Lu-cy, I'm Ho-oooome [Lorelei]

[Ayden Cater]

Kuat; a planet that had been taken into the folds of the One Sith Empire. Unlike Corellia however, it had been largely left untouched. Of course it was also still in one piece, but that was hardly the One Sith's fault. Since it had been largely left to its own devices and the oversight of its Queen, the TCS-950 shuttle had no trouble exiting hyperspace and making its way down to the surface. There was nothing noteworthy about this shuttle at all; it had no after-market modifications and kept to the given flight path. The only thing that made it interesting at all was that it was piloted by the former Lord Protector.

He toyed with the controls while guiding the shuttle down towards an area of Kuat that he had grown quite familiar with. His presence within the Force was muted entirely. There was no telling when he might have had to pass a Sith, and he had exactly zero desire to draw attention to himself. His purpose for visiting the planet was not one of subterfuge or sabotage. This wasn't his first trip to the planet, and he didn't intend on it being his last.

When the shuttle landed in a private hanger, he stepped out in attire that seemed a bit at odds with what he normally would wear. Rather than usual his duster and signature hat, he wore a sharp-looking suit that fit in perfectly with the aristocracy of Kuat's most elite. He fiddled with the cuffs some as he walked over to a waiting speeder. Climbing into it with the air of a small repulsor platform, Ayden powered it up and lazily exited the hanger and into Kuat proper. Once clear, he quickly climbed to the flight ceiling and openly sped off towards his destination. The Holonet was abuzz with the usual; wars, outbreaks of disease and discontent. One thing that caught his attention was a report that the Republic's leader had been accused of treasonous association with the Rebel Alliance.

Shaking his head quietly after hearing of the subsequent mess with Incom, Ayden leaned back and let the autopilot take over while he busied himself with a small parcel in his lap. His trips to Kuat were irregular to say the least. Sometimes he would visit for weeks at a time, others just a few days. Sometimes he would have six or seven trips in a month while other times he would go months between trips. It had been this way for a while now, though he wasn't overly fond of it. But the Sith presence on Kuat made it difficult to stay, even if they left the system largely to its own devices.

As the speeder slowed and began its descent, Ayden began to smile to himself. It had been a while since his last visit. She was sure to be cross with him for it, but that was part of what the gift was for. In the quiet country-side, a sprawling manor could be seen nestled within several hills. It was absolutely gorgeous in design; a fitting dwelling for the Queen of Kuat.

There were defenses, of course. Guards and battle droids patrolled the edge while a few turrets swiveled to track the incoming speeder. He entered in the requisite passcode to avoid being shot out of the air before he pulled in to the front gate. One of the guards was there to welcome him, taking the speeder off to a garage while Ayden began the long walk through the manor garden to get to the front gate. He could have landed closer and avoided the walk, but he found that the gardens helped him relax. Low cut hedges created a beautiful path while statues and marvelous fountains gave the grounds a sense of tranquility. He was sure that one of her servants would be there to greet him at the door rather than be there herself. Of course he did not begrudge her such as he knew full well the devotion she had for her projects and work. It was part of what he found so attractive in her. Who knew, perhaps he would run into her on the grounds. It was the one kind of surprise he did not mind.

 

[Quietus]

Where had the last month gone?

Today began at approximately 2:42AM, much like the day before and the day before that. With Titan cut loose from the OS and Rendili still proving to be a massive waste of good space realty, the gears of the KDY wound forever on in overdrive. War was on the horizon once again, and it was from the Crown shipyards that Lorelei Darke watched the shadows of the Empire seep back out into the galaxy one pristine and newly finished ship at a time.

Clockwork churned continuously, and where one's daylight became superficial and arbitrary, the time of day hardly seemed to matter anymore.

At the Darke Estate Manor things continued on in much the same manner as ever, though the pace was quite a bit more relaxed. That was how the Queen liked it, as this place had become one of her only escapes from the hive that was her daily life. Yet even here the craft of war couldn't be kept out entirely.

War waits for no one.

Lorelei poured over documented agreements freshly drafted that laid out the plans for their next big project. A behemoth of destruction to be tailored for the Primeval and perchance a Trojan Horse to be used to stir the pot. Difficult to say so early, but the seed had been planted and now all she could do is wait to see if it took root. Barren soil was, afterall, hard to grow a garden in but given the right circumstances...

"A drink, your Majesty."

