Alderaan - Love and Intrigue

Cynella, already dressed for the later private event, waltzed through the many stalls with the utmost confidence. As they'd arranged, she was to meet the Prince of Joral at the very heart of the festivities. Blaring by her was a particularly enthusiastic Chadra-Fan tooting on some sort of brass horn. That and the constant chatter would make conversation a tad more difficult but she remained undaunted.

The only thing that did bother her was the back-to-back nature of this. First the Prince of Joral, then the Prince of... well, Alderaan itself, I suppose?

Aurilie had plenty of opportunities to visit the grand fair grounds but held off stopping foot here after planning her date with Cynella. It might be considered cheating if she had a leg up on her date, even if Cynella might have had the opportunity before. Just like the maze, sometimes some first occasions grant a more authentic experience than a practiced one. She would stroll toward their agreed meeting spot, dressed in a tailored blue suit with a distinct double-brested vest. There was a notable large straw basket that she was carrying with her in one hand as well, hosting a long box and an assortment of jars.

She smiled softly when she saw Cynella and presented a proper bow with a hand at her waist. "Good evening, Lady Cynella. It's so good to see you again, even on the same day. We've found ourselves in the same social circles it seems, not a bad thing, of course. I must say that I've been looking forward to this. How have you been doing?"

Cynella, in all the excitement, had somehow neglected to come here herself. She hadn't even thought of it. Perhaps some part of her felt the same way as the dear Prince of Joral.

She returned the bow in her estimation of Captain Alderaan's. "Yes it was quite nice to see you at the beach. I hope you don't mind me speaking with the others. I knew I was going to see you soon, after all," she said with a wink.

To add to such boldness, she circled around, passing the basket-side arm, and went towards the free one to wrap herself around it. If refused, she was ready to back away. "I've been quite well, thanks for asking," she continued, completely unfussed regardless of the result. "I don't think it should come as any surprise that we have melded into the same social circles. Gaul Panteer... well, we both played on his team yesterday. Or would it be better said as, say, Riss' team?"

"Not at all. Considering how the event might be considered Prince Gaul's court and he managed to gather such a large following, it would seem doubly unfair to monopolize all of your time. The beach isn't something I'm used to either, considering we don't have too many beaches on Mount Joral. Are they more commonplace on Kuat?" She asked curiously.

Aurilie looked a bit amused as Cynella made her way around and she would happily allow her to put her arm around her. "Well, Riss is no doubt a very obvious common denominator, I'd say even more so than Gaul on a personal level. She is building quite a following...or did she always have one, to begin with? A lot of the evidence would point to the later." She posed curiously.

In regards to the basket, she doesn't keep Cynella in suspense for too long, especially having seen her move past it. "I also come with a few gifts for our date. I know that a lot at the festival has been keeping you occupied and it might be too much to ask for you to travel to Mount Joral, so I have brought some of it to you."

She laid down the basket and took out the long box from it, opening it to reveal a bottle of wine with a distinct blood-red hue. The box itself was also fragrant in its own way, smelling like freshly cut pine with a hint of sandalwood. "Valleyberry wine, directly from Mount Joral and grown from my personal orchards. We do harvest every year during the warmer months and bottle it, keeping several barrels in many of our stores through the land. This one is at least a few decades old and the flavour has matured enough to give it a slight smoky note."

Laying down the wine, she exchanged it for a few of the jars in hand. They individually seemed to contain a fine powder in each with their own colours. "I also bring salts from our local mines, mixed with some of the region's herbs to give them their own taste. They are enough to add to any meal without being overbearing on their own. I would be grateful if you were to accept these gifts from me and I'll happily hold on to them until we part ways."

"Is that so? I don't live close to the beach myself, though Kuat does have ample modes of travel." Cynella pursed her lips. "Ah but yes, you'd mentioned Mount Joral being a bit more remote. It'd be odd to have a beach right next to a mountain, now wouldn't it?"

