Private Alice, Tweedle Dee, and Tweedle Dum

[Lace Verd]

Excitement ran through Lace's veins as she smoothed out her skirt while standing by the door to her brother's home. While she had enjoyed the company of her family, and meeting them all over again, she had begun to miss those who made that possible. She couldn't remember the last time she had been able to meet Oleander Webb or Felix Aquila since her return to the galaxy, and she missed them dearly. Thankfully, it was not hard to get back in touch with them. She had invited them to visit her, and let them both know the other would be there.

Now, she practically vibrated with excitement and eagerness as she waited to hear them knock on the door. When she did, she immediately pulled the door open with a grin.

"Felix! Oleander! I'm so glad you both could make it. Come in, come in. Isley's off doing his Vicelord stuff, so he's not here today."

Gesturing for them to come in, Lace would give both of them a brief hug if they let her. Once hugs were given, she'd then lead them further into the house to the living room to sit and chat.

"How have you both been since I last saw you both?"

 

[Felix Aquila]

​

Felix was overjoyed to have heard from Lace again, he had worked with her on and off over the course of her getting used to the world she had woken up to as one of the few familiar faces that she knew. He'd tried to keep close, however as a Knight Obsidian, as a businessman and as someone whos ideals didn't stop at any horizon he gazed at, he had been pulled away more than he would have liked in recent weeks. Without moments to spare he had made it way to the Manor of Isle~ . . . of Vicelord Metus.

He wasn't the only one at the door, smiling with a wave he'd silently greet Oleander Webb , feeling as though their face was familiar though not entirely sure on where he'd seen it before. No sooner than they approached the doors of the manor however, reaching out to knock in order to alert the interior to their presence... they'd be thrust open with vigor, an excited Lace Vi'Dreya on the other side of the doors. Felix had spent some time researching the history of the enigmatic sister to Metus, realizing that the Vicelords' family seemed more expansive than he had initially anticipated.

He was a touch relieved to hear of the Vicelords' absence, the presence of overwhelming authority figures always put him a little on edge.

"I'm glad to see you too, oh, so you're Oleander, it's a pleasure. "

He'd laugh candidly, moving in with the invitation and standing in the open lobby, turning on a heel to walk backwards as Oleander would enter. Smiling warmly at the elation of their host, willing the force to his command as he would allow his vision to become complete, peering around corners as all the information of the room would filter into his eyes, taking in his surroundings without taking his eyes of Lace and Oleander.

"I've been... busy. Between work, and realizing some of the more, depressing things in the Galaxy, I have to say I've had a pretty bad couple weeks."

And that was true, he'd been in two wars, and done more than his fare share of damage in each of them. He was weary, but largely unharmed, which he considered a godsend for the most part.

It was nice to have a break. ​

​

 

[Oleander Webb]

TAG: Lace Verd | Felix Aquila

Oleander hadn't thought to check up on the girl he'd rescued from drowning. Rescuing was quite literally the opposite of his specializations, and he'd been unpleasantly surprised when the one occasion he'd dipped into good samaritan work lead to more paperwork than hunting. It would've been more, too, if he hadn't met the two nights who were supposed to be watching her when she ran off with a deadpan expression and a "She ran off while on your watch. That's your responsibility."

So being contacted later was a mild surprise, even moreso when the address that came with the mystery girl's invitation was that of the Vicelord. So she did know him after all. Huh. Well, this was one way to officially meet the Vicelord, he supposed. The Anzat had seen the Confederacy's leader a handful of times, mostly while he served as the Lord Commander's shadow and managed security detail for gatherings. Not once were names or words exchanged.

Arriving at the manor in short time, he was soon joined by another. One who he'd likewise seen once or twice perhaps but never spoken to. The wave of greeting was met with a nod. Before the other, he assumed Felix, since Lace had mentioned one by that name would also be by, could knock, the door burst open. He was unsurprised to find the Vicelord would not be present this day.

"Likewise. And you would be Felix, then."

He was slightly taken aback when Lace went for a hug, though he didn't stop her. Not used to contact, at least not in a friendly context, it was not unwelcome, just different. And even the first time they'd met, Lace had established herself as one for contact. He was quiet as Felix answered Lace's question, letting the other finish before chiming in himself. "Busy, as well, though no different than the usual."

 

[Lace Verd]

A frown tugged Lace's lips downward as she listened to her two rescuers. The fact that they were both seemed tired from being so busy, but also the fact that Felix Aquila had seen some awful things first hand distressed her. While she couldn't remember what she had been through the past few years she had been missing, she knew that she experienced traumatic things that contributed to her memory loss. Had Felix seen similar?

