(pregame, MA) Takin' Care of Business

[Arsele Girard]

A light chuckle, "And far be it from me to be disrespectful. At least on my first day. Still..."

The blonde leaned back in her chair a bit, one arm draped over the back, "If this is so far outside your wheelhouse, why are you here anyways? I can understand a small stop for something different for whatever reason, but what brings a Sith-blood here against their instincts? Surely, at some point, whatever trade of you to the planet here became just some past event and you could have left if you had wished, no?"

[Zeno Thul]

"Loyalty brought me here. Loyalty to my family led to the alliance of Imperial and Alderaanian Noble houses shortly after the peace had been reached on Nar Shaddaa. Not long after, the birth of my daughters. So both families are my families and my daughters heirs to them as well," he explains. "I imagine that it's family that led to you being here as well?"

[Arsele Girard]

"I suppose you could say that. At the same time, family is also why I would almost rather be anywhere else. Coming back to Alderaan was a desperate measure and a reset button of sorts. I suppose I am just lucky my family needs me as much as I need them."

[Zeno Thul]

"Well, I'm glad that you can rely on them. It's always nice to know that you have people willing to support you," he says with a nod. "But it's not great that you don't feel comfortable with them. I suppose that is probably the most sharp difference between us, as I wouldn't want to live without my family. I even dragged some of my Deathwright cousins with me when I married into Thul." He chuckled at that.

"They still complain about that when they get a chance, but the fact that they haven't just flown off and returned home is all the evidence I need to know they have my back."

[Arsele Girard]

"I suppose you're right... "

Arsele didn't really think she could rely on her family though, personally. At least not beyond the reliability everyone had to act in their own self interest.

"Perhaps one day I'll settle down and have a family of my own, have people I want to stay with and care for. I can't say I've had the best time with that sort of thing in the past, and I'm certainly not looking for anything like that currently either way. I may not be getting any younger, but I have other goals and desires for the immediate future."

[Zeno Thul]

"I was always taught that family is more than blood," he offers. "It's more than love. It's trust, loyalty and support. You either have to take your time searching or be the first to take the leap of faith while hoping for the best. It's not easy but it's worth it."

[Arsele Girard]

"So family is something earned then, not something you're born with?"

A small smirk.

"That's the opposite of what most people would have me believe, certainly. Definitions and such. But if it IS something that's more than blood, different than blood, perhaps I could see some worth in it. It's good to have people to have your back; It's just very difficult to get to that point with people. Which I suppose makes that sort of thing all the more special."

[Zeno Thul]

"From what I've seen, that's the case for a lot of people. Others are lucky to be born with it but I don't think it's as much a given as people believe," he says. "My daughters will have the benefit of a father that would do anything for them without exception or expectation. But I also want them to find others outside of their mother and I that they can call family someday."

"Given that the relationship between our houses likely feels very transactional, I imagine it would be hard for you to get that here. But I do hope that you can find a family of your own."

[Arsele Girard]

"I suppose that's possible. But that kind of trust takes time. Those who think they've found that sort of thing over a short period of time are likely letting their emotions lead them on. Everyone can be capable of betrayal, even those you think above such things. Trust and that sort of relationship needs to be tested, proven over time, etcetera. Mind you, I have no intention of putting House Thul to tests or anything like that. As you said, this is a transaction to me, a temporary contract. If it were to ever not feel like that... well, I won't count on it. But maybe then, there might be some testing."

[Zeno Thul]

"It does get tested. And sometimes that trust is betrayed. Believe it or not, the new empress of the Sith is actually the living embodiment of her mother's betrayal of me. I've since moved on as I have two beautiful daughters of my own, but at the time it almost broke me. I nearly destroyed my own mind under the weight of the pain and rage, devolved in to nothing more than a beast," he admits.

"Fortunately I had others that were close enough and cared enough to bring me back from the brink when I couldn't do so myself. So, yes, be careful but not fearful of giving trust."

[Arsele Girard]

"Others to help you... hm. That is something as well, I suppose. Still, perhaps I am just a cynic by nature, where I don't want to get close enough for people to betray me."

Arsele finishes the wine in her cup and sets it down, the small amount of food on her plate also gone, "Thank you for the company and the refreshments, as well as your courtesy. For now, I've delivered what I came here to deliver, and I shall leave you to your own time; Family or exploring as that may be, or whatever else you wish to do."

[Zeno Thul]

"Of course," he replies, rising and nodding to her. "I'll have someone show you to the residence we've prepared for you, but feel free to explore once you settle in there. I believe your belongings were already put there for you."

He calls for a housekeeper to guide her.

[Arsele Girard]

"Oh, a room for me? I hadn't realized. It seems I have another thing to be thankful for; Certainly better than staying in my ship, no matter what I said earlier about not minding the cramped cockpit."

She smiled a little and gave a wave to Zeno as she left with the servant, quite interested to see how this festival would go.

/exit

[Zeno Thul]

/scene