On the topic of Riss, Cynella covered her lips as she giggled with her free hand. "Oh yes, she has quite a following wherever she goes. It's at this point I'm more surprised when she doesn't know somebody." She almost mentioned the whole 'used to live here' thing for her, though even if Aurilie was in the know, it still didn't seem like a good idea to discuss here. "In fact, she knows quite a bit about you," she added with a wink.

Her eyebrows lifted at the mention of gifts. "Oh my, you really shouldn't have! You've put me to shame since I didn't think of it myself." Alas, her Cultural Etiquette Manual had failed her on that part. First date gifts weren't apparently a Kuati thing. "Such remoteness... yes, I suppose you have a point there." She first took a look at the bottle, handling it with great care. "Oh such a vintage thing? I don't often partake in alcohol myself but I must make an exception in this case."

After she placed it back, she glanced at the jars of salt. "Pardon my ignorance but does salt actually taste different? I've never really thought of it that way. That too I am inclined to try." She scanned around, looking at the various stalls and their offerings. "You would know better than I."

"You don't...but we do have a few small lakes and rivers. They aren't enough to warrant the same sort of beachwear we've seen today. It was a different sort of occasion, for someone like me at least. I did some fussing over what to wear. Thankfully, I've been taught a valuable lesson some time ago that I do best when I stay close to the shade." She chuckled a bit on a rueful note.

"She does..." She trailed off slightly with a small knowing smile on her lips. "Well, the me from many years ago. Admittedly, they aren't very different people when she's already. However, she mentioned the same about you. At least, the previous working relationship that brought you here. It's a small galaxy in many ways."

"You're under no obligation to provide me with any gifts, especially when you're already gifting me with your time." She said with her chance to give her the wink this time. Her mood became more formal as she continued on. "To be fair, I do have the advantage of being on Alderaan with a few servants in easy reach. I could only imagine that you could manage wonderous things on the same day with Kuati efficiency." Aurilie would replace all the gifts back in the basket once Cynella was done with them, taking them back in her arm and offering her other arm for Cynella once more. "As for the salt, they do each have their own taste, albeit aided by the strength of their blend. You can taste the difference on their own but how they keep their distraction when used would depend on their use. Much like wines, they do require to be paired with specific foods. For example, the charcoal salt here would be best used with meat. The frostherb salt would be better accompanied with grilled vegetables."

"No? What, do people instead decide to skinny dip in the lake then?" Cynella asked with a wink. "And yes, it's important to limit sun exposure. In fact, you should be wearing sunscreen regardless of what you're doing for the day."

Cynella smiled, a bit of deviousness there. "I mean, she did bring me here. But I am curious if she did more than mention me. In your case, she had quite a bit to tell about you."

She rolled her eyes, though her smile remained. "Oh yes, my time is so precious. Much like having good help, though the cost of bringing them to Alderaan was a bit excessive. Besides, it's been a great exercise in independence."

When she replaced the jar into the basket, she said, "We may need to arrange for this to be sent to my room. I must be going to an invite-only event, special I know, afterwards." Still, she retook her place at the arm. "Ah. Goodness, I must admit, I've never been much of a cook. I can usually say what I want to eat and gauge the healthiness of such things but... goodness, you might as well have been speaking Aqualish there."

"Not quite, well, I won't say officially at least," she said after a chortle after the bit about the skinny dipping. "Swimwear, yes, but I mean perhaps so much in the liberal use or parading that they are seen in the last even we've both found ourselves in. As for our mutual friend, she only mentioned a few obvious things about you, that you were pretty. I am a bit surprised that she had more than a bit to share about me but she does have that advantage for me. I hope it's nothing too embarrassing and I must preface most of it was almost a decade ago."

She cast a curious gaze on Cynella but she maintained her good mood. "I'm sure that there could be potentially some servants to spare if you need a hand around Alderaan. It's not like people here don't get help whenever they make their large purchases. If you wish, I could have these delivered to you later. I wish you the best of luck regarding this event and I myself had heard little of it, so perhaps you've found yourself progressing higher in society here than you've thought initially."

