Alderaan - Love and Intrigue

At the conclusion of her day, Aurilie dropped by Bar Shaddaa for a drink to close out the night. She strolled to the bar and found herself a seat, asking for their extensive lists of top-shelf liquor. Out of their selection, their vintage wine list might have appealed to her on most occasions but she was in the mood for something different and perhaps something worthy of a dessert drink. Brandy was the most appropriate, something sweet with notable fruity notes.

"The brandy, please," she would tell the server after making her decision.

Zeno had put the girls to bed not too long ago, and was now looking to unwind a bit. He loved spending the day with them, but it was exhausting keeping up with that pair. He hadn't really taken notice to Aurilie as he sat near to her.

When he got the tender's attention, he spoke up. "Whatever ale you have on tap. Something dark preferably," he says. "Your suggestion if there are multiple options."

Then he leaned back in the seat and let out a long, quiet sigh.

Aurilie raised her brows when she took notice of the somewhat-red individual who took the seat beside her. Yes, it was that peculiar Sith-like individual she had been seeing at some of the events. She straightened in her seat and greeted him with a hand ready to shake his if he was so inclined. "Good evening...it seemed like you had a rather long day there. I'm Aurilie Alde, Prince of Mount Joral."

The Duke Consort shook her hand and nodded. "Yes. My daughters. I love them, but they seem to have an unending supply of energy. Keeping up can be tiring." His smile suggested that he enjoyed it even if it took a lot of energy.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Prince Aurilie. I am Duke-Consort Zeno Thul. Zeno is fine though."

Aurilie would, of course, return a firm shake when he took her offered hand. "And pleased to meet you Zeno," she would say with perhaps a minute pause in her sentence as she reminded herself to drop the formality of the title. "I've seen you at a share of the events but of course, we all seem to be preoccupied to make the acquaintance of everyone around us."

After setting down her glass on the counter, she crossed her arms. "Children can be a handful, I've heard, at least. How old are they? I imagine that there was a lot of coaxing and promises made before they went to bed?"

The tender sets Zeno's ale in front of him. "They are 6. And you don't need too much coaxing if you wear them out with running around right before bed. But that comes with its own cost," he says, chuckling before taking up his drink and having a sip.

"Hah, six years old. Twins too, then?" Aurilie would nod soundly, perhaps with some memories of when she was that old to pull from. "I could see why you had your handful, especially with two of them. I suppose I could remember being that age you thought you could run the world on your own but still needing your parents to get your ice cream ever so often."

She reached for her drink to take a sip from it, pausing to brush some hair from her forehead before looking over to Zeno. "How have you been finding the festivities so far?"

"They've been dampened somewhat by the recent false allegations," he replies with a shrug. "Though it is being cleared up. Hopefully fixed permanently. And yourself? You probably come to this each year, while until now I've only had sparse appearances. Does it get old or does it feel this fun every year?"

Riss had needed to get herself dressed for her later meetup with Cynella and Joran. However, the suggestion that they should go get drinks after unloading all of that was most assuredly a welcome one. Arriving in something a touch more simple than some of her other choices it was nice and fitting to her form. Zeno was likely the first who would notice her arrival once more as she comes up to Aurilie's other side, leans in, and gives her a quick peck on the side of the head in greeting.

"Thanks again, Aurie," she says, the tones warm- thankful and completed distracted from the rest of her surroundings as she places a small handbag down on the counter.

"Got a date?" he asks Riss. He had been meaning to speak with her, but the girls had kept him busy other than the afternoon meeting.

"After this.." she says, the slight pause coming into her words as she glances across past Aurilie to Zeno. Taking to her seat she settles an elbow down onto the counter, and with a bent arm her head into the palm of her hand. Enough that she could look around Aurilie to Zeno. A subtle raise of her brow, "You don't really seem the bar type.. but guess you are," she suggests with a brief chuckle.

"Both of you get acquainted already or did I make it in time to do that?" she asks, looking to Aurilie with a brief smile.

