"...so yeah. That's why I'm the best air traffic controller at Whitefield spaceport. Which is the best spaceport on this damn planet." Zarabelle arrogantly bragged as she finished her drink and slammed the empty glass onto the table to exaggerate her point.
She had been spending the last hour in Davey's company listening to him talk himself up proudly. Zarabelle heard him explain all about how he and his family were involved middle management of a factory in Eryup, the underprivileged city of the planet. She would have felt sorry for him and the wealth divide except for the fact his family seemed to be doing alright for themselves even in a poor city - he had spent all of their time together bragging about how he and his family bully their workers.
The only reason she had not departed his company was due to the fact she was able to watch Davey's two friends fight over Pegah's attention. If she blew off Davey she knew Pegah would follow her, and she'd no longer have front row seats to the greatest show of the night. One of the friends was flexing his muscles and trying to prove how strong he was. The other seemed to splashing around his cash after 'accidentally' dropping his designer wallet.
Zarabelle was glad Davey was having a one-sided conversation about his so-called achievements. It made it so much easier for her to just zone out and nod every now and again so she could keep her eyes on her friend. Until now, when Davey was finally asking about her and what she did for a living. Zarabelle was now thinking about looking for a way out of the conversation.
"Who's family ISN'T involved in the airline industry?" Zarabelle heard a cocky voice ask from her right.
She swiveled around on her stool and came face to face with the same man from before she had heckled - he even went so far as to mimic the cocky words she had used on him before. He had a crooked smile on his olive-skinned face to show he was up to mischief and Zarabelle couldn't have been any happier. Davey's two friends attempting to court Pegah had been officially downgraded. This could be the new best act of the night.
"Mine, actually." Davey snarled towards Poe as he gripped a large hand around Zarabelle's waist. He was feeling threatened by the male newcomer, especially as he didn't know about the previous events of the night.
Poe flashed his eyes away from the grinning yet sweet face of Zarabelle as he turned to look at the male. This other male was overdressed, which was saying something as this was a swanky bar. He had on a formal tuxedo with bright yellow silk folded elaborately in his pocket square. Perhaps Poe could have fun with both the overdressed boy as well as the arrogant Zarabelle - two birds, one stone.
"Too bad there, sport. Airline industry families are all the rage." Poe winked towards Davey.
This caused Zarabelle to let out a snort. She could see that Poe was trying to wind them both up. She knew she was in for a bit of fun.
"Well...before, you mentioned your parents were pilots. That's cool and all, but what's your profession. Baggage handler for a commercial ship?" Zarabelle sniggered as she teased Poe.
Despite Zarabelle saying words to purposely stir him, Poe kept his attention on Zarabelle's male companion. He didn't seem too pleased to be losing Zarabelle's attention as his grip on her waist seemed to be getting tighter and tighter. She now realised this too and was starting to edge off her chair to get away from him.
"That's awfully kind of you to remember what my parents were, sweetheart," Poe commented as he bravely tapped Zarabelle's nose to tease her, causing her to screw her face up "But no. I too, am a pilot."
Zarabelle was about to say something insulting, but Davey had grabbed her waist tightly in an effort to try and escort her away from their spot. She turned to shoot him a filthy look and dug her heels into the ground. This wasn't lost on Poe who grew even more unimpressed with Davey. Poe almost dropped his teasing to tell Davey to buzz off and see if Zarabelle was okay. But Zarabelle could handle it.
"What are you doing?" Zarabelle shot towards Davey.
"I'm going to the bar to buy you a drink. What's your poison, beautiful?" Davey asked Zarabelle as he shot her a smile from his perfect white teeth. It was a charming manoeuvre that worked well on most girls. Too bad for him, Zarabelle Penthurst was a bigger charmer and was immune to most forms of flattery.
"No thank you. I'm right. I don't believe a man should have to buy women drinks or other gifts to retain their attention. I'm not a common whore. Thanks, though." Zarabelle politely responded. She wasn't being rude in her response, just stating her feelings.
Zarabelle's charismatic words would work on the two men in proximity. They had the intended effect on Davey. He grinned thinking he had cemented Zarabelle's lust so much that he didn't need to invest in her at all. He informed her he was getting 'one last drink' before skipping over to the bar.
But she had now also piqued Poe's interest as well. Previously he thought she was a cute (but not sexy) trouble maker. But now parts of her personality were shining through, he felt a growing attraction to her. Especially as she was now showing desirable traits that were the opposite of what caused him to be turned off his previous companion of the evening - the highly attractive Pantoran woman who had long since departed him.
