@[member="Tegaea Alcori"]
As it happened Tegaea and Siobhan were not the only ones watching the nighty news. As Tarissa gracefully walked into the living room of her mother's beautiful villa, from which the gleaming white stone city of Santaissa could be overlooked in all its beauty, she found that her mother Celestyne had just watched the same report. The older but beautiful Eldorai lady was dressed in an elegant blue gown and reclined on a comfortable looking couch upon embroidered cushions. A servant girl - of course an Eldorai, for the Lady Cadalthor, soon to be the matriarch of the clan, would not employ foreigners in her household - stood behind her and was delicately massaging her ears.
Eldorai ears were very sensitive after all and living on top had to have its perks. Lady Cadalthor sighed in contenment as the servant touched a particularly sensitive spot. Thus was how it should be. Chosen aristocrats like her in command the rest of the populace knowing their place, as the Goddess Ashira had willed it. Alas so many things were out of order, doubtless the Goddess was averting her eyes in disgust. As she watched the news report her contended expression twisted into a scowl. "I see you have returned, daughter. I trust your business in the Foreign Quarter went well," she spoke these words with such venom dripping from her voice they sounded like an insult. "As you can see, your sister is busy prostituting herself to the monkeighs and pandering to their whims. I knew that too much time offworld results in your reasoning being corrupted."
"A pleasure to see you as well, mother," Tarissa said sarcastically. "My...business as you call it with the Guild went well. They will deliver the, how shall I put it, package you so desire. As for Maerys, I would've thought you would be happy at seeing how she is elegantly playing the monkeighs like an instrument. See how they swallow up trash as 'news'."
Celestyne shot her a cold look that was as frigid as Hoth. "Know your place, girl. You are not the family heir, it is my unending devotion to my family and the fact that you are still blood that keeps you here. I would be proud if she did her duty, to her people, to her family, instead of consorting with foreigners, not doing anything that serves pulling our world out of the pit it has fallen into."
You are in a dramatic mood today, Tarissa thought to herself as she sat down. "You there, get me some refreshments and my feet could use some attention," she impatiently ordered a servant girl, kicking off her heels, the girl quickly scampering off to the kitchen. Tarissa might be different in a number of ways from the traditional aristo, but she was still very demanding. The news report continued on, apparently the Jedi had tried to arrest the Sith and he was resisting, something Maerys was reporting with what amounted to glee.
"Dear viewers, we see the true colours of the Sith, of a murderous traitor, exposed. That is the beast our brave troops fought against across the Galaxy, the beasts that destroyed Osarian for their own sadistic pleasure. We need only look across our own fence, and we can see them at Atrisia and Phu. I can..."
"See Phu from my own house. Nice phrasing. I always thought these Yedai lacked...vigour. They are not the templars our Angelii would be...if they actually put some effort into it. It appears that they are terribly indecisive, vacillating between pacifism and being actual paladins," Tarissa said. Drinks were brought in and a servant kneeled at her feet, beginning to stroke and massage them.
Her mother preened herself. "You would know all about resisting the allure of the Dashdae Sciia. Was it not so that you ended being the tool of a malevolent cult on Corellia, falling for the lies of some xenos woman just because she offered you some trinkets on Corellia? Well, at least eventually you realised your mistake and tried to make amends," Celestyne spoke haughtily, then shot her servant a look. "I did not tell you to stop, girl.
There was a flicker of something on Tarissa's face but she kept her cool, though the opposite sounded very tempting. "Touché, mother. But then you made some...less than wise decisions during the regime crisis when..." she did not get any further because Celestyne suddenly arose and smacked her across the face. Am I supposed to cry and beg for motherly attention now? Tarissa wondered, though she felt the bile rising up in her. Soon the tables will be turned.
"I tire of your insolence, if you were not blood I would kick you out of this house myself. If only you were more like Sylvane. She was everything a mother would want, everything an Eldorai could be," Celestyne snapped at her. For the first time there was something like a flicker of emotion on Tarissa's face, she looked close to pained, but then it was gone and her features hardened.
"Sylvane is dead, mother," she said quietly.
"Murdered. We shall talk about this business later. I hear you have been named one of our Queen's bridesmaid at her wedding. Do us a favour and do us proud. It is very important to be on good terms with Her Majesty."
After she and Kerrigan blackmailed grandmother into letting the monkeigh who beat her up go free, Tarissa thought dryly. "Of course, mother. I will seek to be on good terms and get as close to her as I can. Do you have any suggestions for how to get in deep?" Tarissa asked, her words and expression totally innocent, but Celestyne had already snatched the file on business matters out of her hands via telekinesis and, waving the servant girl away, was stalking out of the room.
Tarissa shot the girl an indulgent look. "Oh, don't be sour. I am very open for your attentions." Then she reached into her bag and took a cigarette out of her packet, lighting it and taking a deep drag. Her mother disapproved of smoking because it was a filthy human custom, which was even more reasons to do it! As she felt delicate fingers attentively fondle her ears she leaned back against the cushion. This day had not gone that badly!
FIN
