I Don't Like Sand

[NightSister]

All things considered, Maena was certainly proving a nice home.

Aria had a splendid new apartment, all grand and nicely furnished and everything; one of the changes from her old lifestyle that she most frequently appreciated, without doubt. Her progress in the Dark side was enhanced simply by the nature of the planet. She was in closer contact with her friends, and had even - somehow - managed to make new ones. Even her plans to start amassing influence, while slower-moving, seemed to be going somewhere. Well, she had some ins. It almost counted. Baby steps.

But today, the nice aspect she was focused on was that she'd gotten herself a date. Well, she was calling it that. Perhaps it wasn't. But she'd call it a date anyway.

She felt that was what it was, at least. Her first exchange with Solomon Zambrano - her arrival on Maena, in fact - had seemed a positive one. As far as Aria was concerned, anyway. That had only been a few days ago, and between them they'd managed to conjure up a day in the very near future that they could both make it to the beach. If it was a date, it was exactly the kind Aria liked best; quiet with nice scenery, the two of them learning about each other. The two were still more or less strangers, after all. Between a Zambrano and a convert ex-Jedi, they were certain to have some interesting stories between them both.

It was late afternoon, nearing sundown. Solomon had offered to meet outside her place, so he could show her the way to a beach; possibly they'd tour the rest of the area, if it didn't get dark too quickly. Or perhaps even then, in fairness. Maena at dark was very pretty, from what she'd seen. There'd certainly be no shortage of things to explore on a planet like this, and he'd doubtless know all the best ones.

He'd be here soon enough, in any case. Upbeat music blasting in her bedroom, Aria had managed to throw together a suitably beachy outfit, washed her hair with fancy products, and even managed to dig through all her possessions until she found an expensive perfume hidden somewhere. She waited now, drifting about as one did when they were waiting, humming spiritedly. Even being her awkward self, she had a good feeling about this.

| [member="Solomon Zambrano"] |​

 

[Darth Prazutis]

​All in all things were going quite well for the prodigal son.

​There was a swift change of hands as his father became King of Thule and Warlord of Rattatak, new bases of power and now two worlds that he was the sole Crown Prince to, further increasing his own influence across the galaxy. The Prince's studies into the force in particular the dark side were coming along nicely, his cousin [member="Darth Carnifex"] a man who also helped raise and educate the youth gave him impromptu teachings. Most found it tough to talk to or even be around the man commonly known as the Butcher-King, but Solomon never saw this as the case. Kaine always welcomed his presence wherever he could be found within his vast holdings, if he appeared to be busy at the time then he always seemed to make time ready to impart the knowledge and wisdom a Sith Lord of his magnitude could impart.

​So when the youth came to him seeking his guidance in the force he gladly accepted him.

​It wouldn't be the first time Solomon learned under the God-King. In his youth Kaine gave him lessons he picked up as an Imperial Agent, and imparted personal knowledge of Sith history and philosophy especially when he reached certain points in history. Just being around the God-King often allowed Solomon to pick up bits of advice, wisdom imparted upon him by the former Sith Emperor. In many ways Kaine was one of the closest family members that Solomon had beyond his own father. He took these lessons to heart and brought them to Maena with him where he practiced them daily on a normal day.

​But today what drew his attention was that he had a date with [member="Aria Vale"].

​Their first exchange when he welcomed her on Maena went great as far as he was concerned, far better then he expected it to. When his father ordered him to welcome her with open arms he had no idea it would go so well as it did. The pair managed to set up a day where they could go to the beach, hopefully one of many where he could show her the various beautiful sights Maena held. Beauty was hard to find on a world so deeply scarred by destruction. But to one with unrestricted access to the whole of the planet unless either his father or aunt [member="Matsu Xiangu"] said otherwise, he was able to greatly familiarize a place that was steadily becoming a second or perhaps third home.

​So he offered to take Aria to the beach late in the afternoon near sundown. Before that Solomon began his day as he always did with four hours of working out, followed by meditation and a rather uneventful afternoon before returning to the suite he called his own on the same level as the luxurious string of apartments the two Despots of Maena called their own. He showered and cleaned himself with a variety of fancy products and scented oils. After deciding one of his trademark suits didn't seem to fit on a beach date carefully pieced together a beachy outfit still tailored to his mandate of always looking good in navy blue, choosing only the phoenix emblazoned signet ring of House Zambrano as his only choice of jewelry. After putting on an expensive, aromatic cologne he headed for Aria's apartment.

​Then there was the hiccup.

​The area quite commonly considered the royal quarter was locked down by a security station that now held members of the Crownguard, loyal protectors of the Zambrano family. Whenever a Zambrano set foot on the world with the blessing of the God-King, a detachment of these warriors wasn't far behind. There were approximately twelve crownguard, a standard detachment from the order currently on Maena. As soon as the Prince passed through the security station two of the steel gray armored warriors fell in behind him, prompting him to raise his hand up motioning for them to stop. "Stay here I won't be needing you." ​Solomon ordered.

​The two warriors stepped back at his order as a deep baritone voice rang out into the air "The Crown Prince must be escorted at all times." A rather tall guardsman said, he was clad in crimson red armor: the detachment commander. "I am aware of my position, commander, and I am ordering you to stand down. I will be perfectly safe." ​Solomon said in response. The Crownguard were always forceful when it came to the protection of the royal family, often protesting in response to any breach of protocol. They lived and died in defense of his family, and any damage done or lives lost would be their fault, if Zambrano blood was spilt. But before the crimson armored guard could protest Solomon swept out of the station.

For some reason he felt it would kill the mood of his date to have two silent shadows following them everywhere they went.

After picking up a bouquet of beautiful purple flowers native to Maena, it was a short walk down a turbolift to reach the level Aria's apartment was on and an even shorter one to the door. A swift glance at his watch told him he was on time, perfect. Solomon straightened up his collar and smoothed down his outfit first before letting loose three swift knocks on her door.