It was no longer just her personality and he wit that he liked. Her soft features he had overlooked before were now growing on him. It was still true that she may not have looked as 'hot' as the Pantoran from before. But he found her adorable. The smoldering looks of the Pantoran may be the looks a man would look for someone he wants a good time with. Zarabelle had a softer level of attractive that a man would want for a long time, not a good time.
"I will pay you five credits right here, right now if you can cause me a distraction to get away from that wanker." Zarabelle suddenly said to Poe, grabbing the conversation in the silence he was using to admire her face.
Poe was stunned for a moment as Zara's proposition caught him off guard. He didn't realise she had been trying to get away from the other cocky male. Poe knew she was growing tired of the other male, but didn't realise she was at wit's end. He would use this to his advantage. He may have lost the interest of the Pantoran female from before, but now he had his sights set on Zarabelle.
"Tell you what. You can keep your credits. I'll do you this favour if you let me take you out for dinner straight after." Poe confidently asked her with a smug grin.
Zarabelle's eyes widened. She was now the one caught off guard. After heckling the man before who had his sights on a woman far better looking than her, she wasn't expecting him to ask her on a date, albeit a last minute date.
She also wasn't keen on being second choice. As soon as Poe came over to interrupt her and Davey out of revenge Zarabelle noticed the beautiful Pantoran woman was out of sight. It didn't take much for her to figure out she had only captured Poe's attention now the other woman was gone. Sloppy seconds were not her style.
"Are you asking me out?" Zarabelle asked as she cocked up an eyebrow. She wanted to be one hundred percent sure of Poe's intentions before she unleashed on him.
"Are you going to say yes?" Poe asked back as he mimicked her actions of raising an eyebrow.
She smirked at his avoidance of the question. He was definitely interested in her. Therefore this was now fair game. He was only asking her out because his first choice fell through. Zarabelle knew she could now go further than slightly pestering him. She knew exactly how to do this efficiently too.
"Ew, you creep. I'm only seventeen." Zarabelle mocked him, screwing up her face in mock disgust to try and stop herself from giggling and smirking at the discomfort she was about to unleash onto him.
Zarabelle got the intended effect out of Poe that she was digging for. His dark eyes widened in shock before he furrowed his brow into a frown. He remained silent as he studied her face. Was she winding him up, or was she serious? She was fairly sweet and innocent looking with her round blue eyes and soft features - she was definitely youthful looking. But if she were only seventeen she shouldn't be able to gain entry to this bar. This entire system had a blanket drinking age of eighteen. From what he knew of her she was a stirrer. He couldn't trust this information.
"I don't believe you." Poe confidently remarked with a large confident grin on his face.
"That's up to you, not my problem," Zarabelle shrugged as she got off her chair quickly and grabbed her cape from the back and draped it over her shoulders "What is my problem though is airhead pretty boy at the bar. I'm gonna get rid of him but then I'm bouncing. Laters."
Without a second glance back at Poe she approached the bar. He watched on intently as her sudden departure had him confused. Was she calling it a night? Would she not be coming back over?
Poe kept his eyes on Zarabelle keenly. He watched as she approached her previous dark haired, green eyed companion. From the distance it didn't look as if Zarabelle was dismissing Davey. In fact it was the complete opposite - she was whispering in his ear suggestively and had placed one of his strong arms around her waist. The only indication that the 'airhead pretty boy' (as Zarabelle had previously called him) was going to be abandoned was when he tried to plant a big kiss on her lips but got her cheek when she quickly turned her head.
"Hi there stranger. You look awfully lonely here all by yourself. Would you like company tonight?" Poe heard a woman ask as she took the seat previously occupied by Zarabelle.
He only gave her a quick glance. She wasn't ugly, but a little plain looking. Not his usual type - he normally went for exotic beauties like his Pantoran woman earlier. Even Zarabelle wasn't his normal type and if she hadn't spoken to him he wouldn't have even given her a second glance. But he had spoken to her and he was now drawn to her based on her charm and personality. Which was why he was still so focused on her.
"Just a sec." Poe muttered to the new woman as he flicked his eyes back to Zarabelle.
He noticed her male companion was now leaving the room and had made his way to the left of the bar where it was advertised there were 'V.I.P. private booths' available. As soon as he was out of sight Zarabelle was scampering the opposite way - towards the door. Zarabelle was staying true to her word - she was getting rid of Davey.