"As for the salts, perhaps your cook might make use of them on your next meal? I shall leave them in your hands, Lady Cynella." Her gaze turned to look at the fair around them. "However, perhaps enough dwelling on that...there's plenty of fair to be enjoyed here from what I see. Has anything caught your eye already while you were most patiently waiting for me?"

"Beaches are often that way, from what I've seen. It's a coy way for people to be almost naked when people would usually gawk otherwise, isn't it?" Cynella smirked. "But it's no more scandalous than what our dear friend said. Young or not, the things she said... oh my, dear Aurilie."

She smiled faintly. "Yes, I suppose servants in this case would be useful. A delivery by any means sound lovely. I'm sure it won't be so hard to find a Kuati lady's room at the guest hall. Although that raises the question: where are you staying?"

Her gaze turned towards the palace itself. "I may be, though I suspect it's a more private opportunity for Her Majesty to judge me and the others vying for her son's hand in marriage. Hopefully I can avoid any disasters in the meantime." Perhaps studying the manual instead of going on a date would've helped her to not go for the Kuati tango later that evening.

"You don't want to try them tonight?" She pursed her lips. "Then again, I am to eat at the palace tonight. It's going to be a long wait but I'd rather not ruin my appetite." To distract her voracious appetite, she looked around at the stalls. "Perhaps some sort of Alderaanian game? I saw some stalls with prizes, perhaps, though that's not what I'm here for."

Aurilie raised her brows at Cynella, wondering what she was insinuating exactly. The vagueness of it all was a bit curious and perhaps making her wonder if there was something that was potentially taking out of context. She did her best to laugh it off as she glanced elsewhere. "Well, only one side of the story, I assure you. I'd think that Riss was sharing such stories only with the intent that we could grow closer together. She might have changed but surely that was her good intent? As for where I'm staying, that would be at the Sunshine Hall of Honored Guests...much like yourself?"

"Ah, well, having the Majesty's scrutiny is admittedly better than being forgotten entirely. I think she has taken notice of you a few times, as a guest at the very least. I'm can't hazard to imagine what she might think of you opinion-wise. Hopefully, as pleasant my opinions of you, Lady Cynella." Aurilie directed a smile at her.

"Right then! Perhaps we can find some entertainment to keep ourselves fed in the meantime. If the food might be too much, potentially we could share? A lot of these stalls have their share of guilty pleasures, which I don't know what your opinion of those might be. Battered, dipped, and fried. While not exactly a delicacy meant to be enjoyed regularly, they in themselves make for an occasion of their own. But...I digress...let's start with the classics, I think there was a ball toss we could attempt? It's been ages since I've been here, everything seems almost new."

With that, she gently Cynella on her arm toward one of the stalls where there were several metal cans that were lined up and each participant was required to knock them all down with the few balls they were given. There was a wall of plushies behind the cans and up on the rafters that were likely meant to equally entice and cushion and errand balls.

Cynella stared at Aurilie with the blankest expression she could manage. The play was that Riss had shared some horrifying revelation. However, there was still the slight upturn of her lips as she wasn't that good of a liar. "You don't seem so worried, though I would be in your position. Regardless, I do find it odd that we haven't happened upon each other then. Glad to know you're, well, honored as well!"

She shook her head. "I don't think it's been particularly good attention thus far. At this rate, I'd be happy if I didn't botch the entirety of House Andrim's business ventures here on Alderaan. Ah, but that's speaking too negatively of myself, isn't it?" For all of their expectations, her parents had at least also been liberal with praise and encouragement.

"Oh I'm sure those stalls are going to be guilty pleasures, as you said, and way too dense. Can't keep up this figure by indulging in that plus tonight's dinner." She shook her head. "It's like they're trying to make us look bloated during a romantic festival."

Still, her mood perked up when they reached the games. She pursed her lips and asked, "Say, do any of your hunting skills translate to this? I can play a bit of ball, sure, but I've never been too adept at these types of challenges."

