The first Twi'lek to actually greet her with a smile was the tattoo artist, Aiyek, of all people. When all things were considered, that was exactly who Maarani wanted to be on the good side of.

Looking around the parlour made her realize that there was a bit of a flaw with her somewhat spontaneous decision, in that she hadn't actually prepared any reference images for the artist to work with. The particular patterning she had envisioned herself with for a while was far from simple.

"Take your time sweetie. Big jump from eyebrow replacements, right?"

Maarani half nodded her head in a bit of a weird tilting motion. There were a few examples that were just patterning, but none that quite matched what she had in mind. "I forgot to draw some examples of what I wanted. Don't suppose you've got more patterning references?"

The other Twi'lek bit her purple lip as she glanced down under the desk. "Uh, maybe. Don't get many wanting patterning, but I can work with that, sure." She nodded her head to the open doorway on her right. The studio itself, walled off so that it wasn't open to the rest of the promenade.

With a note of caution, Maarani made her way through to the studio, where there were in fact more Twi'lek busts with image and patterns draped over them. None leapt out at her as being close to ideal. After looking around some more, she came across a datapad that contained a vast collection of reference images.

"Oh that's where I left it! Just flick through until you find the right one, I'll set up for when you're ready."

The references themselves varied wildly from frame to frame, apparently lacking any kind of organization. And a vast number of them were female surprisingly. "Thought there'd be more men in here. Back in my clan they're the ones who prefer to get patterned mostly."

"It gets updated with every databurst from Ryloth and the colonies. Guess them off-worlders are different to homeborn." By then, Aiyek was arranging her messy sprawl of tools into a different messy sprawl of tools, humming an odd tune the whole time.

While she continued to gloss over the different references, Maarani recalled her earlier conversation with Izan again. "Say, why have I been getting bad looks around here? You've been super nice, but everyone else seems to want me gone."

Aiyek glanced over from her arrangement, shrugging just a little until she noticed the patches on the jacket. "Lot of the Twi'lek here are colonists from all over the galaxy. Last year there was a big brawl between Republic and Empire soldiers, started by our side actually. And since a lot of peeps came here to get away from the Republic to begin with, you kinda have to get used to not being that well liked."

"I'll keep that in mind, thanks." She returned to the references, yawning slightly as her finger began to grow tired from the repetitive movement. "Maybe I'll just have to settle for something a bit simpler. A lot of these are stylish sure, but I wanted that unique feel…"

The reference she was currently on had caught her full attention. A Tyrian Twi'lek, like Aiyek herself, with heavy tattooing around her face. It was suddenly very familiar, though she could not recall any actual memory of seeing it for herself.

She picked the pad up and walked over to display it to Aiyek."Any idea who this is? For some reason I think I know her."

Aiyek took hold of the pad, moving down to the provided biographical details. "Hm, this is from forty five years ago apparently, pretty old. Yuthura Ban, twenty-two..."

"What!?" Maarani could hardly contain herself at that moment, yanking the pad back and gazing over the picture again. So many times the Jedi had mentioned her in significant tones, the one who had trained her mother in both sides of the Force. The actual source location of the reference had been left blank, but it seemed more than likely that it was on or near Korriban.

Still confused by the outburst, Aiyek returned to preparing the chair and the rest of her equipment. "I've never heard of her, but I guess you have. Must've been a pretty gutsy woman to get that level of marking on her face."

"She's not the only one." Maarani tossed the pad aside and nearly jumped into the chair, adjusting her lekku out of the way as she sat back. "That's the reference I want. Colour it something darker than my skin, just like hers."

"You sure? Forty five years old like I said, and not something I'd recommend for a first-timer. Eyebrows are practically nothing."

"I'm sure. She was a family friend, so I'm told anyway. It's better than what I had in mind anyway." She took a short breath. It was still hours before the night cycle, and she had yet to hear from Dana or Izan on the actual invitation to the dinner. "Any idea how long it'll take?"