Poe quickly looked to the woman who had struck up conversation with him. Poe knew that unlike the two other girls he had struck out with tonight, this one could be a sure thing. But maybe he no longer wanted to chase skirts tonight. Maybe he just wanted to enjoy his stop-over on this fairly boring planet and do something adventurous.
"Hey. Uh, sorry, I just realised I'm late for something," Poe quickly stammered out thinking quickly as he got up from his seat "Thanks for the offer of company though. Appreciate it."
He only had a second to see the woman's face who looked a little hurt and stunned by the quick rejection. Poe didn't mean to be rude and in any other situation he would have stopped to comfort the woman before he went on his way. But he had to catch up to Zarabelle.
He flung himself through the bar and out into the street outside. The air was warm, but not hot and he took a moment to appreciate it before he jogged down the road to catch up with Zarabelle.
Zarabelle had looked behind her to see if Davey was following her but turned to see Poe briskly approaching her down the immaculately paved street. Rather than be annoyed she wore a grin that went from ear to ear.
"Why are you following me? You had a super hot Pantoran woman earlier, what happened there?" Zarabelle asked Poe once he had caught up to her. Instead of stopping to talk she continued to walk on and Poe followed blindly.
"Yeah… that didn't work out." Poe grumbled.
"Why?" Zarabelle sweetly asked as she knew Poe was trying to gloss over the topic.
"Well uh, another guy came over to buy her drinks and essentially started a bidding war for her attention through propositions of drinks and dinner. That's why I really liked your comment to that guy just before. It's kind of uncool when women use men for free stuff." Poe responded.
"Psh, misogynist. Men do plenty of unsavoury things in bars too," Zarabelle teased him before turning sincere "But I do agree. I think playing with anyone's emotions purely for gain is wrong. Regardless of gender, or species"
"You keep playing with my emotions for gain - you keep teasing me to get a rise out of me for entertainment." Poe cheekily pointed out.
He was still following Zarabelle down the street and was trying to focus on their conversation but found himself also admiring the scenery around him. It looked modern, but invented. Everything from the buildings, to the street lights, sidewalks and even the bins were untainted and new. There were no marks or chips on anything and the rendering on every surface was bright and stainless. The entire city looked unlived in - like a display home. He knew Thebago was a new planet with no history but he didn't realise how much of a lack of culture would affect every small detail.
"Yet you keep coming back. So you're getting something out of my constant proddings. It's a mutually beneficial agreement." Zarabelle pointed out.
"What happened with pretty boy at the bar?" Poe asked curiously as he stopped inspecting his surroundings and gave his full attention back to Zarabelle.
"As I said, I was getting rid of him. I told him to strip down and meet me in one of those private booths. I hope for his sake he gives up and puts his clothes on before someone goes in there and finds him in a state of undress." Zarabelle snickered.
Poe burst into laughter upon her words. He felt a little sorry for the male who was only trying to score a night of passion and instead had this cruel joke played on him. But Poe didn't know the boy, perhaps he had done something to deserve it.
It also made him realise that Zarabelle hadn't played any major jokes on him in order to dismiss him. She must have enjoyed his companionship tonight and had a funny way of showing it.
"So are, are you really seventeen? And if so, how did you get away with drinking in a bar tonight?" Poe asked her curiously. He had been dying to ask her this question but the conversation and her actions had been moving too fast for him to get in this question.
Zarabelle remained silent for a moment as she watched Poe. He looked curious as she watched him stare at her in wonder - but she noticed he didn't look hopeful on her answer. It seemed to her that he wanted her friendship tonight. He wasn't after anything else. Therefore she dropped her defensive and playful charade towards him.
"I am. Just three weeks to go until I'm eighteen, so don't worry about feeling like a creep in my presence-" Zarabelle began to explain but she was promptly cut off by Poe being defensive.
"-I didn't. I backed off the second you said you were under eighteen. But if it makes you feel better I'm not really that much older than you. I'm twenty two."
Zarabelle glared at him as she didn't appreciate being rudely cut off by him. When she was sure he was done talking she then spoke up again.
"I was at the bar because I was taking advantage of a situation. The Whitefield Auction Ball is on tonight. It's only run every two years, so everyone sixteen and seventeen year old is there. As I look too old to be a fifteen year old the bartenders assume I must be eighteen or above if I'm not at the Auction Ball."
