Alderaan - Love and Intrigue

Zeno was playing a holo-vid game with his girls. Something where they were each part of a kitchen staff and had to prepare meals and recipes or something like that. But Zeno was doing the dad thing and making mistakes on purpose and getting them to explain what he was supposed to do like he didn't know how to play.

Zeno was told he had a visitor. One Jedi Knight Katarzyna Ulgo.

She had wanted to speak with him regarding yesterday's events, and had found out the hard way that the Thuls were not really leaving their home today.

She was shown into the small game room where he continued playing with the girls. Rather than stand and greet and go through all of that formality, he elected that having fun with his daughters was more important. And so he offered a controller for the Ulgo Jedi so she could join in.

Extending it, he said, "Join us Katarzyna?"

The Jedi was... a bit perplexed by the informality of it all, and for a moment she was taking in the scene of a father at play with his children.

With a brief chuckle, she put down a small gift bag she had been holding in her hands, and accepted the controller. "I can't say I know these games well, but thank you, I will do my best."

It wasn't that she had never played holo vid-games. But she could easily count the times on one hand. The young Thul princesses would probably be able to beat her at this game with a hand behind their backs.

"Well, this one's a cooperative game. You're part of the cook staff and we make meals to send out to the customers," he says with a chuckle.

"But no pressure. The twins are good enough to carry a four person team themselves."

Once the next round starts up, he starts playing. The amount of effort he puts in is honestly at the bare minimum, since ha has the controller sitting on his lap and is only playing with one hand. Either he had mastered this game and simply played down to their level or the force was telling him what to do... because he looked over to Katarzyna and spoke without stopping.

Would someone do that? Use the force to play kids holo vid-games?

"What did you get them?" he asks under the sound of the game's effects.

"Cook staff? Well, that's a familiar thing at least," she sounded even a bit excited about it.

Unlike Zeno, she had both her hands on the controller and was focusing a bit more, but it seemed she learned pretty quickly after having given the controller a few tests to figure out the commands. "Ooops, I almost burned that one." Right, there were some things to keep an eye on for a newbie.

She was perceptive enough to pick up Zeno's question at least, and her head tilted slightly in his direction, voice lowering. "Just some small stuff from the festival stalls. The little toys, some treats." The kind of stuff little kids liked at festivals. She had been considerate enough to think that the children must've been a little upset to miss out on the festival today, being locked up in here.

He continued playing, making little mistakes here and there on purpose. Occasionally one of the girls would turn and scold him or the Jedi for getting something wrong and tell them what they're supposed to be doing. Zeno would act surprised and confused like he didn't know, smiling when they explained it.

"I appreciate that. I still don't know what all of this is about. We are allowed to go out under Panteer guard, to the festival and such. But I would rather the girls be as comfortable as possible during this, so I've been with them most of the day," he explains.

Kat played along with the twins and Zeno, adopting his mannerism of letting the girls explain to her how to play and what she should do.

"I wish I knew why too," she offered in return to Zeno. "Whatever it is, it's not something that has been made official. So... under investigation, I guess? I'm surprised they haven't told you, to be honest." She at least suspected that in this case, Zeno maybe didn't know more than Ziandra might.

As they played, she got more comfortable with finding a rythm that let her give more attention to Zeno. "Thank you for yesterday, by the way. With the protesters..."

He nods at that. "They were being driven by someone, used as a blunt tool for some purpose. I can't imagine that the intent was to actually kill someone, since they were untrained non-combatants. But people that protest through music tend not to turn violent at the drop of a hat," he says. "Someone likely had an ulterior motive to instigate the mob attack."

His controller continued to click, click, click...

"And while it was unfortunate that people got caught up in something they weren't aware of, I also don't feel bad for them either. You don't participate in a xenophobic mob without some xenophobic leanings. And I don't want my girls to grow up where that is accepted or normal."

"Your children certainly deserve better than that, yes," Kat agreed, falling a bit into the game for a while to not make the girls feel like the adults weren't paying attention.

"Someone is using these people, yes. I don't know who yet, but... I don't feel like it's any of the Houses. At least not directly, as such. I could be wrong of course. I was wondering if you had looked into any of it before... today."

"I had not looked into it," he admits. "The protestors seem very adamantly pro Ulgo, so it is likely someone concerned with your house in some way. Possibly a supporter that doesn't actually know what they're doing politically or an enemy trying to make Ulgo look bad by attaching the name to violent protests. Possibly a member of the house discontent with Panteer, but acting without the support of the rest. The insult to Yulastranza was real and could be stirring malcontents. And me poking around anyone that might be friends or enemies of Ulgo would likely not do anything to help with relations."

"There are many possibilities. Could also be another House, like one that doesn't like Ulgo, trying to stir the pot. Poke the hornet's nest, so to speak," Kat suggested, but kept the contents light as she didn't really want to get into the depth of politics or possible schemes in front of the children. Wouldn't want to ruin their fun.

"Duchess Ziandra has been very busy today, I can imagine. Is she here too, or...?" was she maybe allowed to go out and speak with the queen?

"She has been indisposed, complying with Panteer questioning, and trying to figure out what happened I imagine. I am awaiting news," he replied with a shrug.

"As we have not actually done anything that should be cause for investigation I expect this will be over soon. But once it is... I will be hunting. This is a threat to my family and I will not abide it."

The light-haired woman raised an eyebrow, looking over to Zeno. "And what will you be hunting, Duke Zeno? What leads do you have?"

"I will be hunting the true culprit of whatever crime has placed my house under investigation," he clarifies. "They are keeping it quiet for now, but when we are cleared I will know of what charges we have been cleared."

There is no doubt in his voice.

She sighed a little. "Yes, but what leads do you have? What suspicions? It's one thing to be proactive, but a hunter doesn't get far by just wandering into a forest hoping to stumble across their target."

"Leads are identified by studying information and evidence. Ziandra and others are being questioned, and those questions will tell me what false evidence pointed to us. Finding the sources of that information and tracking backwards will be my path forward."

The girls still seemed plenty preoccupied, Zeno having begun making fewer mistakes in the game to elicit corrections.

Kat focused on the game for a moment. Her skill was decent but her unfamiliarity meant she couldn't match Zeno's multitasking.

"That is assuming those questioning will share or let it slip what spurred them to this..." she fell silent again, thinking over some of the events of yesterday.

If whatever Riss had given to the Panteers was the cause of this, then they had really worked fast...

"Even if they did not let specifics slip, questions can be revealing themselves. Asking about a time and place gives a time and to investigate. Asking about specific people's activities gives a person to investigate. The questions may not reveal a truth, but they will suggest a course to find it," he says. "A lesson learned from my wife. And she is the one answering questions, so she will have as whole a picture as anyone not involved in the investigation, assuming that Panteer doesn't just explain the situation to us after we are cleared," he replies.

"Many hunters have no leads until they find tracks. I'm simply waiting until I find a set of tracks for now."

She looked at the game for a moment, focusing on a task to make sure the twins wouldn't be disappointed in her cooking skills.

"Well... I wish you luck with that. It's a hard feeling, when people try to frame your family as something they're not. I know. Maybe not to the same extent, but I understand it."