In spite of his pushing, the way that he looms over her with a grin that masks his ill intentions, Aja does not move away from him. Morando does not know whether or not to be surprised, whether or not to be relieved or disappointed. There is something that hovers in the air between them, something that pricks at his skin and sinks down through the fabrication. Does she feel it too? The pricking that is starting to make him wary? His hands curl around her arms a little bit more tightly. Itâs precarious, this position. He could hurt her. She could hurt him. They could break their tenuous alliance and he could give Fialkov and Coranda a different problem. His eyes dart to the bed behind her. His smile falters.
âIt doesnât matter if it is your goal or not, princess - it is a side effect that you must prepare for.â He looks back to her, sliding his hands further and further, until his large fingers slip beneath hers, lingering against her palms. âFor too long our society has been plagued by the violence of our history, the ills that we have spread across the galaxy. The Empire is as wrong as your parents, although their methods are different.â How big Uraleâs eyes would be if he heard such words and knew that Morando spoke them as truth. âYour parents were right that change is needed, but you know as well as I that it is not coming swiftly enough under the monarchy. The time has come to rewrite Akiridionâs role in the universe, and you will be a herald for that greater good.â What is that feeling? While he speaks he studies her face, and as he does, he sees a small prick of energy light up on her forehead before fading once more. He feels a small vibration reverberate through his core as he realizes what it is. Ah. I see.
He immediately drops her hands, and stands up straight again. âYou are making a bold choice, princess. A powerful choice.â He reaches out and grabs the projector out of the air, and the hologram collapses into nothingness. The room dims around them, their bodies still shielded from the outside. âYou should return to Akiridion-5 now and rest. You will need your strength for your coronation day.â The lights flicker as a freighter flies overhead, rumbling the fabricated walls all around them. With a pop, they flicker out completely and the two of them are plunged into darkness, their eyes and markings glowing in the dark. Her eyes are so soft and large, something which many cultures associate with innocence. He associates them with something that is almost dangerous.
âWhatever life you choose to live, Aja, it is a beautiful thing that we are building.â He pauses, eyes narrowing. âTogether.â He wants to reach out and touch her again, to feel the spark of exchange, but it is far too deadly a choice for him to make here. After coronation day. After itâs all done. After. âYou are truly a remarkable young Akiridion.â
The way he grips her arms tighter makes her start to feel claustrophobic. Heâs too big, too close, itâs overwhelming just feeling his energy like this. The moments pass, awkward and like an eternity. His eyes dart and she has no idea what he saw that made his smile falter for a moment. It was so brief that she tried to pretend that it didnât happen. What thought had made that happen? It certainly had to be concerning. Â
It wasnât something she easily could push aside, but at least when he started talking again it could be layered over. Slowly his hands slide down, finally down to her own hands. Aja lets him loosely hold them, the thrum of her own energy taking a higher pitch as he does. Anxious? You could certainly say she was. These are such big and power words, things that mean something strong for the empire, and her family. Those are things that keep her more grounded, when the strange feeling that she has no idea how to even begin to describe is prickling at her fabrication. Are there even words? Sheâs finding her mouth rather dry, as she canât seem to concentrate well.
He drops her hands, and she quickly pulls them back and close to her chest. Her lower arms cross below them, holding herself. Hopefully he did not feel whatever it was she had felt while holding her. It was too strange, too new, and utterly outside of what she wants at the moment. Her being this quiet is abnormal to anyone who knows her, but itâs hard to find words to respond to any of this with. With the room dimmed she watches him closely. The rumbling of the freighter overhead distracts her for a moment.
This may be a powerful choice, but it leaves her feeling less than hopeful. There are many things that could go wrong. If she even made something close to the wrong choice at the wrong sekton... There would be consequences. Already she knows there will be many consequences. A part of her craves the exchange of energy they had been sharing, now that his hands are far away from her own.
âThank you.â Is all she can think to say about the compliment, not even sure what else one should say about it. âThe next time I see you will be then, wonât it?â She asks, looking rather nervous.
âI will try to get rest, although I cannot say that I am comforted by how soon it is.â She gathers up her cloak, turning away from him briefly. âThings will be different from here on out.â Aja says, mostly to herself as she slips her cloak on.
Something has changed, ever so subtly, in how she sees him. She canât place her finger on what it is. The princess wishes she could stay longer to find out what it is. Either way she brushes past the general, taking care to keep her hands very much to herself. Even then she can feel his aura as she walks past.
As she opens the door, her core practically aches. A secret sheâll hold in does not sit well with her, but many secrets sit even more poorly. Too bad she has a shuttle to catch, so that she can be home before they send out the Taylon to find her.
