Hoth: Blood and Ice

“This is… almost a Pennari grub.”
Jan holds up her fork, regarding the fat worm on the end with some suspicion, she could almost swear it had just moved…

“I actually think military food might have gotten worse since I left. A feat more impressive than anything I myself have managed to accomplish.”
She squints… was that a wiggle? The grub is brought slightly closer to the two golden eyes trained on it.

“I do apologise my dear. There’s the nostalgic value, but I’ll feel terrible if it sees you getting food poisoning.”
With a shrug the grub is crunched and Jan sits back slightly, crossing and uncrossing her legs as she peers around the cafeteria. Before focusing back on the woman opposite.

Meanwhile, Lucinia found something amusing. Or at least she seemed to be expressing such.

"Ooooohohohohoho!" Even though Lucinia had grown a touch more gaunt over the years, her pale eyes a hint more yellow, the tenor and volume of her interpretation of the family laugh certainly hadn't gotten any weaker. Quite the opposite; perhaps it was powered by the Force.

Still smirking, she lowered her hand. "I do appreciate your concern, my dear. How you worry, so!" Appreciation flashed in her eyes, even as she teased. "But I assure you, I shall do fine eating the food of your former days. It's no worse than Academy food."

Picking up her fork, she poked at her... whatever it was. A brief pause, a raised eyebrow. "Perhaps a bit worse. Is is better with spice? Or wine, perhaps? I do have a fine red."

Jan’s teeth flash as she smiles. The next grub gets thoroughly imposed and consumed.

“It might be beyond spice at this point. But a red… something with a verystrong palate. That could perhaps save this meal.”

She watches Idly as a group of black robes sith march out to presumably have words with the chef.

“When we get to Hoth I’ll have our chef prepare something suitable to celebrate. One of your favourites maybe? There’s that dish with the Calamari Calamari?”

"Perhaps we'll have to open a bottle later, then." Following Jan's example, Lucinia impaled the grub, lifting the morsel (if one could call it that) towards her red lips. "And I do enjoy that one. Mmm. Or perhaps it's just my fondness for beach planets."

She paused then, though, looking at her partner of many years. "Alas, I think if there are beaches on Hoth, they shall be quite unsuitable. Even my dreadful ancestors wouldn't attempt to build a house there without any heating." Luci gave a little shudder. "Still, I suppose we'll make the most of it. We always do, don't we?"

Jan uncurls a long fingered hand slowly and reaches over to take Luci’s.

“Beach or no beach. And I quite agree that beaches seem unlikely. We’ll make the most of it. Besides.”
Her smile turns coy.

“Sure it’s a frozen ice ball that’s 90% pirate. And sure it probably doesn’t have any great history or culture. But I have plans that I think are perfectly suited to a frozen ice ball. And If everything goes well, first we’ll find somewhere warm and then I believe we’ll never have to consider doing something like this ever again.”
She punctuates this with another crunch.

“Oh, and I had the company send over one of those landspeeders built for exploration. Just in case there’s some foreboding ancient ruin on the planet. I know they’re you’re favourite.”

Luci's hand was cold to the touch, as usual. A mixture of near-constant exposure to evil energies, and the generally poor circulation of the Malveaux family women. Such was the price of nobility... Luci smiled at Jan's touch.

"Ooh, you know me so well." This time, Luci's teeth flashed white. "If something good can be said about these ice planets, it's that layers of ice can obscure any number of discoveries. Easier to work with than sand, too."

She waved her fork around casually. But also aristocratically, somehow. "But plans, you say? I am intrigued, my dear."

"Sand, you know what they say about sand."
It was probably the least popular substance in the empire.

"Yes dear, plans. Secret plans, malevolent plans. The best kind of plans."
She squeezes Lucinia's hand, maybe unconsciously.

"Ones I've been working on for a while. It's possible there might be something of benefit on Hoth...if I play my cards right. And if I am right, well let's just say I won't be doing the Czerka holo junket anymore."

"Secret, malevolent plans. My second-favorite." Lucinia smirked, tilting her head to regard her partner fondly.

"Hmmm..." Lucinia gave a little half-shrug. "If there is something of benefit on Hoth, no doubt we shall find it. We-us, I mean, not-" A casual gesture around, indicating the rest of the ship and the various Imperials of various sanity levels on it. So many lack either will or imagination. Or both." She glared down at her grub, then bit through it, fiercely and precisely, clearly imagining it to be some inferior rival.

Then she gave another little shrug. "You are considering my knowledge and power into your plans, I trust?"

“Lady Malveaux, I always consider your significant power knowledge. As well as your many other good qualities.”
Jan winks as she moves her fork over to the grub accompaniment, a grey patty that was both greasy and dry and of completely unknowable composition. Her cutlery take a few strokes to make a dent in it.

