An Overdue Meeting

[Aya Clarke]

There were always members of the Confederacy Aya had heard of, knew of, and yet had never met. Lace, sister of the Vicelord, was one such member. There were whispers of what they had accomplished, that was to say both Lace and herself, and there were few if any unflattering tales. To say the least, Aya was greatly looking forward to a proper meeting with her, and get to better know the woman. Normally she would wear none of her armor, however since she was acting as a Viceroy, at least as far as the meeting was concerned, she wore her Saint armor, the formal attire of her station.

With, naturally, her weapons kept on her shuttle, as she had no reason to carry any more than her lightsaber clipped to scabbard. Arriving at a lovely Atrisian restaurant, where she had agreed to meet the Vi'dreya, she casually took her datapad out and glanced at it. Work never truly ceased, and besides the matter, if the other was late it would be a good distraction.

[member="Lace Vi'dreya"]

 

[Taozi Fuyuan]

When Lace got received an invitation for lunch from one [member="Aya Clarke"] she had been surprised, to say the least. Lace had heard many good things about the other woman, more than a few coming from her brother Isley, and had been wanting to meet her for quite a while. She admired the city streets of Naboo as she walked to her destination, a rare smile gracing her features.

As the restaurant came into view, Lace wondered if her black leather armor was a bit much for a casual meeting. What if she's dressed in a formal dress? She is a Viceroy now... But, no, this isn't a place for formal wear... Is it? By the Force what if I'M the one that's too casual? Lace's mental panic continued as she walked into the restaurant. When the hostess approached, Lace held up a hand to interrupt her politely. "I'm here to meet with Aya Clarke, has she arrived yet?" The hostess nodded, and lead Lace to the table where Aya sat.

"A pleasure to meet you, Aya." Lace nodded in greeting as she sat, and was handed a menu.

 

[Aya Clarke]

It was no small relief to Aya that she was not the sole one to be wearing armor for dinner, though granted hers was far more ornate, despite being made of phrik. She let a small relieved sigh out, and returned her datapad to its hiding place, returning a polite smile to Lace. "The pleasure is mine, Miss Vi'dreya." Considering their places in life, it would be foolish to assume familiarity on her part. While they perhaps held the same sway, it was not Aya who could claim siblinghood with the Vicelord. Not to mention, she had long since grown tired of correcting anyone when it came to titles, no one cared as much as her anyways.

Aya hummed a bit, and looked over her menu quietly. If Lace paid much mind she'd notice the blue backlights in her eyes, signs of the contacts Aya had purchased to make up for her armor's, lack of a helmet. They were very useful, especially for searching the holonet for what exactly each meal item was like. "Apologies it's taken me so long to meet you, I haven't had much freedom until now." Between her job as Marshal and General, and then recovery from her... unfortunate incident that had put her in a Force coma, this was truthfully the first time she had the luxury to indulge in a friendly meeting.

[member="Lace Vi'dreya"]

 

[Taozi Fuyuan]

"Please, call me Lace. I'm not one for formalities, which is one reason I didn't go into politics." Lace chuckled as she looked over the menu. When Aya apologized, Lace looked up in surprise. "You have no need to apologize, Aya. While I may be sister of our Vicelord, I haven't met most people." She let out a soft sigh, trying to figure out what she wanted, before looking up at the other woman. "Have you ever eaten here before? I don't come to Naboo very often, so I'm not familiar with this place."

[member="Aya Clarke"]

 

[Aya Clarke]

"I'll be honest M.. Lace. I'm using my contacts to tell what is what, I haven't been to Naboo more than a handful of occasions. So her restaurants are, well, as odd to me as to you." She lowered the menu a bit, so Lace could see the blue back lights in her eyes clearly. After that though, she seemed to have made a decision, and fully placed her menu down on the table, open, and placed her fingers on a handful of items. "According to reviews, it seems these four are generally considered their best. If that helps you at all." The gesture, even for one without much practice in social situations, would be hard to misunderstand. If anything was wrong, it was more diplomatic than necessary.