"Surely just a cautionary security measure...It was perhaps harsh but I suppose in the end it must have worked out. I imagine the Queen had a lot of things on her mind and these were formalities she wanted to utilize to ensure everyone's safety." She nodded formally on the matter before taking a measured sip from her glass.

"As for myself, I don't come here each year, actually. The area of Mount Joral is rather remote, even more so than the rest of the Juran Mountains. My attendance is appreciated but I suppose not always expected. I have been busy in the last few years with maintaining my land, we've finally seen the end of the colder months and this is usually when predators get ambitious. I have also been doing my share of travelling. So, I've found the festival in many ways...new but nostalgic in many ways. Actually, there are a few things I've only done for the first time."

Despite Riss's warm tone, there might have been an elongated pause from Aurilie after the kiss as she seemed to be processing a few things in her mind.

"...Uhm, no, nothing private I assure you." She said with a mustered small smile eventually. "This is Riss, and this is Duke-Consort Zeno Thul. Have you two met already?"

"We did, sort of," he says with a smile. "I hadn't really known exactly who I was meeting, but I am more aware now. It's a pleasure to see you again Miss Lanar. That must have been a relatively uncomfortable meeting to ask for."

Riss reaches a hand over, giving Aurilie's shoulder a little squeeze, "Family's important like that.. think that was the main thing we agreed on, mm?" she adds with a slight smile.

"It is. When I asked you if you might look into the situation around our house in return for getting my cousin to stop taking advantage, I hadn't realized that there was a potential connection on both sides allowing us to help each other," he said with a warm smile.

"Tera has new and exciting opportunities now, and agreed she didn't really need to involve Bo. I even asked her to let him down easy," he said with a nod, suggesting that it was final. And that if Tera did continue toying with Bo he would get even more involved for Riss and her brother's sake.

"But now I'm curious about how you might be able to help me with my Bryson problem."

Riss' brow furrows, the slight passive smile seems to dim, and a familiar tension for Aurilie rises in her voice, "What kind of Bryson problem are you referring to?"

"The fact that he may be connected to the false allegations that led to the investigation of my House," he explained. "And it would be appreciated if you were to help me protect mine, as I helped protect yours. We'll find a way to get what we're looking for regardless, but this could go a long way to changing my wife's opinion of Lanar. Possibly open the possibility of not interfering with or even helping your family reclaim their place as Thul did."

Riss wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 03, 2021 11:16 am

Riss' brow furrows, the slight passive smile seems to dim, and a familiar tension for Aurilie rises in her voice, "What kind of Bryson problem are you referring to?"

Aurilie caught the look from Riss and placed her hand atop of hers in reassurance. She had to admit that she didn't expect her to consult with someone in House Thul regarding this business, hopefully, she wasn't going from one place to another. However, she did understand negotiations did make some rather odd bedfellows and help was found in less likely places.

"An extremely kind offer," she would say, the irony wasn't lost on her.

Then again, this was entirely up to Riss.

"Not from where I'm sitting.." she chimes in after Aurilie. Narrowing her eyes on Zeno, even breaths, "Help me, and I possibly won't get I you way is a threat. Even if you mask it with the offer of help not even a few words later. I'm.. not keen on answering to threats, Zeno Thul. Especially when it's coming from a Thul.. little bit of a history there," she says, tone remaining even but there's only a thing veil over the anger seeping into her words.

"Funny thing is.. I don't care a lick about what your wife's opinion of me is. Mine of her is pretty kriffed."

"You can choose to extrapolate a threat from that if you like. The fact of the matter is that Thul and Lanar had a good history together before the exile, then when Thul returned Lanar fired the first shot at Thul. At the end of the day, it's all in the past to me, because I never knew Lanar as allies. If you wish to help fight against a group looking to spark civil war on Alderaan, then you are an ally. If you want to protect the man tied to this you are not. And if further problems come of his activities and you failed to help, then you have to live with the potential lives lost on your conscience. And I have no reason to further intercede if your family has issues in the future. If you won't help the people of Alderaan why should they help you?"