Everybody Says Don't | Fortan Family

[Natasi Fortan]

The nice thing about the First Order's capital city was that it was built on the ground. Unlike Coruscant, or Hosnian Prime, or some other cities and planets, here you could walk just about anywhere, on broad, clean avenues that were lined with trees and plants and policemen. The buildings themselves were brilliant stone and marble edifices, built sturdily, without all the chrome and glass that would make it look cheap.

Pierce arrived outside the Premiere Hotel and stubbed his cigarette out in the ashtray right outside the large sweeping doors. He glanced to his left, where his ... well, for lack of better phrase, cousin stood. Lady [member="Decima Fortan"] was new to the capital -- so new, in fact, that she was staying with Pierce for the time being. She had looked him up in the directory, having been unable to locate contact information for [member="Natasi Fortan"] and having lacked the importance of getting an appointment on her own merit. Pierce hadn't met her until that day, but she had come bearing a rather important and official-looking document instructing that she was no longer known as Lady Decima Strallan, but had proved as a matter of law to be the daughter of Frejick Fortan and thus entitled to the use of his name.

"Are you ready for this?" he asked her. It wasn't that she looked nervous. Rather, he thought he felt more nervous than she looked. He desperately hoped she would reconsider; his cousin Natasi had been put rather through the ringer lately, and this would certainly add to her troubles. He took a moment to straighten his bowtie and then fixed his eyes on Decima.

 

[Natasi Fortan]

"Absolutely," said Decima, flipping her compact shut after touching up her makeup. She was clad in a rather beautiful eau de nile and gold damask patterned gown, a chic beaded necklace and earrings and headband, which she was entitled to wear in Galidraani society as a Lady. She adjusted the nude opera gloves and then hooked her arm through that of @Pierce Fortan.

"You don't seem entirely on board with this idea," she observed as they strolled into the lobby of the Premiere Hotel. It was the height of elegance; clearly one of the social centers for the wealthy in the capital city. The lobby was marble, dominated by a massive fountain in the center of the room. A platinum sign over a large doorway read: THE LOTUS CLUB, and that was the direction in which they headed. "I hope you don't loser your nerve, Pierce."

 

[Natasi Fortan]

​

"Gin and tonic, please," Natasi told the cocktail waitress as she settled into the cushioned banquette in the roped-off section of the Lotus Club. This was the sort of establishment that Natasi Fortan would never have experienced while on Galidraan. It would have been considered rather fast in her parents' day. In fact, her mother would never have taken her to eat or drink at an hotel unless they were staying at that hotel for travel. But even a staunch traditionalist like Natasi couldn't outlaw all change, and the Lotus Club was just the sort of fast she liked.

The band played a swingy tune, and the music wafted pleasantly into her area. They had a cracking band here, and she occasionally came here to listen and occasionally to dance with a gentleman she had encountered there a few times. As luck would have it, the handsome and wealthy gentleman was the publisher of several of the more popular publications within the First Order. He didn't seem to be here this evening, worst luck, but since Pierce was coming and bringing some friend or other, it was probably just as well.

She spotted them as they entered and raised a gloved hand. She was clad in a grey and black beaded shimmersilk gown, with black gloves that went over her elbows. When Pierce came over, she took his free hand and kisses him on both cheeks. "So lovely to see you again," she said with a smile, before turning expectantly to [member="Decima Fortan"], and waiting to be introduced.

 

[Natasi Fortan]

"Don't worry," Pierce muttered to [member="Decima Fortan"]. "It's much too late for that."

They walked into the lounge. The band had just struck up something beautiful, but unfortunately he wasn't there to dance. He placed a hand on Decima's back and guided her around the crowd to where Natasi was sitting in the exclusive VIP area. The Moff rose when they approached and Pierce returned her kisses. "My dear," he said, suddenly all Galidraani charm. "How well you look." He followed her gaze to Decima and then cleared his throat. "Ah -- may I introduce my cousin, Decima?" Decima trod on his foot. "Decima Fortan," he added quickly.

The puzzled look on Natasi's face had been visiting his face just a week ago upon his first meeting with Decima. It seemed that the younger generations -- Natasi and Pierce, and probably Imogen and Mathes as well -- had all been left out of rather a large open secret, it seemed: that Natasi's father had fathered another child following the death of his wife, cuckolding a neighboring noble in the process. It had been quite the in scandal for some time, but had died down, apparently, by the time Natasi had been presented and come into capital-S Society.