Aya adjusted the headpiece resting on her head, making sure it was still seated correctly, giving Lace time to make her choice. After a few moments, however, she spoke again, soft and clearly. "I... also admit I haven't had much aside from rations, until recently. Since the incident that left me bedridden for a time, i haven't had the time. And now I'm afraid I don't even know what to do with the time I've been given. So much of this is new for me."

[member="Lace Vi'dreya"]

 

[Taozi Fuyuan]

When Aya mentioned contacts, Lace looked up curiously. Finally noticing the lights in the other woman's eyes, she was intrigued. "How helpful. What all can those contacts do, then?" Lace watched Aya point out food, and nodded. "All right, thank you, that helps a lot." Lace looked at the menu, and read the descriptions of each of the four items. In the quiet lull of conversation, Lace decided on a noodle dish, it seems the most appetizing to her.

When Aya spoke up, quietly, Lace place her menu down, and closed it. She looked at Aya curiously, and tilted her head. "You use it to get better, obviously. Time is not to be used idly, sitting around and doing nothing but wait. You're a viceroy now, Aya. Use your time to learn from the others, and be better. For yourself, for your people, and for the Confederacy."

It was then that a waitress came up, asking for their drinks and if they were ready to order. "Ah, right." Lace turned the menu over to look at drinks, and pointed at a type of tea, before opening it to the noodle dish she would be having. "I'll have this tea, and this dish, please." The waitress nodded, before turning to Aya for her order.

[member="Aya Clarke"]

 

[Aya Clarke]

" 'Tis not a matter of me idly sitting by counting the days to the next crisis. 'Tis a matter of, comfort I suppose. Until now I had little more to do than fight and prepare for the next, little responsibility for aught else. Now I have a people to protect from more than sword and spear, and scars to help mend. A much different fight than what I am used to." She watched the waitress arrive, before indicating her own choice of meal, a similarly different dish but the same tea as Lace. She would wait until she was gone to sigh quietly, and sit herself back.

"It hardly helps that I know none of my peers. Since becoming a part of the Confederacy I've had no such luxury to get closer to any Viceroy. Why bother if I expected to die at any hour? Even now I expect there are few who would see fit to teach a warrior to lead off the battlefield. Not at what would be the expense of their own efforts, in such tumultuous times as these. Which leaves me to prepare for the worst, should the cloud of war come to Hoylin. Without Ser Cyril, I'm quite lost." It wouldn't be unknown who Cyril was, the mountain of a man who had followed Aya silently since his discovery of the then-Knight's continued service of honor. His return home was expected, but clearly it stung.

"mm... But I have talked too long. Would you mind telling me about yourself, I would prefer to hear what you feel is important of one such as yourself."

[member="Lace Vi'dreya"]

 

[Taozi Fuyuan]

Lace listened quietly as Aya spoke. It seemed to Lace that Aya had a lot of emotions bottled up, and let the woman speak as long as she needed to. When the conversation turned to her, Lace was surprised. She hummed in thought, and leaned back in her chair. "Not a lot to say, really." She nodded thanks to the waitress when she brought their drinks over, and waited until she was out of earshot.

"I suppose the most interesting thing about me is I'm the half-sister of our Vicelord. I spent some time in the Netherworld with the clan after Mandalore was attacked. My brother sent us there, to save us, and taught me how to bring us back once it was safe... Everything went back to normal, for a time, at least until the whole 'be cured of the Force or be exiled' thing. I couldn't imagine a day without the Force, and honestly I was a little lost on what to do... Until Metus showed up and chose exile. Most of the clan followed him, including me. Blood is blood, even if we only share half." Lace smiled as she took a sip of her tea.

"I've been here since day one, watched him grow the Confederacy. I've always been in the Knights Obsidian, and personally I wouldn't have it any other way. Even as Dar'manda, my place is on the battlefield."

