Private The Hidden Fortress

[Junko Ike]

Supisy Blen

Her hands moved without hurry, each motion a quiet conversation with the clay. The block of earthenware had long since lost its cool resistance, warmed by the steady pressure of her palms and the room's still, temperate air. She cupped it lightly at first, mapping its surface with the flats of her fingers, testing its give. There was no sound but the faint, damp whisper of skin over the softening grain, a sound so subtle it might have been her own pulse if she hadn't known better. Slowly, her thumbs pressed inward, finding the center of the mass not by sight but by an older, deeper calibration muscle memory informing bone, equilibrium unfolding in the gradual, even hollow that opened beneath her touch. The clay's slight grit, a fine, almost imperceptible texture against the whorls of her fingertips, was the only anchor tethering her to the moment.

Every minute shift of moisture across the surface, every minute give, became the whole of her world. She breathed in time with the rotation of her wrists, her shoulders still, the column of her spine an axis around which the form began to gather itself into purpose. Shaping came next, a slower, more deliberate stage where the vague dome and wall of clay began to respond to intention. She used the side of her index finger, tracing a line of gentle tension upward and out, coaxing rather than forcing. The material bowed to that guidance, yielding in smooth planes that caught the muted light seeping through gauze-draped windows. Where the clay grew thin, she felt the living flex of it, a subtle tremor under the pad of her thumb that warned of collapse before the eye could see. She paused often, not from hesitation but from a kind of listening fingers resting, nerves awake to the tiny, vital messages of temperature and density.

A damp sponge lay nearby, but she rarely used it, preferring the slight drag of nearly-dry hands that gave her exact information about every silken ridge and shallow groove left by her knuckles. The emerging silhouette was still nameless, a pure expression of balance and curve, hollow and solid in silent ratio. She turned it marginally, studying the play of shadow across its flanks, and with the crescent of her nail made the smallest, most considered indent a punctuation mark that resolved one contour and asked the next question. In the final pass over, her touch grew feather-light, a grazing presence that erased all evidence of tool or tremor. She smoothed the rim with a single, unbroken orbit of a dampened fingertip, feeling the clay grow sleek and cool again under that thin slip of water.

Dust hung motionless in a slant of late light, too fine to scent, too still to stir. She worked in a hush that was almost empty of sensory weight no scrape of a rib, no splash of slurry, only the body's own quiet mechanics and the uninterrupted hush of concentration. The form had become something with a slow, breathing presence, its curves holding shadows like water in a cupped palm. She sat back at last, forearms faintly dusted with grey-white, hands suspended just above the piece as if the intent still hummed between them. It was complete, not because she had finished, but because it now held the quiet, expectant silence of a thing waiting to be recognized. Before her, resting on the board, lay the final shape of the statue using the clay from Atrisia. Junko stood there as she had her hair pinned back with ribbons.

Her breathing evened out and here on the isle of the hidden is was a beautiful statue she was making while her workout shorts and top was simple. Made for the sweat that glistened while she was outside with it. Her lightly golden skin and honey colored hair perfect in places. She was still working and there had been much more work done on Atrisia with her works. Meeting with others outside of Atrisia had proven interesting after the conference... it was further out then she had thought but she was able to work with it... and seeing the empires technological level... didn't worry her as much. Atrisia was much much more as they continued to advance their equipment and technologies. Their cities continued to expand and grow, the Commonwealth continued to benefit.

 

[Supisy Blen]

Objective: Back to the Noble Life
Location: Junko’s Palace, Atrisia
Outfit:Casual Palace Attire
Tags: Junko Ike

Supisy Blen had flown through asteroid shoals under Hutt fire, skimmed the fractured canyons of Rishi with half a stabilizer, and once landed a spice freighter on a platform two sizes too small because the buyer had insisted on "discretion." None of that had prepared her for court life.

Or for Junko Ike. Even now, as a lady of Atrisia, with silks replacing patched flight jackets and etiquette tutors having done their merciless work on her vowels, posture, and tendency to swear when surprised, Supisy still occasionally felt like someone had dressed a blaster in pearls and declared it civilized.

Today was one of those days. She stood just within the shaded threshold of the sculpting terrace, careful not to let the soft soles of her house slippers announce too much against the polished stone. The Hidden Isle had a way of swallowing noise; even the sea beyond the carved walls seemed to hush itself here, leaving only the low breathing of wind through hanging gauze and the quieter, stranger sound of Junko at work.

Supisy's blue eyes fixed on the Princess. Not because Junko demanded attention—though she often did without trying—but because the woman seemed to move as if the rest of the world had accepted a slower heartbeat in her presence. Supisy folded her arms loosely beneath her chest and leaned one shoulder against the doorway, watching the clay turn beneath Junko's hands.

She had seen mechanics rebuild ion turbines with less focus. The former smuggler found herself narrowing her eyes slightly, studying each minute press of thumb and finger as though she could somehow decode it into something familiar—cargo calculations, atmospheric vectors, profit margins, anything practical. But there was nothing practical about this. It was all patience. All measured touch. Every motion looked too soft to accomplish anything, and yet beneath that softness something undeniable had emerged.

A shape. A figure. Meaning drawn from mud. Supisy huffed a faint breath through her nose. Still witchcraft as far as she was concerned.

Her gaze dragged from the statue to Junko herself—sweat glistening over sun-warmed skin, honey hair pinned back, ribbons stirring lazily, athletic clothes clinging in all the places a woman should have no business looking that composed while covered in clay dust.

Supisy blinked once. Then twice. Her noble tutors had also failed to prepare her for this particular recurring problem.