"Well, I'm confident enough not to be too worried at least," she chuckled, "It would be rather unbecoming of me if I spent my time so concerned about my vanity than enjoying my time with you. If there's anything awkward, I'm pretty sure that we'll just have to learn to keep that between both of us then, Lady Cynella. How Riss and I reunited had perhaps a bit of chance involved. I don't know if she counted me on being here exactly. I'm not exactly local here and it was likely that she had her share of business to take of on Alderaan instead of seeking me out directly. I don't really blame her."

She smiled softly at Cynella in reassurance. "A bit that but that's a bit unbecoming of your bright personality, Lady Cynella. There are still plenty of days left at the festival and I'm sure that you can correct the course, only if you need to. I suppose there's some hope that we've both managed to stay at the festival and preserver despite our opening impressions. I think the last few days have shown the Queen to be quite forgiving." Perhaps in more ways than one in the Thul company she keeps, she mused as an afterthought.

"Very well, we can make do by just feasting with our eyes," she said as she offered a glance at someone passing by with a tray of funnel cakes and blue whip cream. It likely looked far better than it tasted, at least she told herself.

"Hm, I don't know if hunting would prepare me directly for these games...there isn't a lot of throwing done, at least in my hunts. The bit of hand and eye coordination helps, sure, but I think this one might require a bit of heft with each throw." She said as she looked at the lineup of cans before leaning in with a half-whisper. "I think there's a bit of trickery involved with these booths. I don't know if accuracy is always everything here."

"You're always so prim and proper. Makes me question the veracity of Riss' claims. Not that I mean to call her a liar but she has a colored perception of matters, most of all when it comes to teasing her friends," she said with a wink. "She claimed that, one time, you scared a rival by fixing one of your trophies right when she'd open the door to her room. Quite the fright, apparently." She shook her head. "I'm glad we don't have to worry about either of that at our accommodations. I'm glad you got to see her, regardless of coincidences."

She shook her head. "Oh stop with your compliments! It's a lot to have to live up to your praise, you know? There's such thing as hyperbole, darling. Though now that I think of it, I hope you're not using that in regards to me!"

In regards to treats, she paid no heed; the damn trickery Riss had played two nights ago should not be repeated. "Well I don't think any amount of trickery is fair when this is supposed to be a time for celebration. What a shame. We shouldn't patron at a place that resorts to such methods."

"Am I, now?" She cooly asked in a quick rhetorical question with a small smile on her lips. "Well, it seemed just like Riss that she would tell her story like that...To be truthful on the matter, the trophy wasn't mine but my father's. I hadn't taken to hunting yet at that age and I had to creatively borrow one of the trophies while it was taken for cleaning by one of the servants. Of course, it wasn't exactly a proper loan either. My father was none the wiser except for one of the antlers that might have been turned ever so slightly when they were was a chair thrown at it. All for a proper cause, of course. She, the rival, did a bit of teasing and it was only right that she got some comeuppance. I think everyone a good time was had by all by the end of it.

"Well, I did, at least," she couldn't do much to hide the shameless grin as she chuckled. "I don't know if I've actually made my words for you too far-fetched but I do know that there might be an avenue found in seeing your reaction for them. If I didn't think that there was some possibility of it being true, I would have never said them."

Aurilie approached the game in question when it was their turn, setting down the basket on the counter for the time being. She gave a few gestures and the operator would return with a few stitched balls in various conditions for both women, assuming that they were both playing. After waiting for a moment until the game operator would move on to the next customer, she continued her thought. "Admittedly, a lot of our servants and workers do come from outside of Alderaan. While they are paid for their time and efforts justly, I imagine that there's some encouragement to return back home with more goods that they could use for later. Of course, they might just see some enjoyment in seeing nobles like us struggle."

She looked through the balls and offered one to Cynelle that looked in good condition, perhaps one of the newer ones. "This seems like a good one. Would you like to have the first try?"

Cynella nodded along to the story, pleased to hear another perspective on it. "I suppose you would have been quite young to start hunting. The way Riss phrased it, well, she made you out to be a total monster!" Her tone implied that the smuggler had implied more of a cuddly, kid's movie monster instead of a horrific one. "I do wonder though if she claimed any sort of revenge or if that was the final blow."