 

[Aya Clarke]

Some of the vocabulary went over her head, but Aya just sipped her tea to avoid letting as much be evident on her face. She let the woman go through her history, ending with her sentiment of belonging on the battlefield. This brought an, odd smile to her lips. A sad smile. "'Tis a shame, that there must be those who belong on the fields of war. A shame, but one that is unfortunately growing ever more necessary. I would give much to return home and live a quiet life, but I would grow the shame of leaving others here to fight in my stead. I myself feel far more comfortable with a sword than a pen, though of course I must now wield the latter with no less ability."

She hummed, thinking her words slowly. "I know not why I joined so long ago, perhaps it was a whim. My memory is, not clear. All I remember are the battles fought and..." She paused, and try as she might she couldn't hide the discomfort as she tried to recall something long since lost. It passed quickly, as she dropped it, and took a sip of tea to clear her mind. "Mm... tell me Lace, what do you believe in?"

[member="Lace Vi'dreya"]

 

[Taozi Fuyuan]

Lace shrugged in response to Aya's words. "I was born Mandalorian, war is all I've ever known." She sipped her tea, listening curiously as Aya talked about joining the Confederacy. It was when Aya asked about Lace's beliefs, that Lace had to take pause. She hummed in thought for a moment, and leaned back in her chair, setting her cup on the table gently. "To be honest with you, I'm not sure.

"If you mean religiously? I have nothing. As Dar'manda, I have no place in the Manda, no matter how I wish to. When I die, I die, and whatever happens is what happens. As for anything else? I believe in my blade. My strength. My comrades. My family, however, is the most important thing to me. I remember the first time I met every single one of my nieces and nephews. A lot of them I'm not much older than, but that's my brother's fault, really."

[member="Aya Clarke"]

 

[Aya Clarke]

"Family." Aya hummed quietly, gaze slowly drifting down into her tea. "Must be nice having family with you. 'Twould have been a great joy to share with them the journey here I've had. A regret now I suppose." The tone she used when she spoke this time was, hollow, almost a bit empty. "My people believe our Goddess welcomes the honorable home, whatever wrongs they may have done matter little before her. Honor and right more oft than not go hand in hand regardless. I am certain my Father was met happily, though sometimes I wonder if I will be welcomed by her with the same love, or disgust." The more she spoke, the more akin to a twi'lek she began to sound, as her natural inflections changed to her natural accent.

"We.. haven't spent much time, and already I speak too much again. I.. apologize for my behavior.. 'Tis a first meeting. A celebration of the fact both of us yet draw breath, not a therapy session." The attempt at humour was a bit obvious, as she tried to smile up at Lace to invoke some sort of laughter from her.

[member="Lace Vi'dreya"]

 

[Taozi Fuyuan]

Lace looked at Aya over the edge of her cup as the other woman spoke. She frowned as Aya's voice began to sound hollow, and empty. IT was not a tone of voice Lace liked to hear from anyone, much less a fellow member of the Confederacy. The Twi'lek accent intrigued Lace, as it was uncommon for most humans to have such an accent as far as Lace knew. Lace set her tea down just as Aya mentioned this meeting not being a therapy session, and smiled.

"We all need to let things out sometimes. Life is stressful, death is painful, no one wins. I would rather die with weight off my chest than to die knowing my story never got told, even with... how my youth was. Though I doubt anyone would tell my story after I die besides my brother. I can only hope to die honorably on the battlefield, and with enough left to find so someone knows what happened to me."

[member="Aya Clarke"]

 

[Aya Clarke]

"'Tis hardly a way to think. The only ones whos' minds should be consumed with death is the dead themselves. The living should focus on life, the morrow coming." Even if, she thought to herself, it's shameful to continue on. "Besides, the past is gone, and tomorrow is yet to come. Our story will be remembered through what we do in the present more than what anyone says of us. 'Tis our job to make sure our deeds are worth remembering for the right reason. Whatever trouble your past holds, whatever shame, all you can do is be better than then. Just as I can."

