Post by Bobbi on Oct 4, 2018 19:11:55 GMT -5
At midday in the palace gardens the scent of blooming flowers was everywhere. The recent rainfall had renewed the living world within the gardens, bringing a new flourish of color and vitality. The conferences were still on-going, but a break was being held. In that small moment Solomon found himself wandering those gardens. He had not spent so much time in the palace as he had within the past few weeks, unless time prior to the Mandals was to be counted.
“Ah, Mr Tekal!” The cheerful voice of Mercy Trang pulled his mind away from memories and caused his steps to turn toward the Twi’lek. He wore a light smile even though he felt nothing at all so comfortable.
The expression must have wavered as he got closer to her. Mercy gave him a once over and continued with, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Solomon told the Twi’lek, offering her a more solid smile, “I was just thinking.”
Mercy watched Solomon wave away her question as more life came into his smile. It was an improvement, she decided, keeping the opinion to herself. His was the kind of face, she thought, that could show every inch of what he was feeling, even if he was careful and attempting not to let it show.
He was quite the different man from his brother, Lotus could tell that right off the bat. Beyond the physical differences, there was something of a dark presence about Solomon. Darien had never carried anything that dark around himself, even while under the guiding hand of Kedemel Sorath.
That first night she had met Solomon she’d felt it, such a strong and powerful anger. It was steel cut and boiled down into its hardest of forms. How could she not take note of it?
“I am sorry to have disturbed you, then.” She offered, giving a glance back to the gaggle of aides who had hung back to give the Madam President her space to speak with Solomon, “I can go, and leave you to it.”
“No, it’s alright. I don’t mind the company.”
He said that, but she thought she had heard something beneath those words. It almost sounded like resignation. Her Lekku twitched, and she told her people, “Go ahead back in. I’m going to stay with Mr Tekal for a bit.”
She waited until they abandoned any protest they might have given, each of the group taking their leave together with Haller being the last.
It was only Haller who managed to voice his concerns, “Ca….ca...ca...call me if you need any th...th...thing, Madam Pr...President.”
“Of course Haller,” Her Lekku twitched against her shoulders a bit more, her smile toward the stammering man was friendly and gracious.
Once they were alone, Lotus was turning back Solomon’s way with a polite, “Let’s walk.”
Together they walked the length of the gardens, weaving between rows and beds of beautiful flowers, fountains, and native trees. It was a larger garden than what he was building at his home, far more spread out, but that only gave him the chance to listen to Mercy as she recounted the events of the summit, and told him how she thought things were going.
It took some time for the conversation to fall into silence. When it did, the soft sounds of water fountains filled the air with their bubbling and spilling water.
That quiet, wordless silence was let to carry on for a while before Solomon found himself saying, “I wanted to apologize for the way I acted toward you the other night. I still can’t remember much, but I have been able to recall that I bumped into it, and may have cursed in your direction.”
The suddenness of the statement caused Mercy to laugh lightly, “Oh no, don’t apologize for any of that. I certainly am not holding you accountable for it. I wasn’t injured, and neither were you. That is good enough for me.”
The soft and flowy berry red fabric that Mercy Trang was wearing that day caught in the flutter of movement from her right arm as she dismissed the idea entirely. The dress she was wearing was of a favored style to the Consortium, and she had chosen it to pay homage to the people’s home she was visiting. Her Lekku had been dressed in the same fabric and were wrapped and draped across her shoulders.
Silence fell between them again, the sounds of the waterfalls taking over as they wound their way through. Solomon had turned his mind to the sounds of the tiri birds, the flowers they passed, and the architecture of the fountains.
None of it was new to him, but he let the distraction be what it was until Mercy spoke again, “I hope you don’t mind me saying but you are a rather fascinating person, Mr Tekal.”
They had come far from where they’d started, and now Solomon was stopping by a bench to turn toward Mercy. She had been aware of his actions, his intentions, and stopped as he had. She found he was watching her, blue eyes taking in every line of her face, every movement of her eyes, every twitch of her Lekku. It struck her just then, in that moment, that he looked like an animal ready to spring and snap in order to defend itself.
She smiled all the same, “I took the liberty of doing a little research after you left my apartments the other night. I had been expecting a good long list of history to read, but surprisingly there wasn’t much beyond recent events. I was able to find out so much more about your brother than I was about you -- do you know he spoke of you often when we first met, he and I? But he never really told me all that much about you. You were just a name mentioned in conversation. Though now, seeing you face to face I can see you are so much more.” She turned slightly, and moved to sit on the chiseled stone bench, giving a gentle pat to the open space beside her.
Solomon felt himself tighten up and pull in the moment she started speaking again. Who was this woman, and why would she care enough to go to the lengths of trying to find out what his past was? Furthermore, just what did she know? Under his scrutiny, Mercy hadn’t batted an eye before sitting on the bench. She was still very much at ease, still very much a calm breeze compared to the bluster of storm Solomon was suddenly feeling himself to be. He remained standing, the spot left empty on the bench next to her.
He was aware of how rude it would make him look, what kind of insult she might take from the unanswered gesture. He was also aware that she was very much a stranger who was brushing against dangerous lines of questioning.
“I really can’t blame you for looking at me like that,” Mercy was still speaking, “Not after the rough time you’ve had over the past several years. I can promise that I have no intention of taking advantage like that. Please, Mr Tekal,” She patted the bench again, “I wont prod again.”
