite, growing bigger by the work of others.
Once or twice she had seen a visitor in their house - a visitor who his father deliberately didn't introduced to them and she had been under the impression that he preferred it not to be known that he had been in his house - and she believed to have caught his name - which was hidden deeper under the surface of her thoughts.

But her mind flickered across the knowledge that she knew or at least assumed her father was planning something - and she had proof for it, somewhere deeper in her mind.

His statement that Rayek had found something out about her father and that she was in danger actually frightened her because it could very well be true.

Still leaning lightly against him, her hand in his and his other one resting on her neck she looked up at him, her face growing wary again. "What are you talking about?", she asked, playing dumb. But if she really was in danger she had to be careful. If Rayek knew about this she wondered how. And what he planned to do with his knowledge.

[Rayek trLhoell]

Uhlan Rayek tr'Lhoell
[Romulus - Ki Baratan - Senator Tocul's manor house]

As he read her nearly incriminating thoughts, he developed a plausible cover story, knowing from her curious nature that she would want to know why she needed to be protected. There was no way he could tell her the true.  But then his recalled his lie to his father, and figured it was best to continue an already established lie than to make a new one.

"It will not have been announced on the news... and I doubt it will have been even been told to the Senators.  But there was a bomb found today at the Hall of State.  I believe it was targeting your father.  My superiors believe otherwise and have ordered me to silence... but I cannot risk that you are in a dangerous situation remaining here with him.  I had hoped to convince you to come away with me."

Rayek realized as he spoke such... he wasn't really lying.  There was a chance that if he could convince the Praetor that Taheen was no longer associated with her father - perhaps as his bonded mate then she wouldn't need to share her fathers treasonous fate.  This chance grew stronger if she could help willingly in reporting her father.

"Would you know of any reason why your father might be targeted? I don't understand why my superiors are trying to hide it."

[Tess tLhoell]

[Romulus - Ki Baratan - Senator Tocul's manor house]

==Taheen t'Raghaellh==

At the news that a bomb had been found at the Hall of State Taheen's eyes widened with horror. She watched Rayek warily and in an attempt to find out if he told the truth he looked him right in the eyes - unaware that she was probably providing even better access to her mind that way.
He was convincing enough for her, there was nothing to doubt his words. Realizing that, she lowered her gaze as she thought about it and struggled to fight down the fear that creeped its way up into her heart.

Why would her father be targeted? Well, there were a lot of reasons. Maybe someone found out about the secret meetings? Or that strange visitor Lolir wasn't what he claimed to be and played her father false?
The way she had heard him talking about Praetor Chulan - not in front of the family, but in secret - she had known quickly that there was more than just dissatisfaction involved.

"Come away with you, Rayek?", she asked softly, shaking her head. "How did you imagine for it to work? I'm about to graduate ..." She trailed off as she looked at him.

"I have no idea why someone would want to kill him", she lied. "As you may know, my father is a respected member of the Senate, he's popular in the whole Empire. Why are you so sure that the bomb was targeted at him at all?", she asked, a hint of suspicion in her voice and on her face.

[Rayek trLhoell]

Uhlan Rayek tr'Lhoell
[Romulus - Ki Baratan - Senator Tocul's manor house - gardens]

Rayek met her eyes with an earnest look.  It had to be convincing.   The direct eye contact had been helpful in deepening his 'read' of her.  He moved past her wariness and strove to find something of use in her mind.

Ah! A name - Lolir - he would need to check back at the Tal'Shiar compound for information on anyone named such.

Then Taheen was speaking though he could read her arguments from her mind easily enough.

Her questions were valid and at this point Rayek could be a little more honest in his reactions.  He glanced down towards the hand that still held hers and sighed.  "I don't know. I didn't think that far ahead.  I just figured if I could convince you to leave here with me, they couldn't use you to get to him."

When she lied to him, Rayek was admittedly disappointed, though he tried not to show that.  Her comment about how respected and popular Tocul was, nearly earned a slight smirk. He noticed that she didn't include loyal in her description.

He 'read' her suspicion - and heard it in his tone.  He needed plausible answer.  So he kept his head down looking at their joined hands to hide any tells he might show when concocting the story. "Because I overheard another say 'the package' was found in his office. But later when I queried my supervisor about the bomb, I was told it was a false alarm and nothing had been found.  Someone's lying and it has to do with your father. Maybe it wasn't a bomb.. but I don't want to take the chance that it might be."   He answered quietly before looking to her face once more.

"I see the skepticism in your face.  I don't know how to prove it, Taheen."

[Tess tLhoell]

[Romulus - Ki Baratan - Senator Tocul's manor house - gardens]

==Taheen t'Raghaellh==

When Rayek held her gaze with an earnest look the doubts started to fade. When he then implied that whoever tried to kill her father could be after her too or try to use her to get to him, fear showed openly on her face.

