[D4 EE] Jedi Make House Calls?

[Zeno Thul]

He nods at that. He didn't think that all of Ulgo was trying to incite unrest. He didn't know who it was or why they chose to involve the Ulgo name, but it was certainly not helping the Ulgo image among other families. Attaching a noble houses name to something like royals being attacked would seem self destructive if they were involved, and they certainly didn't seem self destructive.

After the latest round, the team hit their target and got some bonus points. The girls turned to look at the grownups.

"Miss Katarzyna brought you some things," he says giving them a smile.

They look to her and smile expectantly. "Really?" Opila asks.

"Make sure you introduce yourself properly first though.". Zeno was firm but not stern, reinforcing good manners.

The twins stand and move to greet the Jedi. Kasha starts, "Good evening. I am Kasha Thul. It's a pleasure to meet you." Then Opila follows, "I am Opila Thul. It's nice to meet you ma'am.". They both give proper noble lady curtsies.

[Katarzyna Ulgo]

Kat breathed a sigh of relief as they finished the last round with bonus points. Vid-games were much harder than they looked!

She couldn't help but to smile warmly as the two girls introduce themselves and curtsies. "And I'm Jedi Knight Katarzyna Ulgo," she gave them a proper bow fitting of a noble in return. "Thank you for letting me play games with you. It was quite a lot of fun. And yes, as your father said, I brought you some small souvenirs from the festival grounds."

Taking a step back, she picked up the gift-bag she had put down earlier. She held the bag open for the girls to see as she extended it to them.

There were two pretty kaleidoscopes in all shades of the rainbow with pretty crystals (obviously not real crystals), an assortment of individually wrapped sweets, a booklet on the story behind the festival with lovely illustrations, some brightly colored pinwheels, and two big lollipops.

"I hope you like it."

[Zeno Thul]

"Thank you Miss Katarzyna," they both say, in an offset unison. Accepting the souvenirs with smiles. After going to a little table that was clearly for them, they sat down and immediately went for the lollipops. It was a little late, and the sugar would likely keep them up a bit, but Zeno didn't say no. Indulging them and keeping them distracted and/or hyper was preferable to them being concerned about everything going on.

There is another adult sized table in the opposite end of the room that Zeno moved toward and invited Kat to join him at. Much more out of earshot now that they weren't distracted by the game.

"So, have they identified the true cause of the protests? They don't seem like general malcontent to me as their messages are pretty focused." He pulls out a datapad and puts a request into the house staff to bring him a caf. He offers her the datapad to make any requests of her own. It was a system not dissimilar from ordering at a restaurant, except with no prices listed.

[Katarzyna Ulgo]

"You're quite welcome. Please, enjoy," she said with a warm smile to the children, and watched them for a moment as they set to indulging themselves. Children were very precious.

With the offer to sit down, she followed Zeno and took the offered seat. And given the option to order for herself, she selected a tea that seemed to be a Thul specialty. Kat enjoyed tea, so trying a new type of tea was always interesting.

"The true cause? Mostly angry and frustrated people being taken advantage of, really. This Tuvi person has been leading the movement, but his presence was of keeping it peaceful. There's another one, a man named Julio, who has been whipping them up to turn to violence, talking about how this is just the beginning and what-not." She shook her head with dismay. "It's not unusual to see... recent conflict, and a new one possibly looming on the horizon. People tend to get frightened, and when those frightened ones gather, it builds. People like that turn to lashing out because it gives them a sense of power where they otherwise feel they have none. I've seen it on other worlds before, but never thought I'd see it here."

[Zeno Thul]

"Julio?" he asks. "I've had the pleasure of working with him. He was on the mission to deal with the killiks. Seemed like a relatively unhappy man. Assuming it's the same man. But he seems to have the right wrong disposition."

"Is there any action being taken?". It almost feels like he's asking if the Jedi or Ulgo were going to remove him as a threat.

[Katarzyna Ulgo]

"Hmm... I see. Interesting. He's been keeping busy then." She wondered what else had been up to.

"I spoke with the protesters who were arrested today, and one of them volunteered to set up a meeting with Julio. Claiming he will only answer the call of people he know and trust. I brought it to Major Niall Organa, and... while it could be a trap, I think we should take that risk and try to meet with him. Hopefully arrest him for instigating violence, and according to the prisoners, he is planning on making things even more violent."

