Private The Hidden Fortress

[Junko Ike]

Supisy Blen

"Twenty two." She said it while moving. "And the forest is not enchanted. It is just an illusion of the white current, it is actually a small area but the stone is masked with the trees." She said it though with a smile on her face. "And I want us to be better, keeping what we have already is great it is basic... but we should want more. We should want to reach for more and advancing culturrally and technologically is part of it. That we have given refugees from Ryloth a home on their own planet here in the Atrisi system.. that your people have been settling on the world and improving aspects of it same as the zeltrons and many of the others like the chiss. We have developed much from combining and hybridizing technologies."

 

[Supisy Blen]

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

"Twenty-two?" Supisy came to a complete stop for half a second. Not because the bamboo forest was confusing. Because that number was.

She stared at Junko. Then held up both hands as though attempting to physically count hidden villages. "Twenty-two secret settlements." A beat. "Princess, at what point does it stop being a hidden fortress and become an entire hidden civilization?"

She resumed walking, shaking her head with amused disbelief. "I thought I was getting a tour of an island." Her eyes narrowed dramatically. "Instead I've apparently been dating a small nation." The moment the words left her mouth she blinked. A beat. Then another. "...Visiting." Her grin became absolutely shameless. "I meant visiting." Not a hint of remorse accompanied the correction.

The explanation of the White Current earned a thoughtful hum. "So not enchanted." Supisy gestured vaguely at the bamboo surrounding them. "Just reality being politely persuaded to stand somewhere else."

She nodded. "That's somehow worse." A laugh escaped her as she carefully followed the markers. "One day I'm going to learn enough about Atrisia to stop being surprised."

A glance toward Junko. "Today is clearly not that day." As Junko continued, however, Supisy found herself listening more closely. The joking quieted. Not vanished. Just softened.

Her people. The Twi'leks. The refugees. The Chiss. The Zeltrons. Worlds that had been given room to become something more than survivors. She knew what survival looked like. She had spent most of her life in its shadow. "You know," she said after a moment, her voice quieter than before, "most places that take refugees talk about what they can get from them."

Her fingers brushed one of the bamboo stalks as they passed. "Labor." A small shrug. "Taxes." Another few steps. "Population numbers."

Her blue eyes shifted back toward Junko. "You talk about what they can build." The smile that followed was small but genuine. "I think that's why it works."

Then, because she was Supisy Blen and sincerity could only survive so long without being rescued by mischief—She pointed accusingly at Junko. "For the record, I am deeply suspicious of your answer." A brow rose. "Twenty-two hidden settlements and not one dedicated entirely to silk?"

Her gaze dropped briefly to Junko's clothing again. Then climbed back up. "Statistically impossible." She moved a little closer as they followed the path through the bamboo. "I refuse to believe those miraculous fabrics simply appear." Another step. "They're either woven by an elite order of silk artisans..." A grin. "...or they're harvested from some rare Atrisian moon-spider that only emerges beneath starlight."

She tilted her head. "Honestly?" A thoughtful pause. "Both sound equally plausible at this point."

Her shoulder brushed lightly against Junko's as they walked. "And if there is a secret silk village, you should just tell me now." Supisy's smile widened. "It'll save me the trouble of eventually trying to sneak off and find it myself."

 

[Junko Ike]

Supisy Blen

"You are not wrong, the silks from the sunless lands are a Kyushi exclusive. no one can make it like they do which is why most of Atrisia doesn't try. We have simply given them the means to properly augment it and they are able to make a little more for use as the numbers expand." She said it while looking at Supisy though and the mention of what they are getting from the refugees and how she talks is there. "You are not wrong but it is more then that. Refugees seeking aid will always get it and all that is asked is if they can aid in helping keep the cycle going. Their labor as it were is not being exploited, they make plenty for themselves and we can give them housing depending on the situation.. give them the education and chance for a new life or if they want to try and return to their world or help who is trying to liberate it we can get them there."

 

[Supisy Blen]

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

"Ah." Supisy nodded sagely. "So there is a silk kingdom, just happens to be not so secret." Her grin widened immediately. "I knew it."

She pointed triumphantly at Junko as though some great mystery had finally been solved. "You can call them Kyushi exclusives all you want, but from where I'm standing that's just a very elegant way of saying 'hidden luxury textile empire.'"

Her eyes drifted briefly over Junko's attire again. "And frankly, the evidence continues to support my position."