The soft clink of glass and crystal upon the table drew green eyes from their silent musings, narrowing upon spying the honey-hued liquid offered up on the silver tray, "While I appreciate the thought, Miss Hardt, I hardly think partaking so early in the morning-"

"It's 3 in the afternoon, Your Majesty," Lacey replied gently as she leaned to turn the tray so that the label of the bottle could be read.

Whyren's Reserve. Vintage. An old vintage.

Lorelei's eyes widened, first at the revelation that she'd quite fully lost track of time and second that her Assistant would even dare produce that particular bottle, "You know the rule, Miss Hardt-"

"Forgive me, I know you did not ask for it but it would seem that the Old Whiskey is here for you regardless," Lacey was smiling with apologetic terror. Small wonder she was capable of keeping her voice steady.

The Queen blinked, eyes straying off towards the windows where the warm golden glow of the afternoon sun soaked the room. Without another word she promptly set aside the datapad in her hands, pulled the half-moon spectacles from her face, stood and strode out of the room.

Her steps were unhurried but with a sense of direction and purpose, muffled claps of strapped leather sandals across the tiled floors. They carried her through the winding halls, past servants who quickly bowed out of the way, across the saffron slashes of sun filtering in through stained-glass windows, beyond the polished columns of black marble and gold to a side courtyard entryway where she stood at the top of white-washed stone stairs in order to take in the sprawling estate gardens. Unusual that she would make such an effort to seek the man out at his arrival - theirs had been a most relaxed sort of affair. There had never been any hurry, and why should there be? For two beings that had stood against the test of time for literal centuries they had nothing left but time.

Today, however, was different. Not in the fact that he'd failed to announce his arrival but that she'd heard practically nothing out of him for quite a while. As she stared out through the lush scenery of greens it became apparent to Lorelei how different it really was. When she finally laid her eyes upon the shadow of his figure slowly strolling through she knew that for the first time in a very, very long time she'd have to come to terms with this and all the implications that came with it.

Hands resting on the banister of the veranda overlook, the Queen of Kuat released a slow, long breath.

She'd grown fond of the man and, damnit, she'd missed him.

[member="Ayden Cater"]

 

[Ayden Cater]

When he first came around the corner of a particularly high hedge and saw her standing atop the stairs, a small smile broke out across his face. He didn't break out into a run or yell. Neither one of them was prone to flights of fancy or unseemly explosions of unrestrained affection. She was a Queen. He might never have been ruler of Corellia proper, but he had wielded enough influence and power to have been as close to any. It would not be proper for either of them to behave in such an undignified manner, but even so there was no denying the shift in the air between them.

His eyes never left her as he came up to the split where stairs flanked him on either side. Briefly he broke his gaze away and looked at the stairs with some measure of ponderance. After a few moments he looked back up and simply jumped into the air. It wasn't a reckless action, seen in his continued composure as he soared through the air. His feet made an audible click as they touched the top of the stairwell balcony just a few scant meters from the Queen. Turning to face her as nonchalantly as one could after jumping three stories, he ran a hand through his hair and smiled.

Walking over to her without a word, Ayden stopped far closer to her person than would ever be appropriate for a normal person. But then again, he was anything but normal. For a heartbeat he neither did nor said anything, preferring to simply look into her vibrant green eyes.

Before meeting her, Ayden had long given up on the idea of forming any manner of romantic attachments. He could not bear the thought of losing another family, of watching his wife and children die in front of him or be ripped from his arms by an uncaring galaxy. He had resolved himself to never again feel such pain, but Ayden could not deny the feelings stirring in his chest at that very moment.

Reaching up with one hand, he gently stroked the side of her cheek with the back of his hand in a decidedly gentle caress. Her skin was like silk against the roughness of his hands, hands that had worked for centuries and done great and terrible things. Yet none of that could compare to how he felt right then at that very moment. To stand in her presence was a greater blessing, a greater joy, than anything he had experienced in the last four hundred years.

Ayden smiled in genuine happiness as he let his hand trail down her jawline, tipping her head back with the faintest touch. He did not have to lean down far for his lips to find her own in a tender kiss. It was neither hurried nor rough as he simply relished in the simple pleasure of having found a woman in his life whom was equal in every conceivable way. Somehow in a galaxy plagued with darkness and suffering, without every meaning to, Ayden Cater found himself in love.

And as he stood there in that quiet embrace, he quietly wondered to himself how he had ever managed to find such a woman. Perhaps he hadn't; perhaps the Queen of Kuat had rather found him. Maybe it was she who had picked him and he was simply left to follow her. Whomever found who, Ayden was content to let the galaxy handle its own affairs for the time being. It had lasted for millenia without his machinations; what was a week without him?

