Private You're My Only Hope

[Lilianna L'lerim]

Information

Crown Princess of Aaven, Priestess of Ashla​

"Galactic Common" | <"High Nelvaanian"> | ["Essonian"] | ~ telepathic communication ~ | << comm. channel >> ​

Objective: Meet with Lord Barran
Location: A café in the affluent part of Coruscant
Equipment: Noble Attire | Ashlan Rosary || Empyrean gland | OPBC-01m

Severus Barran​

My heart shattered the moment I heard that Tancred had been captured. Ella came to tell me herself, and she also told me that my twin brother was going to be executed. Now the two of us were prisoners of the Galactic Empire, though I was still far freer than he was. I tried... I begged my sister to let me see him, but she refused, just like everyone else did. Tancred was being held in a prison cell somewhere, though I did not even know on which planet. And while I was allowed to walk freely on Coruscant, I could not leave, nor could I contact anyone.

I would have much rather been home on Aaven; Cesare Demici had promised to take me back soon, but I had no idea when that would happen. Coruscant felt foreign to me, and the darkness lingering here was suffocating. It was a city similar in size to the HPI’s capital on Terraris, yet that place still felt more like home. Perhaps because it belonged to my family, whereas everything here was unfamiliar. I knew no one… well, I knew Cesare, and I knew my sister, but I had no friends here, and I was not allowed to reach out to them, not even through the HoloNet or the HPI Net. I was isolated.

Still, I managed to send one message to Lord Michael Barran when I was brought to Coruscant, telling him that my brother had been captured as well and asking for his help to free him. Perhaps I should have contacted my Ashlanfather, Heinrich Faust … but Tancred had spent his teenage years and recent time under House Barran’s care. They knew him better... and perhaps they could help him better, too. I was desperate. I did not want my brother to die, and I hoped that somehow, in some way, he could still be saved. I spent most of my days praying, hoping it would do something… anything.

And when I was not praying, I tried to explore Coruscant, visiting museums and monuments. Not because that is what a noblewoman should do; I would much rather have been in a medical lab or hospital, but I was not allowed. So I created this routine to avoid drawing too much attention to myself when the day finally came to meet Lord Barran. I was not good at this, but after the library, museum, exhibition, or any artistic event, I would sit in a café or teahouse and drink something calming. Because I had asked for our meeting to take place in such a place; somewhere inconspicuous, somewhere busy.

As the day of the meeting drew closer, I grew more and more nervous. I tried to soothe myself with natural teas and calming foods, but they did very little. I panicked as well, what if my behaviour ended up endangering not just my brother but those who might try to help him? With these fears knotting my stomach, I began the day I was supposed to meet Lord Barran. I recited prayers to Ashla silently in my mind. There were not many artistic programmes in the morning, only a contemporary play about the rise of the Galactic Empire, so I watched that. When it ended…

… when it ended, I headed to the teahouse where the meeting would take place. I was nervous; every small sound made me flinch, even someone brushing past me. No matter how much I wanted to, I could not calm myself. Even when I finally arrived at the teahouse and sat down at the agreed spot, I kept glancing around anxiously. I ordered a calming tea, and the serving droid brought it soon after. I lifted the cup; my hands were trembling, but I still took a sip of the hot liquid.

And all the while, I kept praying to Ashla, beseeching that my anxiety and fear would not doom us all.

 

[Severus Barran]

TAGS
Lilianna L'lerim

YOU'RE MY ONLY HOPE
1

​

Domi's Coffee Shack, City Surface,
Coruscant, Deep Core Territories (903 ABY)

'Here she comes, Sev.'
'Seen.... Play it cool for now.'
'My suggestion, go to the men's room - I'll ping as soon as she settles in.'
​

Nodding as he placed his datapad on the table, right next to his near-emptied mug, the young Lion carefully finished it's contents without letting it spill onto his stolen OIT uniform, a uniform of which he had taken from a man after beating him senseless. Miracles alone had kept the bleeding nose from leaking onto it when the need had arisen, though the young Dantooinan had been quick to unbutton it with the opponent's face downward-planted into the duracrete; this tactical robbery had occurred almost two weeks before that day in the coffee shop, and with many other aggressive acts of acquisition having occurred between one point and the other, another miracle had kept the local authorities from discovering their presence on Coruscant.

'So much melancholy.... Poor girl.'