“It is likely to be highly dangerous. We’d make enemies of highly capable people…”

"Hmph!" Luci shot Jan a raised eyebrow, but her lips twitched, betraying the smile. "Perhaps later you can go over these qualities with me. At some length."

Her gaze lingered a moment longer, then she waved an unconcerned hand. "What are enemies? It's no concern of mine if a few feathers get ruffled. And if it's more than that, well..." Another half shrug. "They are welcome to try, of course. We can let them choose between being crushed by my power or your, ah, bag of fun." Luci's red lips quirked in amusement.

“A full review as soon as we get to Hoth. Preparation for the journey ahead.”
Wiggling the fingers on her right hand.
“On an unrelated note I organised a few upgrades at my last medical. One can never cease working on self improvement.”

With a loud ‘clink’ her fork cuts through the paddy which Jan inspects for a few moments with a mixture of concern and fascination.
“Rehydrogenated protein substitute I’d wage.”

Her grin turns a little feral at the mention of direct conflict resolution.
“If all goes to plan we won’t need any of that, but if it doesn’t… we can flip a coin for it? Every time we’ve asked someone to choose they never pick the ‘bag of fun’.”

"My my." Luci murmured, lips twitching in another suppressed smile. "How delightful." Once more, she tilted her head, regarding Jan with her strange eyes for a few moments, a mixture of affection and something else. Satisfaction? It was hard to say.

She returned the little squeeze. "Well, I shall leave the planning to you. I have no objection to being... a wildcard? Trump card?" Luci grimaced delicately. "That leaves more time to spend on my studies. If there is something hidden on Hoth, I shall find it." Her tone was firm.

“You have so many talents I don’t dear. You’ll be an integral part of the plan, absolutely crucial.”

Jan waves her fork, delicately balancing the terrifyingly unknown grey substance atop it.

“I have no doubt that there has to be something worth finding on Hoth…. Just perhaps no more skulls that stare at us?”

With a sigh she goes to consume the last morsel before giving up and gently lowering her fork.
“Perhaps we should consider moving on. The more I look at the food the more I long for that wine.”

Luci flashed a grin at Jan. "But my dear, I rather liked the skull. Nothing like someone watching to sharpen one's skills. Although I daresay, some of the things it saw, well..." Raising her eyebrows, she declined to elaborate, instead neatly biting through the weird grub again.

Delicately blotting at her dark red lips with a napkin, Luci looked at Jan. "Hmm. That sounds lovely. A last little taste of luxury before we descend onto yet another frozen hellscape." Her lips quirked. "Perhaps we might find some way to enjoy the finer things once there. Some sort of wine popsicles? Perhaps another marketing opportunity, hmmm?"

Jan stands, uncurling her lengthy legs slowly until she rises up to her considerable height and offers an arm to her partner.

“Wine popsicles? Turning out extraordinarily expensive liquor into a dessert? Oh how delightfully decadent. Also perfect when one is attending a beach. That’s a fabulous idea.”

Jan puts a hand to her mouth and very nearly ohoohohos.
“I’ll see what the marketing department can do.”

Smirking, Luci accepting her partner's arm, stretching out her equally long legs... well, almost...

Another grin flashed, both at the near ooohohoho and the appreciation of the idea. "Desperation begets creativity, my dear. After all, what's the alternative? No wine?" Gently, she tsked

Then she sighed, pleasantly. "Do we have any of those chocolates left, too? I'm suddenly reminded of our first meeting at Malveaux house. What a dreadful place." She chuckled throatily.

The two walk arm in arm through the long and Impractically winding passage ways of the imperial ship. Occasionally soldiers march smartly through, although everyone gives any sith a wide berth.

“No wine?”
Jan shudders, appearing genuinely horrified. “It will never come to that. We’ve both come to far for ‘no wine’ to be an answer to any of our questions.”

The director looks out the window for a moment, the gleaming white of hyperspace glinting in her eyes.
“Oh I always keep a couple boxes in reserve, Luci. Although I never seem to break into them…it’s the memory that counts.”

And indeed, large echoing corridors and disapproving elderly sith… it wasn’t that different from the Malveaux Mansion.
“It‘s… well yes dear it’s a dreadful place. Although the memories…well.”
She looks over at the sith.
“I have some good ones. I take it you still have no desire to return to it?”

The lights of hyperspace seemed to make Lucinia's eyes almost glow. On the other hand, sometimes they did that anyway. It was hard to tell whether it was reflections or Dark Side energies this time.

"Well, I haven't been shot this time, but perhaps we can open a box anyway." She smiled with mirth and pleasant memory. "Pleasant memories, yes. But otherwise..."

She turned, looking at her paramour. "I prefer making new memories. New adventures, new discoveries... new presents!" Her teeth flashed white. "I'd happily accept just the first two. But you do know how to treat a lady..."