She pushed off the doorway and stepped forward at last, clasping her hands behind her back in a posture she had been repeatedly told looked "less like hired muscle and more like landed aristocracy." It still felt idiotic. Her head tilted as she circled halfway around the unfinished work, boots silent, eyes flicking from statue to sculptor.

"Your Highness," she said, voice carrying that trace of rough spacer cadence no amount of polishing had entirely removed, "I have now officially decided that what you do with clay is either art..."

A small smirk tugged at one corner of her mouth. "...or an Atrisian state secret the rest of us are too undereducated to understand." She glanced at the statue again, genuinely impressed despite herself. It had presence already. Supisy didn't know the first thing about sculpture, but she knew when something made a room feel occupied.

Her attention returned to Junko, softer this time. There was still a strange dissonance in addressing the woman as Princess while remembering the day Junko had looked at a smuggler with grease on her cheek and debts on her head and decided she was worth dragging into nobility. Worth saving. Worth refining. Supisy still wasn't certain Junko understood what that had meant. Or perhaps she understood entirely too well.

Supisy lifted one brow, the grin becoming easier. "I came to tell you the supply manifests from the western docks are balanced, two of your new Commonwealth delegates have stopped trying to bribe the kitchen staff for private audiences, and one of the instructors says I'm now only 'moderately offensive' at formal tea."

A beat. She looked Junko up and down with deliberate theatrical skepticism. "But now I'm thinking all of that may be less urgent than determining how one woman manages to look serene while bullying dirt into royalty."

She came to a stop beside the worktable, near enough now that the smell of wet clay and sun-warmed skin reached her. Supisy rested a hip lightly against the edge. There was comfort here now—still unfamiliar in its finery, but comfort nonetheless. A hidden fortress indeed, she thought.

Not of stone. Of strange second chances. Her expression settled into something fondly crooked as she nodded toward the sculpture. "So." She tipped her chin. "Do I get to know what this is meant to be, or am I expected to stand here and pretend I understand transcendent Atrisian symbolism until you pity me?"

 

[Junko Ike]

Supisy Blen

The presence was there, faint and on the edge of the room at first as she pretended not to entirely notice. She only stopped with a small smile when she looked up. A laugh for the moment as Supisy's comments as she moved down and stood there. Supisy was nicely dressed and always welcoming as a beauty. She on the other hand was in workout looking equipment that benefitted her in many cases before she spoke. "Well I was planning on something amazing, something grand to have displayed for the heroes of the defense of Atrisia but there are so many and well we have already seen how some of them acted." She said it and their visiting for the conference had been illuminating.

"Then there is always the chance it could be another one for the garden. I don't always know what it will be until right before." She said it and there was the statue of her with Supisy and Latyuo in the garden with the fountain. "Though be nice to the delegates at least a little. they serve a good function and we have been able to upgrade and expand many of our things thanks to them.. and Miyoung. Mostly Miyoung but she makes sure all of their educational implants are updated and learning to evolve the learning for the Atrisian citizens." She said it though with a wider grin on her face. "We have plenty more to teach and you won't believe some of the systems Miyoung has made for our ships."

She said it and had been using the time to simply wipe off her hands. Staying there as she looked at the twi'lek and spoke offering a sweet smile. "And you do look beautiful today."

 

[Supisy Blen]

Objective: Back to the Noble Life
Location: Junko’s Palace, Atrisia
Outfit:Casual Palace Attire
Tags: Junko Ike

Supisy's mouth curved immediately, that crooked half-smirk arriving with all the easy shamelessness of someone who still had not learned how Atrisian ladies were apparently supposed to accept compliments without looking pleased by them. "A dangerous thing to tell me, Your Highness," she said, one hand settling over her chest in theatrical offense. "I'll become completely insufferable if I think I'm succeeding." The effect was ruined by the grin that followed.

She let her eyes drift once more over the clay figure, then to the broader collection of pieces half-finished and completed around the terrace. Junko's hands seemed incapable of making anything that did not somehow belong exactly where it sat—as if stone, garden, sea breeze, and sculpture had all signed the same agreement before Supisy ever arrived. She envied that sort of certainty.

Her shoulders loosened and she moved nearer the main table, fingertips brushing the smooth edge of the stone. "I am grateful to them," she admitted after a moment, tone turning more sincere. "The heroes, I mean. Atrisia might look untouched from the palace balconies, but I know enough from my old life to understand how quickly worlds can go from beautiful to burning."

Her jaw shifted slightly. There were still flashes she remembered from orbit during the defense—ships moving like angry stars, the kind of violence that made civilian worlds feel terribly fragile. "A debt is still a debt," she continued, quieter. "Even if some of those who came to collect gratitude didn't do it from pure goodness."

Blue eyes lifted back to Junko. "People rarely do anything from pure goodness. Doesn't mean the result matters less." A beat passed before the old glimmer of humor returned. "And before you say anything—yes, I know, that was almost noble of me."

She straightened, folding her hands primly in front of herself in a mocking imitation of the etiquette tutors. "I am always nice." The declaration was so plainly false in delivery that Supisy herself gave a small snort. "Historically beloved for it, in fact."

Her gaze wandered toward the mention of the garden, and she nodded toward the distant arches where some of Junko's previous works stood among fountains and flowering stone paths. "Garden pieces are better, personally," she said. "They feel less..." Her fingers made a vague circular motion searching for the word. "Ceremonial. Less like they're asking to be admired by politicians pretending to understand art."

