Dominion Just out fir a rip are ya bud? (Elysium Dominion of Lamaredd)

[Aculia Voland]

Aculia, internally still seething with frustration, nonetheless disengaged her lightsaber at her queen's command, placing it back on her belt. Her eyes, however, stared daggers at the idiotic young man that Var-Sulis had dragged out of the water as he waved to her. She did not wave back. There were so many things she was itching to do to him if she managed to get him alone for ruining her relaxing day at the beach and blowing her seventy-five credit lunch, and she doubted very much they were experiences that he would hope to have with a woman. Not to mention, she noticed as she glanced down, some food stains on sand all mixed together on her robes which she had just had cleaned.

She was about to say something snappy and interrogate him, but Var-Sulis had already begun interrogating the man. All she could do was stand there, ready and willing to her own personal version of "fun" with him if he tried anything stupid...or tried to leave without paying back his debt to her in some way.

That's around a hundred and ten credits you little miscreant, plus another ninety for time. And don't you dare try to dodge paying me... Loreena Arenais-Valhoun may be nice enough to let you go without paying but her husband is rich. Girls like me have to count every credit if we're going to make it in the galaxy.

 

[Jason Arnett]

Objective: BYOO
Post: 5
Tags: Loreena Arenais-Valhoun Var-Sulis Aculia Voland

Jason just hung his head, ashamed, embarrassed, soaking wet, eyes sore from the salt water as the chaos came to a close, ending with him being interrogated. He took a deep breath then murmured, "It was a prank..."

He knew they wouldn't hear him clearly, so he spoke up and spilled everything, "It was a prank. The remote was going to dump you into the water but I didn't hit it fast enough. I'm real sorry, it's just...there's not much to do around here, and with the new Imperials hanging around...well I have a gang of friends, we do pranks, and I haven't pulled one in a while..."

He knew what they'd say. They'd scold him for being too old to be so immature, they'd talk to him about peer pressure, they'd probably scold him for causing such a scare too, since the remote looked like a bomb. Then he'd go home, defeated, only to wake up to his gang's ridicule. He hated this place, it was a stupid fishing village and now he'd be known for the rest of his life as the failed prankster!

 

[Var-Sulis]

I couldn't help but chuckle at the words that were shamefully uttered from Jason Arnett . This boy, or rather young man reminded me of myself years ago. His explanation made sense. These days..You needed friends..Unfortunately..The ones he chose to be with..well.....

"A prank....Well jokes on you apparently...Now then...Where are you and this scraggly gang of yours from?" I asked to appease my curiosity.

Tag: Loreena Arenais-Valhoun Aculia Voland

 

[Aculia Voland]

Jason Arnett

Aculia tapped her feet against the sand with her arms crossed as she listened to the boy and his tale. On another world, he would have been a street urchin type, but not one of the smart boys who would run a gang or make a profit, or one of the large and intimidating boys who would be an enforcer. He would likely be given some kind of menial role that did not matter if he messed it up, or be set up as a sacrifice, more or less. Many such cases around the galaxy. He was just a dumb boy on a backwater world getting into trouble because there was either no real opportunity or he was simply too idiotic to seize any opportunity. If he actually had to work, maybe he would not have all the spare time in the world to ruin people's days...

And he might not have the credits needed to pay me back, unless he goes out and gets an actual job. Ugh.

"And how do you and your little friends over there make a living? That little trick of yours cost money. How do you get by?" She asked, hoping she could extort the cost of her meal back from them. If not, she would have to get the boy a job somewhere until she was paid back. Since it did not seem he had any skills other than being a pain in the arse, a janitor would work. At 8 credits an hour, a third of that gone to Elysium taxes, it would only take him about a week's worth of work to pay for her food...

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori dropped her arms once things began to settle down. Jason Arnett was just a prankster like she was, especially at his age. Boy could she teach him a trick or two....

Arla reholstered her blaster, standing down but keeping an eye on the boy's friends that were off in the distance.

Var-Sulis seemed amused. Meanwhile Aculia Voland was more than a little miffed about the whole thing. Lori found the whole thing funny, and it was far better than there being an actual bomb. These days she had to be a little more cautious.

"Have you ever thought of joining the military? You'd learn how to make the best traps and could use those skills to pull the best pranks. Trust me."

 

[Jason Arnett]

"From the fishing village.." the answer was to the first and second question. He was from the fishing village and that was where he got his money. Then he answered the hot, bikini girl's question about the military. "...of course I considered it...but it's not much different from what I do now, except if I pull a prank, I'd be arrested on a dishonorable discharge. At least here I can joke around."

He was incredibly uncomfortable now. He was soaked, it was getting colder thanks to the shade of the fishing hut he had hid behind, he was surrounded by important people, and he was being interrogated by a girl in a bikini (a rare sight in a fishing village)....what a mess. At least his gang had been shoo'd away, for the most part at least.