Aiyek took another long look over the reference, studying it from several angles while she began readying Maarani's skin. "Three to four hours. Solid colours don't take too long. You can keep a straight face right?" She grinned upon seeing her best attempt at one, overly serious and devoid of emotion. "That'll do. Just let me know when you need a break."


Izan was somewhat pleasantly surprised to find that the attire available to him was not overtly Twi'lek in fashion design at all. While some pieces were a bit too colourful, even given his bright pink skin, most had a sensibility to them. And the selection of vests were all so nice that he was already finding it hard to select just one.

He was about try on a smooth grey waistcoat when an older Twi'lek woman entered the place. It was her companion that drew his attention, a towering Wookiee that already looked very uncomfortable about his surroundings.

"Raaargh!"

"You promised you'd try to look nice for this meeting. Do I need to remind you how important it is?"

"Raaargh!"

Izan quickly stepped out of the way as the two moved past. The last thing he wanted was to get on the bad side of a furball twice his size while wearing a perfectly good waistcoat.

Fortunately the pair were headed further into the store, giving him enough room to find a mirror, and the closest assistant droid to help with fine adjustments. "It feels a bit loose on the shoulders, and too short around the back. What do you think?"

The droid prodded at his back and shoulders several times with a holo-tape, making quite a few different noises in binary as it did so. Eventually it circled around and did a readout of the measurements. "You have a good perception of clothing size, good sir. Is this the waistcoat you would like to purchase?"

"Sure. Think you can assemble a matching suit and such? I've got an important meeting in about five hours." He carefully took the waistcoat off and draped it over the droid's outstretched arm.

"I will do just that. It is so nice to serve a Zeltron who has far better sensibilities in fashion." The droid was about to return to the back area when a loud roar echoed across the room.

"It's just a bowtie! I'm not expecting you to wear a full suit!"

Another loud roar followed.

"Oh you are just the worst to shop for sometimes. This is almost as bad as bath day!"

Izan was just about to make payment and depart when the Twi'lek approached him directly. All he could see was the angry Wookiee's expression as he followed right behind her.

"A bowtie wouldn't look bad on him, right? Certainly better than the capes everyone else love to wear."

He glanced at her, then at the Wookiee, then the droid, and back to her again. "Uh…" A low snarl made him jump a little. "Maybe a cape wouldn't be so bad? Bowtie on a Wookiee does seem a little…" Through the mess of fur, he could see both eyes glaring right into his soul. "Odd? I think our droid friend would know better."

"You would be surprised at the actual extent of Wookiee fashion. I am programmed with several-"

"Raaargh!"

The droid also jumped at that last roar, muttering several things in binary before turning back to Izan. "I will contact you via station intercom when your suit is ready. Good day to you."

Not a single second was wasted on his departure from the place. Less time being scrutinized by the Wookiee was more time not feeling terrified for his life. He could only imagine what would happen if the fact that he worked for Czerka of all companies happened to make its way across.

When out of sight of the place, he found a small corner to hide in while he recovered from the ordeal. Dana was still somewhere in the administration block, and Maarani was about a hundred metres away having her face zapped off.

Cecile would still be on the ship at that point, since no-one had gone over to bring her out. And if the maintenance crews were already getting to work…

"Death by Wookiee, or death by Maarani. Which is worse…" He bolted for the landing bay, nearly knocking over a few Twi'lek in his haste. There were already a few workers coming and going from the ship by the time he arrived.

Surprisingly, there was a distinct lack of shouting from them or a mad nanny droid inside. So far anyway.

He was more careful when ascending the ramp, keeping out of the way of the Twi'leks until he was inside. Even more surprisingly, he found a few actually being guided to key issues by Cecile herself, without any sort of mad raving.

"Seem to be pretty good at this, CC."

She shrugged with her upper arms, holding a datapad in her lower left hand while the lower right held an access panel open for one of the Twi'leks. "It is not that different from managing small children, really. This dual protocol programming is actually proving to be quite an interesting experience." Her eyes flickered briefly before she returned to the task at hand.