[member="Lorelei Darke"]

 

[Quietus]

She'd watched him approach from her vantage point with an expression of bemusement, green eyes crinkling against the tumult of thoughts now boiling within. Everything from why haven't you sent word? to what in the blue hell are you wearing?

To where's your stupid hat?

Her lip twitched at that one. That hat was a source of much deliberation for the Queen of Kuat. While it was, indeed, his signature look, it was also dubiously unfitting for one of his stature. Rather, one of what his stature had been. Yet as he stopped below to contemplate his move–left or right stair?–the Queen internally digressed. He simply wasn't him without that damn hat.

He jumped... and Lorelei raised a brow, slowly turning to meet him face to face where she would be curiously surprised as the coziness of his approach. Ever the quirky yet perfect gentlemen, typically it was she that closed the distance and she that initiated contact. Not that she minded. In fact in many ways she preferred it that way, but this was a pleasant change of pace Lorelei thought as his hand lifted to her face and she realized that somewhere along the line she'd grown fond of this, too.

Of his presence, his touch, his scent - he smelled of spacedust and hyperlight and on the right occasion he smelled of Old Whiskey, too. It had combined to create a rather effective attractant for the woman where he was concerned. Strange how centuries of cold, heartless romance simply kept for business had been washed away by a simple drink.

Old Whiskey was not a name coined by the Queen herself. As a matter of fact, it had been created by none other than Lacey Hardt, her Assistant. Late one evening, months and several visits ago, Lacey remarked how much the Queen changed when he was around. How his very presence simply seemed to soften the otherwise hard-worn edges of a woman who spent her days and nights immersed in her work.

He's your escape from the galaxy, Lacey had said, he's your glass of Old Whiskey.

The memory brought a smile to her lips in their kiss. Lorelei lifted her hands to his chest, palms smoothed over the fabric that felt so foreign in place of what was typically his leather coat, reaching up to his neck where they grasped for an extended moment to pull him in just a bit stronger. Something that could have easily developed into a greater heat of passion had she not the fortitude of a woman who held herself to high expectations and standards, who had complete control of herself at any given time. Centuries of practice did that.

There was also plenty of time for that later.

Lorelei parted from the kiss but lingered there for the simple pleasure of wallowing in his presence. Her eyes drifted from his cleanly shaven face and freshly shorn haircut down to his unusual attire. Handsome by any Kuatian standard.

"It's been a long time since I've felt under-dressed for something..." she remarked, noting that her own outfit for the day might've been considered work-casual for a Queen: black dress slacks, pale evergreen silk shirt, long sleeves, the buttons done up to appear modest but also in an effort to cover up what markings he knew were hidden beneath, "do I need to change? Are we going on a date?"

There was that raised brow again, a wry smirk forming on her lips.

[member="Ayden Cater"]

 

[Ayden Cater]

He could not help himself; Ayden chuckled quietly to himself while reviewing his attire and appearance. He suppose he did look rather dressed up from his usual attire; it was a sad day when he first realized that he wouldn't be allowed to wear his usual leather jacket and hat into a business meeting. Of course he could freely wear whatever the Nine Hells he wanted to when he was the Lord Protector. No one in their right might would have dared try to tell him what to wear, given the power and men he commanded.

But that was a long time ago, in another life it seemed.

"I do think I owe you a proper dinner, my Queen, if for no other reason than to explain my long silent absence." He spoke with a noted air of sophistication and eloquence that was rather unusual for the Corellian. He had always been a man of few, simple words, and he had never shied from speaking his mind to anyone, regardless of their station.

Before she could begin to suspect treachery or ask him what had crawled into his head, Ayden laughed openly before clapping a hand over his face to quiet himself before he embarrassed himself too much further. "Gods devour whatever Sithspawn-humping backbirth of a whore's bantha milker thought up these sorts of manners." Even if his attire and shaven appearance stood out as out of place, there was no denying that coarse tongue of his when it came out.

With that little outburst out of the way, Ayden offered his arm to escort the queen back into her manor. Far more at ease now, Ayden walked with her and seemed almost his old self. "I suppose while we walk I can give you the short version of the events that have kept me from you these past months." However much of a Kuati gentleman he looked, there was absolutely no mistaking that warm Corellian accent that twisted each word almost as if it were a joke unto itself.

