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Your communit crackles to life and announces "Pardon me sister-mine, but I have
just gotten your message." in Riley's voice.
You say "*after a brief pause* Ah, Riley! Good afternoon, did your vacation go
well?" into the communit.
Your communit crackles to life and blares "Quite well indeed, I find myself far
more myself than I was. But of course the world does not hold still just
because I escape it, so I came back to quite a stack of things. Your message
amongst them." in Riley's voice.
You say "The message, yes. *brief pause, then into Kashidian* As it says, I
will need to borrow you from your job for a bit of time, to discuss the
information that I received. It need not be now, of course, but I would
appreciate it if we could speak soon, as the information will be, I'm sure,
of great interest to you." into the communit.
Your communit crackles to life and blares "I would prefer to do so as soon as
possible, as I am inocrrigably curious." Riley replies in the same, "Although
I must request a stay of half an hour or so, as I have a previously arranged
meeting by com with the Fleet Admiral, unless this pertains to that?" in
Riley's voice.
You say "The delay is more than acceptable, as it will give me time to return
to my quarters and relieve myself of some of the dust of this temple. Have
you dined yet this afternoon? Perhaps I may provide lunch, while we talk."
into the communit.
Your communit crackles to life and announces "The temple?" Riley's tone is of
pleasant curiosity. "No, I've not yet eaten, lunch sounds like a wonderful
idea." in Riley's voice.
You say "I was asked to attempt to translate the text along the walls of the entrance hall, you see." Corian's tone is pleasant as well, and holds a hint of amusement. "I cannot do so without studying the text, of course. Will you join me in my quarters in half an hour, then, brother?" into the communit.
Your communit crackles to life and blares "I will do that, and will probably
torment you about said text as well. But for now I must go, as my comm is
chiming." in Riley's voice.
[Time passes.]
Someone's knocking on the door. Maybe it's Riley. (If you like, you can 'reply
<words>'.)
Corian calls, "Come in!"
Riley enters from the Elevator Lounge.
Riley has arrived.
Apparently, when Corian said lunch, she meant that the meal would be served in
her quarters. The smell would certainly suggest that. A keen nose would place
the aroma as vegetable lasagna, with plenty of cheese. And there's certainly
garlic involved somewhere as well, and more of the tea from Kashid. Acoustic
guitar plays quietly in the background, with a hint of mariachi flavor.
Everything seems intended to make a pleasant atmosphere. Something's
definitely up. Corian, from the kitchen area, calls a pleasant, "Good
afternoon."
Riley pads in, looking a good deal saner and straighter than he did before he
left, despite the inherant lunacy of his dress uniform. He pauses in the
doorway a beat, taking a long appreciative sniff. "Oh wow, it smells
marvelous in here, good afternoon indeed." He comes the rest of the way in,
un-pocketing a datacrystal. "I am reminded, I snagged a copy of a particular
impromptu performance of the band at the Fruvous for you, the quality of the
recording is perhaps less than stellar, but the performance itself is worth
it."
Corian's brows lift as she spots the dress uniform. "Oh, my," she murmurs.
"Honalee was most certainly right about those uniforms." She pauses to
investigate the heating unit, then says, "That will be a few moments, yet.
Sit down? And would you like some tea?"
"I am not certain I wish to know what she had to say," Riley's words are amused
as he heads towards the couch. "I swear, whoever's idea it was we should wear
livery instead of uniforms..." He nods, "A seat and tea sound wonderful, yes.
And this place smells amazing." Seating himself, he sets the crystal on the
coffee table.
Corian glides over with a mug in each hand, setting one down on the table and
offering you the other, handle-first. "Thank you. As my travels left
uncertainty as to the quality of cuisine I would find, I took it upon myself
to learn--self defense, you see. And many thanks for the music, as well. I
intended to purchase some of their music, but never managed to find the time
to do so."