"I'll let Miss Arani know things are going well then. We've got a two bedroom suite for our stay, unless you'd rather stay in here?"

With another shrug, Cecile twisted her upper body around to resume working on whatever panel she had chosen to examine. "This is where I need to recharge. And I can work while these meatbags must eat and sleep. Go enjoy sleeping in the same quarters as the mistress, pink-skin."

Izan knew better to argue, leaving her and the others to continue on. By the time he returned to the landing bay, Dana had arrived to retrieve the last of her items.

"Mr Izan, what are you doing here?"

Both hands slipped out of his pockets as some Twi'lek descended the ramp behind him. "Just checking on Miss Arani's droid. Anything I can assist you with?" He watched the two maintenance workers move around the underside of the ship. Far enough for him to relax just a little. "When exactly does Seradan expect us?"

"Six hours, roughly." Dana took a quick look around the bay, noticing Maarani's absence. "Where's our Twi'lek?"

"Oh she's at the tattoo parl…" Izan's tongue was on the verge of bleeding from how quickly he bit down on it. Dana was going to find out soon anyway, but at least the fault would be entirely on Maarani, rather than himself.

She was in disbelief for a good few minutes while she tried to make sense of what had just been learned. "Why the hell did she decide to get tattooed right before an important dinner with someone who has been very generous to us? Is this some sort of Twi'lek custom she didn't tell either of us about?"

Having drawn the attention of the two Twi'leks, she awkwardly tried to smile at them. "Sorry, she is just a frustrating person sometimes."

Izan took hold of her arm to guide her away from the others a fair way. Still not enough to speak openly, but it did spare some of the awkwardness. "Let's just worry about ourselves for now. I've ordered a very nice grey suit, and you've got a good room to look around. Besides…" He leaned in a bit closer to whisper carefully. "We barely know each other, Jedi. Good time to get acquainted, so I can call you something other than Ms Lauran."

"I've never actually been married, or had any intention of dating anyone, so Ms is somewhat redundant."

"Sure you're not just telling me you're not interested?"

Dana pressed her finger to her lips as another group of Twi'lek entered the bay. This time she was the one to urge them on in the direction of the promenade. "Bringing you along was Maarani's idea. I don't trust Czerka, and I'm going to need a bit more convincing before I really start to trust you personally. Just keep this professional and we'll get along fine."

"Fine, fine…" His head felt sore for a moment. Voices echoed around as he reached up to his temple. When it passed he looked back up to Dana, lightly prodding her shoulder for no reason. "I think I've picked up on Maarani's flirty nature. My apologies."

"Doesn't bother me. Be sensible and maybe she'll pick up on that instead. Hopefully before dinner."


Formal occasions really were the only times she didn't bring her usual jacket along, opting instead for anything with long sleeves and modest collars. They were also the only times that she willingly wore skirts or dresses, as well as whatever headgear she could find that was within reason.

The new tattoos meant being selective about the latter, as there was no point in covering them up when the end result was near perfect. A very good distraction from the round scar on her lekku that she still couldn't help but notice while wrapping a few small bead chains around her head.

Her dress was a heel length flow of aquamarine into deep sea blue from the left shoulder down. A single loose belt of larger jadestone beads sat just above her hips, the tassel of which weighed down on the right side. Ridiculous by her normal standards, but completely tame against those of several other girls from her home village alone. There wasn't any pressing need to be impressive after all.

In the sitting room she waited for Izan, who had been far more fussy over his suit. Even at that moment she could hear him trying to perfect the way it sat on his shoulders. That was all she could gather from the muffled rambling anyway.

When he finally entered the room, he was about ready to ask how he looked when Maarani's own appearance took his breath away. "Where'd you get this? Wish you'd dress in it more often!"

"Somewhere on Mirial a while back; when I was stationed there for peacekeeping. Been holding onto it until I can have it turned into a wedding dress." She picked up a matching shawl and pulled it around her. The dress itself was thin enough for her to feel colder than she preferred.