As he explained about the contradiction of what he heard at the Hall of State and what his supervisor told him and that he had nothing to prove it with but that he belived someone was lying, Taheen looked down in thought. Really, what chance was there that her childhood friend who had just returned from 5 years of military service was part of a conspirancy against her father? He rather tried to warn her.

Maybe she should tell him about the strange things she had witnessed, but she hesitated. Not even her father was aware of what she knew. No doubt it was confidential. But wouldn't she do anything to save him? And had her father not approved of him courting her? Surely that meant that he trusted him. Why shouldn't she then?

Looking back up at Rayek, the last hint of distrust was gone. She hesitated another moment. Clearly, the decision to talk about this wasn't easy for her. "There are things ...", she began slowly, "... my father had been doing and saying that would explain that incident you described. I didn't think it would be that serious, though." There was a small line of worry on her face. "May my father forgive me for saying this, but I know his loyalty to Praetor Chulan isn't as genuine as it appears to be.

[Rayek trLhoell]

Uhlan Rayek tr'Lhoell
[Romulus - Ki Baratan - Senator Tocul's manor house - gardens]

Rayek felt his gut twist at the way he was manipulating her.  Using his knowledge of her thoughts to guide her into betraying her father not just in her thoughts but openly.

With his free hand, Rayek ran his fingers through his short hair in apparent surprise at her words, turning his head away from her for a moment.  Actually he was activating an audio recording device inserted in his ear, so that he could record the conversation.

He let out a low whistle as he looked back towards her. "Taheen! Do you know what your are saying!?" He questioned back, keeping his voice quite low now.  "Why would you question your fathers' loyalty to Praetor Chulan? This makes no sense. Senator Tocul is an honorable Romulan. Someone I look up to.  What could he have possibly said or done to make you think such?"

The trap was baited...

[Tess tLhoell]

[Romulus - Ki Baratan - Senator Tocul's manor house - gardens]

==Taheen t'Raghaellh==

When Rayek expressed his disbelief of what she had said and how impossible that was, she felt a pang of shame and she looked down, avoiding his gaze. It was something to be ashamed of. Loyalty to the Praetor was essential for a Romulan, a Senator even more so.

To ease the situation, she finally looked back up at him and right now she was glad about his hand holding hers because it suggested some kind of stability to her. "He is loyal, I would never question that. His loyalty belongs to our glorious Empire. He wants nothing more than to protect it and lead it into calmer and even more successful times." Her cheeks flushed a light shade of green as she once more paused while she tried to collect her thoughts. She wasn't sure if she really should talk about this, she never intended to, but the fear of her father being in imminent danger how Rayek had warned her made her talk.

"You know that there is that oppositional group? They lack leaders in high positions, officially, that is. They object to Commander Donatra and our Praetor - he may forgive me for saying this." She added in a hushed tone. While she knew for sure that they were in a spot with no listening devices the mere thought of saying such out loud was making her fear she might be heard anyway.

"Once there was a man visiting our home. He was in no way matching our social class - at first I thought my father had brought a new servant in our house. But he was just staying with my father, disappearing in his office with him and then he left again. It was in the late evening and I happened to overhear their conversation. Well more correctly, I had been eavesdropping." She shrugged as if it was something normal. "I couldn't understand everything they said but it sounded like they had been meeting a few times already before that and that meeting in my father's house was an exception. However, that man kept talking in a disparagingly way of the Praetor." She frowned, clearly the mere thought was repulsing to her. She thought she had to uphold the Praetor of the Romulan Empire like she had learned it from an early age - at this point, she didn't question who the Praetor was and what he was standing for politically.

"Anyway ..." She faltered, the following words hardly passing her lips. "I think he was planning something ... something violent." She was pretty sure they had been talking about an assassination. "My father didn't say much, but he ... he wasn't objecting." She looked up at Rayek, with the new information about a bomb in her father's office it meant that they had been finding out about it or that Lolir was a spy who tried to take down her father. She realized what that meant for him and for herself and her whole family.
Her grip on Rayek's hand tightened as she looked in his eyes. "I'm scared, Rayek." She whispered.

[Rayek trLhoell]

Uhlan Rayek tr'Lhoell
[Romulus - Ki Baratan - Senator Tocul's manor house - gardens]

Rayek listened, and secretly recorded, her words.  It wasn't the certain proof he was looking for - but in anyone other than an Senator it would be enough to warrant time being interrogated using a Mind Probe no doubt.

Rayek felt her grip tighten on his hand as she whispered her admission to being scared.  He was silent a moment as he considered how best to use what she told him. Was it best to react like the loyal public servant he was and persuade her to give up her father? Given her thoughts that wasn't likely to happen easily.   Or perhaps he should continue his lie and offer to help find out more as a means of keeping her safe?

That seemed the better route to Rayek, that way if Taheen confronted her father, Rayek still had the potential of playing a similar minded individual - that could lead him further into the conspiracy.

After a brief hesitation, Rayek wrapped his arms about her in a hug, holding her close offering her his emotional support - but being cautious to not have his right ear towards her - lest she see the small recording unit.

