Private I'll See You In 40

[Lucien Dooku]

CORONET CITY // CORELLIA
vibes | Auteme ​

---

It wasn't easy breaking through the Iron Curtain, let alone when your allegiance and status deemed your presence within the Order a high priority for others to keep track of. Lucien knew it wasn't going to be easy, when the idea came to his mind, and action took precedence over simply mulling over the idea. But he knew in his heart what he truly wanted to do, and where the strings of his heart tugged, the Angel of the Order would follow.

A simple message, encrypted to all hell and back, reached out to his beloved across the violent stars of the galaxy. It was only a few words delivered, but he knew that she would know where to follow. Star-crossed and divided by their loyalties as they were, time and time again the pair had never failed in finding a way to keep in touch. Too many memories, both good and bad, brought them across the galaxy in search of something other than the political and ideological barriers that threatened to tear them down.

Even as their respective nations were brought to the brink of what felt like a war ready to get hot, Lucien couldn't forsake the one who carried his heart, and so he did what he did best, and disappeared across the stars to fill the void that her absence had created.

He made it to Corellia in no time at all, donned in the inconspicuous spacer wear that he wore alot less often since his entry into the Imperial Knights. It felt good putting back on the signature jacket of his defiance against his Imperial heritage, the feint scent of her perfume still lingering on the fabric from their last rendezvous together. With his lightsaber tucked comfortably beneath it, the former Jedi didn't bother with any other form of personal defense while he was visiting the Core. He was back to the basics; nothing but his lightsaber, his Jedi Starfighter, and the droid who kept him company before his entry into the Order.

Another message came her way as soon as he was parked into the spaceport, and Lucien wasted no time blending himself into the busy streets of Coronet City, wandering in an unpredictable pattern until he made his way to an insignificant cantina in one of the city's many crowded back-alley's. He settled himself into the middle of the cantina's line of booths and waited, a single glass of Corellian whiskey sitting idly on the table in front of him, only the occasional sip breaking the monotony of his eyes shifting from the lone musician at the end of the bar, and towards the entrance.

She'd be there, that much he knew. He could feel her, even if she was half a galaxy away, her presence never muted from the recesses of his broken train of thought. Despite all he'd been through, and the fracturing that his encounters with Solipsis had wrought upon his mind, she was always a constant.

Perhaps the only one.

​

 

[Auteme]

Lucien Dooku ​

Auteme would have wasted no time or expense to meet him; Corellia seemed almost easy. She cleared her schedule for a 'return' to Epoch from Coruscant, fabricated a few delays, and left on a public transport to Coronet City. Preparing for the day was a breeze without the myriad of stylings, glow-ups and briefings necessary for the Senate arena. Even just dressing in civilian clothes made her unrecognizable. No glamour, no shine; just her, and him.

And that was enough. It was more than enough -- it was overwhelming. Absence made the heart grow fonder; that fondness made her heart race with each quickening pace towards the cantina. She had to grab a streetlight to stop herself, forcing her to slow down before she arrived at the door.

Sneaky. Subtle. That was why he'd picked here. She had to slow down. Slow down.

She took a deep breath. She walked in, glanced around, and started to walk over. Step, step, step -- yet she betrayed herself. The last few turned her from the other side of the booth to him. She reached forward, took hold of his face, and brought his lips to meet hers.

When they left each other, all she gave was a satisfied breath, before she went to sit across from him.

 

[Lucien Dooku]

CORONET CITY // CORELLIA
vibes | Auteme ​

---

She was a breath of fresh air in a world that seemed all too confusing, and increasingly more foreign around him. "I-" He started, only to find the air in his lungs being muted by the kiss planted upon him lips. A smile crept onto his lips as she let go of his cheeks and moved across to the opposite end of their table.

His eyes lingered upon her without another word following, seconds rolling over to the next, until he ended it with a few words to spare. "It's good to see you too." He pushed aside the watered-down glass of alcohol in front of him, sliding it to the edge of the table with two fingers. His taste for liquor had waned since his awakening, and he'd only ordered the glass in an effort to blend in while he was alone.

She was here now, and his attention would remain where it belonged.

Lucien's posture relaxed, arms sliding across the table to reach out towards her own.

"I hope you've been well; things are getting complicated on the other side of the Curtain...so I imagine it's just as bad on this side."
​

 

[Auteme]

Lucien Dooku ​

"Yeah. Yeah, good to see you," she said, partly embarrassed, but mostly just happy. She put her hands on the table and took hold of his.

"It's... it's manageable," she said, shrugging. "Politics is always easier when there's someone to fight -- streamlines things. You know." It struck her what an extraordinary couple they were -- a Senator-Jedi and the literal king of Serenno. She wondered if there was something more normal they could be talking about rather than politics.

"But, um- I'm, you know, Senator, now, and it's working out alright. I, uh, haha- I have my own royal palace these days." She grinned. "Not actually, just staying in the west wing while everyone else does stuff in the rest of the palace, but it's really nice. Obviously I need the full tour of yours someday. When- when things have calmed down, of course."

And if they didn't calm down? If the divide between the Alliance and the Imperials grew even greater, and they were pulled to opposing sides? She didn't know what she would do.

 

[Lucien Dooku]

CORONET CITY // CORELLIA
vibes | Auteme ​

---

Lucien perked up a bit as she mentioned the recent change in profession. Though it was news to him, it didn't come to any surprise that she was making the sort of moves that she did. Auteme had long expressed interest in entering the political sphere, and many moons before that, she'd been a consistent force for both change and good within the boundaries of the Alliance.