At the same time she made a cursory glance at Izan's suit, finding the lack of colour a little too bland even for her own taste. But it certainly didn't seem to bother him. "You look fine too I suppose. Certainly a change from cloaks and crap."

"You know, that's the second time a Twi'lek has shown disdain about cloaks to me today." He was still a little shaken from that encounter, but made sure that Maarani couldn't tell. "Normally I'd come extra well armed to a formal dinner, but if you think that wouldn't be for the best I'll hold off."

At that moment she retrieved a small case and opened it to him. Two very small blasters were laid out inside, good for a few shots at most. "Don't tell Dana about these. They're technically illegal in Republic space because of concealment laws, which is exactly why I picked them up on Telos. Military grade, not civilian." While he wasn't looking, she awkwardly slipped hers down between her breasts where it wouldn't be noticed. The cold metal would soon warm up enough to not be a real bother.

Izan chose the far more sensible option of slipping it into a hidden pocket of his coat, now having to pretend he didn't notice her hiding place. "You surprise me at every turn. Buying up illegal weapons before we even met."

"Never said I bought 'em." She quickly slid the case out of sight and took one last moment to ensure the blaster wasn't making contact with the dress in any way. "The tattoo artist I went to says that these people are somewhat anti-Republic. I don't know if they're pro-Empire or true neutralists yet, and until that Mandalorian friend Dana mentioned gets here I'm not taking a chance with Seradan."

"I wouldn't be trusting of them if they were pro-Republic anyway. Until they actually pick sides, they're only in it for themselves."

"Great, got any other profound insights, O wise Izan?"

"Don't eat or drink before a spacewalk?"

Maarani rolled her eyes, lightly shoving past on her way to the door. "On second thought, let's leave the profoundness to Dana."

Unlike their previous 'visit' hours earlier, they were escorted through the block as guests rather than potential threats. Many of the previously dark expressions had softened up entirely now that all signs of her Republic affiliation were gone. It still made her a little uneasy, but for the moment she was happy to have any kind of positive attention.

Surprisingly, Dana wasn't actually there before them, though Seradan didn't seem to mind anyway. The way he greeted them with an actual smile instead of his earlier constant scowl was quite weird at first.

"Come, come, the chefs are just finishing up the first meal." He nodded to the two guards escorting them, who turned to take positions either side of the doorway outside.

While the pair were distracted by looking around the small hall of a room, he made one last check on the surveillance equipment installed beforehand. "Please, take your time. Ms Lauran had some final business to attend to." After running through the routine, and receiving an all-clear from security, he made his way over to the dining table. "If you would be kind enough, I would like you at my right hand, Mr Izan, and Ms Lauran at my left."

Maarani looked to him at that moment, frowning slightly at what seemed like a jab at herself. Much as she told herself to be polite, that didn't seem like she would be getting the same treatment in return. "And what about me?"

"If you would sit to Mr Izan's right, my daughter Zariba will sit opposite you. She is a little shy around non-Twi'lek you see." He motioned to each of the chairs, spaced out so that there was a lot more room between Izan and Maarani and those opposite. Under other circumstances he would have put non-Twi'lek further down, but keeping a Jedi further than arm's length away was a very bad idea.

His daughter made her appearance mid thought, peering out from behind another door at the newcomers, and looking intent on staying there.

"Zariba, there is nothing to be afraid of. They have proven themselves to be far above the usual rabble we have over. You need not hide."

All Maarani could do was give the smallest of waves, entirely focused on not smiling in a completely creepy way, or a very silly way. Of all the possible 'extra guests', she hadn't actually expected a cute Twi'lek woman to be one of them. Her suspicions about why Seradan was so insistent about the seating were now torn up by her genuine fear about making a complete fool of herself in front of him and his family.