"Just let me go, I've got enough problems now..."

 

[Aculia Voland]

"Well, wait just a minute there, my friend..." Aculia started, increasing her feet tapping tempo considerably as she emphasized the last word. "You ended up causing considerable damages to someone here. Look at my robes! Because of your stunt, a hard-won meal was ruined, this outfit will have to undergo extensive laundering, not to mention wasting an hour of my limited vacation time. There has to be some sort of compensation here for your little stunt!"

She glanced over at Loreena Arenais-Valhoun , bowing her head ever so slightly in formal respect. Appearances had to be maintained.

"I know you are inclined to give mercy, my Lady, but he will not truly learn his lesson here unless he makes up for this in some material way. It's not a good idea to just let him go with the lesson he can pull pranks on innocent people and ruin vacations with no real consequences."

Turning back towards Jason, she began to list the damages the boy had caused. "I figure it'll be around ninety credits to get these robes fully cleaned, it was a real pain to get them to where I wanted them in the first place. Seventy-five credits for the lunch and hardship this caused the restaurant staff. And let's throw in around thirty-five for my emotional pain and suffering. Do you have two hundred credits on you?"

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori snorted in spite of herself. "Dishonouable discharge? I don't think so. Gosh you should hear the story of the sling-shot maneuver that I did getting a captured fighter into a freighter. Man, it was wicked! I mean, yeah I had to pay for a bunch of new underwear for the ship's crew, but it was brilliant and it worked! Being able to succeed in pulling pranks and overcome them when they fail is a valuable skill to use in the field!" And it was true. She had used those skills dozens of times in battle and during the siege of Commenor. Those skills had saved a lot of lives....

Her attention then turned from Jason Arnett to Aculia Voland as she started spouting off about a severely overpriced lunch, laundry bill and compensation for....emotional pain and suffering? Who does that?? If Lori had charged people credits for emotional pain and stress they had put on her during her life, she'd be way more well off than she already was. "There's no need for any of that. How would he know that you were going to spill your lunch on your clothes? From his planning, no one at that restaurant was going to be affected. As he said, it was just going to put some people into the water. And he's just a kid, so cut him some slack. If you're so worried about your emotional pain and suffering and everything, I'll cover it and put you up in some vacation retreat for a week so you can recover from a harmless prank that a boy tried to do. You know that he doesn't have the credits you are overcharging him, yet have devided to tack on an overpriced bill anyways to cause him emotional stress and guilt on purpose. So your next option for him was to what? Make him your slave until he repays your inflated debt? Tack on huge interest like a loan shark if he tries to pay you whatever he can over time? That's even worse than his failed prank."

Lori shook her head a little, trying to ponder on what her parents would of done. Not just for the boy, but for others in the village that were just as bored as he was. They needed things to do and part of her job was to look after them. "I know where your skills can come in handy. If your friends are like-minded, then meet me here later tonight and I'll lay out my proposal to you all. It could be just what you're looking for and I promise that it won't be boring. Okay?"

 

[Aculia Voland]

Aculia listened to the rebuke with a stoic face, but was internally furious at the presumptiveness of the Queen. What did SHE know about true suffering? She was likely some spoiled little aristocratic child who got away with pranks because her daddy and husband shielded her from the real consequences of them. Did she ever grow up around criminals who would cut your throat for a quarter of what that boy had done? Murder your family due to a misplaced grin or smile? Did she realize the long-term damage she was doing to this poor idiotic boy by shielding him from the consequences of his actions? What if it wasn't some well-mannered Queen he had dunked into the water, but a truly murderous thug? What then? He would go and cry and do his sob story, expecting to get out of it just like now, only to have a vibroblade slash his throat. Didn't Loreena Arenais-Valhoun realize she was trying to impart a lesson on the boy he would not simply forget the next time he needed to look cool in front of his friends? Not to mention that if Arla or another bodyguard had been a little bit faster, he would have been DEAD?

It took a truly supreme amount of willpower to just stand there and take it from the Queen without snapping back at her that maybe she should get a reality check that not everyone had a bodyguard and a fleet to back them up on every one of their silly little games.

But oh that's right you stupid condescending noble [expletive deleted] hussy, you'll just go to your next fancy dinner or private beach retreat while this boy ends up getting killed in some back alley for one of his dumb stunts in the future that you're encouraging him to do. Teehee, the galaxy is a place of rainbows and sunshine! Look at him, he has no family, he has no real allies with his gang. He'd be alone versus the goodwill of whatever stranger he tries this on next! And I'm the evil one here for having him do a bit of honest work to learn his damn lesson? Frig you, Lady Know-It-All!

Of course, what came out of her mouth was very different from what she was thinking, given the difference in their ranks.

