Private I Have a Bad Feeling About This

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

This was what Lori was trying to avoid. As Heath started eating his lunch the moment she sat down, he was already watching her and Rex Valhoun . It was as though she was being studied, which wasn't exactly something that she was a fan of. It reminded her of her last couple of meetings involving the Eclipse Rebellion and others. They watched and waited for her to say whatever it was that they had on their minds. Yet when she didn't give off the speeches or answers that they wanted, they chose to ridicule and demean her, not hiding their disappointment in her at all.

She began to eat her lunch after Rex had agreed with her destination, taking medium sized bites instead of stuffing her face like she usually did. Present company probably wouldn't like that; most especially her aunt. "I've got some supplies in my ship already. I should be ready to go tomorrow morning."

"Wonderful." Rowena took a bite of her salad, keeping as much poise and grace as any noblewoman would have. Her gaze turn to Rex. "And what about you? Will you be ready for the morning? I do suggest the sooner the better, afterall." Of course she had wanted all of this sorted today, yet instead had to relent and give her niece a week. Patience was a virtue and it was lucky that she had some.

 

[Rex Valhoun]

Post: 19
Tag: Loreena Arenais-Valhoun

Rex had packed two extra sets of clothes...one was casual, the other was more suitable for combat. Of course he had what he was wearing, but it was rather formal...

But they were on a planet full of shops. He could easily go purchase clothes, better shoes, and a blaster. Therefore when Rowena asked if he would be ready tomorrow he replied with a "Yes." It'd be a tight schedule, he would need to find any open shops after lunch, get what he needed, pack, and maybe even study a bit about the wildlife of the planet. He doubted he would get much sleep between preparing, and thinking about the events that had taken place today.

Heath was enjoying his meal, listening as Rowena, Rex, and Loreena finalized their plans for the trip. The two would leave tomorrow, since they were already on the planet. Heath guessed that meant he would be staying in the Estate for a week...if Rowena was okay with it, which everything thus far indicated she would be okay with it....

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[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Rowena studied Rex Valhoun while she ate her lunch. He had grown quiet after asserting himself. Whether that was just some power play or the case that he just had too much running through his mind, she was confident that she'd find out soon enough.

Lori wasn't the type to be comfortable around the quiet though. She was always the chatterbox, except for one of the times that she was caught and arrested by the Eternal Empire, beaten and was on her way to a lab for experimentation, only to be rescued by her brother. During that trip she was quiet. And scared.

Now though it seemed as though she had little to fear, so there was no reason for her to keep quiet. Her attention was turned to Heath. "Where will you be staying during the week? Up with your fleets? Or here with my aunt?" No doubt the two of them would have plans to make and plots to create, most especially if she was to turn this marriage down.

 

[Rex Valhoun]

Post: 20
Tag: Loreena Arenais-Valhoun

Heath took another bite of the food as Loreena asked where they would stay. He'd already thought it out and expected the question, though he assumed Rowena would ask, not Loreena. He replied, "Well, that is up to your aunt. If she'll allow it, I'll stay here at the estate. However, given the unexpected week-long period, I understand if she isn't prepared, and I have no problem sleeping in a hotel, or even on the Lambda Shuttle."

He had taken a shot at her by mentioning the "unexpected week long period." If she would see it a s a shot, and how she would react, Heath did not know. So he observed Loreena, eager to learn more about what may soon be his daughter-in-law.

The term seemed so unatural. As did the word "son" when referring to Rex. Maybe it was because it was unnatural, Rex was only his son by adoption, and Loreena, if she made the choice, would only be his daughter by a political marriage. He had never married, nor dated, even in the long 7-year trek in the wilderness he didn't find anyone to date. There were obviously attractive women in his life, and he wanted to have a relationship, but he never took the first step.

It was funny...he couldn't make himself ask a girl out, yet here he was ruling a small Empire, and arranging marriages. He chuckled internally, then took another bite of food as he awaited Loreena's reply.

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[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

There it was. A little dig at her, or what it could be was just a statement of fact. Regardless Lori wasn't the only one taken by surprise at this meeting that her aunt had arranged.

Rowena was very quick to jump in, turning her gaze from Rex Valhoun to Heath. "Well of course you may stay here. We'd be honoured. There are many guest rooms for you to choose from." It would give them the opportunity to get to know one another as well.

Lori ate more of her lunch, pondering on what their hike would be like. It would be her first time venturing into the wilds of Mnemosyne. She loved adventures and this would be no different. "First light should be a good time to go. We can snack on breakfast along the way." And at this time of year we wouldn't have to worry about cold weather, which is fortunate." Although there was always the chance that it could rain.

 

[Rex Valhoun]

Post: 21
Tag: Loreena Arenais-Valhoun

Heath watched Loreena, but saw no change in her demeanor. She either didn't take it as a subtle jab at her, or she didn't care. It looked like Heath wouldn't be learning anything about her typical response to criticism yet.

Rowena immediately reassured him that he could stay in the estate, mentioning that there were many room to chose from. He smiled, giving a quick "Thank you." before Loreena spoke up.

She wanted to leave at first light. Heath felt bad for Rex, assuming this wasn't his idea. He knew that Rex wasn't prepared to go on an adventure of any kind, and would need to prepare in very little time. He was surprised that Rex hadn't objected. Maybe he was going along with it to increase the chances of Loreena accepting the marriage.

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[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Rowena smiled and bowed her head to Heath. "You can try out a whole assortment of delicious meals and desserts. And depending on what you like the most, I'll have that chef hand selected for you."