She tilted her head. "In the gardens they get to simply exist. Sun, water, flowers, the occasional scandalized noblewoman wondering whether a statue is too sensual for public decency." Supisy glanced sidelong toward Junko. "I support those ones the most, naturally. I have an open endorsement for nudity."

At the mention of Miyoung and the ship systems, genuine interest flickered. Now that, unlike sculpture, was a language Supisy understood. "Miyoung is a terrifying genius," she said with a low whistle. "The new navigational overlays alone make half the Commonwealth captains look like they're piloting relics from a museum."

She paused. "Though I still maintain no educational implant in the galaxy can make some of these delegates less irritating."

Then Junko smiled at her again. And Supisy, for all her practiced wit, lost the next immediate reply somewhere between her throat and her better judgment. Because Junko stood there in simple training clothes dusted in clay, sunlight touching the honey of her pinned hair, skin faintly damp from exertion, looking entirely too effortless for it to be fair.

Supisy's eyes moved—admiringly, openly, perhaps a touch too slowly—from Junko's shoulders, to the athletic line of her waist, to the graceful strength in her legs before returning upward. No court tutor had yet successfully beaten the spacer honesty out of her.

She exhaled once through her nose. "With respect, Princess..." she said, voice lowering into something warmer, less flippant. "That is profoundly unfair."

One brow arched. "You standing there pretending this is merely workout attire when it fits you like Atrisia commissioned it personally."

Her hip leaned against the stone table, arms folding now as she simply looked at Junko with unconcealed appreciation. "You always look beautiful," Supisy said, and for once there was no joke immediately attached to it. Just simple admiring truth. A softer smile touched her mouth. "But today you're making it very difficult to remember I came here to discuss shipping manifests."

 

[Junko Ike]

Supisy Blen

She looked at Supisy and gave a nod of her head while she was leading the way over. "Fair in ways but educational implants have allowed us to standardize the training of nearly three hundred worlds. With the inclusion of moons we are terraforming and planets in the systems we are expanding internally the Commonwealths space. It allows us to bring refugees in who add to our glorious melting pot... and Miyoung has done things now that she was able to develop her super computers." She said it but was moving so that they would be able to go and be discussing her shipping manifests and logs. "As for the outfit... they are compression but after that Conference I just felt like something was needed... that planet needed help and only wanted to exploit the people coming to it. Made me feel dirty and not the fun kind of dirty the merits fun bath times."

 

[Supisy Blen]

Objective: Back to the Noble Life
Location: Junko’s Palace, Atrisia
Outfit:Casual Palace Attire
Tags: Junko Ike

Supisy listened as Junko spoke about the Commonwealth expanding outward across hundreds of worlds with the same tone another woman might use to discuss rearranging flowers for dinner. It still fascinated her.

Junko could talk about terraforming moons, refugee integration, educational infrastructure, and advanced supercomputers while standing barefoot in compression clothes dusted with clay like some impossibly elegant artisan empress. Supisy was increasingly convinced Atrisians were manufactured differently from the rest of the galaxy.

Her eyes lingered shamelessly as Junko moved ahead of her, the fitted workout attire catching every graceful shift of motion. Compression indeed. Supisy cleared her throat once, entirely for appearances. "Mm." She nodded solemnly. "A tragic burden. Truly. The Commonwealth suffers greatly beneath the oppression of your clothing fitting you too well."

She followed after Junko at an easy pace, hands slipping casually into the pockets of her loose outer wrap. "And for the record," she continued, "if Atrisia starts weaponizing attractive royalty in compression wear, I think several neighboring governments are going to surrender preemptively."

A grin tugged across her face. "Possibly me included."

At the mention of the conference planet, however, her expression softened into something more understanding. Supisy had spent enough years hauling cargo through desperate systems to recognize exploitation when she smelled it.

"Some worlds get so used to surviving they forget how to be decent," she said. "Or maybe they decide decency costs too much."

Her nose wrinkled faintly. "I didn't like it either."

Then Junko added not the fun kind of dirty and Supisy barked a surprised laugh before she could stop herself. "There she is," Supisy said warmly. "I was wondering how long the dignified Princess act would last today."

She stepped closer as they walked, shoulder nearly brushing Junko's. "And here I thought I was coming to discuss shipping manifests with a responsible head of state." Supisy waved one hand dismissively through the air. "Which, by the way, I am officially deciding we absolutely do not need to discuss anymore."

A beat. "The ships exist. The manifests are manifesting. The cargo appears largely un-exploded." She nodded with exaggerated authority. "I've completed my assessment."

Eyes slid toward Junko again, bright with mischief. "Besides, if you start talking about logistics while looking like that, I cannot be held accountable for how little information I retain." She tilted her head slightly as they continued through the terrace path, gaze dipping once more over Junko's athletic frame with absolutely no attempt at subtlety now.

"You realize this is probably unfair to normal people, yes?" Supisy's voice lowered conspiratorially. "Some poor delegate is going to come here expecting trade negotiations and accidentally agree to surrender mining rights because they got distracted by your shoulders."

She leaned in just slightly closer. "And before you accuse me of exaggerating, I would like it formally noted that I myself no longer remember a single thing about those western dock reports."

 

[Junko Ike]

Supisy Blen

She had the benefit to pretend mocked surprise at that comment. "Ah I am always dignified. I am like the most sophisticated princess in the galaxy."She said it while being complimented with a laugh to herself. More she was looking at herself and she looked like she had been working... okay hobby sure but you dind't wear a kimono or robes to work with clay you tried to minimalize what there was that could mess with it. "This is just for working with the clay, don't want to get something stuck and ruin it or destroy the silks. Formal meetings as you have seen are usually kept in the main hall and fully clothing." She said it with a smile on her face when she found a place to sit. "But please the manifests that are manifesting... hopefully it is not too serious?"