The waitress interrupted by arriving with food, quite the quick service honestly. Aya set her cup down and thanked the staff before they left, thankful for the distraction. She ate a little bit, mulling over a topic change to try and avoid painful memories. Eventually she settled one one, and when she spoke after eating that bit of food she had fully transitioned into her natural twi'lek like accent. ".. I noticed you seemed, off put by my voice. Does the accent confuse you?"

[member="Lace Vi'dreya"]

 

[Taozi Fuyuan]

Lace sat back in her chair, setting her hands on the table holding her tea. She stared at the tea inside the cup, and let Aya's words sink in. Lace couldn't really ever let go of her philosophy. It was all she had known for her whole life. She opened her mouth to respond, until the waitress brought their food. Lace ate quietly, caught in her thoughts, until Aya spoke to her. Swallowing the last bit of noodles in her mouth, Lace covered her mouth with her hand politely, making sure no broth was around her mouth.

"It caught me off guard. I apologize if I've offended you in any way."

[member="Aya Clarke"]

 

[Aya Clarke]

Finally, a lighter topic. Aya was only too happy to let Lace catch her bearings, and respond with an, apology. "No, you have not. 'Tis actually quite amusing, if I am to be fully honest. The accent tends to be rare outside of Twi'leks. Not unwarranted, as humans don't oft seem inclined to learn Ryl. My Father spent a small fortune in my training as a young child, including several years speaking Ryl, and naught else. Being bilingual has proven quite amusing..." She couldn't help a small giggle as her thoughts trailed off. It was always amusing to find twi'lek speaking their native tongue to try and remain private, not knowing she understood perfectly. "Most especially when it comes to certain, venues."

She continued to make some small talk, as she ate the food somewhat quickly. Mostly discussion stemming from her accent, including the difficulty she had some days keeping it restrained, to idle chatter that actually helped her relax a small bit. When her food was mostly gone, she sat herself upright, and delicately wiped her mouth clean. "Well... Lace. It's been quite.. enjoyable. Would you care to continue our meeting elsewhere? I rather enjoyed this so far..."

[member="Lace Vi'dreya"]

 

[Taozi Fuyuan]

Lace listened with rapt attention as Aya spoke. She could understand being bilingual, and smiled at Aya's small giggle. "It's always fun to speak Mando'a around people who don't understand it. I could be planning their murder and they'd never realize, or I could be talking about how nice the building is." Lace let out a small laugh as she finished off her tea.

Lace ate her food as they talked, enjoying their conversation immensely. Compared to Aya's delicate face cleaning of left over food, Lace was anything but delicate with cleaning hers, but stayed within politeness. At the other woman's question, Lace thought it over and nodded. "That would be fine. I have no duties I need to attend to anytime soon, and our conversation has been wonderful." It was then that the waitress came with the check, and placed a black card on the receipt for her to take. Raising her hand before Aya could protest, Lace smiled. "My brother offered to pay for this outing for me."

[member="Aya Clarke"]

 

[Aya Clarke]

Delightful, Aya was able to have more time with someone she didn't hate. With Cyril gone doing, Goddess knows what, she could use the company. Much as Lace had expected, she meant to protest, until the other woman told her of the agreement her brother had made. This elicited a small, mischievous giggle from her, as she tapped a bit into her youthful self for a moment. Oh, poor Metus. This place was more than a little pricey, he'd probably be a bit shocked next time he checked the bank. She managed to make some small talk to continue, until the meal was paid for and Lace was given all the receipts and what not she needed from the transaction. Satisfied, Aya stood herself up, adjusting her cape as she walked with the Vi'dreya out of the restaurant.

Knowing the city decently well from a handful of trips she took, prior to working with the CIS, she took Lace down a rather scenic walking route to talk. "This place was one of the first I came to after leaving my homeworld. I had heard it beautiful, and wanted to forget my woes for a time. It lived up to expectation, though I felt quite out of place. At the time I would wear gowns rather than my armor in public, since I didn't think they'd take kindly to it. Privilege of station now, I don't think anyone cares, certainly not as I've no official bodyguard."

[member="Lace Vi'dreya"]