"I defer to your wisdom, your Majesty. Clearly, you have more experience with his type and his situation than I do." The words were delivered quite formally and flatly, without the faintest hint of inflection or emotion in them. She glanced towards the boy, eyes cold and piercing, and offered a stiff, military-like apology "I apologize for my conduct, young man. I was simply trying to get you to think long and hard about the consequences of any actions you take."

 

[Var-Sulis]

I noted Loreena Arenais-Valhoun 's proposal as I stood in observation with my hands on my hips. There were a few things to note...but most importantly, She had de-escalated a combustible situation like that of a true ruler. A true Queen. It was about time. I was impressed. And glancing over at Aculia Voland I realized she was upset and had every right to be. A boy..Irrationally pulling pranks along with a crew that thought it funny wasn't something someone with a militant background would take lightly. I was in the presence of royalty..Or I too may have slapped the taste out of the boys mouth. But neither here nor there, It was the right call from the Queen. There may be something for him yet.

"If you all will excuse me...Now that we have a grip on this silly situation, there's some gear i'll be retrieving from my vessel." I stated as I thought for a moment....I have no idea what this place is really about or what lies beneath the surface of things..Beautiful scenery..nice little nifty vacation spot, but was it like this everywhere? Is there so much freedom that it becomes painfully boring? Only one way to find out. Scouting time. I would nod to the two ladies and give a quick glance over to Jason Arnett . clicking my tongue and winking while imitating a trigger pull of a gun.

 

[Jason Arnett]

How about you pay me for the emotional damage your overaction has caused, dumb Imperial!

"I-"

The hot bikini woman spoke first, scolding the other girl. Jason couldn't contain a slight grin but it faded as soon as bikini girl looked back at him. Then the angry one spoke again and queen!? Bikini girl is The Queen!? His heart began pounding and he had trouble making eye contact as the queen spoke again, offering to meet him later with an offer. He stuttered for a moment before quickly saying "Oh uh, y-yes, sure of course, I mean, yes! I'm so sorry Queen Valtoon!"

Valtoon?

He couldn't remember, and again hung his head slightly. The Empire hadn't been in charge long...and they had done so much for the planet already. Jason had tried to learn more about them but he just couldn't focus. It was so boring!

I'm talking to a queen! Wait till the gang learns about THIS!

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori eyed Aculia Voland when she spoke, taking note of her tone of voice and lack of emotion that sounded similar to Arla. She knew fully well what that meant. But how much would they see eachother? Probably not much at all. So she wasn't going to let it bother her.

She nodded to Var-Sulis as he turned to go. No doubt he was going to do some scouting. It was part of his job and his instincts.

Lori turned her attention back to Jason Arnett as he stumbled over his words. It was easy to see that he was surprised to find out her identity. She was a 'Queen without a crown' and she didn't exactly hang out with an entourage or slew of guards. She didn't even have any attendants. Arla was the only constant in her life, both now and before her marriage to Rex. "Good. Keep your nose clean in the meantime."

Now she waited for either him or Aculia to leave first, not wanting to depart back to the beach and leave them to eachother. There was already enough tension between the two.

 

[Aculia Voland]

Aculia was even more irritated with Loreena Arenais-Valhoun proceeding to completely ignore her and not even acknowledge her conciliatory response to Jason, and for a moment wondered if she would be able to smack the pompous shrew across the face before Arla or Var-Sulis could respond. Only the thought of all those who were now under her command, who would doubtless otherwise be assigned to some incompetent like Brodan Dobson or worse, the Queen herself, if she acted out of place. It was only those thoughts that enabled her to grit her teeth, hard, and offer the most perfunctory bow she could manage to her.

"If that is all, your Majesty, I will attempt to set things right at the restaurant now..." She forced herself to say, before turning and heading back towards the remains of her expensive dinner, which would have to come out of her pocket. All because she had deigned to actually give a damn about the Queen's safety-now she was out two hundred credits, and the stupid boy Jason Arnett would learn if he simply appeared sorry enough, he could get out of anything.

God forbid you ever end up in a situation where you need my help, Mrs. Valhoun, maybe Rex will find a less pampered, more mature wife to replace you!

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori watched Aculia Voland as she grit her teeth and bowed slightly to her and spoke, responding to her with merely a nod. She needed either her or Jason Arnett to leave and it was Aculia that had done so first.

After letting out a breath that she wasn't even aware that she was holding, Lori turned to Arla. "Call ahead to the restaurant and have her bills credited to me. And find out how much her salary is. My guess is that it's lower than it should be." Arla nodded and proceeded to follow her orders. Lori knew that it wouldn't be enough, but at least it was a start.

She didn't know how Rex Valhoun would have handled the situation, but no doubt it'd be in a much harsher way. From the reports that she had been reading, his actions had become more heavy-handed than before. And that in and of itself was worrisome. The distance between them also worried her to no end and there were nights when she barely slept because of it.

But until then she decided to go back to the beach, only this time it was to go for a much needed swim.