Private Heaven Is No Feeling

[Mykel Dawson]

A touching moment of healing and amends was tinged sour as that insufferable voice cut through his mind again, Mykel despising its praise. For my sanity, just be quiet.

Blessedly, silence returned.

With his head clear, he turned his full focus back to her. She seemed to catch onto his meaning of 'favorites' without further elucidation. This time around, he was grateful for how perceptive she was.

However, he couldn't help but indulge in the fantasy of what could have been. It was cruel really, only finding a light like hers now. If only he was older. If only they had crossed paths sooner. Maybe. At least in this moment he had her.

"Why thank you," he replied softly with a small smile, much preferring her praise over the old haunt's in his head. (He could have sworn he heard something akin to a prissy hmph though.) "I like to think I picked up a few things from Master Vexis." His old master was back on the Alliance frontier again in the Unknown Regions, the Consular lending his gifts for diplomacy to help stitch back together a fragile Federation on the brink. "I'll see how well I apply his lessons on Fondor."

He chuckled at her invitation for dinner, as he had been thinking about how to broach the topic of lodging. Even if he hailed his crew now, they wouldn't return to the region until the next cycle at the earliest, probably currently well on their way unloading supplies for the new Enclave.

"Dinner sounds lovely after dodging black holes all day....but something in your tone suggests your sisters may prove a greater challenge."

How many siblings did she have again?

Corazona von Ascania

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Dinner at the Ascania manor was held at a long dining table. With the Viscountess unwell and the Viscount deceased, both chairs at either of the table's heads were vacant.

Mykel was offered a spot next to Cora, who sat next to the empty chair that her father would've occupied. Next to their guest was Marilla, a shy teenager with golden hair and large green eyes. Beside her sat the youngest of the Ascania siblings, Emile and Argenta.

Across from Cora, dressed in a rather extravagant silk gown, was nineteen year old Fatine, who had inherited her mother's dark curls and hazel eyes. Fraternal twins Lukas and Anselma occupied the next pair of seats.

Three of the Ascania siblings - Dominick, Volkhardt, and Lysander - did not join them at the table. The former two were in the military, and the latter…

Cora did not want to delve into a description of where his path had taken him.

"So," Fatine prompted Mykel, bejeweled finger tapping against her fork. She had lovely features, sharper than Cora's, and had the impression of knowing how to use them. "Are you single?"

Cora set down her knife with a decisive clank and shot her sister a glare.

"Y-You can't just ask that!" Marilla managed to pipe up while simultaneously crumpling back into her seat, a healthy flush splashed across both pale cheeks.

Fatine, who now rested her elbows atop the table and laced her fingers together in front of her, rolled her eyes. She ensured that all could see.

"Oh, honestly. You two are such stuffy old maids!" She drawled. "Times are changing, dear sisters-" Fatine returned Cora's icy glare with a glance of her own, warm and bold with amusement. "A woman should be able to approach a man nowadays, don't you agree?"

"Not at the dinner table," Cora grumbled, dabbing quickly at her lips with a cloth napkin. "You're going to make Knight Dawson uncomfortable."

Mykel Dawson

 

[Mykel Dawson]

Following a humorous briefing on all the idiosyncrasies of her sisters, with a special focus on the second eldest sister Fatine, they shifted to lighter topics. He took the opportunity a little more about his homelife, finding kinship with her also being the eldest sibling, with a pair of lovely but also very annoying sisters to boot. At least in that sense he could relate to her when it came to family matters.

While Cora could no longer stand, she had recovered enough with his aid to give him a small tour of the garden on her hoverchair. This time around, he allowed himself to fully enjoy the sights and smells of the lush foliage. Before they finally retired to the manor proper, he finished planting her saplings for her, leaving his mark on her personal plot.

There was still some time before dinner, so he was provided with a well furnished guest room to freshen up. However, now away from Cora, he spent a good while just staring blankly out the window as he sat on the edge of the bed, deflated.

He had tried to make something positive out of the revelation of secession, but his spin ended up doing nothing for the pain. It still felt like a double tap when compounded with the fresh schisms among the NJO.

The final scales had finally fallen off the eyes of the young knight as he saw his heroes and mentors for the flawed individuals that they were. Not bad people by any means, but also no one he should ever place on a pedestal again.

Trust in no one...trust only in the Force.

His father's words reverberated through his head as he began to accept them. With a long exhale, he brought up his legs up into a lotus position and began to meditate. Finally shedding away the idealizations of a sheltered youth, accepting the messiness of the world around him. When he acknowledged the storm, he could learn to navigate through it.

In time, he would levitate from the bed in newfound enlightenment.