"I'm scared too, Taheen, but we'll figure this out together. I'll do whatever I can to protect you.  Your father too."

[Tess tLhoell]

[Romulus - Ki Baratan - Senator Tocul's manor house - gardens]

==Taheen t'Raghaellh==

If there had been the smallest doubts left they now would be gone completely. Maybe it was more psychology than anything else, but the embrace and the reflection of her own fears and worries in Rayek made her being drawn to him for support all the more.

Thankfully she leaned against him as he embraced her, her head resting on his chest while she listened to his quiet words that soothed her somewhat.
After a while she slowly drew back from the embrace but stayed close to him as she looked up into his eyes. "I believe my father is unaware that someone might have found out. Or maybe Lolir is playing him false... It could have been him who set the bomb." Her eyes hushed quickly between his, a sign how nervous she felt inwardly. "We need to warn him. And find out who put that bomb there." She paused. "Do you think you could convince your surperiors to give you access to any information they have about the bomb and stop keeping it from you?"

[Rayek trLhoell]

(OOC Trigger warning)

Uhlan Rayek tr'Lhoell
[Romulus - Ki Baratan - Senator Tocul's manor house - gardens]

At his offer to protect Taheen and her father, the last of Taheen's doubts receded from her mind.  Unfortunately Taheen's father wouldn't be so easily swayed.  Rayek still needed to move cautiously.  He stroked at her hair comfortingly as she laid her head upon his chest.

He'd seen his father comfort his mother this exact way after the abortion of what would have been her 4th child.  Rayek remembered his father commenting - in what he thought then was a firm tone, that it was better that the fetus die now than to be born with a known defect.  His mother had wept all the harder at his words.  Surprisingly, a number of years later when his father was new as a Senator, his was one of the first names to sign a bill that rescinded the authority of the doctors to abort a fetus or to kill a newborn at discovering a genetic defect.  The decision now lay in the hands of the parents - though no additional medical funding was directed to the defective child.  So for the average family the decision was still to abort - they couldn't afford otherwise.  But Father had still said, it was better to make the decision than to have one forced upon you.. and he'd commented on changes requiring baby steps.

Baby step is how Rayek felt this investigation was moving. He had the name of a possible conspirator but no clear understanding of who the man was or any direct proof other than Taheen's say so that the two had met and to plan action against  (or listen to the plan against)  the Praetor.  Rayek needed more.

When Taheen stepped back and spoke, Rayek looked her in the eye and nodded his agreement at the suggestion that it could have been Lolir.   He couldn't help but frown when she suggested warning her father.  That would spike the man's suspicion right through the roof.  He'd never get him to lower his guard enough to read his mind gently.

"I don't know if that's wise, Taheen.  We have no proof." He began to argue when she asked if he could gain access to proof.   Hmph..  and this was why she was one of the top of her class.

Rayek made a show of seeming uncertain, "I can try but I'm barely in the service 2 months and still on probation - they don't trust me with anything significant." Which was true or had been true until today.  Rayek had discovered his 'bump' in access when he'd started on his research on Senator Tocul. File classifications that had been closed to him before were now open.  His bump in access was the only reason he'd been permitted to take out one of the Tal'Shiar in-ear recording devices.  So there were clear benefits to being the Praetor's hound.  "Honestly, I would have more luck trying to sneak the information than asking for it.  But I'll see what I can find - one way or the other." Rayek said implying that he would break the law for her father.

"I would prefer not telling your father.  I doubt he would believe us, and he might ask questions of my superiors that could honestly lead to my expulsion or worse... if they discover that I talked." Rayek looked at her pleadingly.  "But if you are certain you can convince him to believe us... then lets do it now before I lose my nerve."

[Tess tLhoell]

[Romulus - Ki Baratan - Senator Tocul's manor house - gardens]

==Taheen t'Raghaellh==

When Rayek commented that it wouldn't be wise to tell her father because they had no proof and that he likely would not believe them but rather Rayek would be in danger for having told her about the bomb despite his superiors saying otherwise, Taheen looked down, unhappy with the facts but knowing that Rayek was right. And she wouldn't want him to get into trouble just because he tried to help her family. "I'm not certain he would believe us, I was just hoping he would." In any case her father surely would try to verify the information and that would bring Rayek into trouble. She knew expulsion from the Tal'Shiar surely meant death.

Lifting her head she looked back up at him. The fact that he would try to get the information anyways made her smile slightly in gratefulness. Her eyes wandered over his features for a moment as she thought about how to be of help. "Maybe I could arrange for you access to my father's office he's got at home", she finally suggested. She knew it would be dangerous and it also felt a little bit like betraying her father but every Romulan daughter would not hestitate to act that way when trying to protect her father. And she was sure there was information in her father's office that would lead to Lolir, maybe even finding a way to spy on him and getting to know who that man was.

"I know when he's not home and I think I could distract our servants enough." She looked up at him, waiting for his opinion or if he had another plan.