Poe's head snapped up at Zarabelle's words as he remembered what happened when he first noticed Zarabelle in the bar earlier. That boy had hassled her for a date and had loudly exclaimed they were both not present at this 'Auction Ball' event. Poe at the time wanted to know what this thing was. Now he had the opportunity to find out.
"What is the Auction Ball, anyway?" Poe asked smoothly.
The cogs in Zarabelle's head began to turn as a wicked smile grew over her face. Her and her friend's devious plans of having a great night on the town had just been cut short when her friend decided to stay at the bar to have Davey's two friends fight over her. Zarabelle wasn't ready to call it a night and Poe could be her ticket to a memorable and funny occasion.
"Wanna find out first hand?" Zarabelle asked Poe as she kept her wide smile on her face.
Poe looked around the city as he quickly contemplated Zarabelle's proposition.
This was his crossroad decision for the evening. He could spend his one night on Thebago enjoying the nightlife of this unknown city in hopes of finding another beautiful lady to try his luck on.
Or he could accept Zarabelle's proposal of attending an esteemed event that the capital city of the planet had to offer, in the presence of someone who he found very entertaining.
It was an easy decision for him. He'd have many opportunities in the future to chase beautiful women. He'd most likely never have another invitation to attend an 'Auction Ball' with a sassy girl who would attempt to make the most out of the event.
Zarabelle squirmed a little for the first time this evening as she lost her confidence a little at Poe's delayed response. Her perfectly plucked eyebrows furrowed and her blue eyes eyes grew wide as she began to twirl her hair around her finger anxiously - her nervous habit. She didn't have issues attracting the opposite sex but her success rate was partially because she never made the first move. It was rare for her to extend an invitation. Therefore the silence was making her a nervous wreck - for the first time tonight Zarabelle Penthurst was going from bold to just plain human.
"Sure thing. On one small, simple condition." Poe finally answered.
"What is it?" Zarabelle asked as she quietly let out a sigh of relief. She didn't want Poe to know his pause had made her nervous.
"You have a really long name and it's going to get very exhausting calling you 'Zarabelle' over and over. So I'm going to call you Belle." Poe stated with a serious look on his face as he squinted his eyes to tell her how he would refer to her as.
Zarabelle considered it for a moment as she turned her mouth to the side in thought and slowly nodded. But then a thought hit her as she snapped her fingers and grinned.
"Yes! Perfect. Call me Belle, because I'll be the belle of the ball," Zarabelle snickered before she punched Poe playfully on the shoulder "Get it? Because you're going to call me Belle."
Poe appreciated her terrible attempt at humour and began to laugh at how awful her play on words was.
"Yeah….one other condition. No more cheesy puns." Poe laughed towards her.
"You can best me for the eighth time in a row, Solo. But I got you one time. Never forget it." Chaz teased his fellow apprentice as he picked himself up from the ground with a huge grin.
It had been a few weeks since training under Luke Skywalker had commenced. It was quickly becoming apparent who would be the strongest and who would require further training to unlock their potential.
The boys would switch training partners on a daily basis as Luke determined it was important for them all to train on different people. This was so that they would learn different combat styles and how to overcome them. They were all still using staffs - it would be a very long time before he deemed them proficient enough to use lightsabers.
It was clear as day that the strongest one in the ranks was Ben Solo. He was the speediest one in combat and was able to easily catch off his peers in their sparring matches. He was also far ahead in his knowledge of using the force. This was all a combination of genetics and a higher level of prior training.
Chaz Penthurst was considered a dark horse. He was one of the weaker ones in using the force and was struggling to grasp Luke's lessons. However what he lacked in using the force, he gained in his combat skills. He had pure strength, he was much stronger than all of the other boys. Most people with strength had sacrificed speed for this power. But Chaz was still quite speedy too. He was the only one who had managed to overcome Ben in combat, albiet Ben had defeated Chaz quadruple the amount of times.
Luke had very high hopes for Chaz once Chaz could overcome his weaknesses with the force. Luke believed it was due to Chaz's personality and upbringing - he was a cocky and spoiled boy. Once he could let go of these factors and clear his mind, he would be able to let the force in to take over his body and mind.
"We'll see, Penthurst." Ben smirked towards his friendly adversary.