She tilted her head on the subject of, well, herself. "I don't want to imply that you're a liar or wholly incorrect. Still, I want you to understand this," she said, her smile becoming warmer. "Surely you've received compliments all your life. I certainly have and, at some point in my life, my brain started to... tune them out. It just gets a little much." She reached over, poking the basket before pulling back to her original position. "This suggests more thought to me... Not that you must shower me in gifts! I am, after all, blessed in that regard. It's... the thought that counts is what I'm trying to say."

When it came to the game, she dreaded giving into the whims of deceitful stall owners. Still, rather than spoiling the fun, Cynella took the ball from the Prince of Joral. "Yes, I suppose people always find their amusement somehow."

She took a deep breath and threw it at the pile of cans. Perhaps inspired by Aurilie's presence, she managed to get a passable score by knocking down a couple cans. "Oh! Look, I did it!"

---

D4 ME Fluff Roll of Ranged: Light (Throwing a Ball at the Festival): 1eP+3eA+5eD 1 success, 1 advantage

I wish I didn't use my Luck Points on a fluff roll.

Aurilie did wonder now if the inaccurate retelling of the adventure of youth was intentional on Riss's part. Perhaps in some way attempting to play wing support for their day. That was likely possible. "I did take an interest in it, despite my parent's best abilities to shy me away from the idea of it. It seemed that they would rather have their daughter become a senator than outdoorsperson. As for the tale, I'd say that the revenge was perhaps the chair shot taken by the poor stag. Now it sits in our estates and I believe my father has noticed that it is slightly out of place but can't exactly put his finger on it. Well, in my books it's even. Thankfully, I haven't heard from her in a while and I could only assume that she found an arrangement outside of Alderaan."

She inclined her head once, fully understanding where she was coming from. "Point taken, Lady Cynella. Very well then, I shall keep that in mind. It was only my wish to brighten your spirits. There's no need to overwhelm you when good spirits seem to find their way to you easily."

Watching her take the throw, she gave a few nods in appreciation when she got a few cans from her throw. "They are stubborn little cans that you've put some dent on them. Well done."

It was her turn to throw and she took one of the more worn balls out fo the bunch. It was likely best to get rid of these as part of her 'practice throw'. If they turned out to be successful, then surely they were veteran balls, to begin with. Either way, best to put these balls to the test.

Day 4, Mid Evening: Carnie Games!: 4eA+5eD 2 failures, 1 threat


Clack!

It was Aurilie's tactic to go for the base and hope that the rest of the cans would come tumbling down. However, the cans here don't exactly respond to the same sort of logic in the rest of the galaxy, at least that's what she thought. Her ball nudged the base cans back and but the whole arrangement was mostly still standing. "A feat of engineering went into this, surely."

"I don't see why you couldn't be both a senator and an outdoorsperson," Cynella said with a warm smile. "Though that's funny that you mention it. My parents have mentioned similar ideas to me, though it's tough to land a spot on the Galactic Senate. Unless you mean Alderaan's parliament?" Her face twisted to one more devious. "Ah! But if you were to encounter a political rival, perhaps you'd route them as surely as you did that other one, no?"

Cynella nodded. "Thank you. I will say that our exchange thus far has indeed brightened my day. Whether or not I am to wed the royal prince, well, I must be able to impress Her Majesty."

She peered at the stack of cans. "Oh, no. Well, you did mention that they're supposed to be difficult." Based on the other fairgoers' attempts, it was indeed. "It's much harder than it looks. Hopefully I do well this time."

The Kuati lady rolled back her shoulder a few times then hurled the ball. Another solid hit, though she had to shake out her wrist afterwards. The attendant seemed to be checking the stack out to make sure it was adequately rigged. "Ah! Perhaps you need to put more force into it. Perhaps you need to start coming with me to strength training, darling!"

---

D4 ME Fluff Roll of Ranged: Light Again!: 1eP+3eA+5eD 1 success, 1 threat


Why, Orokos, why?

