Welcome to the Office (Cecily/Arthur)

[H3xle]

​

​

Arthur touched a button and shut off the comm unit. He had been talking to a functionary in the military, going over the reports from the One Sith invasion of Telti. Things were as yet still inconclusive, and only preliminary reports were funneling through to him. He had itched to go, but by the time he and his guard unit had mounted up and left Onderon, transited to Telti and approached the moon station, the battle would have been over. He'd at this moment be just arriving, instead of receiving reports. Such was the life, when one was splitting time between parliamentary affairs and military service. He just hoped that they had pushed back the invaders, the win:loss ratio hadn't been good recently, they were being pushed by the One Sith hard and had yet to really respond.

Bzzzzt Bzzzzzt

The buzzing of his office door stirred him from his reveries.

"Come in." He said loudly enough to be heard through the door. It opened to admit an aide, she stepped inside and closed the door.

"I am sorry to disturb you, Senator, but you wished to know when the new Senator for Onderon had entered her office. She has just finished the official tour of the Senate grounds, and has gone into her office." She reported.

"Yes, thank you Claire. I wanted to be one of the first to welcome her. It has been a long time since we've had a Senator from Onderon." Which, now that he thought about it, was odd, considering they were on Onderon. He stood and pressed a button on the comm unit. It would hold all but the most important calls, the most important would be sent to his personal unit. With a deep breath, he stepped from his office, Claire trailing him out and then sitting at her desk in the waiting area. "Hold the fort down, I shall return."

He stepped out of his waiting room and into the hallway. The senate building on Onderon were what some would consider opulent, though as this was where visiting heads of state would have their first taste of Republic politics, it needed to have some splendor. He stepped quickly, but not hurriedly, through the hallways. His shoes clacked on the marble floor, a fact he found mildly annoying. He'd much prefer boots, but one dressed as one needed to and dress shoes were far more appropriate in the senate building than boots.

He passed through the center atrium and into a different wing, despite the nearness of Vena and Onderon in space, their senators had been placed in different wings. He could postulate on various reasons, but it didn't matter. He was soon entering the waiting area for the Onderon Senator and smiling at the aide sitting at the receiving desk.

"Good..." He quickly checked his chrono, despite knowing the time. He was in the political arena, so it paid to look relaxed when out of session. "...Morning, still. I was wondering if Senator de Demici had a moment, I wanted to offer a welcome and maybe take her to lunch if she had time." He smiled and met the aide's eyes. People responded well to eye contact.

"Let me see." The aide turned to the comm unit on the desk and pressed a button. "Senator d'Angele is here to see you, Senator de Demici."

[member="cecily de demici"]

 

[Cecily Demici]

"Uh, yes, see him in," Cecily's cool, clear voice responded through the comm unit after a brief pause.

"Yes, ma'am." Dutifully, the aide rose from her seat and ushered the Senator to the large double doors that concealed Senator Demici's new office. With a single sweep the squat woman plunged forward to reveal a round office of generous floorspace. A small sitting area was available for casual meetings on the lower deck of the office, various amenities and seating options available. Behind it, a raised dais entertained a large and noticeably barren desk set before a pair of high set balcony windows.

There, a slender young woman adorned in aquamarine silks, stood in a cluster of young attendants richly clothed in bright hues and listening intently as they were instructed on their duties. They seemed enthralled to the Senator's every word, but upon the intrusion all chatter ceased and they turned to face their guest. "Senator, Her Grace, the Countess de Demici, Senator of Onderon."

"Leave us," the Senator said gently as she turned to greet her new colleague. At this her attendants exited in a flourish of billowing fabric, gesturing politely to Senator d'Angele as they passed.

"Senator, welcome," beaming, she descended the few short steps and extended a delicate, gloved hand, "to what do I owe this great pleasure?"


Arthur d'Angele

 

[H3xle]

"Senator, welcome," beaming, she descended the few short steps and extended a delicate, gloved hand, "to what do I owe this great pleasure?"

Arthur waited until the attendants were out of the room, then stepped forward and took the offered hand. He bowed over the hand and softly brushed his lips to the back, not a full kiss on the hand, instead something more appropriate to a business setting. He returned to a full standing position before releasing her hand, then smiled and met her eyes.