Inadvertently, Cora had provided him with her final lesson.

---

As he was now off-duty, Mykel slipped out of his traveling gear for a more tasteful personal outfit from his pack after a quick shower, nothing too ostensions but classy enough by Core fashion standards. His silver pendant hung around his neck as his sole accent, the jewels shimmering softly with the glow of Ashla's light. Normally tousled hair was now slicked back with few loose strands tactfully left curling over his left eyebrow. A sweet cologne of cognac and warm apple notes now wafted from his skin.

Cora had told him to expect some sauciness at the table, but he didn't expect Fatine immediately charging out of the gate like a rancor. Her crassness already had sweet Marilla flustered and a more stern Cora set off in a way he hadn't seen before. Siblings certainly had a way getting under the skin like no other, growing up knowing every weakpoint.

Mykel himself looked unbothered, meeting her hazel eyes with his own steely hues, letting her hang on his silence just long enough to tease.

"Should I be?" He asked, expression still serene but tone playful to undercut her aggression. Are you worth it?

While Mykel was indeed a Jedi Knight, he was also a man from the Core who had attended years of university away from his enclave. As young Ukatian women were now just feeling their way through the infancy of dating culture, he was already well immersed in its most sophisticated expression. While no Casanova, even an Ukatian aristocrat as stunning and haughty as Fatine was light work.

Corazona von Ascania

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora's expression pulled into something that could only be described as silent incredulousness. Her gaze slipped back and forth between Fatine and Mykel as she observed…whatever this was.

For her part, Fatine blinked back her surprise before scoffing lightly. A pink flush painted her cheeks as the tines of her fork idly poked at a the crisp skin of a roasted herbed potato, but she didn't glance away, maintaining contact with those dreamy hazel eyes.

"Oh, so Jedi live that sort of lifestyle?" Dark eyebrows lifted as she shot her elder sister a devious smirk. "I thought you were all supposed to be a pious lot?"

Beside Mykel, young Marilla squeaked and quickly pressed her napkin to her lips. To his other side, Cora let out a sigh that carried a dull edge of frustration.

"Honestly, Fatine. This is hardly appropriate dinner conversation." There was a firmness to her tone, one that she'd used in the classrooms of Coruscant’s temple when faced with a particularly rowdy student. It was not unkind, but instructive.

"Ooh, breaking out the teacher voice." Fatine grinned, cheeky and satisfied. With one elbow on the table, she rested her chin in the palm of her hand and directed her attention back to their guest. "So what do you think, Knight Dawson? Surely a man from the Core finds a place like Ukatis too old-fashioned and in need of an upgrade.”

Mykel Dawson

 

[Mykel Dawson]

Fatine wasn't the only Ascania taken off guard by his cheekiness. Until very recently, Cora had really only known him as her fawning junior, but there were different sides to him, like when his Corellian blood flared in the cockpit, craving the thrills of a daredevil.

He hadn't intended to rile her, only to take the bite out of Fatine's jabs with a return in kind. Still, he couldn't help but find it endearing, watching Cora's composure waver in this private familial space far removed from the strictures of their duties abroad.

<Trust me> He projected to Cora. <I'll keep it civil.>

Being of the same age as Fatine, he knew better than try to shut down a spirited teenage girl like her with blunt resistance. It was better to parry her with banter to redirect and disarm, the Consular applying the Water Crescent in verbal form.

"Oh, so Jedi live that sort of lifestyle?" Dark eyebrows lifted as she shot her elder sister a devious smirk. "I thought you were all supposed to be a pious lot?"

"Our vows as Jedi do require us to be ethical in all pursuits," he agreed, "but that doesn't bar us from courtship or love. I wouldn't be here if that was the case - both of my parents are Jedi." He chuckled before adding, "In fact, they became an item on Zeltros."

"Ooh, breaking out the teacher voice." Fatine grinned, cheeky and satisfied. With one elbow on the table, she rested her chin in the palm of her hand and directed her attention back to their guest. "So what do you think, Knight Dawson? Surely a man from the Core finds a place like Ukatis too old-fashioned and in need of an upgrade.”

"I find Ukatis quite charming, in fact," he told her in perfectly fluent, if accented, High Ukatish. "I enjoy the people, the arts, the hot chocolate I once enjoyed in the Capital."

He wagered that Fatine would be floored by a foreigner's use of the noble tongue out of nowhere, but the flourish was a trick, the teasing technopath psychically interfacing with a miniature protocol droid in his breast pocket to keep up the prank. Originally, He had brought it along to help him mind the finer customs of Ukatian aristocracy at the table, but now it served a far more entertaining purpose.