"I could...I suppose I find it more interesting to spend my time in the wilderness and visiting older worlds than spending most of my days in a senate pod. My younger siblings have taken the mantle. Eventually, I must be both. When it comes a time to take the throne, Mount Joral will need a ruler more than an outdoorsperson." She mused curiously as she casually looked over the quality of her next ball in her gloved hands. "I guess it's only right that I found myself here among the company of others to ply my rusty political skills."

"I hope it goes well," she said in reassurance with a deep nod, having no knowledge of how it will go for the rest of the day. "If nothing else, I'm sure your family would be please to hear how you've impressed Queen Solara."

She gave a few blinks when Cynella managed to get two in a row when it comes to hits. At this point, she was going to get a sure prize when Aurilie was going to walk away empty-handed. "Is that an idea for our next date then? And well done, again! You seem to be a natural, my lady. Or, perhaps too clever for their usual trick. More force, then? Thank you kindly for the tip. I think these stubborn cans do need a good lesson..."

Tossing the ball up in her hand a few times as she poised herself at the ready, she gave a glance to Cynella and attempt to mimic her form for greater effect.

Plunk!

A solitary can nudged itself out of the pyramid of cans but ultimately both the base can and the formations remained standing. While she wasn't any closer to winning, she didn't know if she should be impressed or irked.

She gave a few small nods to acknowledge the superior opponent in the cans. "Ah, so it seems I'm the one who might be in need of training!" She chuckled in good humour.

Day 4, Mid Evening: Carnie Games! Again!: 4eA+5eD 1 failure, 1 threat

"We all have our duties, Prince," Cynella said with a faint smile. "However, I am curious why you couldn't abdicate to your siblings. I don't mean to suggest it but rather am curious if that is even an option. Regardless, I know both of my parents have maintained their hobbies. Surely they cannot partake in them as much as in their youth but they find the time regardless."

Cynella smirked. "I felt that they'd say the same the first day I got here. However, I've since learned that perhaps I shouldn't be too confident. Don't worry, though. I won't lose all of that charm."

She raised her brow. "That's not really date material. It'd be a lot of exercise, not a good time for talking, unless you mean in-between sets. Even then, lots of sweat... neither of us would be at our best!"

Her final toss was another successful one, knocking over the pile. Unfortunately, even though she had made no attempt to cheat, her body had gone over the line. "Hey, hey!" the game master said. "You can't do that!"

"What? Oh, come on. Ugh!" She shook her head. "Whatever. I know all I won."

---

D4 ME Fluff Roll of Ranged: Light (The Final Stroke!): 1eP+3eA+5eD 2 successes, 3 threat


Wow.

(Yikes! Aurilie is down, pending event!)

Aurilie didn't seem to consider the abdication option for very long in her mind. "When the time comes, I will miss the freedom of travelling the galaxy to pursue my next quarry and the opportunity to meet interesting individuals like Ser Keyhote. However, I am fully committed to the future of Mount Joral and that of Alderaan, which would likely mean that I have to take the throne."

She smiled at Cynella. "Of course, wilderness is just a short step away from my estates and much of the land on Alderaan still provides much of a challenge. As you hinted, even with my future rule, it still affords me some time to juggle both business and leisure. It's not so much of a concern but more of introspection that I might have to change gears in the future. Much like your lovely charm, it's not much of a loss in who I am, despite circumstance."

As she got her other idea for a date, Cynella managed to score her third shot. An impressive three in a row must have meant it was more skill than luck, in Aurilie's eyes at least. Unfortunately, the game master thought otherwise and argued with the technicality. "Come, now. Lady Cynella was following the rules fair and square, as evident by her results. I think you're the one who's really splitting hairs on what was going to be an eventuality, anyway. Preposterous!"

She eyed one of the captive ewok plushies at the booth and sighed. Her mood to continue evaporated and she left her ball on the counter, picking up her basket instead. "So much for outdoing a grifter...thankfully, there are some more honourable operations around here."