Lori tried to ignore the fact that she was still being watched and studied by all of them, yet she was acutely aware of it. Instead she focused on what tonight and tomorrow would bring. No one knew that she knew of Rex Valhoun 's secret, but herself and Rex, so she played it out as though she didn't know, asking questions that she'd normally ask before a trip to the mountains. "Have you gone out camping and hiking before? We did it a lot growing up, exploring a whole bunch of caves and tunnels on Commenor. My mom was a big believer in hidden escape routes, and it was because of that, that I had escaped a lot of enemies by disappearing underground. I wonder if we'll find any caves or tunnels to explore? That'd be wicked!"

"As long as you don't lose your way...."

Lori turned her attention to her aunt briefly; "Oh don't worry, I won't."

 

[Rex Valhoun]

Post: 22
Tag: Loreena Arenais-Valhoun

Heath smiled and responded to Rowena's offer, "Thank you. I won't ask too much, I hate to be a bother."

Meanwhile Rex listened to Loreena, who was suddenly more talkative, or at least seemed to be. She was anticipating the trip, mentioning caves and giving a bit of insight into her past. She wanted to know if he had camped or hiked before. This was obviously a question that she knew the answer to. Rex played along, " A few times, yes. I prefer it when it's cold, otherwise it's simply draining."

Rowena then stepped in, ordering caution. Loreena replied with a confident "Oh Don't worry, I won't." to which Rex couldn't help but smirk. Guardians were always cautious, and Loreena's response to Rowena was almost snarky to him. A way of saying I'll do what I want and I'll be fine doing it. Maybe Rex was imagining the defiant part, mistaking confidence for stubbornness.....

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[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

"You're not a bother at all. Don't even think it." Guests weren't common at the Estate, most especially a King.

Lori listened to Rex Valhoun 's response to her question. At least he played along. However, his words only brought about more questions that she kept to herself. Instead she added; "Well not to worry. If you get too tired, I can always carry you." She smiled sweetly as she teased.

Rowena was lucky, as so far Lori hadn't felt the need to run away just yet. But the trip would surely be an eyeopener for her. There was much about Rex that she didn't know, and already she was catching glimpses of his true character.

This was going to be a challenging experience.

 

[Rex Valhoun]

Post: 23
Tag: Loreena Arenais-Valhoun

Heath appreciated the warm welcome, though he didn't know if it was politics or sincerity at this point. It didn't much matter, he now had a nice place to stay for a week while Rex and Loreena had "adventures", whatever that may mean.



Rex laughed softly as Loreena cracked the joke. He wondered if she truly could carry him. He doubted it, but it wouldn't be impossible. He weighed just under 210 pounds, at 6 feet, 2 inches tall. It was about the average weight for a man his size, with a lot of muscle weight from his time in The Wilderness. He didn't know how much Loreena weighed but he was confident he could carry her if needed.

He reeled his thoughts in, wondering how he even got to that point from what was clearly a joke. His mind was racing, going a mile per minute between what he would talk about tomorrow, to making a list of what he may need, and even to The Elysium Empire itself. It wasn't necessarily caused by stress, but it was certainly stressful, and he hated the fact that he would likely get very little sleep. Stress and lack of sleep made a terrible combination, no matter who the victim was. In his case it made him struggle to focus. In others' cases it caused anger, slow reflexes, and lack of memory. He hoped it wouldn't affect him too much in the coming days....

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[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Well at least Rex Valhoun knew that she was joking. But then again, she figured that she could carry him if she had to. Her pace would be slow, unless she somehow got the Force to help. However more than likely they wouldn't get in any sort of predicament where she'd end up having to carry him.

Lunch was nearly finished and Lori was quick empty her plate. She didn't touch the wine though, as she wanted a level head for the packing and following morning. There was no reason to fill it with alcohol fuzzies.

She wiped at the corners of her mouth with a hankerchief and then got to her feet. "Thanks for lunch Aunt Rowena, but now I think that I should go and get everything ready for the trip." Her eyes turned to Heath. "Nice meeting you. I'm sure that we'll have our own chats soon enough." Afterall, he could end up being her father-in-law, so she'd have to get to know him too.

Lori's gaze then fell lastly to Rex. "I'll see you here in the morning. Don't worry about food, I'll take care of that. So until then....goodnight." She wanted to add 'and stay outta trouble', but she refrained from doing so. More than likely her aunt was hoping that Lori would stay out of trouble for the rest of her life.

Fat chance of that happening though.

With a bow of her head, she turned from the table and headed out of the Estate. Packing and everything was going to be easy. It was convincing Arla that this was the right thing to do that would be the hardest.

 

[Rex Valhoun]

Post: 24
Tag: Loreena Arenais-Valhoun

Heath took one last bite of the amazing cake, then acknowledged Loreena's accurate assumption that they would talk in the near future with a nod, saying, "I'm sure we will. I look forward to it." Then he wiped his face off with a napkin as Loreena turned her attention to Rex.



Loreena would bring food, that was nice. Rex marked it off the list of items to buy. Then she wished him a good night and walked off. Maybe he imagined it, but yet again it sounded like there was more to what she wanted to say. He just didn't know her well enough yet to know if she really was holding something back. Tomorrow would give him an opportunity to get to know her well enough.

"Rowena, Father, I need to do some last-minute shopping to prepare for this trip tomorrow. I may not return until dark, so I guess this is goodnight." He turned to Rowena, "Thank you for your hospitality. I hope the trip will end in the result you are hoping for."

He was not lying. As things stood currently, he liked Loreena's personality enough that he could toughen up and marry her. It would help The Empire greatly, and Loreena wasn't a terrible person to, at the least, be friends with.

With his meal finished and his statement concluded, Rex dismissed himself. He still had a few hours of daylight, afterall, the meal was simply a late lunch.

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