Private Blink, and You'll Miss It

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora enjoyed the outdoor market district of Theed. They reminded her of Ukatis’ own, in a way - even if the stone beneath her feet was more refined, more neatly laid than the paved streets of Axilla.

Weekends attracted heavy crowds, and today was no exception. After changing, feeding, and dressing Luciana, the mother-daughter duo headed for the stall-lined streets.

Perched at a covered kiosk selling blankets, Cora rubbed the patterned fabric between her fingers in slow, decisive rolls. She was trying to determine whether or not they were hand stitched or produced by a machine. Despite her upbringing as a noblewoman in patriarchal society, she found needlework tedious and easily forgot her childhood lessons in embroidery and weaving.

Plainclothes wouldn’t give her away as such. Here, she was simply a woman with a baby strapped to her chest.

Said baby, from the comfort of her sling, gurgled and cooed as she watched the crowds mill about. Luciana had little interest in fabrics and stitching and yarn - instead, she was enraptured simply by looking at the rich colors and interesting shapes as they passed by.

Lily Rhodes

 

[Lily Rhodes]

Lily was having a bad day.

The security force had marked her after the Exhibition of Light, when she'd been seen casing a manor. Technically, she wasn't doing anything wrong, she was just appreciating the architecture, but they didn't buy it and now every time she passed one of them, they tracked her, conducted searches at random which meant she was stuck, until they decided there was something better to do with their time.

She was glaring at on of them, not watching where she was going when someone knocked her as she passed, in a rush to be somewhere they held up a hand in apology and were gone. When Lily turned back to where she was walking there was an officer in front of her.

"Oh, come on!" Lily threw her arms up in frustration.

"Empty your pockets." He was deadly serious.

"No." For once she had nothing to hide, but that wasn't the point, this was the second time today she'd been subject to a 'random search'.

"You can empty your pockets here, or I can take you into the station where you'll be processed."

Lily could feel her temper rising, that dark pit in her stomach gnawing at her to do something. It would be easy too. He wasn't a force user, his mind was undefended, she could have made him dance a jig, or pull his gun and shoot himself. Lily closed her eyes, that last thought made her feel sick, but the anger still roiled beneath the surface itching to be free.

"This is harassment." The protest was quiet, but it was also a plea as her hands remained firmly in her pockets.

Corazona von Ascania

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora heard the tone before she'd heard the words. Bitter, grave, and accusatory. And somewhere behind her.

She tucked the blanket back in place, then turned. A few paces away, a member of Naboo's security force was questioning…a teenage girl?

Cora frowned. The young woman's posture was defensive - shoulder hunched, hands firmly rooted in her pockets. It didn't take much to piece the situation together. She was being accused of thievery.

Something about the situation didn't sit right with her, and she was compelled to move by the particular way the Force lingered in the air surrounding them; suffused with anger and indignation. It could lead to nothing, or it could lead to catastrophe.

"Excuse me," she appeared at the officer's side, perfectly prim and polite. "What seems to be the problem, officer?"

Lily Rhodes

 

[Lily Rhodes]

The officer stiffened as the woman approached his side a flash of something running across his face. Was that guilt? Lily didn't hesitate to capitalise on the moment. "He and his buddies think I'm a thief so they've taken it upon themselves to stalk me for the last few days and keep pulling me up for no reason at all."

That guilt that had flashed vanished beneath a wave of anger as the officers cheeks reddened. "That's not- you were caught trespassing three nights ago," his attention shifted to the woman "Casing the joint, is the term I believe they use." He looked back, then did a double take as if realising who he was talking to, eyes dropping to the bundle in the sling. "Princess," he bowed his head "my apologies. This really is not a matter to concern yourself with, she is not cooperating so-"

His hand reached for Lily.

Lily took a step back hands coming out of her pockets as fury blazed behind her eyes.

"Don't touch me."

Corazona von Ascania

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora’s gaze swept from the girl, to the officer, then back again as the conversation played itself out.

So she'd been caught trespassing, and now this man thought that she’d been up to more? It wasn’t unreasonable to monitor someone based on prior actions - but harassing them was another matter entirely.

Something in Cora stilled when Lily took a step back. The harsh voice , the furor in her eyes - it was familiar, in a way.

Tiny hairs prickled at the back of her neck. For a long moment, silence filled the space between them, undercut by the soft sounds of Lucy’s coos.

“Officer,” she began, bringing her own hand to rest on the man’s shoulder before he could complete his reach for Lily. “It sounds to me as though you don’t have any proof that this young lady did anything.”

The man went still, hand hovering mid-air.

“Otherwise, you would’ve opened with that.”

Cora smiled, but the corners of her lips were as sharp as the edge of a knife. “You’re doing fine work protecting Theed, but I believe," she patted the officer's shoulder once, "that you are wanted elsewhere."

The man blinked, as if a stupor had overcome him. With a mumbled apology to the women, he made his way back into the market crowds. Once he was gone, Cora turned to Lily. One finely manicured eyebrow arched.

"What was that all about?"

Lily Rhodes

 

[Lily Rhodes]

Lily was ready to fight, to run to whatever it took to get out of this. But the woman stepped forward and laid a hand on the officers shoulder, he went still at her quiet words, their soothing cadence obviously charged with something because he got that odd glze look people generally got when they were manipulated mentally. He walked away, leaving Lily and the woman and her kid alone in the middle of the market.

Around them people kept moving, like nothing had happened. Lily's hands clenched and unclenched at her side, the sudden flare in her temper that had no where to go leaving her restless.

"Thanks." Lily muttered still watching the officer wander away when her question pulled Lily's attention back, she remembered he's called her Princess. Was she supposed to bow? Or curtsey? Feth, suddenly all her etiquette lessons form her cousins eluded her. She opted to treat her like she would treat anyone else who had probably just saved her skin.

"You tell me, I'm not a local, I don't know how this place works. Just passing through enjoying the architecture and getting harassed."

Okay, so that wasn't entirely true, but somehow admitting she was a thief to a Princess seemed unwise.

Corazona von Ascania

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora's lips drew into a pursed, amused little smile at the girl's brusque reply.

"I'm not a local either. Just here to do some shopping." One hand moved to idly smooth out the fabric of her skirt while the other cradled the child strapped to her chest.

The Dowager Princess of Ukatis wasn't bedecked in finery. Rather, she wore a long linen dress - simple, but with clean, tailored lines, no different than the clothes a Ukatian commoner would wear. The nobility was in the material, which was of far higher quality.

"Cora," she offered. "And this," her hand patted the baby's back through her sling, "is Lucy."

Lucy watched the young woman intently with wide blue eyes, transfixed in the way babies often became. Then, she gurgled.

Cora smiled down at her daughter, then lifted her gaze back to the teenager.

"Are you hungry?"

Lily Rhodes

 

[Lily Rhodes]

“Oh…”

Realizing she wasn’t local made Lily’s frown crease in confusion. The guard had called her Princess, so if she wasn’t local then she was what? A delegate from another world? Just shopping? Lily shook her head. Whatever, it didn’t matter, she’d helped her, and that was enough for Lily to give her the time of day.

“Lily.” She offered her name in return, offering the babe a small but uncertain smile which faltered when she found herself under Lucy’s scrutiny for a moment before she uttered a happy noise.

“Um…” Lily blinked, lifting her gaze back to Cora as the question took a moment to land. “Yeah, I am actually.” she was instantly brighter at the prospect of food.

Corazona von Ascania