Alderaan - Love and Intrigue

He smoothed the fabric of the regalia. It always felt so stiff. He hated it, but it was necessary for times like these. The Pantoran stood in the waiting area of the restaurant, having given the name on the reservation to the host.

He had arrived a little early, wanting to meet Veresh at the door, rather than have her waiting for him.

She arrived wearing a conservative but stylish gown for the evening. She offered her hand and said, "Senator Mixo?"

He took her hand, shaking it confidently. His smile was winning, the cascader smoothing his features from the point it is installed in the collar of his regalia.

"Lady Veresh Organa. A pleasure to meet you in person. I apologize for defaulting to Lady as your title, I'm not one hundred percent yet on how the formal titles work here." He stood tall, looking to her eyes, his own bright in the light of the restaurant.

“Countess Verash Organa of the Fourth Sector of Delaya is a mouthful, what you said is appropriate. Shall we?” she offered.

“I hope your time on Alderaan has been fruitful, perhaps you have even found time to enjoy a little romance?” she joked lightly.

His smile didn't falter, yet there was an internal conflict. Thoughts drifting ever so slightly, before quickly recovering through his Cool.

"It has been enjoyable. Performed some poetry, enjoying the festival so far. As for romance." He shrugged, as the host began to escort the pair to their table, "The festival has only begun. Who knows what the future holds."

A hint of humor there, given his own visions. "What are your expectations for the festival, for yourself?"

“I expect deliciously boring parties, places to be seen and watching young people make beautiful mistakes to gossip over with the those of a certain maturity. It never gets old, only this time I am mixing in a much needed chance to make a great deal of money and form strong bonds with Pantora,” she said as she took a seat and ordered fine wine.

She made a point to turn her communicator off.

He followed cue, cutting off his own communicator, and sitting down. Ordering the same, the Pantoran leaned back slightly in his seat, a hand remaining on the table. "Who hasn't made mistakes in love in their life. It might be key to growing up. The youth'll learn." He gently laughed.

"The money is nice, but I think the deeper bonds of friendship between our two systems will be far more fruitful, I think."

"Oh... and what youthful mistakes linger on your mind, Senator?" she asked warmly as her wine is poured.

"The same as anyone, I suppose. Awkward fumblings in the back of a speeder. The one who got away. The one that..." he paused, looking off to the distance for a moment, his smile disappearing slightly, "... who you never knew where you both stood." There was a hint of sadness, then quickly passed.

"Thoughts that are just that, Countess. Moments in the past. A younger man's game that I realize time is drawing ever onward. What about you. What thoughts always flitter through your mind when talk of romance comes up?"

"I think about my ex-husband and realize how I dodged a blaster," she responded warmly.

"This one that you don't know where you stand, that sounds like a story, willing to discuss it?" she asked.

"There's a reason exes are exes." He sighed, and tilted his head, reading her expression. "I suppose I am. It's been... a few years. Though the uncertainty is a bit younger than that. We met on the Smuggler's Moon." He started, holding the stem of the wine glass, swirling the liquid gently. "Kind of out of no where. We started talking."

The liquid stirring stopped, as he focused on the memory. "It started out with a kiss. One of those heat of the moment, you really let your guard down kind of kisses. I thought I was past the point of being smitten so quickly but... there I was." He chuckled.

Then the chuckling ended. "We started what... what I thought was going to be a partnership. My thoughts never drifted far from her. To this day, they somewhat still do. Yet..." Durasay sighed, the melancholy hanging there.

"Maybe I misread the situation. It felt rather one sided. My thoughts never left, and hers... I don't know if she ever really thought of me. Maybe she did, in her own way, but I never knew. She made moves that... showed that maybe I didn't mean much to her. Things I've learned from her, that I didn't know, I'll always treasure. But..." his gaze met hers, "... it started out with a kiss, and ended up..."

How did it end up like this.

"Maybe that's all it ever was. One really good kiss."

She placed a comforting hand on his and said, “That sounds torturous. I envy you. I thought my husband was everything, but it turned out he was everything to a lot of people. I could almost overlook it, if not for the child. That was a step too far.”

“Sorry, I was not trying to compete with your tale, just came to mind. Being that close to someone, it never really leaves you.”

