Private Diplomacy and Other Matters

[Alexi di Garthos]

Alexi regarded him quietly as he spoke, her attention steady in a way that suggested she was not only hearing the words; but weighing the intent behind them. When he finished, she did not answer immediately. Not out of hesitation; but because what he offered was, in its own way, unusually clear. “No obligation,” Alexi repeated softly. Not testing it this time. Just acknowledging it. A faint pause followed, her gaze lingering on him a moment longer before drifting briefly ahead along the path. “That’s not something people say lightly,” she continued, her tone calm, though more thoughtful than before. “Even when they believe it.” Her eyes returned to his, steady, but no longer distant. “And fewer still mean it,” she added. There was no edge to it. No challenge. Just quiet recognition of what he was placing between them.

A small breath passed, almost imperceptible. “Expectation tends to exist… whether it’s spoken or not,” Alexi said. “Not always as demand. Sometimes just as….hope.” A slight tilt of her head. “Which can be more difficult to account for.” Another brief silence settled, gentler now. “But I don’t think you’re asking for something to be returned,” she said after a moment. “I think you’re asking to see what happens if it isn’t required.” There it was. Not agreement yet, but an understanding.

That near-smile surfaced again, faint but present. “That’s a rarer approach than you may realize.” She let that settle before continuing, just slightly softer now: “If I agree to it,” Alexi said, echoing her earlier words but with less distance this time, “it won’t be because I expect to enjoy it. It will be because I’m….curious whether I might.” Her gaze held his; steady, but no longer purely measured. “And because,” she added, just lightly enough to shift the tone without losing its clarity, “you’ve given me reason to believe it wouldn’t be….a waste of time.” A small pause followed. Then, quieter still, she added: “That’s not something I say often.” The near-smile lingered a fraction longer this time. “Which means,” Alexi finished, “you’ve already done more than most people manage."

Tag: Jack Sheltrak

 

[Jack Sheltrak]

Alexi di Garthos

He listened to her and remained there as she spoke and his first thought was interesting and adorable and she liked to analyze everything so he would have to see though. "Well then I have a lot to do and most the expectations would be for repeat engagements. Preferably alternating based upon interests either shared or finding something new. You are direct, you are talented and you like to observe and think. All strong qualities. I can't say anything we do will instantly be liked, I can only say it is about the attempt. About learning more about another person and seeing what can be formed from it. The expectation, the goal is to just build a bridge between our mutual interests."

 

[Alexi di Garthos]

Alexi listened, her attention steady; but quieter now, less inclined to dissect every word. When he finished, she allowed a small pause. “A bridge,” she repeated softly, the word settling more easily this time. Her gaze met his again, and there was something different in it; less distance, more consideration. “That’s something I can understand,” Alexi said. “Not outcome. Not expectation. Just seeing what can be built.” A faint shift in her expression followed that was subtle, but more open than before. “You’re right,” she continued. “It won’t all land. And it doesn’t need to.” A slight tilt of her head. “But the attempt matters. The process.” Her eyes held his, steady and a touch more engaged. “And I am….interested in that.”

There it was. Clearer than before. Less guarded. A small breath passed. “I can offer attention,” Alexi added, quieter now. “And honesty. That doesn’t tend to change.” The faintest trace of that near-smile returned. “But I think,” she said, just lightly, “I’d like to see where this bridge leads. So yes,” Alexi finished, “we can begin.”

Tag: Jack Sheltrak

 

[Jack Sheltrak]

Alexi di Garthos

He offered a smile to that and well it wasn't as excitable as he might have hoped for but it was a start. He would just have to go with it here and give her the time of her life or at least giver her something that wasn't bad and might merit another one. "THank you, we'll set a time for it then. Perhaps a week." He said it with a nod of his head though as he bowed. "If you are so inclined so that you can prepare and have whatever is needed handled or shifted around. It will also give me some more time to better present myself as it were." He said it with a smile though while offering his arm as an escort and they would be able to do a lot he hoped.

 

[Alexi di Garthos]

Alexi regarded him for a moment as he spoke, the faintest trace of that near-smile still present. It was subtle, but no longer fleeting. “A week,” she repeated softly, not as a question; but as a consideration. A brief pause followed, then a small inclination of her head. “That is reasonable.” Her gaze held his a moment longer before shifting, taking in the quiet symmetry of the gardens around them as if marking the end of something rather than lingering in it. “I don’t require much in the way of preparation,” Alexi added, her tone calm, though lightly touched with something warmer. “But I understand the value of allowing things to be….arranged properly.”