If she had known beforehand, and taken the time to meditate her wild emotions away for a while…

She nearly yelped as Izan elbowed her, half-grinning at her. The implication was all too obvious, and at that moment she wanted to elbow him back. At any moment Seradan could turn back around only to see them in a scuffle over the most ridiculous of reasons.

Reality finally caught up to her when Zariba actually left the dark room she had been hiding in. Her own attire was rather simple, a light coloured shirt over a darker skirt, and thin sandals that glimmered in the warm lighting. Unlike Maarani, her lekku were devoid of beads or other decoration of any kind.

Maarani quickly realized she was still waving in her awkward manner. "I'm… Tegama. And pink guy is Izan." She finally elbowed him back to give her something to break the tedium, ignoring his annoyed look completely. "Nice to meet you Zari?"

A faint blush spread across Zariba's turquoise cheeks while she moved to her father's side. Despite the friendliness, she still hid behind him a little, staring at the two with her timid eyes.

"Indeed it is a pleasure. You have a lovely daughter, Mr Kulure. Shall we sit and wait for Ms Lauran to arrive then?" Izan watched Maarani as they approached the table in case another elbowing was going to come his way. At least at the point of sitting down, it seemed that she was far too distracted with trying not to look at Zariba.

Seradan was watching her specifically at that moment. Her behaviour was very odd, even keeping in mind how she had acted at arrival. There were a few reasons that came to mind, none he was going to vocalize in front of others though. If all went to plan, Zariba would be able to tell him more than enough about Tegama herself.

The awkwardness was already weighing heavily on Maarani when she finally remembered the gift exchange. At the very least it would take up a few minutes, hopefully enough for Dana to arrive. "Oh, almost forgot…" She fished around Izan's coat pocket until she located the box in question, containing a small gemstone brooch that he claimed was legitimately purchased.

"I offer this lightning ruby brooch as a sign of friendship…" She began biting on her lip. "...and I forget this part of the speech…" In a desperate moment she looked to Izan, hoping to find some sort of inspiration. "...for accepting us into your home, after our long voyage. We are grateful."

With a soft smile, Seradan took the brooch in his open hand, looking it over briefly before passing it to Zariba. "A most generous gift. I half expected it to be of the physical nature, as most are, but I hope you will accept the one I give in return of a different kind."

Zariba had pinned the brooch to her shirt by that point, gently twisting it around so that the light reflected through the mineral deposits laced through the ruby.

"I offer you my daughter. Forgive the cliché, but she is the jewel of my life, and I hope that you all find greater happiness with her presence."

Maarani physically coughed so hard that she had to push herself away from the table until it was gone. It also provided her with an opportunity to hide the tinge her face was gathering. Seradan was either completely aware of the implications of such an offer, or painfully oblivious to them.

The next bout of coughing was faked entirely so that she had an excuse to put distance between herself and the others. She had maybe seconds to come up with an explanation for her reaction, and a reason as to why he would make such a strange offer just hours after meeting them. And the way he had phrased the offer was very odd as well…

"Ms Arani has demonstrated an aversion to clichés in the past, they irritate her to no end. I am certain she is just having an involuntary overreaction." All Izan could do was look between her and the other Twi'lek, trying very hard to keep the situation under control with more ridiculous explanations. He too had growing suspicions about the offer. Zariba was clearly a withdrawn soul, and any sane parent would never thrust her into the company of strangers for whatever reason.

Strangely, she looked otherwise unfazed by it. Had she and her father already discussed such an arrangement beforehand?

The whole situation left Seradan briefly concerned. From a supposed bodyguard, his first expectation was some sort of sarcastic remark about not being a caretaker. Her reaction was completely at odds with that and the other outcomes he had anticipated.

"I certainly did not mean to cause any harm by it, if that really is the case." Once he noticed her returning to the table, looking a little less 'sick', he softened his demeanour again. "We colonists of Sagarus III have developed a tradition of having our children guide newcomers around the place. They provide youthful insights to our culture, and learn from those they spend time with far better than men and women of my age."