The bamboo shifted softly around them as they walked, the filtered light catching in Junko's hair. Supisy found herself smiling before she quite realized it. That happened more often around the Princess than she cared to admit.

Then Junko spoke about the refugees. And the smile lingered. Not because it was funny. Because it sounded real. Supisy knew the difference. She'd heard plenty of speeches from people with power. Most talked about populations. Resources. Assets.

Junko talked about choices. About giving people options. About helping them leave if leaving was what they wanted. For a few moments Supisy was quiet. "That's why people stay."

The words came simply. Matter-of-fact. Her gaze stayed ahead on the path. "If someone helped me because they expected something in return, I'd spend my entire life waiting for the bill."

A small shrug. "Most people would." She glanced sideways at Junko. "But if you help someone and then let them choose what comes next..." A soft smile touched her lips. "They remember."

The look lingered a moment longer before the familiar spark returned. "Of course, in my case, you also gave me a title, a ship, a home, and apparently unlimited access to increasingly dangerous luxury." Supisy placed a hand dramatically over her chest. "So now I have to wonder if you're running some kind of long-term strategy."

A beat. "Maybe this is how Atrisia conquers worlds." Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Not with fleets." Another step closer. "With hospitality."

She gasped. "Force." The accusation became more dramatic. "The spas." A finger pointed toward Junko. "The silks." Another. "The impossible gardens." A third. "The secret villages." A fourth. ” The most beautiful Princess in the galaxy.”

Supisy stopped and stared. "You've been building a weapon this entire time." Then she broke into laughter. "A terrifying one." Her shoulder brushed lightly against Junko's again as they continued walking.

"You realize if you'd found me ten years ago and offered me educational opportunities, a beautiful island, custom ship upgrades, and the chance to work side by side with a beautiful Jedi Princess, I'd have signed literally anything." A pause. Her smile softened. "Actually." Another glance toward Junko. "I probably still would."

The teasing lingered in her eyes as she looked ahead again. "Though at this point I'm less worried about the ship." Her brow lifted. "Now I want to know what other absurd things you've hidden out here."

A grin. "Because every time I think I've reached peak Atrisia, you casually reveal another village, another sanctuary, or another reality-bending forest."

She tilted her head toward Junko. "Be honest." The smile turned mischievous again. "Am I eventually going to discover you've hidden a palace somewhere that's devoted entirely to teaching people how to spoil me?"

 

[Junko Ike]

Supisy Blen

She just looked at her. "Well that spoils the secret." She threw her hands up in joke though but was looking at more of it. "Atrisia merely offers, those who come here choose to stay because they get that chance and that choice... and you have provided plenty to me and Atrisia... and I am not just talking about how you and Latty always look good for me in micro-bikini's." She said it while she was walking and the bamboo forest gave way to a pine forest.. the larger trees surrounded by rocky canyons and as the ground dipped down the upper canopy was there. Junko pointed though while she moved and the forest gave way to groves and ringed areas where the trees surrounded mud pits of different styles and forms. The workers there taking great care with it.

 

[Supisy Blen]

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

Supisy placed a hand dramatically over her heart. "Ah, so there is a palace devoted entirely to spoiling me." She pointed at Junko triumphantly. "I knew it."

The mention of her and Latty's contributions drew a laugh. "Oh, now we're discussing my professional accomplishments. Good. For a moment I thought we were talking about trade and diplomacy."

She bumped lightly against Junko's shoulder. "And for the record, Latty deserves at least half the credit for the micro-bikini initiative." That was only true because Latty enjoyed showing off for the Princess. When Junko was not around Latty’s swimsuits were anything but micro.

The pine forest and clay groves beyond finally stole her attention. Her joking faded as she took in the carefully maintained pits and the artisans working among them. "Oh." A smile spread across her face. "So this is where it all starts."

Her gaze swept over the scene before returning to Junko. "You keep showing me hidden forests, secret villages, and now entire communities of artists." She tilted her head. "And somehow I keep ending up more impressed by the guide than the destination."

A beat. Then the grin returned. "Though I should warn you." Supisy pointed toward one of the clay pits. "I can fly through a blockade. I can survive court functions."

Her eyes sparkled. "But if you hand me clay, there's a very real chance I'll create an entirely new category of artistic disaster. You did see my attempts to paint right?" Supisy smirked again as she watched the Princess. "Of course if you were to guide my hands…”