Alderaan - Love and Intrigue

In deference to her wishes, Zeno had left Ziandra to herself so she could rest and sleep in, staying on a tiny couch in the twin's room himself. His neck was still sore, but he'd worked it loose a little bit while handing a bunch of her usual early morning tasks like he had done the past few days. He wanted to keep her plate clean, but he was also worried for her. The stress certainly could not have been pleasant.

And now he brought breakfast for her, so she didn't even have to get up to do that.

Ziandra laid in bed still tired but glad to be free of the meetings and although angry didn’t have much energy to do anything but lay in bed for the moment.

Zeno moved to sit on the side of the bed. He setthe tray of food within reach before brushing her hair to the side and kissing her on the forehead.

"Eat something?" he asked gently.

She sat up and said, “Thanks, it’s morning, right?” She stretched and yawned and then started eating, “Have I missed anything important? The girls have not been giving you any trouble, have they?”

"The girls have been fine," he says. "And things have been tense but okay. I exchanged contact info with Bouris. Not likely to make him a fan anytime soon, but I think it's a step in a positive direction there."

"Bouris? That's impressive, if he uses it I will be doubly impressed," she said warmly. "I am just glad this is behind us for now, but now we have to get revenge on Rist and possibly Ulgo."

"So we know Rist was behind or involved then," he said with a nod. "Do we know how they did what they did?"

“Xero had Lady Koor get evidence that we leveraged, he was able to show the tell-tale signs of modification and fabrication common in House Rist works, not that it was easy. We don’t know who was behind it specifically but we can assume that Duchess Rist was ultimately behind this probably on behalf of House Ulgo,” she said bitterly.

“The Duke has blundered.”

"Perhaps," Zeno says. "Or perhaps that is what Rist is hoping for, to provoke us into blaming someone that is completely ignorant. Trying to get us to move on Ulgo publicly after such a public attack on us," he says. "We need to find out if Ulgo actually had anything to do with it or if Rist is just stirring the pot. If that's the case it could be used to push those two apart if they are scheming behind Ulgo's back for some reason."

“That would be a clever move, unexpected even,” which gave her pause.

"I know it's infuriating, and the people responsible need to be dealt with. If I had them here I'd gladly cook their flesh with my blade. But we have to make sure it's the right people. We don't want to fall into the same trap that Panteer was forced into with misinformation and false allegations. We want to find those truly responsible, stick it to them hard, and do so in a way that strengthens our ties to Panteer and Panteer's authority and legitimacy. Particularly if it is a plot of other houses. If it was some independent action to hurt us... well, we can relieve some stress by crushing them mercilessly."

"You seem confident that they may not be at fault, why?" she asked.

"I don't doubt Rist involvement, the evidence points that way. I am just wary of the reasoning behind it. Too many things released all around the same time, obviously faked and pointing at different people. It's like someone is trying to create confusion, even targeting the Jedi and Organa. It may be an attempt to provoke rash action, and I am trying to find reasons to not try to turn the Rist estate into a crater and bring war down on our daughters' lives."

“Perhaps we use patience and wait for our enemies to reveal themselves,” she said thoughtfully. “We need to be unpredictable but we also need to make sure we don’t play into the hands of our enemies.”

Zeno nodded at that. "That is likely best with an enemy cunning enough to throw things into disarray like they did. Until then, we hunt and prepare."

"You are enjoying this, love," she said with a smile.

"It is certainly a break from monotony," he said with a grin. "And it gives an opportunity to exercise my mind. I already know how to swing a saber, so I need to practice other things for a change."

Ziandra said, “I like when you get aggressive and start plotting. It’s endearing and refreshing. There will be plenty of enemies to deal with in due time. We never have a shortage of rivals.”

He nods at that. "Yes, in time. For now, we need to get ready for the day. I'm still a bit stiff from that little sofa. I could use a hot shower, if you care to join me?"

"Of course," she said following him to enjoy their morning.

/ftb

/scene?