 

[Supisy Blen]

Objective: Back to the Noble Life
Location: Junko’s Palace, Atrisia
Outfit:Casual Palace Attire
Tags: Junko Ike

Supisy let out a soft, disbelieving huff at that—something between a laugh and a quiet concession that Junko could, in fact, say something completely ridiculous and somehow make it sound halfway true.

“The most sophisticated princess in the galaxy,” she repeated, as if weighing the claim. Her head tilted, eyes narrowing just slightly in exaggerated scrutiny as she took Junko in again—this time with deliberate slowness, as though conducting a very serious inspection.

“Mmm,” she murmured. “Dangerously convincing.” She drifted a step closer as Junko settled, her posture loosening into something far less formal than anything her tutors would have approved of. One hand came to rest lightly against the back of the seat Junko had chosen, giving Supisy a slight lean toward her without quite invading space.

“Though I will say,” she added, voice warming, “you’re doing yourself a disservice if you think this is somehow the superior version.”

A small smirk tugged at her lips. “I’ve seen you in full court attire. Silks, jewels, the whole terrifying display of Atrisian perfection.” Her gaze flicked over Junko again, softer this time, more admiring than teasing. “You look just as good like that as you do now.”

A beat. “Which, for the record, is wildly inconvenient for the rest of us trying to maintain composure.”

Her attention shifted briefly outward, toward the open terrace and the distant suggestion of the docks far beyond. “The manifests?” Supisy echoed, as if remembering they technically still existed. “Oh, I’m sure they’re fine.”

She waved a hand lightly, dismissing entire logistical systems with the confidence of someone who had once lived and died by them. “Ships are arriving. Ships are leaving. Cargo is where it should be, or at least where someone claims it should be.” A small shrug followed. “Nothing is on fire. No one is shooting at anyone.”

She paused, then added thoughtfully—“To my knowledge.”

That same crooked smile returned. “But,” she continued, shifting her weight so her hip rested more comfortably against the chair’s edge, “there is one glaring inefficiency I’ve identified in the entire operation.”

Her eyes slid back to Junko, bright with mischief. “My ship.” A beat, just long enough to let the implication settle. “The Verdant Deviant is, tragically, not benefiting from all of this dazzling Atrisian advancement you keep mentioning.” Her tone took on a mock-serious gravity. “Outdated systems. Underappreciated engineering. A pilot forced to endure suboptimal performance in the name of… what, exactly? Tradition?”

Supisy placed a hand lightly over her chest, as though personally wounded by the injustice. “I think,” she said carefully, “the shipping situation would improve dramatically if that particular oversight were corrected.”

Her smile sharpened just slightly. “Upgraded navigation, enhanced shielding, maybe some of those Miyoung miracles you mentioned…” She leaned in just a fraction closer. “For the good of the Commonwealth, obviously.”

A soft exhale of amusement followed. “Purely selfless motivation on my part.”

 

[Junko Ike]

Supisy Blen

She looked at her and remained listening. The smile there and with a nod. "The advancements shall be whatever you need. the Lady Latty has been enjoying her retirement and seclusion sadly." She said it but had a smile on her face over everything that they would be able to get and do. "But I promised you all the upgrades you could want and have never been one to go back on it so. What were you looking at?" Her smile remained but she would be able to do a lot more. THen Supisy was listing it and Junko raised her eyebrows with excitement. "Oh yes purely for the aid of the Commonwealth. Selfless indeed." She said it but had a smile and didn't really worry to much. "You know you are valued and should have only the best, we'll start the grand upgrading process to give you everything you need and I'll have Miyoung look it over."

 

[Supisy Blen]

Objective: Back to the Noble Life
Location: Junko’s Palace, Atrisia
Outfit:Casual Palace Attire
Tags: Junko Ike

Supisy’s expression softened the moment Junko mentioned Latty. It wasn’t dramatic—no heavy sigh, no lingering melancholy—but something quieter, more private. A flicker of memory. Of long hyperspace lanes and shared cockpits, of arguments over routes and credits and who had the better instincts when things went sideways.

“Yeah…” she murmured, gaze drifting somewhere past the terrace for a second. “Retirement.” A small breath slipped out through her nose, almost a laugh. “Never thought I’d hear that word attached to her.”

Her lips curved again, this time gentler. “She deserves it, though. More than most.” A slight tilt of her head followed, thoughtful. “Even if I still think she’s going to get bored and start secretly fixing someone else’s ship any day now.”

Supisy’s eyes flicked back to Junko then, something more playful returning. “Though now I’m wondering how much of that ‘seclusion’ involves staying very conveniently close to a certain Princess.”

There it was—that easy grin again, edged with curiosity but not quite pressing. “She always did have good taste in where she spent her time.” The thought seemed to settle pleasantly rather than stir anything sour. If anything, it made her smile a little wider.

Then Junko said Miyoung. And Supisy lit up. Actually lit up—shoulders straightening, eyes brightening in a way that had nothing to do with flirtation and everything to do with ships, systems, and the intoxicating promise of improvement.

“Miyoung?” she repeated, the name carrying clear excitement. Her hands came up briefly, as if she needed to physically contain the reaction.

“Oh, that is—” she stopped herself, laughed once, then tried again with mock composure. “That is an entirely reasonable and measured decision.”

It failed immediately. “That is incredible.” She pushed off the chair, pacing a half-step like a pilot already mentally tearing her ship apart and rebuilding it better.