"Felix... Are you okay?"

Lace looked at her friend with concern as she led them into the living room, and sat down on the couch. Gesturing for Felix and Oleander Webb to join her, she leaned back in her seat before sighing quietly.

"At the very least, I'm glad both of you are alive, and seem to be doing well? I'd hate to see my two favorite non-family people in the galaxy hurt, or ill, or worse."

 

[Felix Aquila]

​

Tag: Lace Verd / Oleander Webb

"Yeah, I'll be a lot better once ive had something to drink and some fabulous company. The good side is, I've already got one of those things..." He would smile, his hand reaching into his jacket coat, gripping something before drawing free what seemed to be a crimson red wine in an aged vessel. Something from his stores since his invitation, he happened to be able to swing by on his route here. He was never one to arrive as a guest, especially at an estate quite as important as this one without a gift.

"And as for the other one, I brought wine." He would chuckle, offering the bottle to Lace to do with it as she willed. Felix was somewhat sure that was some of the collection his grandfather had built up under the auspices of the Hutt Cartels and the parties they would frequent in the old days. The young man remembered some of his extended family, but many of them fled Ryloth faster than the lightning made thunder crack. The force knew where they would have ended up in the vast multiverse.

His attention would then move to the other guest as they addressed him. Felix would smile, and hold out a hand, likely meeting theirs in a shake. Lace had mentioned the person she had fled from in the Obsidian headquarters, it seemed that this person was the one he had to thank for their runin. Having found her dusty and hiding in an alley on Naboo.

"Yes! Hi, I've heard your name in the Obsidian halls, but its great to finally put a face to the gossip. I just hope that any you've heard about me aren't too damaging." Felix would smile with the warmth of youth, happy to be among friends as this house seemed to simply expand in every direction.

"So, Lacy, what brings us here? A social visit or is there some other kind of sinister machination in store? Any news on your memories by the way? How has the study been going?"
​

 

[Oleander Webb]

TAG: Lace Verd | Felix Aquila

For a brief moment, his eyes widened in a short panic. Was he supposed to bring a drink as well? In his defense, his definition of food or drink was severely different from the others, at least to his knowledge. And with that, many unspoken rules or social graces had been lost upon him. Not the most ideal situation for working undercover but hopefully fine enough for a social call.

A hand reached out, meeting Felix's in the middle for a quick shake, Oleander's own hand a few degrees cold to the touch by comparison to most humanoids. "Just as I hope what you're heard of me isn't too severe, I imagine." He was curious as to what exactly the other had heard. His interactions outside of those he worked directly with were severely limited, mostly by his own lack of social prowess, though the reclusive tendencies were also good for maximum mobility.

He sank into the couch, lounging being a secondary habitat to hunting. His head perked up as Felix started asking questions, curiosity also pulling at his attention. "Yes, any luck with the memories? Or swimming lessons, perhaps?" A brief glimpse of a smile pulled at his face with the latter question.

 

[Lace Verd]

Tilting her head curiously, Lace watched Felix Aquila as he reached into his coat, and blinked in surprise as he pulled out the bottle of wine. Taking it from him gingerly, she inspected it curiously as Felix and Oleander Webb introduced themselves to each other. Truthfully, she didn't know much about wine, or alcohol in general, but in the short time she stayed with Felix she learned one very important thing: if it's expensive, Felix owns it.

Did she even like wine? Something told her she'd gone drinking once or twice before her disappearance, but had it ever been wine? And who did she go with? Lace's brow furrowed slightly as she tried to remember, before letting out a small sigh as she set the wine on the table. Her attention was then pulled as her friends spoke. Felix would receive a small, and Lace would open her mouth to speak, before she leaned back in faux shock at the teasing Oleander gave her.

"Hey! In my defense, I had just gotten thrown out of a ship. I was in shock!"

Despite the rather dark event, Lace laughed quietly at it.

"As for why I invited you two... Well... Truthfully, I still can't interact with more than a few people at once. I've gotten better, as Isley has slowly been bringing what family I have left around that he can... But seeing the same few faces everyday gets lonely, and I wanted to see how my two saviors were doing.

"As far as my memories go... I've only been able to remember family so far, and some events with them. The first niece of mine I remembered was actually visiting my... Memorial stone, when we met."

Lace had to stop herself from calling it her grave where she had reunited with Allya. Nothing was buried, so could it still be a grave? A grave for her past self, maybe?

