Hoth: Blood and Ice

There were not few who made their way through the Rimma in a give say, but the women aboard the Rimma were often the first. Despite the crash things had been rearranged to return to some semblance of the comfort they knew at home albeit with sparing perishable amenities. While most days each respective individual went about their business as they say for, getting to things as quick as they might, today was different. Catching Cynella in one of these morning routines she suggested they eat breakfast together.

After all, they had much to speak about.

Life on this winter wonderland had become far too routine. Boundaries were essentially nonexistent now, a fantasy of the past. Jedi and Sith walked as relative equals to refugees and all in-between. Rhia patted her stomach then headed on in to get breakfast done for the day. "Good morning, darling. I hope you like goat." Was the easiest thing for her to acquire, at least. Seemed to be doing well for her body too.

"I swear on.. my left boob that once I get off this hellhole of a planet I'm never eating goat again," she says, and places a hand toward her chest. "And that's my favorite one," she says, totally seemingly self-absorbed in the moment.

Chuckling she relents, "Thank you for going to get it though, how've you been feeling lately? Still keeping up, active enough- uh.. not bored??"

"Why your... Ah." Rhia glanced down at her chest for a split moment. For her part, she didn't plan on sharing her preference.

"It's become shockingly easy to keep busy. There's always something to fix in this base." She smirked. "Though if you're wondering about exercise, no, not in that way, at least. Lots of stuff needs to be moved around though. Speaking of, have you been moving around things in a different way?" It wasn't easy for her to keep up with all the connections Riss made.

"Getting myself mixed up, yea-" she says, pausing a moment to help set up their little breakfast space. Surprisingly, perhaps, Riss knew exactly where all of the utensils and such were on her ship and hadn't forgotten that somewhere along the line. "Spent some time in Junktown," she says, giving Cynella a brief look. "Been talking around with a lot of folk on base. That mercenary Captain we have around, and others but also rather notably is Vaylin herself. I'm.. well, a touch fond of her in my own way. I understand what it's like for her, I think."

"You and my wife have become familiar with this Junk Town," Rhia said with an amused smirk. It was still, in her eyes, a great exercise for Aurilie to branch out in a sense of adventure.

The mention of Vaylin, however, caused her to raise an eyebrow. "On a surface level, it's easy to see that she's a tortured soul. But her experience is entirely different from us... From even Kat and Tethys. None of us have had a father who is actually a Force God inhabiting multiple different bodies. None of us can fly through the sky. By the stars, she nearly killed Kat."

Rhia shook her head. "And I can't imagine this Zakuul is much better than the Sith Empire we know. How complicit does that make Vaylin?"

Putting both of her elbows on the table a moment she rests her head in her palms, looking at Cynella, "I do need to ask you more about that Junk Town business but-" she shrugs, and it's not quite the most effective shrug given her current position.

"Suppose that depends on how much she has had a say in things, mm? From what I could tell from talking to her.. I don't think it's been much. She's a unique kinda woman, don't get me wrong, but there's definitely some good in there. Has a big heart for the kids who deserve better, at least. So, whatever anyone else thinks about her she's not all bad. Even if she's.. well, very Zakuul. Stick up her ass, but- well, kriff I am sure I got my own quirks like that," she says, chuckling.

Leaning back, she starts pushing utensils and stuff gathered at the center of the table toward her seat and Cynella as well.

"I'm afraid I don't know much about Junk Town," Rhia said, blinking a few times as she doubted her own words. She hadn't been there... But was there something she forgot? No! "Unless you are seeking my opinion or help with something? I still have my outfit, though in hindsight, it didn't really blend in." Though that may have been entirely the point.

"It's difficult to imagine someone with so much power doesn't have much say in how things operate. But with the aforementioned Force God as a father, I'll relent on that point." She set down the good ole goat food and smirked at it before taking a seat.

Once comfortable, she turned more serious. "I'm not implying that she has no positive qualities. One woman wants an heir for her entirely amoral proceedings. But she wants the best for this child." She patted some thicc goat thigh in good humor despite eating so much of it. "I wouldn't have spoken with her so much if not for our current circumstances. Same can be said for other things too."

She smiled but only barely. "My time here has exposed me to much. I'm even grateful for the new knowledge. Nonetheless, I remain wary of anyone who has once steeped in the Dark Side. It was only weeks ago when you prosecuted someone for slipping back into it."

"To be fair, I didn't prosecute them for slipping back into the darkside. Never.." she waves her hand about, force nonsense as it was. "I prosecuted a woman for brazenly murdering another and then promptly confessing to it. All the while she now carries herself about the base like she has the right to walk freely as if she'd done nothing," she says, a little impassioned but takes the moment to pause for a breath.

"Junk Town," she reasserts to give herself new direction. "Not exactly the main point of what I wanted to ask, but it was connected- been on my mind. When you joined us on the cruiser to move toward our plan of stealing from the White Maw I was.. well, I was surprised when I found Aurie walking through Junk Town and in a cantina by herself chasing word of a job. That was surprising, but Aurie always was something of a go-getter when it came to getting stuff done and I can respect that she wanted to do something meaningful against them," she says, raising a singular finger that holds in the air a second before slanting accusatorially. "But you showing up on that cruiser was a shock to say the least."