“She’s going to turn the Verdant Deviant into something illegal in at least twelve systems,” Supisy said, almost reverently. “I might actually have to start flying responsibly just to keep up with it.”

A beat. “…No, I won’t. But the option will exist.” Her grin sharpened again as she turned back toward Junko, the earlier warmth folding neatly back into that effortless, teasing confidence.

“Though,” she added, drawing the word out slightly, “if Miyoung is overseeing it…” Supisy tilted her head, considering. “That’s going to take time.”

Her gaze settled fully on Junko again, slow and deliberate, the playful edge returning in full. A step closer. Then another. “And that leaves us with a very important problem,” she said lightly. Supisy stopped just within comfortable proximity, arms folding loosely as she leaned in just a fraction—not enough to crowd, just enough to shift the air between them.

“What exactly are we supposed to do while my ship is being transformed into a Commonwealth-approved miracle?” A beat. Her smile turned just a touch more dangerous. “Because I came here with a very responsible excuse,” she continued, voice softening into something warmer again, “and now that we’ve agreed the manifests are fine, and the upgrades are inevitable…”

Supisy’s brow lifted. “I find myself completely unoccupied.” She let that hang there for a moment, then added, almost innocently—“And you,” her eyes dipped briefly, then returned to Junko’s, “don’t seem particularly busy either.”

 

[Junko Ike]

Supisy Blen

She looked at Supisy and raised an eyebrow. "Oh you think she stays cause I am here... well makes sense I am divine, beautiful, incredibly pretty and talented and then you learn I can do a whole lot more then just sit in a throne." She was smiling about that though and the talk about Miyoung was there brringing her interest. "Twelve systems, perhaps she is getting slower in her later teenage years... can you believe she is barely nineteen and one of the smartest in the galaxy?" She said it and looked at her. "But there are two hundred and something systems within the Commonwealth so I wouldn't worry about twelve as if what we saw is the level there are few who would be able to catch you."

She said it and Supisy would be able to get something powerful in this case. THey had enough new systems for their ships that few things were already keeping up and something special like a noble within the Atrisian court merited only the finest. Sparring no expense. "We'll spare no expense and make sure you are the envy of anyone who comes across you. the Verdent will have seats of carved aurodium and you can brag your plates within could buy several ships or more." She clapped herself with aa grin though as she could see it now and was already planning it. "We could convert the interior of it. imagine insteaad of a refresher we overdevelop to give you a hot spa within."

 

[Supisy Blen]

Objective: Back to the Noble Life
Location: Junko’s Palace, Atrisia
Outfit:Casual Palace Attire
Tags: Junko Ike

Supisy let out a soft, helpless laugh as Junko listed her own virtues with absolute confidence, her head dipping slightly as if conceding the argument before it had even properly begun. “I was going to argue,” she admitted, glancing back up with a crooked smile, “but you’re making a very compelling case for Latty’s life choices.”

Her eyes lingered on Junko a moment longer than necessary. “Divine might be pushing it,” she added lightly. “But only just.”

The mention of Miyoung’s age drew a low whistle from her. “Nineteen,” Supisy repeated, shaking her head. “At nineteen I needed Latty to make sure I didn’t get spaced for underpaying a docking fee.”

A beat. “She’s rewriting how ships function across entire systems.” There was something like genuine admiration there—pilot recognizing genius in another field. “Terrifying,” she concluded, though the word carried clear approval.

Her attention shifted again as Junko began describing the upgrades, and Supisy’s expression slowly, gradually turned into something dangerously pleased. Aurodium seats. Bragging plates. Envy.

“Oh, you’re serious,” she murmured, the words almost a purr as she stepped closer again, drawn in by the sheer audacity of it. “The Verdant Deviant is about to become a diplomatic incident waiting to happen.”

She could already picture it—docking bays going quiet, mechanics staring, someone inevitably asking how a ship like that ended up in her hands. Supisy smiled wider. Then Junko said spa.

Supisy blinked once. Then again. “…a spa,” she repeated slowly, as if testing the concept. Her lips pressed together, trying—and failing—to maintain composure. “You want to put a hot spa,” she continued, voice dipping with disbelief wrapped in amusement, “inside a ship that I have, on multiple occasions, flown through active weapons fire.”

A beat. Her grin broke fully through. “I love it.” She stepped in closer now without hesitation, one hand coming to rest lightly against the back of Junko’s chair again as she leaned in just enough to match the energy of the moment.

“But if we’re doing this,” Supisy added, tone shifting into something mock-serious, “then we’re not doing it halfway.”

Her gaze held Junko’s, bright and intent. “Atrisian luxury all the way.” She straightened just slightly, one hand lifting as she began to casually outline it in the air. “Silks. Real ones, not the ‘practical’ versions you keep pretending are acceptable.” A small glance—pointed, amused—at Junko’s current attire. “Ambient lighting that doesn’t make me look like I’ve been awake for three days. A bed that doesn’t try to throw me across the cabin when I take a tight turn.”

Her smile sharpened. “And if we’re adding a spa, then I expect the full experience. Heat controls, water pressure, probably something unnecessarily elegant like carved stone or polished metal that no sane pilot would ever install in a working vessel.”

She paused, considering. “Also,” Supisy added, almost as an afterthought, “a lounge area specifically designed for making other captains uncomfortable when they come aboard.”

Her eyes flicked back to Junko, playful again. “You know. For diplomacy.”