The young Novanian subordinate in charge of keeping the shopfront as undisturbed as humanly possible, though each move would need to be timed in slow, deliberate movements, lest it appear as though he was something more than a mere barista. But it would not stop there for the white-eyed lad, as it just so happened that, throughout his coffee-house duties, he would have a headphone in whilst scanning for local, Imperial comm-link frequencies. Even with Lilia finally stepping in and offering polite greetings, to which a smile and a wave was given in turn, the one headphone would remain in his left-ear, kept at a discretely-low volume for everyone's sake.

'Some coffee shops would say,"The worst times to get coffee are closing afternoon-hours.", but I don't believe that.... You get more peace at this hour, and its just about time to turn everyone else away, so.... Whatcha havin', dawl?'

​

 

[Lilianna L'lerim]

Information

Crown Princess of Aaven, Priestess of Ashla​

"Galactic Common" | <"High Nelvaanian"> | ["Essonian"] | ~ telepathic communication ~ | << comm. channel >> ​

Objective: Meet with Lord Barran
Location: A café in the affluent part of Coruscant
Equipment: Noble Attire | Ashlan Rosary || Empyrean gland | OPBC-01m

Severus Barran​

I greeted the man with a smile as well when he did the same. It was difficult to force that smile onto my face with so much anxiety coiling inside me. Here on Coruscant, I had not seen many men who looked quite like he did. When he spoke - and for far longer than I had expected - my entire body froze for a few heartbeats, and the colour drained from my face. Hidden beneath the fabric of my clothes, I clenched my hands into fists, trying to stop the trembling. I attempted to take a few deeper breaths as discreetly as I could, but the unsteady way I let them out surely did not escape anyone’s notice.

"I would like a cup of lavender tea, please, and a large mug of Happy Cat Hot Chocolate. Thank you very much." I said to the man, my voice wavering faintly with nerves.

It was only afterwards that I realised how unusual his accent was, certainly not local. Though I supposed mine must have sounded strange as well, making it quite clear that I was not from Coruscant but another world entirely. On a planet this vast, that was probably natural. Still... I was so overwhelmed that I could barely focus. In that moment, I deeply envied those who had learnt true self-discipline and could remain calm in any situation. Having even a fraction of such composure would have been a blessing for me.

That was when I also noticed that I had been standing completely still for several seconds; and I had even forgotten to breathe. A long, trembling sigh slipped out of me, and I quickly looked around to find where an empty seat might be. As the man had said, there were indeed very few people here, leaving plenty of places to sit. I looked back at him, flustered, and I think I even blushed from embarrassment. I shook my head slightly and felt myself grow even more nervous - even more anxious - terrified that my behaviour might seem suspicious.

"Just these, thank you... nothing else." I said or rather stammered to the man.

Only then did I manage to move. Tense and uneasy, I walked over to one of the empty tables and sat down, waiting for my order to arrive. All the while, I tried to focus on not hugging myself in a defensive posture, not fidgeting with my clothing, not picking at the napkin on the table; anything to stop my anxiety from revealing more than it should. And beneath it all, I kept praying silently, begging that my behaviour would not give me away...

 

[Severus Barran]

TAGS
Lilianna L'lerim

YOU'RE MY ONLY HOPE
2

​

Domi's Coffee Shack, City Surface,
Coruscant, Deep Core Territories (903 ABY)

'Comin' right up.... I'll put on some music too.'
​

As the young Novanian set to his task, not another word would be said between them, figuring that it would be better not to overload the Aavenian's senses so early, needing Lilia as relaxed as possible in the moment his Dantooinan friend exited the men's room. Only speaking up when he finally brought her order, keeping it as service-related as possible when he eventually drawled,'Lavender tea's - here - and the Happy Caaaat - there. The biscuit's complementary.... Now, before you say anything, before you freak out - you're safe here, I want you to know that.... There is someone I think you should meet-', only to find himself interrupted by a correcting, though equally-kind presence.

'Micky, relax. We, alone, are reassurance-'

The young Count would have continued as he had before, but the terrified transfixation he saw would put that to an immediate, abrupt end, realising then that he had not considered the effect his disguise would have on the mind. It was then that Severus softened his confident demeanour, unbuttoning the white coat to reveal a contrastingly-more luxurious uniform beneath, revealing IMPAF affiliations as he reassured,'I am deeply sorry, this disguise is the only way that I could get close enough. I had not considered the effect it would have, and for that, I offer my most-sincere apologies.', slowly sitting down across the table from Lilia's position.

'You might not know me personally, but you might remember my father - Michael Barran.... And like myself, my father has not forgotten you either. I was around, but always busy when my father first took you under his wing, and yet, I'm still glad you brought his warmer-hearted side to the fore. I think he had forgotten what that felt like, somewhere along the way, and for that - you also have my sincere gratitude.'

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