Inertia

Chapter Five: Allusions Adopted

Roganda looked down onto the plateau before the palace, seething as Dania was escorted onto the speeder by the Captain Parck, to be taken to wherever it was the Vice-Admiral lived whilst in residence on Coruscant. If Dania had simply gloated, like the other geisha did when they found a new client, Roganda could have dismissed it as petty, and assured herself that she had a safer life, a more secure Sponsor.

But Dania was quiet about it, and it frustrated her to the point of screaming. Even the promise of a political fight at Court did not lift her flagging spirits. The Vice-Admiral would surely dress Dania in the newest clothes, have them fitted especially for her, he'd look after her, protect her just as he'd promised. Dania was not unbeautiful; surely, he'd have her made up like a doll, almost like she belonged in his precious collection of art, wearing her on his arm as one brandished a new brooch.

She wondered if he would stay true to his word about not being interested in sex; everyone who came into the House of Dolls came simply for the purpose of choosing a woman and taking her home. House of Dolls existed for that purpose, and if he didn't want her for sex, then what did he want? It was all so very puzzling, and Roganda disliked not knowing anything.

Roganda frowned. Surely, he didn't believe the information Dania would be able to collect would be of any use to him? She had dismissed his words last night, certain he was making empty promises, but as she thought deeper about it…He did not seem to be the sort to seek out a Geisha.

"Pardon my intrusion, my lady, but there is an officer outside for you." The servant entered with her head bowed, afraid of whatever rage might grip Roganda. Her thoughts interrupted, Roganda fixed her with a scorching gaze.

"An officer? We get lots of officers here, girl. Which one?" she asked sharply. The servant winced away, burnt by the intensity of the expression upon her beautiful mistress' face.

"I'm unsure, but I know he called for Dania Laquila a few nights back?" The servant saw Roganda's face change to that of a spiteful sneer, and bowed, leaving her mistress and the Grand Admiral Tigellinus to their business.

Exiting her private rooms and sweeping into the entrance suite, Roganda's white made-up face remained impassive as she watched the uniform clad officer move towards her, through the billowing material folds of the curtains, his body language and expressions readable in the well lit room.

"My lord, what a surprise to see you again so soon…" Roganda put on her sweetest smile, sweeping into the entrance room, greeting the senior officer with a delicate curtsey. Tigellinus was certainly not the most attractive of Imperial Court, but his influence more than made up for it. Power was the aphrodisiac of Imperial Court. His white uniform glistened, radiating his rank, dazzling those who did not expect to see such a bright sight. How strangely deceptive appearances could be.

"Charmed, Roganda." He took her offered hand and kissed it delicately, the heady scent of her perfume almost knocking him unconscious. Straightening quickly, he fixed his expression upon the Head Concubine. "I would like you to summon Dania for me; I have to speak to her about a private matter."

"Oh, my lord? I hope it is not bad news?" He pursed his lips at her faked inquisitiveness, considering how best to answer her. The Geisha were known for their observation skills, and every sentence they strung together seemed to be barbed with an entrapment.

"I have decided to take her to the Mid-Winter Festival, and need to make the arrangements." His voice was deep, not unattractively so, his arms folded in an effort to make him appear taller and therefore more authoritarian. Roganda was used to the bluster employed by men to make them a powerful presence. This clearly was a master of those skills, a man with no formal military training, and yet shrewd enough to survive Imperial Court's treachery.

"Dania Laquila has been taken by another officer already; she is currently out with him." Roganda spoke with apology in her tone. She watched, barely suppressing a grin, as surprise appeared on his face; clearly, he had been confident that he had won Dania as his own. Resentment also seemed to be building, behind that mask of confidence.

"Which officer?" She made a show of thinking about it, and then nodded.

"I am unsure of his name, but I'm sure you'd know him…the undesirable," She whispered, as if it was a disgusting insult, something that should not be spoken of. She was amused as his surprise turned to anger, the hidden resentment breaking forth, an outburst only marginally held back by manners.

"Dania has chosen to make her debut with an alien?" He spat, gritting his teeth at the answer of her nodded head. He had not taken Dania for an alien sympathiser, not that the question had ever come up. She had been more than happy to discuss Court with him, her amazement at all he had achieved in such a short time evident.

"Such a waste, don't you think? I told her that you were the better option, the more gentlemanly, the strongest politically…but she still accepted his escort this morning" Roganda's voice, the soundtrack to his anger, spoke over his thoughts, cutting them cleanly in half to return him back to the unfortunately reality of being rejected by a Geisha.