A beat passed, softer now. Her tone eased, though the warmth didn’t fade. “And if it takes time,” she continued, “then I suppose I’ll just have to endure being grounded while all of this is happening.” Of course Supisy had other ships that she could fly if she really wanted to. ”Do you mind if Aiko and Dax have a hand in upgrades? I know they might get in the way a little not being as good as Miyoung, but they are learning about me. And I don’t want to burden your people everytime the Verdant needs a tune up.”

Supisy tilted her head, studying Junko again with that same open, unhidden appreciation. “Which brings us back to the problem,” she said quietly. Her smile returned—slow, easy, just a little dangerous. “What you plan on doing with me while my ship becomes the most excessive thing in the Commonwealth.”

 

[Junko Ike]

Supisy Blen

She beamed at that aand the mention of more luxury, more upgrades, more improvements with specifications... perfect. She could imagine them all with a clap. "Done and done, what better use is there for a meeting area on a ship then to show the others exactly why you are as skilled as you are. Hosting endeavors are key diplomatic tools to establishing a baseline. it is why Atrisians make so much effort to audience chambers over their other rooms. THe people are going to be seeing that and any other area that is in public view." Junko said it with a wider grin though as she spread out. "And what is wrong with this, we have the finest silks in the galaxy. nothing beats out the sunless lands silks for stealth and protection and the rest of the galaxy doesn't know how to deal with it."

 

[Supisy Blen]

Objective: Back to the Noble Life
Location: Junko’s Palace, Atrisia
Outfit:Casual Palace Attire
Tags: Junko Ike

Supisy watched that beam spread across Junko’s face and knew, instantly, she had made a mistake. Not a real mistake. A dangerous one. Because that look—the clap, the immediate acceptance, the effortless leap from suggestion to execution—that was how ships ended up with spa chambers and aurodium seating and enough luxury to bankrupt a minor world. Her grin widened anyway.

“Done and done,” she echoed, amused. “That was far too easy. I feel like I should have asked for something unreasonable just to see where your limit is.” A beat. “…Actually, I might still.”

She shifted her weight, turning slightly as Junko spoke about diplomacy and presentation, her eyes following the movement of her hands, the way she carried space like it belonged to her. Supisy’s expression softened—not losing the playfulness, but gaining something a little more thoughtful beneath it.

“You’re not wrong,” she admitted. “Half the galaxy decides what it thinks of you before you’ve even said a word.” Her gaze flicked back toward Junko. “You just happen to do it better than most.”

Then Junko spread her arms, defending her current attire. Supisy blinked once. Then slowly—very deliberately—looked her over again. Head to toe. And back up. “Mm,” she hummed, considering with exaggerated seriousness. “Oh, nothing’s wrong with it.”

A step closer. Her tone dropped just a fraction. “In fact, I think it’s very effective.” Supisy’s eyes lingered again—openly, without apology—before she tilted her head slightly, smile sharpening. “Though I will say,” she added, “if those are the finest silks in the galaxy, then Atrisia has been hiding a few secrets from me.”

She reached out—slow enough to give space to pull away, but clearly intending to—her fingers brushing lightly against the fabric at Junko’s side, testing it between thumb and forefinger. There was a brief pause, her attention fully on the texture. Then her gaze lifted again.

“They’re good,” she conceded. “I’ll give you that. Functional. Impressive.” A beat. “But,” Supisy added, voice softening into something warmer again, “they’re not the reason anyone’s looking.”

Her hand lingered just a moment longer than necessary before withdrawing. She stepped back half a pace, giving Junko space again—though not much. “If this is your idea of ‘working attire,’ I’m beginning to understand why Atrisian diplomacy is so effective,” she continued, a quiet laugh slipping in. “No one’s paying attention to the negotiations.”

Her arms folded loosely again, posture relaxed, comfortable. “And now you’re going to give me a ship that does the same thing,” she added, shaking her head slightly. “You realize I’m going to become completely unbearable, right?”

A small pause. Then, softer—“Though I suppose that was already happening.”

Her eyes flicked to Junko’s again, bright, engaged. “So,” Supisy continued, tilting her head, “we’ve established I’ll have the most excessive ship in the Commonwealth…”

A slow smile followed. “You’re the most sophisticated princess in the galaxy…” Another step, just enough to close that easy distance again. “And neither of us is currently busy.”

She lifted one brow. “Tell me you have a better plan than letting me wander off unsupervised.”

 

[Junko Ike]

Supisy Blen

SHe moved so that Supisy could feel the fabric and spoke with a wider smaller on her face. "The finest silks in the galaxy are here. we have better and better always being made. The colonies bring us even more." She looked at Supisy though and the talks of making a truly outrageous request for her ship. "And for the record Noble Court Lady Blen... there are very few requests that would be turned down. Maybe a superweapons request but we'd work something out for that." She was laughing to herself more as she tapped Supisy's shoulder with a nod of her head. "Wonderful." She presented the rest though while she was walking back and went. "I woulnd't dream of it we have an entire island and you haven't seen all of the cool things."

 

[Supisy Blen]

Objective: Back to the Noble Life
Location: Junko’s Palace, Atrisia
Outfit:Casual Palace Attire
Tags: Junko Ike

Supisy didn’t pull her hand away immediately when Junko allowed it—if anything, she slowed.

Her fingers traced the fabric just a fraction more deliberately this time, not testing now, but appreciating. There was a faint shift in her expression, something quieter beneath the usual smirk as she felt the weave—light, strong, impossibly refined.

“Mm…” she murmured under her breath. She knew Junko wasn’t exaggerating. The silks were better. Always had been. Atrisia didn’t plateau—it refined, improved, perfected. Supisy had spent enough time around the court now to recognize that relentless climb toward “better.”