"A palace, you say?" He smirked, giving her hands a bit of a squeeze. "If you ask me, palaces are overrated anyways. I'm sure the west wing is just enough space for you, kitted out with everything you need to make it really just scream.. 'this is Auteme's place'."

It was true, though. She should've been to Serenno by that point in time. So much had occurred since its reclamation from the Sith, and what was once a broken jewel had become something which truly began to shine once more. He wanted to bring her back with him if he could, but Lucien couldn't risk that, not with the climate being what it was. As brazen as he liked to be towards the powers of authority, Luc wasn't foolish enough to put his loved ones so easily in harm's way.

"I'm.. not sure if things are gonna calm down this time."

A pause between words.

"It's part of the reason why i'm here. I did what I could before-- when Yinchorr nearly set shit off. But this time? It's not just COMPNOR i've gotta deal with. It's my own blood, plus millions of lost souls willing to bend the knee to the Iron Emperor, at the cost of Tavlar's legacy, what we fought to create."

​

 

[Auteme]

Lucien Dooku
​

"Oh."

She saw and heard the hurt in his words. Lucien might have a rebellious streak, but his identity, his past, his life was tied to the Empire. Nothing she could do would change that. Instead, she lightly squeezed his hand.

"How can I help?"

 

[Lucien Dooku]

CORONET CITY // CORELLIA
vibes | Auteme ​

---

---

"I need you on my side for this one. No matter the outcome."

Luc replied, squeezing her hands back in response to her own gesture. The feint smile turned solemn after those words were spoke, the weight of what he was about to suggest beginning to show its face.

"The Order-- No, the Empire is here to stay; It's not going away, and that much won't change. But the path that it's going down... it's not one that I can stand by idly and watch happen."

His hands unwrapped from around hers, recoiling back to his side of his table.

"This time, I can't promise you that i'll be safe, or that I'll do my best to stay out trouble. I'm going to do something about it. I have to, Auteme."

​

 

[Auteme]

Lucien Dooku
​

Auteme was silent, for a little while, her gaze falling to the table between them. How many times had he promised? And her? How many times had they gone into danger, with or without one another? This time felt different. That scared her.

"Okay," she said.

"Do you have a plan? Anything you need, anything I can help with?"

 

[Lucien Dooku]

CORONET CITY // CORELLIA
vibes | Auteme ​

---

---

"Yeah."

Luc nodded, his eyes shifting across the cantina until they settled onto the the holovid that played on the flatscreen mounted above the bar. He smirked a bit, as the other half of why he chose Corellia made itself present on screen.

" Dracken Pryce ; The Senator of Corellia. Same dude who scrapped alongside us in the Imp' Civil War. He was one of the good ones, the Alliance military had."

Lucien spoke up once again, shifting his eyes away from the image of the man speaking on TV, and back onto the woman across from him.

"I need you to set up a meeting with him-- for today, if possible. Might not be easy on such short notice, but i'm runnin' on borrowed time as it is."


​

 

[Auteme]

Lucien Dooku
​

Auteme thought a moment. Pryce had always seemed reliable; she couldn't recall anything they'd ever said to each other, but she'd always admired and respected him at a distance. If their first meeting official meeting was to be a ruse, she could only hope Lucien was charming enough to distract from the setback she thought such deception might cause to their relationship.

Setting it up... she needed to call back to Coruscant, get things ready, get dressed- or otherwise contrive a way for Lucien to get in without arousing suspicion. She rubbed her temples. "Yeah. Yeah, okay. I can do that.

"I'll- well, obviously I'll need to make some calls, check the time, all that, but yes. Why do you need to meet him?"

 

[Lucien Dooku]

CORONET CITY // CORELLIA
vibes | Auteme ​

---

---

Lucien smirked, donning that signature look which implied that the former Jedi was definitely holding a few cards up his sleeve. He looked across to Auteme and gave the woman a wink in return, before finally opening his mouth and responding in kind to her question.

"Matters of Empire, my love." He said with a teasing tone, though laden beneath the jest was more than a hint of truth that the words themselves presented. "Truthfully, it's best that you maintain a distance from the happenings between myself and Senator Pryce. I just ask that you trust me on this one, Auteme."

Lucien sipped down the last of his whiskey, pressing his hands down upon the table and pushing himself up to his feet in one quick motion. A hand extended out towards Auteme, a gesture of gentlemanly behavior towards the woman he kept in his heart.

"C'mon, let's go for a walk. We'll talk more once we're out and about, yeah?" ​

 

[Auteme]

Lucien Dooku
​

"Okay."

She took his hand, remembering the parties they'd walked into like that. A king dressed like a spacer. Contradictions, the lot of them.

They stepped out of the cantina and onto the street. Now that she'd slowed down, she noticed the rich aromas -- grime, alcohol, and cooking meat. It struck her how far she was from her 'type' of place. She'd be fine, surely, but it suddenly made her extremely self-conscious. She searched her surroundings for eyes, onlookers; finding none was just as unsettling as if she'd found a dozen.

She focused on walking, for a little while, until she felt like they could talk.

"So, um... how do you want to meet him? Should I just- set up a meeting, and instead of me, you're there? Do you need me to do any- setup? I don't know."