Then her attention returned to him and to the arm he offered. There was no hesitation this time. Her hand rested lightly against it, composed and unforced, as though the decision had already been made before the gesture was fully extended. “Come,” she said, gently guiding their direction back toward the path that led out of the garden. “If we’re going to begin this properly, it would be unwise to linger at the threshold of it.” Her pace was unhurried, but certain. “A week gives you time to plan,” Alexi continued, just slightly lighter now. “And me time to decide how much of that planning I intend to disrupt.” A faint pause as the near-smile returned, a touch more present than before. “I imagine that will be part of the process as well.”

Tag: Jack Sheltrak

 

[Jack Sheltrak]

Alexi di Garthos

He moved with her as her planning disruption already was either a good sign or a sign with red flags... he wasn't sure which but he wasn't going to turn it away. There was progress so far in this. "Yes though I do hope you will indulge me the chance to lay a surprise at your feet. Some would say it is part of polite decorum." He said it and worked to try and frame it with a small look on his face. He was moving with a small time though as he remained. "It will also give aside from time to prep for you, time to clean up and make anything presentable. Zeltros welcomes everyone and hologram fun world does allow for whatever you might one. The beauty of the technologies."

 

[Alexi di Garthos]

Alexi’s gaze lifted toward him at that, and this time the faint smile that touched her expression was easier than before; still restrained, but no longer difficult to find. “A surprise,” she repeated softly, as though weighing the idea rather than resisting it outright. “I suppose that would be the risk of agreeing to something outside my usual habits.” A slight tilt of her head followed. “Though if it is truly part of polite decorum, I imagine I can survive at least one attempt.”

Her hand remained lightly against his arm as they continued from the gardens, the quieter atmosphere gradually giving way to the distant hum of the city beyond. “And I don’t think you need to concern yourself too heavily with making things presentable,” Alexi added after a moment, her tone calm, though warmer at the edges now. “If I wanted perfection, I would have remained in a diplomatic hall.” The glance she gave him then was brief, but intentional. “I agreed because I was interested in the person extending the invitation….not the performance surrounding it.” A small silence settled between them, comfortable now rather than careful. “But,” she continued lightly, “I will admit some curiosity about this Hologram Fun World you keep speaking of with near-religious confidence.” The faintest trace of amusement lingered in her voice. “If nothing else, I suspect it will be educational.”

As the exit from the gardens came into view, Alexi slowed just slightly. “Then a week,” she said, more softly now. “We’ll see whether your surprise is worth all this preparation after all.” And with that, she allowed him to escort her the rest of the way from the gardens; no longer feeling quite so much like two strangers testing the shape of a conversation, and a little more like something quietly beginning.

Tag: Jack Sheltrak

 

[Jack Sheltrak]

Alexi di Garthos

He raised an eyebrow. "Should I not, it is one of the biggest things on our world that isn't the people. Millions come to try and meet the hedonistic zeltrons, more come to join the month long parties and indulge in nearly anything on offer. Legality for controlled recreational indulgences is very free on the world. As I don't think that is the appeal, for you. Though it is a sight to behold when some of the workers manage to do their jobs while flirting almost effortlessly." He said it and there was some pride. "But that is my world I have chosen to be in, to aid, to try and always help when it is needed. There is a need for pride and at least when I have seen senators those who love the worlds they represent always fought for it instead of themselves or their own personal gain."

 

[Alexi di Garthos]

Alexi listened to him without interruption; her attention resting on him more fully now than it had at the beginning of their walk. There was no dismissal in her expression at the mention of indulgence, or parties, or the effortless chaos he seemed almost fond of describing. If anything, there was a quiet curiosity in the way she regarded him; not about Zeltros itself, but about what he chose to admire within it. “You speak about it like someone who belongs there,” she said at last, her tone calm, though softer around the edges now. “Not because it’s perfect….but because you’ve chosen to care about it despite what it is.” A faint pause followed as they continued toward the exit. “That’s rarer than people like to admit.”

Her gaze lifted toward him again, steadier now. “Most representatives speak about their worlds as though they’re marketing them,” Alexi continued lightly. “You speak about yours as though you feel responsible for it.” There was no flattery in the observation. Just recognition.

Then, just slightly, that near-smile returned. “And no,” she added, with the faintest trace of amusement, “I don’t imagine month-long parties and recreational excess are likely to become my natural environment.” A brief pause. “Though I suspect you already knew that.” The warmth in her expression lingered a fraction longer this time before easing into something quieter. “But pride in one’s world…” Alexi said, more softly now, “that I understand.” Her gaze drifted briefly ahead, thoughtful rather than distant. “You can usually tell the difference between someone serving a place because it benefits them….and someone serving it because they genuinely cannot separate it's well-being from their own.”