He stood there, looking at the Twi’lek where she sat, weighing the moment out. She said she wouldn’t prod, but what was she after then? Finding that he was feeling backed against a wall, Solomon shook his head and checked his chrono, “Maybe another time. I need to get going.”
“Ah, Mr Tekal!” The cheerful voice of Mercy Trang pulled his mind away from memories and caused his steps to turn toward the Twi’lek. He wore a light smile even though he felt nothing at all so comfortable.
The expression must have wavered as he got closer to her. Mercy gave him a once over and continued with, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Solomon told the Twi’lek, offering her a more solid smile, “I was just thinking.”
Mercy watched Solomon wave away her question as more life came into his smile. It was an improvement, she decided, keeping the opinion to herself. His was the kind of face, she thought, that could show every inch of what he was feeling, even if he was careful and attempting not to let it show.
He was quite the different man from his brother, Lotus could tell that right off the bat. Beyond the physical differences, there was something of a dark presence about Solomon. Darien had never carried anything that dark around himself, even while under the guiding hand of Kedemel Sorath.
That first night she had met Solomon she’d felt it, such a strong and powerful anger. It was steel cut and boiled down into its hardest of forms. How could she not take note of it?
“I am sorry to have disturbed you, then.” She offered, giving a glance back to the gaggle of aides who had hung back to give the Madam President her space to speak with Solomon, “I can go, and leave you to it.”
“No, it’s alright. I don’t mind the company.”
He said that, but she thought she had heard something beneath those words. It almost sounded like resignation. Her Lekku twitched, and she told her people, “Go ahead back in. I’m going to stay with Mr Tekal for a bit.”
She waited until they abandoned any protest they might have given, each of the group taking their leave together with Haller being the last.
It was only Haller who managed to voice his concerns, “Ca….ca...ca...call me if you need any th...th...thing, Madam Pr...President.”
“Of course Haller,” Her Lekku twitched against her shoulders a bit more, her smile toward the stammering man was friendly and gracious.
Once they were alone, Lotus was turning back Solomon’s way with a polite, “Let’s walk.”
Together they walked the length of the gardens, weaving between rows and beds of beautiful flowers, fountains, and native trees. It was a larger garden than what he was building at his home, far more spread out, but that only gave him the chance to listen to Mercy as she recounted the events of the summit, and told him how she thought things were going.
It took some time for the conversation to fall into silence. When it did, the soft sounds of water fountains filled the air with their bubbling and spilling water.
That quiet, wordless silence was let to carry on for a while before Solomon found himself saying, “I wanted to apologize for the way I acted toward you the other night. I still can’t remember much, but I have been able to recall that I bumped into it, and may have cursed in your direction.”
The suddenness of the statement caused Mercy to laugh lightly, “Oh no, don’t apologize for any of that. I certainly am not holding you accountable for it. I wasn’t injured, and neither were you. That is good enough for me.”
The soft and flowy berry red fabric that Mercy Trang was wearing that day caught in the flutter of movement from her right arm as she dismissed the idea entirely. The dress she was wearing was of a favored style to the Consortium, and she had chosen it to pay homage to the people’s home she was visiting. Her Lekku had been dressed in the same fabric and were wrapped and draped across her shoulders.
Silence fell between them again, the sounds of the waterfalls taking over as they wound their way through. Solomon had turned his mind to the sounds of the tiri birds, the flowers they passed, and the architecture of the fountains.
None of it was new to him, but he let the distraction be what it was until Mercy spoke again, “I hope you don’t mind me saying but you are a rather fascinating person, Mr Tekal.”
They had come far from where they’d started, and now Solomon was stopping by a bench to turn toward Mercy. She had been aware of his actions, his intentions, and stopped as he had. She found he was watching her, blue eyes taking in every line of her face, every movement of her eyes, every twitch of her Lekku. It struck her just then, in that moment, that he looked like an animal ready to spring and snap in order to defend itself.
She smiled all the same, “I took the liberty of doing a little research after you left my apartments the other night. I had been expecting a good long list of history to read, but surprisingly there wasn’t much beyond recent events. I was able to find out so much more about your brother than I was about you -- do you know he spoke of you often when we first met, he and I? But he never really told me all that much about you. You were just a name mentioned in conversation. Though now, seeing you face to face I can see you are so much more.” She turned slightly, and moved to sit on the chiseled stone bench, giving a gentle pat to the open space beside her.
Solomon felt himself tighten up and pull in the moment she started speaking again. Who was this woman, and why would she care enough to go to the lengths of trying to find out what his past was? Furthermore, just what did she know? Under his scrutiny, Mercy hadn’t batted an eye before sitting on the bench. She was still very much at ease, still very much a calm breeze compared to the bluster of storm Solomon was suddenly feeling himself to be. He remained standing, the spot left empty on the bench next to her.
He was aware of how rude it would make him look, what kind of insult she might take from the unanswered gesture. He was also aware that she was very much a stranger who was brushing against dangerous lines of questioning.
“I really can’t blame you for looking at me like that,” Mercy was still speaking, “Not after the rough time you’ve had over the past several years. I can promise that I have no intention of taking advantage like that. Please, Mr Tekal,” She patted the bench again, “I wont prod again.”
He stood there, looking at the Twi’lek where she sat, weighing the moment out. She said she wouldn’t prod, but what was she after then? Finding that he was feeling backed against a wall, Solomon shook his head and checked his chrono, “Maybe another time. I need to get going.”