Her thumb pressed once more, savoring the texture before she finally let her hand fall away. “Alright,” she conceded softly, a small smile tugging at her lips. “You win. If this is what you call working material, I’m starting to understand why the rest of the galaxy can’t keep up.”

Her eyes lifted again, meeting Junko’s with that familiar spark returning. Then—Superweapon. Supisy blinked once. And then laughed. Not a polite chuckle—an actual, full, unrestrained laugh that broke clean through the terrace air.

“A superweapon?” she repeated, shaking her head as she tried to catch her breath. “What, exactly, do you think I’m going to do with a superweapon?”

She took a step back, one hand lifting as if outlining the absurdity. “‘Ah yes, Your Highness, I’d like to upgrade my personal transport—new navigation, better shields, and also the ability to obliterate a small moon if negotiations go poorly.’”

Her grin widened. “I’d never get any peace. Every warlord, admiral, and idiot with ambition would suddenly decide I was their problem.”

A beat. “…Also I’d absolutely use it irresponsibly at least once.”

Supisy’s eyes flicked back to Junko, amusement still lingering. “So probably wise to draw the line there.” Junko tapped her shoulder, and Supisy’s attention snapped back fully, smile softening just slightly at the contact.

“Wonderful,” she echoed, tone warmer now. Then Junko turned, already moving, already inviting. An entire island. Supisy watched her go for half a second—just enough to take in the ease of her movement again, the quiet confidence of someone who knew exactly what she was offering.

Her smirk returned. “Well,” she said, pushing off from where she stood and falling into step behind her, “it would be incredibly irresponsible of me not to conduct a thorough inspection.”

She closed the distance easily, drifting up alongside Junko again. “For diplomatic purposes,” she added, entirely unconvincing. Her hands slipped back into the pockets of her outer wrap, shoulders relaxed as her gaze wandered briefly ahead—curious now, genuinely so.

“‘Cool things’ is a dangerously vague promise, Princess,” Supisy continued. “I’ve seen what you consider normal.”

A glance sideways. “Spas in ships. Silk that could probably stop a blaster bolt. Supercomputers run by a teenager who might accidentally outthink the rest of us.”

Her brow lifted. “I’m expecting something ridiculous.” A step closer again, just brushing into that comfortable proximity. “And if I’m going to be stuck here while my ship becomes the most excessive thing in the Commonwealth,” she added, voice dipping slightly, playful again, “I intend to make full use of whatever distractions you’re offering.”

Her smile turned just a touch sharper. “So lead the way, Your Highness.” A beat. “Let’s see what kind of trouble a ‘sophisticated princess’ keeps hidden on her island.”

 

[Junko Ike]

Supisy Blen

Her eyebrow looked at her. "Miyoung already outthinks most if not all of the galaxy.. she had to make twin super computers to keep up with her and now they are still able to finish most of their tasks to fast or come up with things that no one else would think of. The verdent will have it but we have it adapted to many of our manufacturing processes now. Coronal heat sinks that reverse entropy she says and... she basically developed localized time looping so the energy recycles itself while also firing it off." She said it while walking and going out into the garden she was able to have a small grin. "Oh plenty of things hidden, the island and palace are called such now but more then that like the rest of the palaces they are all secured and away from people. The emperor and empresses palace isn't in Jar'kai and instead is a lot of guns for the invading forces. Here though I have all of the shield islands now for my handmaidens and Xifang has his sanctuary, there is a village dedicated to my own private reserve of beauty products."

 

[Supisy Blen]

Objective: Back to the Noble Life
Location: Junko’s Palace, Atrisia
Outfit:Casual Palace Attire
Tags: Junko Ike

Supisy stared at Junko for a long moment after the explanation began. Not because she wasn’t listening. Because somewhere around reverse entropy and localized time looping, her pilot brain had simply decided to lie down and accept defeat.

“…I’m sorry,” she said finally, holding up one hand as they walked into the gardens, “did you just casually explain that Miyoung solved physics out of boredom?”

Her blue eyes narrowed with theatrical suspicion. “Because I’m beginning to think Atrisia isn’t actually a government. I think you’re all secretly wizards.”

She tried—honestly tried—to follow the explanation again in her head. Coronal heat sinks. Energy recycling. Time loops. Supisy shook her head slowly. “At this point I’m not even sure my ship is going to need fuel anymore.” A beat. “Or gravity.”

Her grin widened again. “Honestly if I walk aboard the Verdant Deviant after these upgrades and it starts explaining philosophy to me in a soothing voice, I’m blaming you personally.”

The gardens opened around them then, and Supisy’s attention shifted outward for a moment. Beautiful. Of course they were. Not curated in the stiff, overmanaged way she’d seen on wealthy Core worlds, but alive—flowing pathways, layered greenery, carefully placed water and stone that somehow looked effortless despite the obvious artistry behind it.

And Junko walked through it like she belonged at the center of all of it. Supisy’s gaze slid back toward her. The hidden fortress. The shield islands. Private sanctuaries. Entire villages dedicated to beauty products.

Supisy barked another laugh, softer this time but no less genuine. “A village,” she repeated. “You have an entire village devoted to beauty products.”

She tilted her head as though seriously reconsidering everything she knew about royalty. “You know, growing up, luxury meant something very different to me.” The humor in her voice softened—not disappearing, but easing into something more honest. “Usually it meant a room with a lock that worked and enough food that nobody fought over it.”