Riley accepts the mug with a nod of thanks and a decidedly pleased look. Taking a sip he all but melts into the sofa. Good tea is a wonderful thing. "My own cooking is haphazard and I've time for it but rarely. I have instead learned to ignore than the dining hall is a scary place." He nods, "That is not a commercially available recording, but one of a special performance. "
Corian nods an amused agreement to your assessment of the dining hall, then
eyes the datacrystal with some more interest. "Then I am doubly grateful for
your gift." She takes up the crystal for a moment, turning it over in her
slender fingers, then replaces it on the table. The giraffe can guard it. "Is
Clara well? I must say that you look as if the trip has done you much good."
She starts to say something else, but then the heating unit chimes, and she
moves to rescue the food.
Riley can't help but regard the giraffe with an amused look. It's a -cheerful- giraffe. He nods, "Clara's fine, yes. The time off was ... needed. It is amazing how a couple of days with no lunatics can entirely remake one's world. Have you ever had the opportunity to go sailing?"
Corian casts a fond smile at the giraffe as she returns with a pair of
plates--the lasagna, and garlic bread into the bargain. "A gift from a
friend," she explains, with a gesture towards the giraffe. "And I have not
sailed, no. That," she adds, with a hint of humor, "Requires too much time
spent outside, you see."
Riley's eyes light even further at the food. He nods towards the giraffe and then shakes his head in amusement. "Outside is good, honestly. As is sailing, it's well worth trying. Perhaps sometime I can abduct you to go do so. The water and wind, and sun, and... Well, it mixes well."
Corian observes quietly, with a gesture of one extremely fairskinned hand, "If
you are to abduct me for such purpose, I should perhaps bring sunscreen. And
perhaps I should even learn to swim." She deposits the plate with the larger
portion before you--yes, there's silverware, of course--and takes the one
with the smaller portion for herself. "It certainly seems to agree with you,"
she adds. "You should attempt to sail more often."
Riley shifts up a sleeve to reveal somewhat burnt skin, "Yeah, sunscreen's good. And swimming not altogether required, although Clara got me into the water." He looks a bit sheepish, "I got swiftly back out again." He takes the plate with a murmur of thanks. "I intend to try, but I don't know what the odds are. People were not altogether thrilled I left this time."
Corian winces sympathetically at the burn. At your last statement, she nods
thoughtfully, saying only, "There are times when you must strive to please
yourself, rather than others." With a smile, she samples her food, then nods
thoughtfully. "Unfortunately," she adds lightly, "I have a meeting to attend
in somewhat over an hour, so I suppose we should dispense with the
pleasantries, yes?"
Riley pauses in mid-bite, although he continues with a nod. "This is lovely by the way," this is said with a gesture to the food. He nods again though, "Probably best, as pleasant as the pleasantries -are-..."
Corian murmurs a soft thankyou, then chuckles quietly. "If they were not, they
would be termed differently." Her smile fades to a rather serious expression.
"Riley, before I tell you this, I must ask a favor of you. I can vouch for
the source of this information, but I must ask you to understand if I do not
fully answer any questions about him. I was not intended to receive this
information, you see."
Riley's brows lift a bit, although he snags another bite of food and nods. "Protecting your sources," he murmurs, "I can respect that certainly."
Corian smiles, though the expression does not lighten the solemnity of her gray
eyes. "Thank you for understanding that." She takes a deep breath, absently
setting down her fork on the plate. "Where to start." After a moment of
consideration, she apparently decides not to pull her punches. "An attempt
was made recently to hire someone to kill you," she says quietly. "I cannot
say if they are continuing to do so, but I would ask that you take especial
care."
Okay, that manages to bring Riley to pause in his consumption of food. "To hire
someone to kill me?" The echo sounds somewhat incredulous, but then he
considers who is telling him this, and how unlikely this is to be a joke. "I
wonder if I should feel loved..."
Corian shakes her head, expression still quite seriously. "Riley, please do
take care. I know you have lived here for quite some time, and have seen and
experienced quite a lot in the ways of intruigue, but it is far too easy to
become complacent. And this is not an especially safe place, especialy not
for one in your position."
Riley considers this a moment, but nods at last. "I will attempt to be careful.
And I will speak with one or two people about keeping an eye out as well,
perhaps. I may know the ins and outs of this existance, but Clara does not.
And wonderful as my a'trezla is, she is also terribly stubborn and unlikely
to be willing to accept the suggestion of seperation of quarters for her
safety."