"So.. what gives?"

"Does Vaylin not walk around our base as if she did nothing?" Rhia asked with a faint shrug. "Most courts I know of prosecute murder more than attempted murder, yes, but much of it serves as a deterrent from people following through entirely. It's not only the act but the intention behind it. Otherwise, the mere act of killing would always come with the same penalty." She let out a small sigh. "Perhaps Kat and the others could be considered combatants on the battlefield. But if she's going to be living among us, then that's complicated for base politics." She flourished her arm out and then let it drop. "Not that we could very much force her to stand trial."

Cynella raised a brow. "I thought it odd too that my wife started spending her time in such a place. But I don't see how it would be so odd for me to support my wife in the face of danger."

"You do realize the kinda danger there, right Cyn? Neither of you are very.. okay, Aurie I know can handled herself well enough, has that level of standoffish vibe that can serve her well enough. You though.. mixing with pirates and criminals? It's just not quite your style dear-" she raises a hand, giving pause to anything that might spark for Cynella to say for a moment. "What about your kids? Aurie goes on a bad mission, something bad happens, and they have you but if the both of you were to get caught in the same cookie jar? What about your kids Cyn?" she asks, her tone more something worried and seeking than anything.

"My wife does have a gruff demeanor sometimes," she said, stifling a laugh. It wasn't too polite to mock her wife without her being present, regardless of how light it was.

But as the conversation went on, she drew back her playfulness. "Ah." She lowered her eyes, clearly deep in thought about the matter. Only when she was ready did she continue speaking. "I worried about her so much that I didn't even consider my own safety. And it's not realistic to think that together my wife and I can accomplish anything and everything."

She smiled weakly. "You've been keeping her out of too much trouble though, yes?"

"I was ready to forego myself in order to protect her," she admits with a slightly awkward chuckle, embarrassed to admit in some way but sincere. "When you showed up though.. I was a bit at a loss, ya know? I can pull the play where I leave myself to deal with angry pirates to get Aurie out- I've dealt with ornery pirates before, had worse. Then you were there and.. well, kriff- I can only really barely take care of myself most of the time and switched that out for Aurie. No idea how I woulda been able to watch over you both."

"And I'd thought that I was the one who adored the heroic holovids. I would have done the same for my wife, though it turns out we're in different circumstances." She let out a deep exhale, her shoulders lowering with it. "What about when you settle down too? Or is that not in the outline for the Chronicles of Riss?"

"I.. I don't know?" she says, a little perplexed. "Me settling down isn't a thing right now. Maybe it will be, and I'll settle, or maybe it won't and I never will. Hard to say when we have the whole.." she gives a vague gesture at the ceiling.

"Not like any of us have any idea what tomorrow brings, let alone the next two days."

"I think you'll know when you are ready to. Maybe that day will never come and you'll know that too," she offered with a warm smile. "And from that, I know that I will continue supporting you through the big and the small. I know that my wife will do the same. Little things... All I can say about the future."

Her good humor faded slightly. "We have a lot of people to take care of now."

"I.. don't care about most of them, not really," she admits, hitting close to that same tone. Letting her words drag Cynella's attention toward her before she continues.

"Your wife is one of my oldest friends, and you're one of my fastest- you guys are who matter to me. Not even the dozens of people who I can maybe help, who I'll try to help. I'd give them all up for you guys," she shrugs, offers a brief smile. "They can be someone else's problem."

"Oh." Her frown deepened as she took in her friend's explanation and mulled over her own morals. "The nobility has a responsibility to the people because otherwise their existence is pure exploitation. Same goes for officers and the ranks below them. It's why I will always concern myself with these people.

"Nonetheless, it's not easy. How many people can I comfortably cast aside to save myself and my family? That I do not know."

"Depends on if we'll even be nobility by the time we make it off of this rock, Cyn. People might be out there waiting for me- yea, I got a responsibility, but if I disappeared they'd find a way to survive. When kriff hits the fan.. people find a way to survive," she says, offering a slight smile.

"I'm not doing anything off the backs of those I take care of- but if I have to make a choice between protecting family and getting back to them? Family. Every time. I.. wouldn't look at anyone poorly who did the same, even my own people."

"Riss, if we aren't nobility, then the unthinkable has happened. My children... They must be safe. Alderaan... It can't be in danger." Nonetheless, she managed a smile. "I can only hope my children have that adaptability though.

"They might have to if we never leave this planet."

"I'll find a way to get you back to your kids," she says, and not with the conviction of someone like Kat perhaps. However, Riss was never a woman to say a thing she wouldn't do everything she could to do.

"I would hope that I could do it myself," she said with her signature wink. "I can't be over-relying on you or anyone." She clapped her hands together and went to the food. "Maybe I'll have to introduce some of these recipes to my kids. I think they'd come to enjoy it with a bit more seasoning."