A small breath escaped her, not bitter, just matter-of-fact. “So hearing you casually mention an entire beauty reserve village is…” Her grin returned gradually. “Still a little surreal.”

Her eyes drifted deliberately over Junko again. “Though honestly, looking at you, I can’t even say it’s excessive. Whatever they’re making there is clearly working.”

She let that settle for just a moment before continuing. “And shield islands for your handmaidens?” Her brow rose. “You really do collect beautiful things and hide them away where the galaxy can’t bother them.”

The teasing was light, but not entirely empty underneath. Supisy looked around once more, taking in the isolation, the serenity, the impossible security of it all. “You know what’s funny?” she said after a moment, her voice quieter now as she looked out across the gardens. “For most of my life, staying anywhere wasn’t really my choice.”

The humor softened around the edges. “Places belonged to other people. You survived in them until somebody decided otherwise.” Her eyes drifted back toward Junko then, toward the calm certainty of the island and the woman guiding her through it. “So I never really understood what it felt like to want to stay somewhere.”

A faint smile touched her mouth. “But this place is making a very persuasive argument.” Then the grin returned again, warmer now, a little brighter. “Though admittedly,” she added, bumping lightly against Junko’s shoulder again, “the persuasive argument may mostly be you.”

She bumped lightly against Junko’s shoulder as they walked. “So let me understand this correctly,” Supisy continued, ticking points off on her fingers. “I’m getting a ship with impossible technology, absurd luxury, and probably enough shielding to survive a minor apocalypse…”

Another finger. “You have hidden islands, secret sanctuaries, and apparently a classified beauty empire…”

Another. “And somewhere on this island are still more ‘cool things’ you haven’t shown me yet.”

Her eyes flicked sideways again, sparkling now. “Princess, if this is your strategy for keeping people around, I should warn you it’s extremely effective.”

 

[Junko Ike]

Supisy Blen

She looked at her while she was walking. "Yes." In answer to all of it and none of it. "There is a great deal of interest, there is a great amount that we are able to do." She said it while she was walking though and only looked at Supisy. "But there was a time on Atrisia when luxury meant only the emperor and his sister. They were not terrible... they loved their people but they were pre-occupied more with preserving only the monarchy over expanding our capabilities." She said it when she was looking at a few things there. The edge of the garden revealing a bamboo forest... the princess moving as she stopped and looked at Supisy. "Follow me."

She said it and pointed towards the stone at the base of another. tree. "The markers point towards the next one, trying to run through it will spin you around and deposit you at a box canyon thanks to some of the better force skills." She was moving and following as she could see where to go and had made the path. Her words coming out with a wider grin. "The rest well, the shield islands are their homes, palaces. They have brought clans, family, friends. Those they care about and want to protect, they are able to train and do their projects when we are not heading out. There are also other plaaces. Beauty products are just one thing there is also clay shapers for my statues and artists."

 

[Supisy Blen]

Objective: Back to the Noble Life
Location: Junko’s Palace, Atrisia
Outfit:Casual Palace Attire
Tags: Junko Ike

Supisy listened as Junko spoke of old Atrisia, her expression thoughtful for a moment. It was always strange hearing royalty talk about limitations. Most people imagined emperors and princesses as having everything. Junko talked about what they could become.

"I suppose that's the difference," Supisy said as they walked. "Most governments protect what they already have. Atrisia seems determined to build what doesn't exist yet."

Her smile returned. "Usually while making it prettier than everyone else in the process."

When Junko stopped and told her to follow, Supisy's eyes narrowed immediately. Not suspicious. Interested. Which, in her experience, was usually more dangerous.

The bamboo forest stretched ahead, beautiful and just mysterious enough to be completely unfair. Then came the explanation. Markers. Force tricks. Box canyons. Supisy stared at the bamboo for a moment. Then at Junko. Then back at the bamboo. "...You have a magical forest."

The accusation was delivered with complete seriousness. "Of course you do." She pointed toward the path. "Normal people have fences." A beat. "You have enchanted landscaping."

Still, she obediently followed, making a point of stepping exactly where Junko indicated. Not because she was worried. Because getting lost in a mystical Atrisian bamboo maze while trying to impress a princess seemed like the sort of thing that would haunt her forever. Her gaze lingered on Junko as they walked.

"Also, for the record, if I end up deposited in a canyon because I looked at the guide instead of the markers, I'm blaming you." A grin tugged at her lips.

"Actually, no." Another glance. "Knowing me, I'd probably deserve it."

As Junko described the shield islands, however, the teasing softened. Homes. Families. Projects. People gathered together because they wanted to be there. Protected because someone cared enough to make it happen. Supisy found herself smiling again. Not the playful grin. Something warmer.

"I think that's my favorite part." Her eyes drifted through the bamboo. "Not the luxury. Not even the ridiculous amount of resources." She looked back to Junko. "The fact that you keep making places for people."

There was a moment of sincerity there before mischief inevitably returned. "Though I do have questions." Her brow lifted. "How many secret villages do you actually have?"

One finger rose. "Beauty products."

A second. "Artists."

A third. "Clay shapers."

Her eyes narrowed theatrically. "Am I eventually going to discover an entire hidden settlement dedicated exclusively to making decorative pillows?" She gasped softly. "Wait." A hand moved to her chest. "Is there a village devoted entirely to making silk?"

The smile that followed was bright and dangerous. "Because if there is, I need to know immediately."

She stepped carefully over one of the marked stones, moving a little closer to Junko as the bamboo closed around them. "Mostly because I'm curious." A beat. Then, with complete innocence: "And only slightly because I want to see where all those miraculous clothes that keep distracting me come from."