Like his uncle, Ben saw a lot of potential in Chaz. He was the only apprentice he considered an equal and thus was the only fellow student he associated with. The two boys were becoming fast friends, a concept that was new to Ben. He had never had many friends growing up. But recently he had almost been glued at the hip to Chaz and the two boys rarely associated with anyone else aside from instances where they had to liaise with the other students.
"Penthurst, you have a video call. It's your mother." One of the other boys lazily called out as he entered the recreational room a few of the students were spending their downtime in.
"Too bad it's outside visitation hours," Emmett, Chaz and Ben's biggest adversary snorted "You'll have to call ya mum back during visitation hours."
Luke Skywalker had a very new set of rules for his new Jedi Order he was establishing. Prior to setting up his academy he had done extensive research to ensure the mistakes of the past were not repeated.
The most important rule that Luke saw fit to change was the stigma surrounding relationships- both platonic and romantic. In the past those who were training to become a Jedi were forced to abandon all friends, family and lovers if they wanted to join the Jedi Order, in order to remain focused to their causes. This strict rule was partially one of the reasons which caused Luke's father to fall to the dark side.
Luke was determined to not risk this becoming an issue again, so relationships were encouraged between his students and loved ones. He still needed his students to remain focused and clear-headed, so video calls and visitation hours were very restricted to small windows of time. Each student only had a number of contact hours permitted with their loved ones. This was a very strict rule Luke enforced, but he would loosen this rule as training went on and as his students became more in line with the force.
"Yeah well, Master S isn't here right now. I'm taking this." Chaz smirked towards Emmett as he flung himself out of the common room.
'Master S' was an arrogant name that Chaz had for Skywalker. He had only used it to his face once and was chastised brutally for the disrespectful shortening of the surname. Therefore it was now only saved for when Skywalker wasn't around.
Chaz jogged through the high ceiling roomy corridors and came skidding to a halt as he found his destination - the communications room.
Chaz slid in after checking the coast was clear and came face to face with his mother on one of the screens. She had her thick sandy blonde hair secured into a tight bun and a heavily made-up face - more so than usual. Chaz realised she must have been on her way to one of Thebago's luxurious events for the elite of the planet.
"Hello mother. How do you do?" Chaz asked his mother as he cocked up an eyebrow. He was wondering why she requested a video call at this moment.
A loud snort came from the back of the room and Chaz turned around to see Ben standing leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed, watching the exchange intensely. Chaz ignored Ben as he turned his attention back onto the screen.
"Yes, hello Chaz. How is training?" Mink Penthurst asked stiffly.
Chaz knew she was attempting to make small talk before she would mention why she called. If this was his sister, she would sarcastically call their mother out on her manipulations and snap asking their mother brashly what she wants. Not Chaz. Chaz knew it would be quicker to play along rather than waste time arguing.
"It is going well, thank you mother. How are things on Thebago?" Chaz asked in a forced polite manner.
Chaz heard yet another snort from behind him. He decided to ignore Ben this time and kept his focus on his mother's face on the screen in front of him. He wasn't sure why Ben found his conversation amusing - was it because Chaz was out of character sounding formal, or was it because Ben's own parents had yet to make contact with their son?
"Very well, in fact that's why I called. The Auction Ball is on right now as we speak. Zarabelle has had a last minute change of mind. She's on her way to Whitefield City Hall to participate." Mink proudly stated.
This time it was Chaz's turn to snigger. He knew how strongly against the Auction Ball his sister was. It was highly out of character for her to suddenly want to attend. She was up to something.
"Well, good for her. I'm sure life as a spaceport air traffic controller is very mundane. Give her some excitement, eh?" Chaz responded as he held himself together to prevent continuous laughter.
Luckily for Chaz his amusement was lost on his mother. He didn't have exactly the same gifts of charisma as Zarabelle, but the one person he could charm that she couldn't was their mother. Both of them detested her, but Zarabelle struggled to contain her disdain whilst Chaz liked to humour his hatred.
"Yes I thought you would be proud for your sister. We managed to slot her in for the last auction of the night. Any chance you could sneak away and be here in an hour?" Mink confidently asked her son.
"Errr, mum, that's pretty much impossible…" Chaz trailed off.
"Chaz Penthurst! This night is a turning point for your sister! This is the night she may finally accept her position in Thebago's high society. If her older brother was there for support I know we could both persuade her into a new life." Mink shrieked at her son, causing Chaz to wince at both the ear splitting voice used as well as her choice of words.