And now it's Corian's turn to be brought up short, surprised pleasure reflected
in her expression. "We will have to celebrate," she murmurs. "Your
a'trezla... I did not know that. Certainly, yes." She looks just thrilled for
a moment, but her expression gradually shifts once more to a serious one.
Apparently, there's more news.
Riley looks more than a bit sheepish, but nods, murmuring something about
Honalee and machinations and rings. He does not continue, as obviously there
is more news, but instead steals the opportunity to snag another bite. Yes,
Riley's eating, it's a miracle.
Corian takes a moment to nibble as well, breaking off a section of the garlic
bread. After she has delayed as much as she feels she can, she says quietly,
"It is entirely probable that Alistair Lexington is still alive. He most
certainly did not die in the shuttle, as was believed, as he has been seen
since then."
Maybe Riley shouldn't have taken that bite as he all but chokes on it, looking
altogether displeased, but perhaps not startled. "Awww, -hell-. I should have
-known- it was too good to be true." He settles the plate down to the table,
fingers interlacing, "I know I'm supposed to be avoiding questions, but can I
ask where he was seen?"
Corian inclines her head. "But of course. He was on the border moon station, in
a disguise that was apparently not quite good enough. This was..." She
glances at her chrono. "Five days ago."
Riley's fingers twitch, despite his having interlaced them. "Five days ago...
the station..." He looks a bit exasperated, "-How- could this happen, better,
-why-..." He chuckles raggedly, "I appreciate the news Cori, despite my
reaction, I promise."
Corian inclines her head, worry warring with concern in her expression. "I
thought it important that you know, yes." She pauses a beat, then adds
carefully, "It was suggested that the new Chairman, at the very least, was
involved in this endeavor. He does seem, after all, like something of a
windfall, after Lexington."
Riley stops fidgeting, instead freezing up short. "The new..." There's another
pause. "Suddenly things are fiting into place, and I don't think I care for
the picture."
Corian nods slowly, gray eyes focused on your face. "I am sorry to have to tell you all this," she says quietly, "But I did find it necessary. If more information reaches me, I will share all that I may."
"No, I appreciate it Cori, I do. It's a lot better to know something
unpleasant, than to have it jump up and bite me on the nose unaware." Riley
shakes his head slowly, "Oh what a tangled web?"
A trace of guilt flickers across Corian's face at that last statement. "Just
so," she replies quietly, taking up her fork once more. "Though it should not
be surprising, the webs that entangle people here at the Complex. It is most
certainly not boring."
Riley settles back into the couch again, hands uncrossing to tug absently at
the trim on his uniform. "I don't think boring was ever in the cards, no.
Still, I can always hope." And with that last is the hint of his cheerful
grin of before.
Corian nods her agreement to that, with a faint smile. "Oh, of course. And it can be less than boring without being unpleasant, as well."
Riley nods, glancing at the time, "I'm afraid I'm intruding on your
preparations for your meeting however."
Corian, after glancing at her pocketwatch as well, nods, though not without a
hint of regret. "Unfortunately, that is the case." With a gesture at the
remains of your lunch, "Will you take that with you? I can certainly do
without the plate and such for a time."
Riley starts to shake his head, but then looks sheepish and snags the plate.
"If you don't mind overmuch? It's terribly good..."
Corian shakes her head, a fond smile crossing her face. "It would please me if
you did so. Food is made to be eaten, after all. Just do please remember to
return the plate at some point, Riley."
Riley settles hand over heart, and bows sweepingly, all the more possible in
the ridiculous uniform. "I will strive to so remember. An excuse to come
visit again," he winks at the end of that.
Corian gets to her feet as well, and returns the bow, expression holding no
small amount of amusement at the sight of you bowing in that frightening
uniform. "You need no excuse, where I am concerned, but I am glad that you
will have one. Please do not work too hard, Riley."
"I think I can manage to avoid the fate, more or less." Riley grins, "And you
should avoid the same."
Corian inclines her head, with a quiet chuckle. "I believe I can manage that,
yes."
"A good afternoon, then, Cori." And with that Riley ducks through the door,
offering a wave and a grin.
Riley leave the room.
Riley has left.