"Certainly there is some room for improvement, but that's the case with all worlds. That said, it can't be so bad if it's to produce such captivating individuals as those around me. Don't be so dismissive of your own culture. It's quite lovely."

"But is there anything else you look forward to as Ukatis continues to open up to the galaxy?" he continued in a reversion to Basic, now trying to shift topics to something more palatable for the whole table. "Perhaps studying abroad?"

Corazona von Ascania

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

<It's not you I'm worried about.> Cora imparted back.

The mention of Zeltros seemed to pique Fatine's interest. "The planet full of short skirts and pheromones?" Her lips curled in satisfaction as she felt her sister's eyes land on her in warning. "Well, good for them. They don't sound stuck-up like some Jedi I know."

The words that came out of Mykel's mouth did indeed earn him a stunned silence from all parties at the dinner table. Fatine's smug grin pulled into wide-eyed shock, having missed the first few sentences out of sheer surprise. At the end of the table, a few giggles could be heard rising from the youngest siblings.

“No way,” she gasped, elbows planted on the table as she leaned in closer. “You taught him High Ukatish? The governess would faint!”

"Well," Fatine cleared her throat by way of recovery, dabbing at her painted lips with a cloth napkin in a manner that could only be described as overly-elegant. "I would like to travel more off-world. And it just so happens that I am taking acting classes in the capital."

Acting, their father had insisted, was a profession rife with scandal. Certainly not appropriate for a young noblewoman.

Cora's brow scrunched as her lips pursed into a faint grimace, but she smoothed the unpleasant expression away rather quickly and lifted her glass of wine. She had her own issues with Fatine’s interests, more concerned with her sister’s safety than the sullying of a noble title.

"Marilla," she looked to the younger blonde with a smile. "You've been wanting to study off-world, haven't you?"

The shy girl next to Mykel seemed to stiffen, her stillness broken by the motion of her throat as she swallowed thickly.

"W-well, I…would like to study at university," she admitted carefully. Cheeks flushed, she looked down at her dinner plate instead of at their guest.

"She's excellent with mathematics," Cora supplied. "Women aren't yet allowed to study at the university level on Ukatis. Perhaps we can find a place for her at Theed."

Mykel Dawson

 

[Mykel Dawson]

Mykel's prank had the desired result effect of throwing Fatine off her lurid interrogation session for cleaner topics, smirking as he watched her go speechless for a moment.

To her credit, she was quick to recover, seemingly as sharp as Cora albeit less...tactful.

He recalled how Cora had told him how he wouldn't have liked her as much if they had met earlier. Had she ever been so wild as Fatine? It was amusing to consider that her sister may offer a window in time.

"Well," Fatine cleared her throat by way of recovery, dabbing at her painted lips with a cloth napkin in a manner that could only be described as overly-elegant. "I would like to travel more off-world. And it just so happens that I am taking acting classes in the capital."

"Acting?" he repeated, offering an approving nod. "So you're an artist? I'm afraid I'm not quite familiar with the theater scene here. Are you focused on stage acting, or holo reels?"

From just their brief interaction, it didn't surprise him much that she had pursued such a path. With a such a big personality on display she certainly bore all the hallmarks of a diva for better or worse, and the looks to go with them. She also had knack for improvisation, which was a vital skill of acting that Mykel recognized having done his own undercover work.

"W-well, I…would like to study at university," she admitted carefully. Cheeks flushed, she looked down at her dinner plate instead of at their guest.

"She's excellent with mathematics," Cora supplied. "Women aren't yet allowed to study at the university level on Ukatis. Perhaps we can find a place for her at Theed."

He knew Cora hadn't meant it, but her mention of Theed felt like a jab as he was reminded of secession. While he had meditated on the matter to ease the pain, the only true remedy was time.

However, at least she seemed to confirm that the rest of her family knew of the transition, so he wouldn't have to dance around that information in conversation.

"University was an enlightening experience for me," he directed at Marilla. "In my case, I studied on Corellia away from my Enclave for a couple years before I became a Jedi Apprentice. It opened my mind to a lot of new perspectives which has proved immensely helpful to my work to this day. I hope you're afforded the same opportunities."

It had been a much needed grounding experience, putting the then sheltered Jedi in touch with the everyday concerns of normal people. Sometimes he felt many of his fellow Jedi had become too transient, and in doing so decoupled themselves from civil matters that were just as important to pursue as war with the Sith. That's one of the reasons he liked Cora, as she was similarly grounded by her upbringing and strong ties to her realm. Unfortunately, such admirable qualities had now birthed tension between them amid geopolitical divergence.