"I was initially getting a ship of mine refitted within the Sanctum space when I picked up some bounty hunters on my trail. Idiotic sons of whores, but they were persistent I have to confess. I had to go to ground while my ship was being fixed up. Couldn't risk any sort of transmission. Finally I had to take some distasteful measures to shake them long enough to get a ship and get out." Exactly what measures he had to take he didn't fully explain, but it wasn't too hard to guess as he frequently ran his hand over his head, as if he expected all of his hair to still be there or ran the backside of his hand across his jaw and chin while looking for the usual trim that he wore more than even that vornskyr-leather hat.

He took his time in escorting her through the halls of the manor, openly admiring the decor. "It took me a few weeks, posing as an aid from Kuat Drive Yards in high circles before I was convinced that I'd lost them. That was yesterday. Once I knew I was in the clear, I doubled-back to pick up my ship just as quickly as I could manage with an outfit like this before I came here." That explained the altered appearance and suit, and mostly explained the disappearance without so much as a word.

Finding his way to the stairs that would lead up to the higher levels, he continued to walk alongside her while sneaking sideways glances at her ever-so-often. "Allow me to take you out to dinner, perhaps another opera if it suits your schedule." A faint smirk touched the corners of his mouth as he remembered the last time they had gone out to an opera. What a night that had been... "If the Queen of Kuat can spare a few hours of her time, perhaps I can make these last few months up to her."

[member="Lorelei Darke"]

 

[Quietus]

Ever the good listener, the Queen was silent on [member="Ayden Cater"]'s arm as they slowly traversed the halls of her home and the man regaled her with his latest adventure.

"Hmm," coy, Lorelei contemplated this glib-tongued-sailor-in-a-suit as they walked. He never did things the easy way, did he? They were at grand staircase now and up they climbed.

"Well I'm glad the KDY could prove its usefulness for you yet again..." she smirked, catching one of his sideways glances with a leering flick of green eyes. Of course, evading capture was really the more important thing here but verbal concern was something she was long out of practice with. A softer smile would have to suffice, stretching into something more at the mention of dinner, of Opera. She wasn't wearing the necklace he gave her, unusual because she had taken to wearing it quite a lot since that lone night at the Allegreno Opera House all those years ago.

Perhaps it was time to wear it again.

She paused on the stairs as if to consider whether or not a few hours were something she could spare. As if the Queen of Kuat couldn't even make her own schedule. As if it were some great inconvenience to host him here for as long as he wished to stay, for as long as was safe for him to stay.

"I suppose if all I get are a few hours then dinner and the Opera will have to do..." Lorelei sniffed, giving him an indignant glance as she lifted a hand to touch at the lapels of his suit, "but I'll never know what to wear to match ...this. You'll have to help me pick something out."


The Royal Suite was large enough to be a house in and off itself, segregated from the main manor as to provide the Queen the utmost privacy. Here she had a drawing room, a solar, a smaller private office, a courtyard and enclosed hedge garden, an expansive wine cellar...the list went on. Ayden, by now, was quite familiar with the formal amenities contained within. A home-away-from-home perhaps, for as often has he had stayed here. To note, little had changed aside from the newest addition on the mantle over the fireplace: a painting depicting scenery from the capital city of Exocron, and judging by the style a more recent venture of the young Crowne Sovereign Amorella.

"The annual Burning Tree Ceremony is in a month," she remarked with a glance at the painting, "this year to include Amore's marriage to Lord Ashmedai as part of the Empire's insurance policy on Kuat..." words spoken with a notable lack of enthusiasm. Lorelei slipped out of her sandals before disappearing behind a folding screen, "I'd send you an invitation if I didn't think your presence would detract from the attention on my daughter..."

 

[Ayden Cater]

Despite her indignant sniff, Ayden could plainly see the sparkle in her eyes that told him what she truly felt. It brought another warm smile to his face as he stood there simply admiring the view. "I did not mean to imply a brief visit, Lorelei. I just assumed that a few hours is the most your schedule could spare you for the night on such short notice." He remembered all too well the toils and labors that came with being a ruler. Of course his schedule had been a bit more hectic as he ruled over whole sectors over space as opposed to a single system, but that did not mean it was incomparable. Often his schedule would be planned out days or weeks in advance. Any sudden shift in it (and, to be fair to his aids, he did have a nasty habit of chucking the whole thing out an airlock) and it could take weeks to clear the backlog.