"Trust me. I want to be there, really bad." Chaz truthfully stated but suppressed the smirk he wanted to give.
"Don't lie to me Chaz. If you really wanted to be here, you'd find a way." Mink scowled towards her eldest child.
"Mum, there's no spaceships on this planet. Skywalker has forbidden ships being permanently docked on here. Even if there was a ship I could steal, it would be impossible to get to Whitefield in an hour. You know it takes at least three." Chaz whined, beginning to lose his cool due to his mother's unreasonable rant.
"If you say so." Mink muttered in defeat, as the line was cut and moments later Chaz was face to face with his own scowling face being reflected in the blank monitor screen.
"I'm interested to know what ships your mother thinks are here that could travel to Thebago in an hour. Aside from my father's ship I don't know of any that could." Ben said from behind which caused Chaz to jump as he forgot his peer was in the room with him.
"Yeah, dunno. I was being serious though, I really do wish I was there. Zarabelle is dead set against the whole concept of the Auction Ball and has been protesting attending since she was a little girl. She's up to something." Chaz grinned towards his friend.
"What exactly is an Auction Ball and why would one be against it?" Ben sniggered, as he was amused by Chaz's words.
This question triggered Chaz and shifted his mood. He had so far been able to put an emotional wall up and allow his sassy and sarcastic manner to remain strong. But the psychological effects from Ben's question were tearing his barriers down.
A few months ago Chaz was a normal boy. He was drifting between jobs trying to find his place in this universe. Friday nights he went to his bar of choosing with his large group of friends and normally found a short-term honey to take home. His life may have lacked meaning and had nothing set in concrete, but it was his life. A life he was in complete control of. Something of his own.
Now everything was strict and regulated - down to his daily schedule, his meals, and who he spent his time with. He knew he had a powerful gift and that choosing to attend Luke's Jedi academy was the best decision he had ever made in his life.
But Ben's one question reminded him of his sister, and how much he missed her. It made him yearn for his past life.
"It's a rite-of-passage kind of deal in our city, Whitefield. It's only held once every two years. Every high society girl who is aged sixteen or seventeen is allowed to attend to be auctioned off." Chaz explained to Ben.
Ben was silent for a few moments as he studied Chaz's face, trying to see if there was some hidden meaning behind Chaz's words or whether there was more to the story. When Chaz didn't continue to explain Ben asked the burning but simple question.
"You mean, they auction off the girls? To men? To purchase them?" Ben asked as he cocked up an eyebrow in disbelief.
"Traditionally, yes-" Chaz began but was cut off by mocking laughter from Ben.
"How can a planet that's still in its infancy have tradition? Isn't Thebago only a couple of hundred years old?" Ben asked Chaz in amusement.
"Yes," Chaz responded stoically "Back when the planet was new, err newer, the girls were auctioned off to the highest bidder for marriage. Social changes now frown upon such archaic customs, it would almost be a form of slavery."
Chaz stopped his explanation as he watched Ben's reaction. Ben was looking over at Chaz curiously. His eyes were burning into Chaz's face - so much so that he wasn't blinking. He was clearly hanging onto every word coming out of Chaz's mouth.
"Please, enlighten me then. What is the modern version of this 'Auction Ball'?" Ben growled sarcastically as he used air quotation marks in his question.
Ben was annoyed that Chaz had the upper hand in this conversation and had managed to grab his attention and force him to beg for the answers. He tried to remain formidable in his question but he knew Chaz would be seeing straight through his calm demeanour.
"The girls are auctioned off for just one date, instead. It's a win-win scenario for all of Whitefield's high society. Boys get to brag about their wealth and splash their cash. Girls get bragging rights if they get high bids." Chaz went on to explain.
"So your sister - she's against it because she wouldn't attract a high bid?" Ben asked Chaz.
It was now Chaz's turn to snort towards Ben.
"I forgot, you don't know Zarabelle. I'm sure that girl could charm the highest bid over all the other girls. But that would involve pleasing our mother and falling in line to societal expectations," Chaz responded with a large grin. "That girl is up to something, and I can't wait to find out what happened."
Ben only sent a nod towards Chaz, being satisfied with his response now all of his questions had been answered. Previously Ben hadn't paid much attention to the information Chaz had provided him about his family. Ben wasn't close to his own family and thus didn't care to hear facts about other people's relatives either.
But after what he had heard from Chaz about his sister, Ben now had a small interest in Zarabelle Penthurst and wanted to know more about her.