Alderaan - Love and Intrigue

After her afternoon appointments, Aurilie set off to the (now relatively safer) hunting grounds with her rifle. The cooler weather came as a pleasant surprise and while it wasn't as cool as the mountains, she found it a good change from the otherwise summery weather of the region. She was dressed in a dapper casual hunting outfit with a cap on her head, which was perfect for her intended occasion.

Venturing back into the wild, she sought out some small game as she carefully meandered through a tree-filled clearing. It wouldn't be the same as hunting hounds, of course, but she was more than glad to have her excitement toned down for a day or two.

Omandri was heading back from his meeting with Layne deeper in the wildlands. He walked back through carrying his large military pack. He wore a simple outfit sturdy but plain clothes in shades of brown and tan. As he walked he looked down at the waist high canine styled Droid That accompanied him "Well I think she might finally be coming around Alpha, she at least doesn't want to kill me anymore." He said chuckling.

Looking up he sees Aurilie out hunting and gives her a wave "Oh Prince Alde! Nice to see you again." He said with a smile. It took on a tone of amusement as he looked at her outfit "you have a classic sense of style, unusual, but it works for you."

Aurilie had been strolling the woods with her gun bag beside her, seemingly trying to spot a trail or sign of something around. She supposed she could consider getting a few rodents, although that might be more target practice than anything productive...She blinked when she caught sight of the other figure and raised a gloved hand, really more to get his attention in case it was another hunter. However, it turned out to be someone perhaps far removed from that.

"Oh, Mister Rist," she said in a bit of a surprise as she waved back with the same raised hand eventually, walking over to him and Alpha. "Good afternoon. I didn't know I would find you this deep in the wild. Then again, I suppose it shouldn't be a surprise as I recall you are well-travelled. And, thank you...I suppose a bit against the trend as of late admittedly but I do prefer the established classics. A bit of a House Alde trait, actually. How are you today?"

Omandei regarded her with a smile as he drew nearer "Yes I actually love spending time outdoors hiking, being in nature, even collecting some notes." He said brightly.

"Oh and this is Alpha the Droid I was telling you about that kept me alive on all those dangerous planets." He said with a chuckle as he looked down at the canine Droid that then looked up to regard Aurilie with its single photoreceptor. It paused a moment and then slowly walked over to her brushing her gently and walking around her before returning to Omandri's side. "Ah that means he likes you."

"And here I thought the cooler weather might have scared more people indoors," she chuckled before nodding a few times. "There might be some bias on my party but I think the forests are certainly more appealing when there's a cool breeze out, it almost seems the wild breathes back...But, of course, that's probably just the pollen giving me that idea."

She smiled at the doglike droid when it approached her, giving it a pat on the back as it brushed by. "Pleased to meet you Alpha, we meet in person. I admit I was imaging a protocol droid for some reason...but now we are acquainted, I see that how you could be of great help to Mister Rist's adventures."

Omandri shrugged with a chuckle "eh cool weather is nothing new to me, certainly dealt with much worse. The cool breeze also makes the exertion of hiking difficult trails nicer and less humid usually which is the real killer."

"Yeah no protocol droids for me, I can usually handle anything they are designed to aid with. I needed more of a Droid to help with parts of survival that I'm less familiar with. Setting up camp, finding tracks and trails, keeping an eye out for stealthy predators. That's what good ol Alpha is here for." He said patting the Droid on its side.

Aurilie smirked at Alpha. "Admittedly, I was never really in the market for a droid but perhaps I could consider a companion like Alpha. Tracking hounds aren't always fit for just any habitat, especially somewhere like Hoth. It's likely a droid would fare better. I sort of wonder if being a droid only gives it an advantage in the wild, seeing as it doesn't have any relatable scene, maybe?"

She gave a gesture for Omandri to follow her as she walked on. "Let's walk and talk, shall we? Far more forest to see than to be standing in one place."

He nodded and took up pace beside her as he responded "Yes not having to worry about him is a definite bonus, well not having to worry as much. He's been through more than one scrape and I was there to put him back together. There are a few injuries I wouldn't be able to fix but we've avoided those so far. His model is designed to work in extreme temperatures which is a great boon." He said agreeing with her initial assessment.

