Private Flowers in the Attic

[Guinevere Cavello]

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Location: Cavello Estate - Naboo
Wearing: x

The Cavello estate glowed warmly beneath Naboo's evening sky, its pale stone walls bathed in amber light from the gardens beyond. Soft music drifted through the open archways while servants moved gracefully between the dining hall and courtyard making final preparations for the evening's guests.

Princess Guinevere Cavello stood near the broad staircase overlooking the main foyer, fingers lightly clasped before her as she watched the last of the sunset shimmer across the lake outside. She looked every bit the noble princess tonight in layers of deep maroon silk and gold detailing, though beneath the polished appearance was a current of restless curiosity she couldn't quite hide.

The Harek family had apparently been close friends of the Cavellos for years, close enough that tonight's dinner had been discussed for days with exhausting importance by nearly everyone in the household. Yet somehow Gwen had never met a single one of them before now.

Which, admittedly, made the entire evening feel stranger than it probably should have.

Especially after the engagement.

Her mother and father conversed quietly nearby while attendants adjusted place settings and ensured everything was precisely as it should be. Across the room, Taza, who was Gwen's main chaperone, maintained her usual watchful presence, the older woman's crisp smile fixed in place as she monitored the estate staff with silent efficiency.

Gwen exhaled softly and glanced toward the tall entrance doors just as the distant sound of approaching speeders echoed up the estate drive.

"Well," she murmured, smoothing nonexistent wrinkles from her sleeves, "I suppose this is the moment I finally discover who everyone has spent years talking about."

A servant moved immediately toward the doors while Gwen straightened slightly, curiosity and nervous anticipation mixing behind an otherwise composed smile as the Harek family arrived at the Cavello estate for the evening dinner.

Atham Harek

 

[Atham Harek]

Mind awash with war, beset by royalty

He gripped the controls of the speeder kindly, though, he wished he was going faster. His mother was nearly beside herself when he ushered the driver to sit in the seat next to her, as he took control of the vehicle. Speeders were a great joy to him, most of his military deployments now on foreign worlds meant that he had to walk, or take rides wherever he was. Speeder licenses and authorization to drive them wherever were rare, and Atham was not keen to spend his leave days without driving.

So, the driver sat next to his mother, daring not to upset the Commando. Rich boy or not, Atham was a trained killer and gotten quite good at it. The driver read his exploits that his mother received in the mail, not that he'd tell anyone. He wasn't likely to cross Atham, not willingly at least. That, and Atham had taken a liking to the help. They were nicer to him than his own family- his family was all about numbers, businesses and deals, appearances and machinations.

And so, any chance that Atham could to deviate from that he took. He was a rebel in the truest sense, dedicated to the idea of rising above what he was born with. And for a man that was born with wealth, privilege and power, that meant finding a usefulness that his family could not provide, finding something outside of their sphere of influence. And being a Republic Commando- well.

That was as far away removed from wealth and finance as one could be. They were however, expecting Atham to behave on leave, show off, and make good. Atham detested the idea of going to dinner, let alone breathing the air of nobility. Atham's family was far removed from noble blood, but their money and influence perhaps was just as, if not more, influential. Pomp and circumstance led them to be... here.

Mother's friend, mother's friend that Atham was not allowed to see because his mother wanted child-free afternoons. Not that she did much of the child rearing herself. The Cavellos had a daughter- recently engaged. His mother reminded him of that fact several times. Not that Atham would even dare. His reputation as a playboy and a debutante was well-known in the right circles, but never in such a scandalous fashion. It was unbecoming, and Atham feared a shot in his back or his throat slit in the night of a jealous husband.

He'd rather go out as he truly intended, a worn out passport in his pocket, in stolen pants, on some far-away beach surrounded by women and liquor. Or perhaps valiantly on the battlefield. Perhaps.

He slowed the approach to the speeder, much to the delight of the passengers inside who promptly and rather quickly spilled out onto the lawn of the Cavellos. Atham was wearing his uniform, as Officers were expected to. He examined his fingernails and adjusted his beret, helping his mother up the stairs. He was still his mother's son, and by jove he would not let his aging mother climb stairs alone!

He could smell two things as they approached the doors-

Dinner, and perfume.

And Atham rounded the corner, servants lining up dutifully as he and his mother and his entourage came into view. He was introduced after his mother, and Atham took a polite bow of the head and slightly of the body, as was custom when facing the nobility. Not that he really truly gave a shit about their customs, he was just expected to.

"The Cavellos. How wonderful to meet you all."

He lied. But nobody would know that, Atham's poker face and deception skills were remarkable.

Guinevere Cavello

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[Guinevere Cavello]

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Gwen smiled politely as her mother Elaine and father Leode stepped forward to greet their guests. Chatter soon started as the nobles lead Atham and his mother into the villa.

Gwen stayed behind slightly with her older brother Artour. the pair of them watching as their parents gushed, giggled, and did exactly what royalty was expected to do. Gwen cook’s already feel her stomach tightening. She did not want to sit through another boring evening while her father talked business and she sat there like an ornament. Of course in her culture thag was just how it was.

“It won’t be that bad.”

Her brother smiled as if he could read her thoughts and she sighed. Together they walked into the dinning room where their guests were being seared and drinks were being served.

​

The Queen Elaine was in full gossip mode already. “It is so wonderful to see you again! And your son! So handsome. He’s grown so much.”


Atham Harek

 

[Atham Harek]

The drinks helped, quite assuredly so.

However, there was a look of boredom, annoyance, and bitterness on Atham's face that he could not hide no matter how hard he tried. He rolled the drink around in the glass as he received it, took a polite sniff of it, and laid his forearm across his back that was not occupied with a drink as he stood in the center of the room. Atham was immediately set upon by the hosts and other guests, questioning about this and that, what that medal meant, etc. He didn't want to recount them with tales of murder and bravado, he quite so wanted one thing above all else here tonight-

To get absolutely toasted, and go home drunk and full of expensive food and then leave back to service as quick as possible.

His family was not royalty or nobility, so the same was not expected of him as others. He saw that look on the children of his host while his mother gossiped and talked "shop", as it were. For a moment, Atham stood, but slowly managed to slip away once his mother and her friends were well and truly knee-deep wading through months of ungossip'd hogwash. He took a stance next to the other younger ones, the children of someone else.

He leaned over to the girl, not knowing her, but still feeling rather brave with two drinks in him already.

"There's a pistol in the back of my waistband. If this goes on too long, please do use it on me."

Hard to say if he was kidding or not.

Guinevere Cavello

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[Guinevere Cavello]

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Gwen had drifted toward the edges of the room, content to remain unnoticed while the guests mingled, gossiped, and laughed among themselves. The last thing she wanted was to be trapped in another round of polite conversation. Sooner or later, her mother would undoubtedly spot her and drag her into the social fray, but for now she intended to enjoy the reprieve for as long as possible.

As she lingered on the outskirts of the gathering, a young man wandered over and struck up a conversation. Within moments, he informed her that he had a pistol and, should the party drag on much longer, she had his full permission to use it on him.

Gwen blinked, her eyes widening before a sheepish grin tugged at the corner of her mouth.

"Only if I can use it on myself afterward."

Atham Harek