"I've been keeping track of what I remember and when though, just... Just in case. I went out shopping one day, when there weren't a lot of people out of course, and found a small shop, that sells a lot of antique looking things, and I found this."

Leaning forward, Lace grabbed the red, leather-bound, paper journal off the table, and brushed the cover of it gently. She ran her fingers over the eagle engraving on the cover, wondering why she had felt so drawn to the journal when she saw it in the shop, before untying the gold leather cord keeping it closed. Opening up the journal, Lace showed the two men the inside, revealing small doodles, decorations on the pages like lace or stickers, and general diary entries entailing what Lace did or remembered that particular day.

"It's given me something fun to do, decorating the pages and such. I try to do a page or two every day, but I've either forgotten or didn't have the energy sometimes."

 

[Felix Aquila]

​

Tag: Lace Verd / Oleander Webb

"Nothing too crazy, I promise. Why? Should I be worried?" Felix would jeer playfully, his eyes taking on the pink and greens of a volcanic terrace lit with joy and happiness as he would hand over the wine, still looking around the veritable Manor of Isley Verd, the man had nice taste, though he could hardly call it refined. Practical, but as though someone else had designed it, some hired expert or predecessor, he couldn't really confirm that it was decidedly 'Isley' by the Decor alone... or perhaps it was and he had misjudged the guy.

"Anytime you'd like to call on me, you know how to reach me, I'll be here in moments." Felix would say with a smile and a slight bow. But then she would begin to speak passionately about a journal Felix would almost light up, feeding from her excitement as he would move closer in order to inspect the book. The lovely, simplistic red leather with the golden Aquila crest on the front. Felix couldn't help but smile proudly, he dared not believe that the insignia was a reference to him, but he did hope that it was so. He'd warp the light around the area to get a better view of the doodles as well as the things that had been stuck in the budding personal journal.

But the ever-present fact was, Felix loved books. The rustic look of them added something into the room they were in, they were warm and inviting but there was something special about the amount of effort it took to compile something like a bound book as opposed to a datapad or storage device. It was more intimate, delicate and once it was gone it was gone forever. To his mind, that made books more like a work of art than simply an account of knowledge.

"It's amazing! And a brilliant idea too. My sister used to keep a dream journal when she was younger too, hers was far pinker than yours though. Covered in feathers she wax sealed to the cover."

The memory was a fond one, but it bought a sorrow to his eye, he did miss them, regardless of their deeds.
​

 

[Oleander Webb]

TAG: Lace Verd | Felix Aquila

"Ah so you can swim then?" the warmth in his voice was meant to be good nature continued.

The corners of his mouth twitched upward for a moment, amused with the idea of being considered anyone's savior. Just last night, he was tending to KO matters, extracting the truth from one who had managed to circumvent more traditional methods of interrogation. Their memories were delectable and their soup even more so. So yes, he was doing quite well, he'd say. "Another day, another credit," he said with a shrug, figuring the specifics of his job left best to himself. "The wolf keeps me busy."

His smile faded as the journal was produced, shifting to the pleasant neutral just a few shades friendlier than his normal. He glanced down at the artwork and words, if only to be polite. What journals he'd seen in the past were often private affairs, ones he looked through for information the owner would've killed to keep secret. At the mention of memories, his brow furrowed a fraction. "Take care that you don't lose yourself chasing memories," he warned, just above a whisper in comparison to the duo. The Shadow of Death knew too well of the woes of memories and time lost. It wasn't a path he recommended.

 

[Lace Verd]

"I've considered trying out wax sealing. It seems so relaxing, and has a really rustic feel to it that I kind of like."

Lace smiled as she turned the pages, looking over her own memories quietly. She paused on the pages describing her meeting with Allya, decorated with a drawing of her memorial stone, picnic themed stickers, and pressed flowers. What could have been a sad day, instead brought a small smile to her face as her fingers traced over Allya's name.

"Though, now that you've given me permission to call you whenever I want Felix, I might abuse it!"

A small laugh fell from her lips as she looked up at Felix Aquila with joy. Really, he had given her too much power for one woman to hold! She turned her gaze to Oleander Webb to gauge his reaction to her journal, and just barely caught the words he whispered. Lace hummed quietly, as she mulled his warning over in her mind.

"I... Agree with you, Oleander. Though, I think I already lost who I was while I was missing, you know? I... I can tell I'm not the same person, and I don't think I'll ever be that person again, but... I want to know who I was, so I can decide who I am."