"Arthur d'Angele, Duke of Vena and also Senator." He introduced himself. "I wanted to offer my congratulations on your election, welcome you to these grounds and see if you were free for lunch." He said with a charming smile, his hands went to a resting position behind his back in an instinctual motion that spoke of military training. "So, Congratulations, Your Grace. It has been far to long since the Republic has had the voice of Onderon in the Senate. I wish to offer you my greatest welcome to the Senate." As he spoke his congratulations and welcome, he offered a small bow. "The hour of lunch is upon us, and while I understand how busy you are, would you be amenable to having lunch? I know of an excellent restaurant just around the corner that serves a wide array of delicacies from around the galaxy."

[member="Cecily de Demici"]

 

[Cecily Demici]

Cecily bowed her head graciously at his greeting. "It was a hard won election," she lied, "still, I believe in the end the good people of Onderon made the best choice for our noble planet. It is my hope that my presence here will advance the interests of our people... and the Republic."

Cecily was well-spoken and had a knack for coming up with the best taglines on a dime. She rarely prepared for public speeches, preferring to speak off the cuff. She'd gotten so good that it had become hard for her to shut it off. "I would be honored to accompany you, Senator."

 

[H3xle]

Arthur smiled. He sensed that the victory might not have been as close as the Senator claimed, but there was no sense in saying so. We all wear our masks, and the senate chamber was simply the grandest masquerade ball of all. Arthur had never thought of it that way before, and he took a heart beat to ponder where the thought had come from. He was raised to be well rounded, which included being an accomplished writer, but his topics tended to be on military matters from both a soldiers perspective and a political one. He mentally shrugged and filed the thought aside for later.

"Excellent." He offered his arm to the Countess and escorted her from the room as a gentleman should.

[member="Cecily de Demici"]

 

[Cecily Demici]

"Tell me, Senator," she took his arm dutifully and kept his pace as they exited the office. Her ladies in waiting stood attentively as they exited and waited a few steps before following the two.

"How long have you served?" Cecily asked, admiring the architecture as they went along. She was curious who her most powerful allies might be here. She needed to make them quickly and she had come to the conclusion that Arthur would likely be one of them. A handsome one at that.

 

[H3xle]

"I have served in the Republic Military for thirteen years now, though the last three have been in a reserve capacity." He told her as he led them through the Senate building, and then down the front steps. When they exited, two men in uniforms that identified themselves as members of the Venan Guard fell in with them. They'd heard where he was going, so one took point a few meters ahead of them and another took rear guard a few meters behind the ladies in waiting. A landcar, unmarked, followed the rearguard at a little bit of distance as well. The rearguard looked it over and nodded, clearly knowing who was in the vehicle. "I have served in the Senate for a mere three months at this point. That is one of the reasons I wanted to take you out to lunch, I know how hectic the first day can be."

He led them down the street, turning the corner and crossing the street, then down a little more of the street to a nice, if somewhat plain looking, restaurant. The outside was a white facade that was simple and held only the name of the restaurant above the door. Galivan's.

Inside, the decor was classy and simple as well. They were shown to a private table, the two venan guards had taken up positions outside, while the car that had followed them seems to have vanished, but was covering the rear of the building. The menu had a fair sampling from across the galaxy, a few dishes from each sector of Republic space and a few from beyond their sphere of influence, though those prices were significantly higher.

"I personally enjoy the katarr steaks they serve here, it comes with a side of Kashyyk salad with a house dressing that is delicious." He said as he perused the menu.

[member="Cecily de Demici"]

 

[Cecily Demici]

'"Ah, so we are freshmen together?" she joked as they made their way down the busy walkways. The common folk tended to hop out of their way as they advanced. The good people of Onderon were a simple and traditional people who recognized and respected authority. One of the many reasons she adored them. Accordingly, she made sure to nod and gesture frequently to the citizenry they passed.

It seemed that very little time passed before they happened upon what Cecily could only assume was their destination. Her contingent, unlike the Venan guards, followed their senator inside and found themselves seated at an adjacent table. "That sounds lovely," Cecily agreed with his culinary suggestion.

"So, Vena? I am not familiar with the planet, tell me about it," she implored as they settled in and waited to be served.