[007] Lady Alicia's Yacht - The Kiara Surabi

[joertexas]

With a smile he adds “My Lady, I apologise for the near miss”. Foix sweeps his blade upright in a salute directed at Lady Harper.

Vee looks at Gauvain, and then at Harper. Never a dull moment, indeed.

[Ramona]

Ana looks at Sara and whispers, “I’m not sure sure which camp he falls into, I mean you think you do but then this guy shows up.”

She gets a pair of flutes of champagne and gives one to Sara.

Anastasia Jones is tall and lean, she’s wearing mid-calf flat boots, black pencil skirt, white blouse, a crimson obi belt with long tails and long black asymmetrical coat with a hood. Her hair is platinum, her eyes are amber and her skin translucent.

Ana hovers near the edges of the room watching everyone carefully.

[shaidar]

Harper smiles and performs a small curtsey towards the Comte

"No need to apologise my Lord, and the pleasure at our reacquaince is all mine"

She winks at Vee

Harper is wearing a simple but elegantly cut cobolt blue silk dress

[lenusmars]

Ana looks at Sara and whispers, “I’m not sure sure which camp he falls into, I mean you think you do but then this guy shows up.”

She gets a pair of flutes of champagne and gives one to Sara.

Sara shakes her head, a smirk on her lips as she takes the champagne. "He does seem to like the the theatrical grand gesture. Honestly, if we ever need a distraction, we know who to call."

Anastasia Jones is tall and lean, she’s wearing mid-calf flat boots, black pencil skirt, white blouse, a crimson obi belt with long tails and long black asymmetrical coat with a hood. Her hair is platinum, her eyes are amber and her skin translucent.

Ana hovers near the edges of the room watching everyone carefully.

Sara is diminutive, though nicely curved for her height. She's slightly baby-faced, with a fair skin, wide sparkling eyes, an open, cheerful expression, and a head of fiery orange/red curls. She's wearing a gown of royal purple covered in tiny gold starbursts and is clearly not entirely comfortable in formal attire.

[joertexas]

Sara is diminutive, though nicely curved for her height. She's slightly baby-faced, with a fair skin, wide sparkling eyes, an open, cheerful expression, and a head of fiery orange/red curls. She's wearing a gown of royal purple covered in tiny gold starbursts and is clearly not entirely comfortable in formal attire.

Vee, who is wearing a gray, ankle-length belted gown with a matching jacket, looks at Ana and Sara as they enter. She sighs mentally at the beautiful redhead, and then shows a flicker of a smile at how Sara and Ana are interacting with each other.

[Ramona]

Ana makes her way around the room introducing herself and Sara first to Dame Alicia, then Lady Ananya and finally to Lady Harper.

She offers Harper a subtle curtsy and a smile, “Lady Harper, this is Sara Kelley, our pilot and the prettiest girl aboard the Maize Star and I’m Anastasia Jones, Bleikthjarta, Jones. My recruting officer couldn’t pronounce or spell Bleikthjarta so I became Jones.” Ana has an accent that comes and goes as she talks, it’s hard to place where it’s from.

She smiles and looks over at Foix, “I’ve worked with your cousin a few times over the years. Cousin, brother, which is it? He’s not really all that good at explaining the important stuff.”

Ana’s clothes strike Harper as strangely old faahioned.

[shaidar]

Harper smiles at Sara and Ana

"Pleased to meet both of you...and please call me Harper. The Foix family tree can be a little convoluted, but he is my cousin, at least that's the most direct relationship. I remember many tedious lessons having to learn all the inter-connections. Bleikthjarta, that's an unusual name. Where are you from, if you don't mind me asking?"

[Ramona]

Harper smiles at Sara and Ana

"Pleased to meet both of you...and please call me Harper. The Foix family tree can be a little convoluted, but he is my cousin, at least that's the most direct relationship. I remember many tedious lessons having to learn all the inter-connections. Bleikthjarta, that's an unusual name. Where are you from, if you don't mind me asking?"

“An unusual name for an unusual girl,” Ana replies with a smirk bumping her hip into Sara, “it means bleak-heart, black-heart raven-heart, doesn’t translate well into your tongue.”

“As for where I’m from, it’s a sun scorched rock beyond the rimward/trailward frontier that no self respecting noble has ever heard of called Helheim. Prior to the Contraction it was a penal colony, last time I saw it it was a giant open pit mine and smelter.”

The Contraction was a priod of Imperial decline several centirues ago, think Great Depression on an Imperial scale. Economy went in the tank and the Imperium shrank back to its core regions.

[shaidar]

"Ah...Helheim. My Naval service took me in that general direction a few times over the years, protection for the mines, although I've never stopped there. I've also served with a few of your kinsmen. You signed up for one of the services?"

[Ramona]

“Really,” Ana remarks raising an eyebrow, “they let more than a couple of us offworld? The universe is a strange and fantastical place, I mean you think they’d have learned their lesson. They must have been jarheads, can’t see any other use for us besides muscle.”

“I’m army, a ground rat, well I was,” she winces a little at the though, “forcibly retired due to budgetary some such shit or other. So you’re Navy, or were, I tried for them, highly irritable was what they put on the rejection slip.”. Ana smiles.

Harper knows from reports that Helheim is a low tech (late 1800’s-WW1 era tech) world that’s pretty much anarchy beyond the wire of the Imperial mines. Think MadMax meets Lawrence of Arabia

[lenusmars]

She offers Harper a subtle curtsy and a smile, “Lady Harper, this is Sara Kelley, our pilot and the prettiest girl aboard the Maize Star and I’m Anastasia Jones, Bleikthjarta, Jones. My recruiting officer couldn’t pronounce or spell Bleikthjarta so I became Jones.” Ana has an accent that comes and goes as she talks, it’s hard to place where it’s from.