 

[Natasi Fortan]

Natasi looked somewhat surprised and perplexed because she was somewhat surprised and perplexed. Another Fortan cousin? She hadn't been aware of one. Her father had had only three siblings; her uncle Fermin had been Imogen's father, and her uncle Fabien had been responsible for Pierce. She offered a hand to this newcomer and shook with Decima, a cautious smile on her lips. "Well -- any cousin of Pierce is a ... cousin of mine," she concluded uncertainly. She couldn't very well say friend after Imogen had tried to murder her, burning to cinders her beloved Herevan Hold in the process. The fallout from Imogen's betrayal had only just begun to clear; she couldn't help but wonder if this woman, with her glamorous, dark features and twinkling eyes, was friend, like Pierce -- or foe, like Imogen.

When they had been introduced, Natasi waved over the waiter. "Put these two on my tab. Shall we start with cocktails? Oh, it's not done on Galidraan but we can't live our lives on Galidraan when we're on Dosuun, can we?" She pointed at Pierce. "Sidecar, Pierce? They're almost as good as Papa used to make. I think I may bring them his recipe. Perhaps we can get them to name it after him." She smiled fondly at the thought of her father. "And for you, Decima -- am I saying that right? Are you even old enough to drink?"

 

[Natasi Fortan]

Decima shook hands with Natasi and smiled. "Of course I am, Natasi," she said. "I'd just adore a sidecar. I'll take mine with a sugared rim, if I could," she told the waiter, who affirmed with an incline of his head. She took a seat on the banquette across from the Moff and crossing her ankles. "It's funny you should mention cousins," Decima said conversationally. "I'm afraid I'm only Pierce's cousin, not yours. But we are family." Decima smiled serenely across the table at her half-sister, subtly adjusting the beaded necklace she wore about her neck.

"You see, we have someone in common." She glanced at Pierce and then fell silent as the waiter returned with their drinks. He asked if anyone wanted food and Decima studied the small menu on the table for a moment. "D'you know, I think crab cakes would hit just the spot. Let's split an order, shall we?" Natasi, who was busy scrutinizing Decima, did not object. Pierce, who had been there before and knew of what he spoke, insisted they also get an order of truffle fries. When the waiter had gone, Decima rested her hands on the table.

"I oughtn't to keep you in suspense, Natasi, I'm sorry. Your father was my father. We are half-sisters."

 

[Natasi Fortan]

Natasi stared at Decima, her eyes hardening until they were the color of frozen mud -- nearly grey, and cold. She was silent for a full two minutes, during which time Decima stared back at her coolly. She was silent enough for the band to finish and strike up another tune.

It was not possible, was it? She had heard whispers -- whispers that her father had found solace in the arms of a friend after the death of her mother, and why shouldn't he? But there had been no inkling, ever, that her father had ever had issue. How irresponsible could he have been? Would he have risked it, risked having an illegitimate heir and ruining the family name forever? She could not imagine it, could not picture it, could not conceive of it.

"That is a vicious lie," Natasi declared after a moment, then turned to Pierce. "How can you bring this... woman ...to me with such an idiotic story? You knew my father, how could you have believed it?"

 

[Natasi Fortan]

Pierce pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers and sighed. "Natasi, I gather you've been used to declaring things true or not true for a long time from your fancy office above the rest of us, but in this, I'm afraid, you have no power. I believed it to be true because it is true. I spoke with my mother about it and she confirmed that it was an open secret when we were growing up. She couldn't believe that you didn't know." He didn't look at his cousin -- at either of his cousins -- and instead stared into his cocktail glass.

Two ounces of cognac, an ounce of orange liqueur, three-quarters ounce of lemon juice, shaken over ice and poured into a cocktail glass, rimmed with sugar. It had been a favorite of Reima, Countess of Herevan and Natasi's mother, and she had introduced it to the family, who had loved it immediately. One sip took him back in time, to the elegant drawing room of Herevan Hold -- to bridge and billiars and arguing with Imogen over this, that and the other. He sighed and finally looked over at Natasi.

"Besides, the courts have ruled on this." He held his hand out to Decima, who produced the decree from her handbag, and then held it out to Natasi. "See for yourself."