"There's nothing to be sorry about. Relating ones own experience to another? It's the most natural thing in the galaxy." He was surprised by the tender touch, yet didn't draw his hand back. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry that he strayed."

His eyes flitted down, then back to her features. His other hand reached for the glass, "To things never leaving. Lessons learned, and hope still for better tomorrows."

"To things never leaving," she echoed. She sipped and then said, "I have seen images of your world, but never been, what can you tell me about it? The people, the culture?"

"Pantora is beautiful. Very cold, but lovely. A mix of cities in regions with mountains and deciduous forests. The system, to which Pantora is a moon, Orto Plutonia, is even colder, but looks like a sapphire in the night sky." He mused, before sipping from his wine.

"Culturally, like any other Republic world. Though I happen to think our architectural style is completely unique, and competes in beauty easily with places like Naboo and..." he grinned, looking about, "... Alderaan. Our visual art is without compare. But it's difficult to sum up culture in a few words. We're as diverse as any other Republic system." His fingers gently set the glass down.

"The people, though. Hard working, inspiring. With proud familial traditions and lines. The markings on our faces," he pointed to the yellow tattoos, "tell our story, similar to Mirialans. Likely a common cultural ancestor eons ago. People bare the names of their forebears with Gusto. Paponoida. Chuchi. I hope that one day Mixo is said in the same respect." That pride coming through in his voice, even with the barest hint of darkened purple in his cheeks.

"And how does one earn such great respect?" she asked.

"Easier said than done. But that's something families strive for over generations." Durasay kept his focus on Veresh's eyes, his smile softening to something more reserved.

"My family has had a long history of serving in the military. But wars don't necessarily make one great. Especially when peace is what every one is striving for." A sip of wine.

"All I can hope is that whatever I do, whatever my legacy is, Pantora thinks on it positively. Or maybe, think on whatever future Mixo's do is a positive thing. But I'm getting old, maybe it'll have to be through what my nieces and nephews do."

"Maybe brokering a an exorbitant business deal that could benefit millions of Pantorans might help?" she offered.

"I am looking to do aggressive expansion on Pantora, textile factories, sector HQ, R&D and logistics. The last is actually a new initiative with a direct to buyer service, allowing for custom tailored ensembles direct to the consumer at very competitive prices. Why pay for off-the rack when you can get something unique delivered straight to your doorstep. I would like Pantora to be our test market."

She follows that up with a brief but to the point explanation of the business model, resources, and what they are willing to commit in exchange for favorable tax breaks and access to prime locations.

OOC: He can counter with Negotiation or Cool, if he so chooses.

Verash Negotiation + Boost die: 2eP+3eA+1eB 4 successes, 4 advantage

"Of course. And Pantora is looking for a deeper exchange with Core Worlds within the Republic. However with that aggressive expansion and test market..." Durasay countered, reaching through the force, a hint of pride and even aggression coloring his words as he bent the Force to his will, flowing through his words, augmented as they were. He would make sure that Pantora was not on the losing side of the process, though in business and politics, it is not a zero sum game. It's mutually beneficial. But he could not simply roll over on the first part of negotiations. "You'll find out world would greatly enjoy bespoke items, rather than mass produced. I one hundred percent agree with you there."

LE3 - Negotiation and Nosh - Competitive Negotiation (Presence 4, Negotiation 1, Cascader Upgrade, +1 advantage from Cultural Etiquette Manual, +2eF Influence Skill Control): 2eP+2eA+2eF 2 successes, 2 advantage, 2 Light Side, 2 Dark Side
Flipping a Destiny Point, suffering 1 strain, and taking 2 Conflict to use the Dark Side, converting one to a success, one to an advantage. 2 Light Side Pips to successes

Net Total: 5 successes, 4 advantage (2 rolled + 1 from Cultural Etiquette Manual + 1 from converted Force Point)

After some negotiation they come to a deal that favors Pantoran interests but still has some concessions for her company and ultimately seems beneficial to both sides in varying degrees. Satisfied with the initial stage she finished with, “My people look forward to hammering out the details once you have brought this proposal to Pantora.”

If she was annoyed at not getting exactly what she wanted she wasn’t going to press it here.