He turned to Cora, the Queen in all but name. "Are there any plans to amend these restrictions soon? Your cohorts generally don't seem too keen on change, but it will be necessary in their dealings with the outside world."

From what he knew of the High Republic, they would have much less tolerance for Ukatian patriarchal policies than the Galactic Alliance.

Corazona von Ascania

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Fatine beamed at the notion of being called an artist, seemingly pleased with the comparison.

"I act in Ukatian stage plays. Most of them are rather old-fashioned, but some of the playwrights are producing more modern stories." Elbows atop the table, the girl rested her head upon the bridge of her laced fingers. Cora gave the poor table manners little more than a tired glance before reaching for her glass of wine.

"Perhaps you'd be so kind as to grace one of my performances with your presence, Master Jedi?" Long, dark eyelashes fluttered towards their dinner guest.

For her part, Marilla remained quiet as Mykel spoke. The shy girl was actively paying attention, though, and his encouragement inspired a sparkle in green eyes.

Cora had taken a long sip of wine. Now, she gaze into the burgundy surface of the liquid, as if the answers to Mykel's question could be found there.

"I would like to," she answered. It was an unspoken admission that there were no concrete plans to amend the restrictions - at least, not yet.

"We've been focusing on enriching the farmland and ensuring that aid is distributed fairly. Cholmondeley left quite the mess behind." Cora shook her head. "I can convince a council of old men to implement extra-planetary agricultural methods far more easily than I can convince them to allow their daughters higher schooling."

Still, something uneasy lingered in her expression. Being treated like a second-class citizen had shaped her life and left her with scars. Why wasn't she putting more effort into shielding her fellow women from the same fate?

"The university here sucks, anyway," Fatine chimed in.

"Fatine," Cora warned, but her tone lacked any and all bite. It was punctuated with another sip of wine.

"What? It's true. Ukatis isn't exactly the galactic center of knowledge." The younger sister waved her hand absently. "Whoever wants to learn anything more than our own boring history would be better off literally anywhere else."

With a sigh, Cora tilted her head in a faint measure of acknowledgment. It wasn't clear whether or not she agreed with Fatine.

"I have brought up raising the marriageable age to 18. I've received…varying levels of support." She tilted her gaze to Mykel with a muted smile. "Things don't change easily on Ukatis. I just need to find the right approach."

Mykel Dawson

 

[Mykel Dawson]

"Perhaps you'd be so kind as to grace one of my performances with your presence, Master Jedi?" Long, dark eyelashes fluttered towards their dinner guest.

Fatine would have been utterly irresistible if he didn't already find himself so hopelessly ensnared.

"My time on Ukatis may be short, but if you do have a performance coming up soon, then it would be my pleasure to attend, my lady," he replied sincerely.

"We've been focusing on enriching the farmland and ensuring that aid is distributed fairly. Cholmondeley left quite the mess behind." Cora shook her head. "I can convince a council of old men to implement extra-planetary agricultural methods far more easily than I can convince them to allow their daughters higher schooling."

At this point, Mykel simply nodded along and remained mum on the news he had previously been so eager to deliver before she had revealed the abrupt secession. He was now conflicted to render aid on the Alliance dime when they were being left out to dry, dysfunctional as they were.

"I have brought up raising the marriageable age to 18. I've received…varying levels of support." She tilted her gaze to Mykel with a muted smile. "Things don't change easily on Ukatis. I just need to find the right approach."

Her cause for equality was noble, but rarely were such men moved by morality. In the patriarchal order of Ukatis, most women were ultimately regarded as property, and those old misers among her aristocratic cohorts would fight tooth and nail to keep it that way.

"Forgive me, but if I may offer my thoughts as a foreign observer," Mykel began, "A consensus on pursuing civil reforms is ideal, but your opposition will continue to drag their feet for as long as you allow them. At some point, you'll need to impose yourself upon them. You currently have the power and capital to do so."

"You need to take the debate out of the realm of the abstract where the opposition may continue to sew doubt on your plans. Your House alone presides over a territory comparable to a sizeable terrestrial country. Implement your reforms here first to set a precedent, and encourage your allies to do the same within their respective territories, getting around the need to approve a new national law through a voluntary interregional compact. I imagine King Fabian would have the ability enact similar measures as edicts within the Crownlands he directly administers. When your opposition sees your lands thrive and theirs wither as labor goes into flight for better opportunities, then they will be forced to adapt out of necessity.

"If their feet still remain lead, then they will simply sink into irrelevance and lose their power to stonewall you anyway."

There was more that he could say, but the main idea that he wanted to get across was that Cora possessed much more leverage than she seemed to believe. He wanted Cora to see herself as he did, even as she had left him reeling as of late.

Corazona von Ascania