[Zeno Thul]

"Well, I'd offer to help but I don't think placing myself in the middle of a situation with a man that turns protests violent would help with whatever investigation is going on here," he says with a shrug. "I guess it seemed like Delmi Koor, one of our associates, was familiar with him, as was Jacosta Teraan."

[Katarzyna Ulgo]

"I'll look into those names. Thank you. Slowly but surely, I feel we are seeing more of the larger picture." She gave a nod of appriciation to Zeno.

"It's... a challenge, to navigate this political landscape in a way that won't injure the pride or honor of the Houses. But, I think that if we work together, I think we can dare hope for a more peaceful and stable Alderaan."

[Zeno Thul]

"The threats to Alderaan should not be from within," he says with a nod. "The houses will always fight for power and prestige with each other, but it should never be enough to threaten civil war. The fact that some people have that as a default attitude is why we have many problems."

[Katarzyna Ulgo]

"I don't think any one side in specific is more at fault there than others," she said neutrally, not wanting to blame one House more than the other. "And pointing fingers isn't going to solve anything, I feel."

[Zeno Thul]

"No house is a monolith. Each has it's own members. Some in all would wage war, some would desire peace and others would prefer clandestine activities. Every group has outlying members with extreme views," Zeno replies. "And the extreme voices often speak the loudest, staining the views of those looking at them."

[Katarzyna Ulgo]

"Yes," she agreed simply.

"May I ask a bit more sensitive question, while I'm here?"

[Zeno Thul]

"Anyone can always ask me anything," he says with a nod. "I can't always promise an answer, but a question is never worth going unasked."

[Katarzyna Ulgo]

A nod.

"I'm curious about the presence of this Sith Lord, Lana Beniko. If you know anything about her, and how she came to be so close to the princess?"

[Zeno Thul]

"It was simply a series of events strung together and not entirely expected. The princess is a scholarly sort and the Sith culture is an old one, not unlike Jedi culture. But learning about Jedi culture from a Jedi is accessible in Republic space. Learning about Sith culture from a Sith is more difficult. They likely bonded over discussions on that subject. She might have sought me out on the issue when I first arrived but I kept reclusive for a long time. Lana was much more public, acting as an ambassador to Alderaan," Zeno explains. "At least that is what my impression of the situation is."

[Katarzyna Ulgo]

"Hmm... I see. I just find it a bit concerning that she is so close to the princess, at all times." She didn't want to say that it made it seem like the princess was co-dependant on the Sith Lord, but it often came across like that to her.

"Do you know much about what Lana Beniko is like?"

[Zeno Thul]

"She is calm, centered, focused and does not like to waste words," he says with a shrug. "Honestly, among Sith that could have befriended her Lana is probably not a bad option. She's actually less likely to teach Jameela crazy stuff than I am. And I'm not a Sith anymore... well, part of the order. Nothing to be done about the blood." He chuckles at that.

[Katarzyna Ulgo]

"True, but your blood doesn't decide your path in life." She at least had no feeling of enmity towards the true-blooded sith or their bloodlines.

"House Thul does have the shadow of the Empire hanging over them though, from the circumstances of your return. But given the Empire's recent attack, that's probably not something you want associated with your name anymore, right?" she asked, then added in, "I'm not accusing you of being in cahoots with the Empire, as I believe both you and Duchess Ziandra are sincere when you say you want stability for Alderaan, and a secure future for your children."

[Zeno Thul]

"It is something that we consider often. Though it is a complex situation. There are many on Alderaan that would see us exiled again or destroyed. Who knows, this house arrest may be a part of a plot to do just that eventually. But it is true that all we really want is for Thul to be accepted back into their home once more without threat of destruction for something that none of those in charge of the house did. I don't believe in punishing a house for the mistakes of individuals personally."

[Katarzyna Ulgo]

"And I don't believe in punishing people for the sins of the fathers, so to speak. What House Thul did ages ago is done and those responsible passed on a long time since."

Her expression was thoughtful for a moment. "Punishing a large group because of the actions of one I don't agree with either... though one must also find the one truly responsible. Many hide behind others, and some are eager to take on the blame of their superiors, believing it to be for the greater good."