A subtle glance returned to him then, calm and quietly direct. “I think,” Alexi added, “that you’re a little more defensive about Zeltros than you intended to sound.” The faintest hint of amusement touched her voice again, gentler this time rather than teasing. “Which means I was probably right to be curious about seeing it.”

Tag: Jack Sheltrak

 

[Jack Sheltrak]

Alexi di Garthos

He chuckled a little with that. "I went there when I was young for what everyone does, I stayed because I met a people that gave me a purpose and have continued to endure despite many things in the galaxy and all the upheavals that have went on." He shrugged a little to it. There was a goodness there and an enjoyment and he doubted she would go there for the parties. Though it was something if you didn't experience you should see a time lapsed progression. "I can be defensive, I've seen good places be twisted and broken from people and don't want thaat for anyone but the people there are largely just enjoying themselves."

 

[Alexi di Garthos]

Alexi listened quietly, her gaze resting on him with a steadier sort of understanding now. Not of Zeltros itself, perhaps but of him within it. “That makes more sense,” she said softly after a moment. “You didn’t stay because it entertained you. You stayed because it mattered to you once you understood the people behind it.” A faint pause followed as they continued toward the edge of the gardens. “That’s usually the difference between attachment and responsibility.”

The near-smile returned briefly at his mention of the parties. “I suspect a time-lapse progression of a month-long Zeltron celebration would be enough to overwhelm most planetary governments.” There was the faintest trace of dry amusement in her voice now. “Though I can appreciate the appeal of a place that chooses joy so openly.” Then her expression settled quieter again, more thoughtful. “And I understand being defensive of something you’ve watched survive,” Alexi added. “Particularly when you know how easily good places can become something unrecognizable in the wrong hands.” Her gaze met his again, calm and clear. “That instinct isn’t weakness, Jack. It means you care what happens to it.”

A small silence followed before she added, just lightly enough to soften the weight again: “So no,” Alexi said, “I don’t think I’ll be attending the month-long parties.” A slight tilt of her head. “But I am beginning to understand why you stayed.”

Tag: Jack Sheltrak

 

[Jack Sheltrak]

Alexi di Garthos

Well that was good and helpful. He was glad at least she was seeming to respect or understand. Others didn't or went for the obvious. He stayed there as getting back to the start he spoke. "Well then I shall endeavor to make sure you enjoy it just as much is less time. Or at least still want to entertain the thought of me being around." He said it while offering a small bow. "I will take my leave but in one weeks time, come. I will have it all arraigned for us." He saaid it with a small smile on his face though while she rose to his full height with a nod. "I would see you then so that we might continue this and have whole new topics to discuss and you can bring that brilliant mind to Zeltros."

 

[Alexi di Garthos]

Alexi regarded him quietly as he spoke, and this time the softness in her expression no longer seemed accidental. Restrained still, certainly; but present in a way that had not been when they first crossed paths in the gardens. “I think,” she said at last, her tone calm though touched with that same quiet warmth, “you’re placing an unusual amount of confidence in your ability to make me enjoy myself.” The faintest trace of amusement surfaced again as her head tilted slightly. “It’s either admirable….or dangerously optimistic.” But there was no real resistance behind it now.

As he bowed, her gaze lingered on him for a moment longer before she offered a small inclination of her own head in return; less formal than earlier exchanges had been, and therefore somehow more sincere. “A week, then,” Alexi said softly. “I’ll come.” The words were simple and direct, but chosen. “And if nothing else,” she added lightly, “I suspect Zeltros will benefit from having at least one person present who isn’t entirely governed by impulse.” A brief pause followed before that near-smile returned once more, easier now than before. “Though I suppose that will be part of your challenge.”

The gardens had grown quieter around them, the evening settling fully into place as the last of the light faded beyond the path. “I look forward to continuing the conversation, Jack,” Alexi said, and for perhaps the first time since they had met, it sounded less like diplomacy….and more like truth.

With that, she allowed the moment to end naturally rather than prolong it further; turning at last to take her leave, carrying with her the rare impression of having met someone she did not feel the need to constantly guard herself against.

Tag: Jack Sheltrak

 

[Jack Sheltrak]

Alexi di Garthos

He gave a nod as arriving there he bowed. "It is what I prefer to show on the surface. Underneath I can be a nervous basket case." He said it as a small nod. "ANd thank you again, this has been enlightening and as something to bring me off world after so long it has been more then worth it." He offered a smile and didn't go for love bombing and overly complimenting her. He turned with a nod as he was going back where his ship was. He would be able to return and get a few touch ups as needed so that he would look properly presentable. He had a plan or the makings of it either way he was hoping to be able to give Alexi when she came a good time.