"If your intention is for me to pick out something for you to wear, perhaps it best if we called in one of your retainers. Left to me, you could very go out in nothing." There was an obvious air of jest as he finished speaking, finding himself a seat to relax in as she disappeared from view. His ears perked when she mentioned the arranged marriage and annual ceremony on the horizon. He expression was rather blank as he mused on the implications of such a deal. He could not begrudge Lorelei for acquiescing to the One Sith's seizing the system for their own rule. It had earned her people little change in their lives because of it. Meanwhile, his pride... No matter. Though he was still troubled...

"Why your daughter?" It seemed an obvious question, and he was sure she had an answer for him. However, the other reasons he could come up with for such an arrangement concerned him. Were it simply a matter of control, the One Sith could just as easily force her to marry one of their own. If they had her marry off one of her daughters in the belief that they couldn't control the Queen herself, then what was to stop them from arranging for the Queen's death after the ceremony? They would have their puppet government to ensure completely loyalty and obedience.

"I'm sure I don't have to say that you cannot trust the Sith. Every treaty, every deal that they've made has been broken. They kill for the pleasure. What's to stop them from having you killed and taking control of the throne through your daughter? If they got that kind of control over the planet, it may prove impossible to ever get rid of them." It was no secret to Lorelei by this point that Ayden was a rather disillusioned man when it came to the Jedi and a deeply distrustful and resentful man when it came to the One Sith. Perhaps he could have saved Corellia had the One Sith not invaded, perhaps he could not. Regardless, his world was practically a tomb and the One Sith were sitting atop it. That was reason enough for him to dislike them. But he knew full well the atrocities they committed, the horrors they brought down upon worlds. He had seen their desecration of Alderaan, their twisted work with Cira. Of course, the Republic was not much better, but he would take the bumbling fool of a ruler over the treacherous one any day.

"I could attend, you know. No one would ever know it was me." He had a penchant for secrecy and stealth that he passed on to Sarge, and he had picked up a few new tricks from the Order of the Selab and his own work. "I must confess my own ill-ease at the idea of you attending such a gathering without me." Nothing to do with any sense of jealousy over whomever would escort her to such an event, no...

[member="Lorelei Darke"]

 

[Quietus]

"Why your daughter?"

Lorelei paused in her endeavor to undress, a knowing smirk slowly pulling at the corners of her face.

"Why not me?" she intoned from behind the folding screen, fingers slowly returning to the buttons of her blouse, "Why not my son? I should think it obvious why her..."

Amore was young, beautiful, intelligent, educated by Professors of the highest regard, talented, and currently named Sovereign Heiress - set to inherit the mantle of Kuat and everything that came with it, down to the very last metal bolt. Amore was also, in the minds of the Sith, naive and inexperienced. Easily lead, controlled, intimidated. If the treaty talks between the Queen and the Empire's representatives had proven anything to them - it was that the Queen herself was not a force to be trifled with.

Her son, though older, had not been chosen as Heir, though he was next in line should anything happen to his sister. Amadeus, however, was not a prime choice. Belligerent and uncontrollable to the nines, his very absence from the world for the last several years was point enough that he held no interests here.
But the Heiress? She was the perfect target.

Draping her blouse and slacks over the top of the folding screen, Lorelei slipped into a black satin robe, loosely tying the sash at her waist before stepping out. She did not immediately make way for Ayden, but instead stepped over to the bar where she poured a single tumbler of Corellian meade.

"I'm sure I don't have to say that you cannot trust the Sith. Every treaty, every deal that they've made has been broken. They kill for the pleasure. What's to stop them from having you killed and taking control of the throne through your daughter? If they got that kind of control over the planet, it may prove impossible to ever get rid of them."

There again came that knowing smile, only this time he could see it.

Lorelei languidly stalked back over to where he sat, glass held aloft as she invited herself onto his lap. Despite his concern she remained remarkably at ease - enough to sample the drink before she offered it to him.

"Ashmedai is my insurance policy on Amorella," she spoke softly, "they are Force Bonded and have been for several years in secret. Rather than continuing to live their lives together in the shadows, they've chosen to use their union as a means to a greater end. Amorella gets to step into the throne without fear of being hunted and the Empire believes Ashmedai has everything under control." Conceptually, the idea was rather perfect for all intents and purposes. There were inherent risks for both sides but Lorelei had confidence in their ability to pull it off.

"I could attend, you know. No one would ever know it was me."

"Oh...?" her head canted to one side curiously at this, amusement playing in her expression.

"I must confess my own ill-ease at the idea of you attending such a gathering without me."