"Thrawn took her this morning?" He said, wits returning. Roganda's head nodded again, her hairpiece swinging happily. He was certain her head would topple off with the weight of such an ornament.

"He sent a captain for her. Is that important, that he sent another man to pick her up? Should I be concerned for her virtue?" She feigned concern, knowing that was what was expected of her. She didn't care if Dania never returned to her, she could be thrown into the Vice-Admirals crew pit for the petty officer to play with, and Roganda would not bat an eyelid.

"Be concerned for her life; Imperial Intelligence agents will not take it lightly that one of the Emperor's personal staff is consorting with an alien, even if that alien is within the Imperial Navy, he is only tolerated there as a necessary evil. " Tigellinus dipped into a bow. "My lady, please excuse me."

"Should you like me to tell Dania that you have enquired about her?" He stopped in his march towards the exit, shoulders tense. Yes, that had rubbed salt in his wound; his anger would be a blindingly beautiful thing to see.

"No…I will catch up with her at my convenience."

Dania was carefully escorted inside the Imperial building, the security outside a giveaway of the high level of the people how lived within the apartment. Clearly, this was not only a military building; it would be folly to cram all of the Empire's most promising into a single building, especially with the Rebellions growing nerve towards selecting targets for destruction. A mixture of civilian and military personal appeared to live here, in harmony, not a stones throw away from the Imperial Palace.

They entered the entrance room, passed the security presence, Voss Parck walked confidently ahead of her, his uniform well pressed, not uttering a word to her. Clearly, he was embarrassed by the whole idea of employing a geisha, and then having to be seen in public with her. She sighed. Such stigmatisms were attached to the House of Dolls, they were not all whores. Wordlessly, they entered the repulsor lift, and his hand rose to select one of the buttons.

"The Vice-Admiral has summoned you for the day; does this ruin any of your plans?" the silence became too much; Parck cracked, and spoke the first thing he could consider that would not cause offence. What could he have in common with this woman?

"Even if it had, I would have chosen the Vice-Admiral over whatever I had arranged, Captain." She wore a warm smile, hoping it would be returned by Parck. He considered her for a moment, and then looked away. She sighed. This was going to be a really uncomfortable day. He carefully keyed in a code, the doors closing with a snap behind them. Every action he seemed to make was decisive and carefully timed, as if to purposely set her on edge.

Walking her to the window seat, Voss Parck hung back, allowing Dania to overtake and sink delicately into the seat beside Thrawn.

"Welcome, Dania. I trust you had a comfortable journey?" He turned to her a moment later, fixing her with that stare. She feared she would never fully adjust to its intensity, the soul searching they seemed to partake in scouring her with the feeling of being devoured.

"Yes, thank you. The captain was very accommodating."

Nevertheless, she smiled serenely, and leaned back, and cast a glance at the view of Coruscant presented to them. This seat was clearly placed with the intention of admiring the view of Imperial City, and Dania would not just pass up this opportunity to learn more about the Vice-Admiral. None of the geisha that she had spoken to knew anything about him, his species, or his life before the Empire. As a geisha, it was her duty, her privilege to discover all she could.

"For that I'm glad. The captain, as I'm sure you are fully aware, is unhappy with my employing of your talents." Dania looked at him incredulously; why would he discuss this with her? What had Parck possibly done that had made Thrawn decide to embarrass him?

"I never meant for-" Parck interjected, but Thrawn rose a hand to silence him. They were friends, yes; but Dania could see that Thrawn was clearly the more dominate of the two, the one who made the choices. Voss Parck trusted this alien with his life, threw all his support, for whatever it was worth, behind the alien; he would go down with him at Court too.

"We will be honest with Dania, Parck. If we cannot trust each other, however will we rely on each other in Court?" He turned his gaze back from the uncomfortable, shamed Voss Parck to Dania, who slowly raised her gaze to his. "You may be a geisha, and a whore for all we know; but you are also a resourceful woman, who needs a chance. If I give it to you, will you be prepared to ally with us? I will give you sufficient funds to live comfortably, and I stand by my promise to protect you if-and when-I fall at Court. Is this still satisfactory for you?"

