"Arailia," Sola said in a heavy voice, "fancy meeting you here."
Thrawn felt her increase the pressure on his arm as she strengthened her grip on him. He saw her body temperature rising before his eyes as she regarded the speaker. He got the impression that Sola was trapped prey, cornered by a predator she would have to claw away from.
A dark-haired woman, her own arm intertwined with the man accompanying her, floated over to them. She was human, with a languid Coruscant accent. "We're here to see the opening of the exhibition," she said as they reached them. "I didn't see you with the rest of the group." She looked Thrawn up and down and then turned a smile to Sola. "Does Teo know that you're here with another man?"
"I can spend time with whichever of my friends I choose, Arailia," she said in reply with the same tone of voice. Her grip on Thrawn did not lessen.
"Aren't you going to introduce us to your friend, then?" Arailia turned her smile to Thrawn now. He could see through it easily. It was one of those smiles one gives to someone when they feel they are superior or they have the upper hand. He doubted that this woman was either.
"Grand Admiral Thrawn," Sola said, gesturing to him. "This is Arailia Stovik and, I assume, her husband, Lavil Stovik."
"Grand Admiral," Lavil said in the same languid voice as his wife. "What a pleasure to meet you in person. I've heard so much about you." He sounded like the kind of man who was used to getting what he wanted, so he did not have to demand anything.
"Have you?" Thrawn asked, not at all surprised. "I haven't heard anything about you."
The man laughed and waved his hand. "Darling," he turned to his wife. "Who is your friend here?" He gestured to Sola.
"Oh!" Arailia laughed also, an affected thing that echoed through the hall. "This is Luxsolaria Tristane."
"Tristane?" Lavil echoed. "Any relation to Jax Tristane?"
"She's his mother," Arailia said before Sola could answer.
"So you're the alien princess that caused all the trouble at school." He looked down at her with hooded eyelids. "You don't look like an alien."
"My father was human," she said with a tight smile.
"You, though, are obviously an alien," Lavil said to Thrawn with a laugh. "Pantoran?"
"Something like that," Thrawn replied. Lavil Stovik had obviously not heard that much about him.
"Oh, that's right," Arailia drawled, waving her hand at Sola. "It was your mother that was a princess. You didn't get to be one."
"Line of succession has to stop somewhere," Sola muttered.
"Do you see them?" Thrawn heard someone whisper from the crowd that was slowly moving away. "That's a grand admiral and a princess."
"Luxsolaria and I have been friends for ages," Arailia said to Thrawn. If she heard the whispered comment, she made no sign of it. "Our boys grew up together."
Sola's smile was still tight when she answered, "That, they did." She pointed to the guided group. "You may want to catch up so you don't miss anything."
"Aren't you coming?" Lavil asked.
"We aren't joining the group," Thrawn told them. "We are giving ourselves our own tour. A much more enlightening one than the guide could give."
"Oh?" Arailia raised her eyebrows. When neither Sola nor Thrawn answered her, she blinked. "Oh."
"If you don't mind," Sola began to pull Thrawn with her, "we'll be on to the next piece now."
"Don't worry about Galin and Jax," Lavil said to their backs. "I talked with both of them." Thrawn felt Sola stiffen next to him. "Can't have them fighting when they're supposed to have each other's backs, after all. I would hate to see a lifelong friendship squandered over a misunderstanding."
She turned and smiled appreciatively. "Thank you, I would hate to think that Galin learned such behavior at home." She turned around before either of them could answer and pulled Thrawn to the next painting. He saw the smile fade from Arailia's face into a malicious frown, shooting daggers at Sola's back. Taking a deep breath, Sola said, "I am sorry you had to witness that."
"You are not friends," Thrawn observed.
He felt her relax against his arm as she let out a breath. "We have never been friends. Galin and Jax have never been friends. They want them to be friends now that Jax's uncle is a Grand Admiral and they're both in the Naval track of the Military Academy."
"That was the parents of the boy your son got in a fight with when we were on Ryloth." It was more of a statement than a question. The mentioning of Ryloth to her seemed almost too intimate to speak out loud in a public place, like a secret being let out. Of course, it would feel that way, it was where they'd both bared secrets to each other. Why had he spoken to her about the Emporer? He'd been treading on dangerous ground to do so, they both had. Treason was not a word to be bandied about when it came to Palpatine. Thrawn had seen men and women put to death for lesser infractions than he and Sola had engaged in. He knew that Palpatine was a Dark Jedi, but how well known that was among others, and simply not mentioned, he did not know. It was not something he had investigated. Nor would he.
"Yes," she replied. "They've never gotten along. The Stoviks are very much into human supremacists. He's some bigwig in the Scarub Corporation and lobbies senators to vote against laws that equalize alien citizens' rights." She looked up at him, her bright blue eyes sad. "It is an unpopular opinion in more circles, but subtle laws still get passed that make it hard for those who aren't human to get first dibs for jobs or positions." She smiled at him, her smile matching her eyes. "But I don't need to tell you that, do I?"
He was silent for a moment, considering his reply. Normally, he would have said nothing, but for some reason, he wanted to affirm her assessment. Perhaps because he knew that she had suffered from such opinions herself. Perhaps because he just wanted to be heard. Being heard in such matters had never mattered to him before. Why would it now, with her? "You do not," he assured her.
She gave his arm an affectionate squeeze. "I'm sorry about that, too."
"Why?" he asked. "You haven't done anything wrong."
They stopped in front of the next piece of art, a bold expressionist painting of a giant insect with outstretched wings flying over a tiny house. Farmland, meted out in patches like a quilt, covered the rest of the painting in low-rolling hills. The colors were all primary colors—reds, blues, and yellows. They both considered it for a moment in silence.
"Because that shouldn't happen to you," she whispered. He was surprised at the vehemence in her voice, even as her eyes stayed on the painting. "Ever. You are a great man, and so much of the galaxy doesn't see that."
"Many do not see greatness even when they are in its presence," he said gently, looking down at her.