There came a droll smile, "Afraid I'll dance with someone without two left feet?" and it grew into toothy grin. Gerion Ardik had been her escort for the last several public gatherings, which in turn had provided some measure of complacency for the Sith. Seeing the Queen of Kuat actively engaging with other notable Sith-aligned figureheads, namely a one Viceroy of Hypori, gave the impression that she was content with her lot within the Empire. But Gerion was no longer with the Sith following the Titan debacle - he'd skipped off to join the Techno Union and not without sending her an invite to follow suite.

She drew a thumb lightly across his brow before smoothing her hand through his hair, "Learned to become a changeling have you? Let's see you do it, then." The Queen gave an expectant smirk.

[member="Ayden Cater"]

 

[Ayden Cater]

[member="Lorelei Darke"]

Ayden listened attentively even as the woman who had found a way to thaw his heart and worm her way in slid onto his lap with all the grace one could expect to find in a queen with absolutely none of the care for the appearance. Her scent invaded his senses, a spicy, heady aroma that gave him a moment's pause in attention before he came back in time to listen to Lorelei explain exactly why she had no qualms with her daughter's wedding.

He could not help but smile even as she explained the meaning behind it at and why she was not at all concerned for her daughter. It was all well and good that her daughter's life was safe but that was not his concern here. Lorelei remained the current ruler of Kuat, and all that stood in the way between assured the One Sith and assured dominion over the planet, possibly for generations, was the relatively simple matter of assassinating the current Queen.

And then she smiled. It was a simple gesture, and rather impish in his opinion, but he could not help himself and smile along with her. It seemed ages since he could just smile like that in the comfort of someone he cared very deeply for. When she grinned and made her ridiculous challenge, Ayden very nearly blew up his cheeks to make a rather childish expression to mock her right back. Instead, he simply stood up with her in his arms to make a point.

First he set her down gently before taking a few steps back. For a heartbeat his presence within the Force shone like it would normally if he weren't suppressing it. And then, gradually at first, it began to darken. Ayden was no stranger to the Dark Side of the Force. He knew quite well the feeling of fire rushing through his veins, of ice bearing down on his mind and electric jolts crashing against his every sense. It was exhilarating to say the least, but he kept his composure without any real difficulty.

The final touch came when his eyes, normally an brilliant shade of green, paled and twisted into an unnaturally vivid shade of burnished gold. He placed an open hand across his heart and made a grandiose show of bowing before the Queen of Kuat. "It would be an honor to escort the Queen of my beloved homeworld to her daughter's marriage to the illustrious Ashmedai." His voice carried an equally unnatural reverberation in each word, the signature mark of one deep within the clutches of the Dark Side.

Just as quickly as that shadow fell over him it retreated, though there was a noticeable aftereffect to be found in the sweat across his brow and moment to catch his breath. It would not have been nearly so difficult to maintain that appearance, certainly not for a wedding ceremony, but it took a lot to come back so quickly from that. The Dark Side was easy to fall into, but difficult to escape. Its claws burrowed quick into ones mind and refused to let go easily or gently.

"The Force is a powerful thing, is it not? I see no reason then why I can't go with you. As I said before, it is not your daughter that I am the most concerned with. Corellia had an armada dropped on it very recently to crack down on dissidents. I have no doubt in my mind that once Amorella is married off to Ashmedai, no matter how honest their love for each other is, the One Sith will very quickly turn their attention to getting rid of you to put her on the throne."

 

[Quietus]

The Queen was silent for some time as he performed his trick. For a while she looked unconvinced and her first response was to simply take another slow drink. All things considered, what he was proposing was likely a greater risk than her having no escort to the festival at all. Still, his feat of the Force took a great deal of skill, power, concentration and control - all things she knew him to possess.

But...

"For all your wiles, Sir, you still look like Ayden Cater."

Even without the hat.

She watched him ponderously over the glass in her hand, the smell of meade lingering within her thoughts. There were ways to change one's appearance without too much trouble and the first that came to mind was likely the easiest. It wouldn't even require him to take on a Darksider's aura, but it would require her son giving up one of his most prized possessions. For all she knew, her son might plan to use it himself to attend.

"Don't sweat in your suit on my account. The Sith have been trying to off me for centuries and, well..." she casually gestured to herself as if to say, I'm still here. Head tipped askance, her expression warmed, "I would want no one else but you at my side for the wedding of my only daughter. Thank goodness you have an entire month to grow a beard," she chuckled.

[member="Ayden Cater"]