She looked passed him, into the skyline, though she didn't see a lot of anything, focussing on her thoughts. She would actually have a choice in the matter then? She had the feeling of drowning last night, when the offer had originally been made, Roganda would be listening, and Thrawn was a Vice-Admiral; but what of the Grand Admiral? How would be react to her, choosing another? And how would Thrawn react to her having another potential Sponsor?

"It is a good offer, Vice-Admiral, and I am pleased to accept it." She cast a gaze across the room at Voss Parck. "Captain, I understand your repulsion towards me, and the other Geisha; but please give me the same chance the Vice-Admiral is. We are not all like Roganda, double-dealing liars who whore for anyone."

"I-" He sighed. "I have never agreed with the use of the geisha, Dania; forgive me my ignorance."

"Of course. We all make mistakes. Though I will endeavour not to at Court." She carefully rose to her feet, following Thrawn, who indicated for her to follow him. Curious, she glanced around the room, taking in the details, trying to decipher anything from the minimalist style of the decoration. No personal effects seemed obvious, there was very little of the secretive alien on display; perhaps that was the point. She turned back to ask him.

"I have no need for the trappings that come with my title, Dania; I barely ever live at Coruscant, so my most important possessions therefore do not reside here, but carefully spread across the galaxy." He spoke, as if answering a question plucked from her mind; she had indeed been wondering about the lack of anything in the room. Though the view more than compensated for the lack of any kind of decoration.

"You will need to be fitted with an outfit, but first, I wish to see what you look like under all that make up" Thrawn indicated to Parck, who opened a set of double doors she had not noticed, and took her inside. Again, it was a bare room, with a number of ladies waiting inside, dressed in the plainer costumes of the Coruscant working class. Clearly, they had been hired just for the day; Thrawn did not seem the type to keep servants, especially if he barely lived here. A single chair and mirror seemed to be the only stationary furnishing, the rest of the enormous room filled with women, milling forward towards her.

Carefully manoeuvred into the chair, she sat back, the many layers of the robes expected of a Geisha to wear awkward to adjust. As she waited, the eldest woman carefully reached for a cloth; when she sat still, she delicately began to scrub the thick rouge from her cheeks, fingers carefully brushing the stray hair from her face.

Thrawn was watching her; she could feel the eyes burning into her. The focus of his day being her, they seemed so much more painful, determined to burn through any masks she may have placed before him. She shuddered with the intensity of it all. Dania tried to fix her gaze forward, to avoid distraction, but found her eyes repeatedly slipping back to glance at Thrawn, his expression pensive. She tried to figure out where Voss Parck had vanished to.

Someone had also begun to undo her hair, untwisting it from its updo, carefully placing the decorations down, running a comb through the long black cascade. Another set of hands unfurled another section, brushing this part as well, ridding the loose curls that had gathered from the thick mane; the Grand Admiral's comb felt delicate and almost relaxing in the hands of the women.

Her skin was cleansed by two others after another finished scouring the thick white paste from her face, she felt the temperature change and the return of a make up brush; something powdery was whipped over her face, and a thinner coat of paint reapplied to her lips. Opening her eyes when prompted, she felt the peculiar sensation of a thin pen drawing an outline on her eyes.

Her hair was left down, the length of it making it awkward to style. Pulled to her feet, she was silently stripped down; her eyes focussed on the floor, slightly ashamed to be stripped to her underwear before the Vice Admiral. He said nothing, complimentarily or derogatorily, as the many layers were stripped away and cast aside, folded into a tall pile.

A lighter costume was carefully tied to her frame, a long hanging dress in a light shade of blue pulled over her head. A darker sash was pulled around her waist, the ends hanging almost as long as the dress. Not addressed in person, the clucking from the women indicated happiness and joy at the way she looked.

"You're finished; turn around." She obeyed before she even realised she had. There was something so utterly commanding about the alien Vice-Admiral, she doubted whether she could say no, even if she wanted to. Dania twisted carefully, raising her head slowly, catching a look of herself in the mirror; no longer white as a ghost, her naturally pale skin was the colour of milk, her lips a delicate shade of light red, blue eyes wide and attentive without the heavy black makeup of the geisha to weigh them shut.

"You look…stunning. You really do. And I haven't even gotten you dressed properly yet…"He seemed pleased with her appearance; praise she suspected he rarely spoke making her smile and blush. Her dress was plain; clearly, it had been bought only as a simplistic outfit in order for her to be taken somewhere private without attracting too much attention. The red of the Imperial Household, and especially the outfit of the House of Dolls was ceremonial and distinctive; Thrawn was keeping her a secret until the night of the Mid-Winter Festival.