Maarani kept her eyes focused in his area, still a little uncertain about looking at Zariba. Too many emotionally charged thoughts to deal with at that moment. "That sounds wonderful of course. I was just caught a little off-guard there. Certainly not for the reason Mr Izan described." She glared at him again, lifting her elbow a little in a threatening manner.

"Why, then?"

Zariba's voice made her heart melt. Such a sweet, innocent voice. For the life of her she couldn't fathom why she was having such extreme emotional swings over a girl she had just met. It had taken months for her to develop a crush on her mechanic in comparison.

"I'm a little unstable in the head. Really should've warned you, Seradan, but I was afraid you'd think I was making excuses..." It wasn't too far from the truth. But flat out saying she was coming out of a suicidal phase in front of them would kill any potential for a pleasant mood for the rest of the evening. She couldn't let her own problems screw up a much-needed breather from the distant danger in pursuit.

To her great relief, the revelation didn't drive Seradan away after all.

"I understand that it is not uncommon among soldiers in particular. You need not explain yourself further." The way she acted right after that told him there was more to her behaviour, but that explanation would come out soon enough. "Ms Lauran is taking longer than expected though. I did not realize these talks were that important to her client."

"It comes with working for that particular House. But lucrative pay is just that. Risk and reward." Izan adjusted his collar a little as he glanced at Maarani again. For now she seemed to have gotten over her fidgets. Whatever was going on in her head at that moment was beyond him.

In another odd moment, she stood back up and wandered off away from them again, this time without any actual reason. For once, spitting out half the truth wasn't making her feel any better. She had to be completely honest, just like she had been with Izan. And that had actually worked out far better than expected. "Seradan, mind if we talk in private?"

He looked to both Izan and Zariba, only mildly concerned when he left the table to guide Maarani into another room. Once there she seemed to calm down again, more to how she had acted when arriving minutes earlier.

After a few calming breaths, she finally faced him directly. "Your daughter is lovely and all, and normally I don't get this weird around lovely women, but for some reason I'm getting real giddy just being around her, and…" The fragmented thoughts began to trail off in her head. Until Dana arrived to make an assessment of her own with her psych skills, she had no idea what to make of her own weird reactions.

She took another breath before trying to continue in a more coherent manner. "I'm worried I might do something that could offend her, or you really. Am I making any sense?"

"I suppose enough to understand what you're trying to say?" It really was a lot more confusing than what he had come to expect from a grown woman. But her intentions were clear enough. Approval and respect were her first concerns. "I trust her to be responsible in her conduct, and I would prefer to extend that trust to you as well in this case. But perhaps you are getting ahead of yourself with your concerns?"

His hand soon came to rest on her shoulder, in as reassuring a manner as he could fathom. As far as unexpected developments went, this was one he could turn to his advantage with care and precision. "You are a strange woman, Tegama'Arani. But you also have a good heart, and I respect that. The rest will be up to Zariba herself."

At that moment, Maarani heard Dana arriving in the room beyond, and her inevitable yakking about getting involved with people they had to leave very soon anyway. There was no way she could bring Zariba along with the droid threat in mind.

"I appreciate that. Would be nice if I had a choice about when I leave, but that's life. Whatever happens, I will be mature and considerate." Her cheesy smile finally made a return. It really was a silly fuss, but a week to spend time with a cute girl without disapproving glares was not something anyone smart would pass up surely.

"I can ask nothing more of you then." He opened the door at long last to lead the way out, nodding with a smile to Dana and guiding her over to the reserved seat. "We were just discussing how Tegama will be spending the next week here, since you will have plenty of protection amongst our own well-trained guards."

The first meals finally arrived along with light drinks. While Dana and Maarani returned to their seats, Seradan remained standing at the head of the table, his own glass in hand. "May the goddess watch over these good souls when they continue their journey amongst the stars. Thanks to her for bringing them into our home."