Sara playfully rolls her eyes, grinning. "I'll point out that she's slightly biased, but pilot is true enough. Hi" Sara shakes Harper's hand.

“An unusual name for an unusual girl,” Ana replies with a smirk bumping her hip into Sara, “it means bleak-heart, black-heart raven-heart, doesn’t translate well into your tongue.”

"As well as having dubious accuracy for the person it names." Sara chimes in, returning the bump.

[Ramona]

“An unusual name for an unusual girl,” Ana replies with a smirk bumping her hip into Sara, “it means bleak-heart, black-heart raven-heart, doesn’t translate well into your tongue.”

"As well as having dubious accuracy for the person it names." Sara chimes in, returning the bump.

“You weren’t around back then, it was a long time ago and I wasn’t nearly so, domesticated.” Ana says with a smile best described as, unpleasant.

[shaidar]

Harper shakes Sara's hand without hesitation.

"Yes, five terms in the Navy, in engineering. I mustered out a few weeks ago, and here I am helping Lady Alicia with her projects." she drops her voice a bit "To be honest, I'm not sure the family knows what to do with me, but I'm happy with my posting" she smiles.

"So, were you a pilot in one of the services, or freelance? she asks Sara.

[lenusmars]

Harper shakes Sara's hand without hesitation.

"Yes, five terms in the Navy, in engineering. I mustered out a few weeks ago, and here I am helping Lady Alicia with her projects." she drops her voice a bit "To be honest, I'm not sure the family knows what to do with me, but I'm happy with my posting" she smiles.

"So, were you a pilot in one of the services, or freelance? she asks Sara.

"I was in the Scout Service for eight years. I actually worked out of the same Scout Base as Viv over there for a while." Sara's glance in Vivian's direction has a slightly furtive quality. "It took me a bit to recognize her with the new hair! Anyway... wanted to go on longer, but didn't make my re-enlistment." Sara's eyes seem to dim a bit at the latter part, but they recover quickly. "But I wasn't done with spacing, so I signed on with the Mazie Star." She looks up at Ana next to her, fondly. "Which has turned out to be one of my best moves so far!"

"So is it nice to be back with other Foixs? I miss everyone back home, but not really home itself, if you know what I mean."

[shaidar]

"My re-enlistment was turned down too. Well, after twenty years in the service it is certainly different to be back home. When I joined up I wasn't exactly in the best relationship with the family. It was good to see my parents and siblings again, but I don't think the Foix family is like other families in a lot of ways. It's a pleasant surprise to catch up with Foix, it looks like he has found himself an excellent crew"

[Tiglath]

Casually cleaning the blade of his sword, Foix strides through the crowd before him as he returns to join his comrades. Sheathing his blade he turns to reveal Grimaud in his wake carrying a freshly decapitated bottle and two glasses. Foix tops off his comrades’ drinks and pours for Grimaud and himself.

He moves next to Vee pausing to give her a warm smile and to lean in to whisper "Tu es si belle" as he takes his place. He then formally introduces Grimaud “Lady Harper, my man Grimaud, who as well as being a peerless chef has my absolute trust”.

Grimaud, carrying a glass instead of a tray, seems entirely uncomfortable. He bows awkwardly and then briefly shaking Harper’s hand mumbles “Ah, a pleasure … um … Lady Harper”.

[shaidar]

Harper shakes his hand "A pleasure to meet you Grimauld...call me Harper, please"

Harper raises an eyebrow at Foix

"So tell me dear cousin, apart from Grimauld, are all your crew beautiful women?" she smiles innocently at Foix

[Ramona]

“He looked so sad and lonely when we found him in that cardboard box on Shedizar a week ago. Unfortunately, Vee put out a saucer of champagne and caviar and we haven’t been able to get rid of him since.” Ana downs the champagne and wrinkles her nose, “Fizzy.”

[Tiglath]

"So tell me dear cousin, apart from Grimauld, are all your crew beautiful women?" she smiles innocently at Foix

Foix replies “Alas, I wish I could claim the credit for such a majestic display of beauty!”

He lowers his voice in mock conspiracy “Then there is, of course, Colonel Chu” he grins wickedly and raises his glass to the veteran colonel “but since he is regular Infantry we must excuse his aesthetic failings!”

“He looked so sad and lonely when we found him in that cardboard box on Shedizar a week ago. Unfortunately, Vee put out a saucer of champagne and caviar and we haven’t been able to get rid of him since.” Ana downs the champagne and wrinkles her nose, “Fizzy.”

Foix laughs and refills Ana's glass as he continues “I did come late to join the trader’s crew and would have travelled incognito had my old comrade Ana not recognised me. She has a very good eye - she knew me from when I was younger and less handsome".

His smile broadens into a grin as he adds “However, it is entirely true that my crew position was as ship’s mascot. I am indeed most fortunate that Lady Anevay appears to have adopted me”.

[joertexas]

His smile broadens into a grin as he adds “However, it is entirely true that my crew position was as ship’s mascot. I am indeed most fortunate that Lady Anevay appears to have adopted me”.

A touch of color appears in Vee's cheeks, and she smiles demurely. "I was simply following my heart, and the trend, it seems."She nods slightly to Sara. "Or, it could be that I, among others, recognize extraordinary people when I see them." She looks at Gauvain. "And, you shouldn't be surprised when your wit and charm actually attracts someone."