"Thank you…" She returned her attention to the mirror; it had been hammered into her that a geisha was only as beautiful as long as she remained in the thick paste of their makeup; she was breaking a taboo by even allowing a client to know what she looked like, without the cover of dark to hide her looks. She was surprised that such a thin amount made her look so…distinctive. Her eyes had always been considered her best feature, but until today, she had never really seen them. The brilliant blue of them seemed to reflect the light in the room. "We're to be stepping out together?"

She didn't notice the absence of the women who had hurriedly stripped her of her makeup and her regalia; but she was unaware of anything but Thrawn at that moment. It was rarer for one who had not made a debut to be taken around a male's house, but rarer yet that someone who was not officially considered a Sponsor to take a geisha out.

"Of course. That is not a problem, is it?"

They were interrupted by Voss Parck; he returned to the room, bearing a carefully wrapped gift. He was speechless at her appearance; wordlessly, he handed what he brandished to Thrawn, who removed the paper, and leaned forward. He brushed a section of her hair behind her ear, and placed the wrapped comb in it, holding the fringe out of her face.

"You must deny to see the Grand Admiral if you wish us to go together; I will not tolerate infidelity from you, even if it is a lie. " He cast a glance at the place she knew the white and gold comb to be. She looked at the floor; perhaps he had known of her interests before. "Come, we will be late otherwise."

He carefully offered his arm to her; she barely acknowledged the quick flick of the head Thrawn gave Voss Parck, and the flash of ivory as the comb was whipped out of sight, and out of mind.

"Your precious Grand Admiral called for you today." Roganda spoke, barely paying attention to the woman who walked in the room. With a jealous twinge, she realised Dania was clasping a bag of one of the more fashionable houses of Coruscant. Seething, she could see the Mid Winter Festival before her eyes, and Dania's careful curtsey, wearing the most radiant gown of all the women present. Dania, a mere apprentice, wearing the robes that she, Roganda, deserved by right!

"Pardon?" Dania had not even noticed Roganda's presence, so elated with the whole day. It was one of the happier days she'd ever spent, and it had been outside the Imperial Palace; what did that point to? Waiving it aside, she felt her heart sink as she saw the smug, arrogant smile of the elder woman. Something dreadful must have happened…

"Tigellinus called for you; you had gone out with…" Roganda waved her hand in some vague gesture. Clearly she was purposely forgetting the name of Dania's new benefactor. "You'd gone out with the freak; I told him you would be back tonight. He'll call for you, I'm sure."

The horrible feeling sank even lower in her body; had Roganda told Tigellinus who exactly she was out with? Even if she had only called him the freak, it was no secret that Thrawn was the only alien in the Imperial Fleet. She was ruined. There was no way Tigellinus would let himself be stood up, not by a geisha, and not over an alien.

"You told him I was out with Thrawn?" Dania paled; it was no secret that the Grand Admiral Tigellinus was a fervent supporter of High Human Culture; he would not take this well. She hadn't known his face to his name; she cursed under her breathe, realising she had made a fatal mistake. She should never have allowed herself to have been swept out by the unknown Grand Admiral, or have accepted his gift. Roganda's smile of happiness showed Dania that Tigellinus had been furious with her, and it made her stomach turn. Roganda had clearly had a hand in this, somewhere.

"Well, he wanted to know what was so important, that you would not be present to accept his invitation to the Mid Winter Festival." She shrugged. "You've made your bed; now you have to lie in it"

Author's Note:

Wow, 274 views already! I feel privileged, I really do Thanks for your continued support; the reviews are much appreciated!

Okay, I want to do a couple of one-shots for this fanfiction -its going to be pretty long, so I want to keep you all entertained! What do YOU want to see expanded upon in a one-shot? Something based around Dsai'llyana and her feelings, or Dania and Thrawn? What are you enjoying, and what are you hating?

I am trying to update as often as I can; unfortunately, its getting to a tricky time of school life where my final exams are looming, and I'm spending less time on fanfiction than I'd otherwise like to. Don't despair; I am determined to finish this fanfiction, and I will do it…

Thrawn is amazingly intricate to write; very difficult but incredible. I'm fairly certain I write him OOC though…hope I haven't offended anyone! He's also my new number one obsession, so I will finish this fanfiction…I will!

Aryna: Thank you so much for the reviews! I can't tell you how much they mean to me this ones been posted just for you

MGA