He took a light sip and sat down. In the brief moment while all eyes were focused on him, he noted the subtle movement of Zariba's lekku. Full confirmation that Dana was also strong in the Force. His assumptions had gathered a lot more weight. Now all that remained was hours of scanning over the holorecordings of the entire dinner. The whole truth would be revealed soon enough.

"So, this must be the daughter you spoke of, Seradan." Dana by then had half turned to Zariba, who gave a shy smile in return. For the moment she was deliberately not looking at Maarani. "I am sorry to hear about her mother. It was a mostly similar situation with my former husband, you know. Unfaithful hearts are sadly common it seems."

"Not so much amongst Twi'lek." At that moment, Seradan glanced at Maarani instead, trying to make it clear he was not implying anything about her. "But I have learned to move on from such troubling matters. I still have my wonderful daughter after all, and you my friend have a line of work so many can only dream of."

Dana smiled as she took the first bite of the meal. Fungus wasn't unfamiliar to her non-meat tastes, but Ryloth fungus had a particular taste that was rather strong. A sharp punch to her tongue in rotted wood almost. "It is not often that I am allowed to travel offworld to handle such matters. More often, those seeking investment come to me on Coruscant."

Barely a minute after stating she would try to be mature, Maarani felt the urge to start sticking chunks of munch-fungus up her nose to distract from Dana's rather boring improvisations. She couldn't actually say anything herself, since making up a detail would probably come back to trip her up later anyway.

At that moment she noticed Zariba's lekku movements, this time directed at her. With no level of subtlety, she looked to Izan in case he had also noticed, and would blurt out something about the two of them secretly communicating. His fascination with the meal seemed to tell enough.

With the concern out of the way, she bit on her tongue while trying to recall just what movements were necessary to communicate back. It had been a very long time since she had even tried to do such actions, being completely useless while in a starfighter several metres away from everyone else. And it was nearly unheard of for outsiders to actually even understand the silent language.

Eventually she worked out something along the lines of poking fun at Dana's dull speech.

Zariba smiled and looked away from the woman to her right briefly. After a sufficient pause, she made her own remark at the expense of Izan's overly-formal suit.

After a bit of thought, Maarani agreed and not very subtly turned the attention to her own dress.

This time Zariba was quick with a response, noting that she liked the colours, and that it was uncannily similar to the colours of their skin.

The awkwardness began to set in again for Maarani. It was almost typical that her one pretty dress just happened to be like that. As if there hadn't been enough jokes played on her by whatever powers flowed around her life path.

"... She can say more herself though. Miss Arani?"

Maarani's jaw dipped a little on being caught out like that. It was entirely possible that Dana had deliberately done that to put her on edge. "Uh… I suppose it depends?" Her eyes darted to both Zariba and Izan in search of any kind of guidance. The former was just as clueless, and the latter was having too much fun watching her squirm.

"Ms Lauran was just telling me about how you came into her employ, Tegama."

That made her settle back down, if only because she had no idea on what to say. The closest she could get to the truth was that Dana was a friend of the family looking to help her after the discharge from the military, because she had no family left to rely on. Hardly something that would be good for the evening mood.

"Usual story, had a bit of a bad patch after leaving the military. Guess I got real lucky that I got hired by some legitimate business, none of that shady stuff." Her eyes settled back on Zariba, who looked back at her with concern. Somehow, she already knew there was more to it. "I haven't talked to the rest of my family since just before I joined up. No idea where they are now."

"That is truly unfortunate, then. Hostility amongst loved ones is the worst kind." Seradan looked between the other two Twi'lek for a few moments. He didn't need Zariba's insight to recognize that it was a much sadder matter for Maarani. Something that could be invaluable for twisting her loyalty to him if handled with precision.

Another glance was exchanged between Maarani and Izan shortly after. She could tell he was starting to catch on as well, perhaps more than Seradan was. For the moment it didn't bother her. "Said it best yourself, you learn to move on. And now I've found good company again." She glanced back at Zariba one last time, this time smiling in a very genuine way.