"So is hunting a passion of joy or necessity?" He asked and went to clarify "did you grow to love hunting while protecting Mount joral or did you always derive pleasure from the hunt which drove you to thin the predator population."

As they walked into the forest more, she kept a leisurely pace and slung the rifle case behind her. She was really more focused on the conversation than looking out for something to shoot at the moment. Admittedly, she knew Omandri was a pacifist but she never got the idea if that tenant extended onto animals. It was best to not let that make the occasion awkward.

"Hah..." she said with an abashed smile as she looked off, perhaps jumping into that concern in her mind just a moment ago. "I'd say it's a bit of both, actually. Hunting wasn't something I grew up with, not exactly. My parents were sure to do everything in their power to shy me away from that, keep me to hosting parties and practice ballroom dancing. Hunting was something I've always wanted to do, admittedly and my start would only happen when I reached my teens. It's something that comes as a necessity on Mount Joral but I'm always on the lookout for ways to improve my skills, which includes venturing elsewhere in the galaxy. That said, I wouldn't consider anything here mundane or mostly conquered in comparison. It's no sweltering death world but even recently, I'm reminded that the fauna of Alderaan will always keep you on your toes."

Omandri nodded along as she spoke, he looked about at the forest enjoying being in nature but still listening acutely to what she was saying "well that makes sense." He said without specifying which part of her statement he was referring to.

"So your parents weren't supportive of your hunting efforts? That's unfortunate. While I am no hunter myself I understand the necessity of it especially when talking about dangerous predators. It seems like so much wasted effort to try and steer a child somewhere they don't want to go, you know they always end up there anyway." He said almost absent mindedly "at least from what I've seen. I have no children of my own to reference."

Aurilie ducked from an overhanging branch as they walked, giving a glance at the height of the tree before moving on. She shook her head sadly. "No, not initially at least. Now that I'm an adult, they don't really have a choice on the matter. Like most members of House Alde, they are old-fashioned and I'm sure you know, perhaps even down to what little girls should and should not aspire to become. They wanted me to become a proper lady of the courts and potentially of the senate."

She shrugged with a rueful smile. "However, I suppose they will get their wishes in a roundabout way when I take full ownership of Mount Joral as my domain and will likely have to delve into politics by necessity."

Omandri listened as they walked "Ah well that is unfortunate, many cultures have a lot of different definitions of what is proper for who. It all seems very silly to me as none of it really has any meaning. It's all just stuff people made up one day and it just became a rule. Do what makes you happy is what I say. As long as what need tending gets tended to you should be able to do what you want."

He looked about a little at the trees and the patches of sky that could be peeked between the leaves "So do you look forward to the position or is it rather something you dread?"

Aurilie glanced down for a moment before nodding. "Which is admittedly a lesson that my parents eventually learned themselves, despite the fact that they might not admit it to this day. I suppose on the outside, I haven't really strayed at all from my role in the house but tradition does often provide all these small little trappings that aren't so obvious. In a way, me becoming prince was perhaps the compromise...or loophole there."

She chuckled at the question and flashed a quick smirk. "I wouldn't say I dread it in the slightest. It is admittedly a lot of responsibility and will require me to remain in Alderaan more or only travel at the behest of politics the Republic, which is a small sacrifice I'm willing to take. I'd say that I'm already well-versed with the workings of my remote kingdom, managing some aspects of its safety and rural industries but managing it as a whole will present an entirely different challenge. I'm admittedly a little anxious but I'm also eager to see how I will do when I start taking the reins into my own hands, so to speak."

Omandri listened and nodded with a small smile "Well it certainly sounds like you're ready for it when the mantle is passed. Your heart is in the right place and you seem ready to put your people before your own interests which is really, at the end of the day, what a good ruler does." He gives her a soft smile "I'm sure you'll do great."

"The heart and mind is one thing but I know that getting down to it will be an entirely different matter." She smirked with a shrug. "Of course, it is the best place to start. Again, this is something that might not happen for a few years, maybe even a decade. While my domain is nowhere as great as the Queen or her intended heir, I suppose I could stand to learn a few lessons around here in how she's been running the Festival here. Perhaps I could start looking into some of the political workings of the worlds I'll be visiting in the near future. Are you destined for any travels after the festival, Mister Rist?"