Governor Arihnda Pryce watched the holovid a second time, scowling deeply. It showed the inside of the Coruscant Art Museum's latest exhibition, a display of famous, and not so famous expressionists. "...not only was the senator there," said the voice over, "but they were graced with a rare appearance from Grand Admiral Thrawn. Accompanying him was Princess Luxsolaria of Astarrax, a planet in the Outer Rim…"

She wanted to reach out into the holo and slap the announcer across the face.

Thrawn had obviously not taken her advice concerning his friendship with Luxsolaria Viita-Tristane. Despite her warning, he continued his acquaintance with her. Elevated it, in fact. She didn't like it.

She didn't like it for various reasons. The first, and most obvious, was that their outing together could easily be construed as a date. Hopefully the idiot hadn't taken her out to dinner first, if he had then there would be no way to discount it was a date. Was it a date? No, there was no way he was that unaware of what people would be saying about him if he took a married woman on a date.

The rumor mill had it that Pryce and Thrawn were an item. With her usually as his plus-one when he attended public events that recommended it, it made sense to the gossip mongers of the Empire. She didn't confirm nor deny it. It gave her an edge for others to think she was linked to a grand admiral in such a way. And Arihnda Pryce took every edge she could get.

Secondly, she didn't like Luxsolaria Tristane. There was something off about her. Granted there was something off about Thrawn too, but that was different. He was a grand admiral now, and had close ties with the ISB, including head of the organization, Colonel Yularen. That alone made him a good ally. What did Madame Tristane have?

Social connections, that's what.

Arihnda had made it a point to iron out the social graces that Thrawn was oblivious to. In fact, it was the basis of their alliance. She was well aware that Thrawn felt no fealty toward her for bringing him to Lothal. He would have found somewhere else to build his factory if she hadn't led him to her little, backwater planet. Her connections with Tarkin also helped smooth wrinkles that occasionally came up.

But Luxsolaria Tristane had deep social connections based on friendship and generational alliances that Arihnda had no access to. Her father had been a renowned general in The Clone Wars, her mother a princess, her brother now a Grand Admiral. Who the hell knew what her husband was, besides reclusive. But Luxsolaria rubbed shoulders with the upper crust of society all of her life. She was "in" in a way that Arihnda could never be.

And that would not do. It wouldn't do at all.

Sola received three baskets of flowers for Uriellien a few days after the exhibition at the Art Museum. Why they all came at the same time, she wasn't sure, but they were from three different senators' wives and it took her ages to figure out what they were saying. She could translate the flowers to a certain extent, but then the message would fall apart with the addition of a blue hued flower.

Then it finally dawned on her. They weren't for her brother. They were for Thrawn.

Once she figured that out, the baskets made sense. It gave her a thrill that she was receiving flowers for him after only going out with him in public once. That must have made an impression on the senators who saw it. She giggled like a schoolgirl.

Teo's irritability came through as soon as he got home from work. "More flowers? Seriously? How much do people have to say to your brother?"

She didn't mention they weren't for him.

"You know," she told him, "if you'd let me connect you with some people, you could—"

He whipped around and put his finger in her face. "I don't need you to connect me to anyone. I'm doing fine on my own."

She felt her face flushing, and knew that her face swirls were beginning to show. He didn't like it when her face swirls showed up. He said it made her look like her mother. He hated her mother. She said, "Uri or I could help you get a better position, one that you want—"

"So now I'm not good enough for you?" he snapped.

"I never said that!" She knew her swirls were dark now, as anger flared in her breast. Why did he have to be this way? She only meant to help him and bucked at her at every turn.

"You implied it," he seethed.

"Just because you had a bad day at work," she said, drawing herself to her full height, which only brought her to his shoulder, "doesn't mean you can take it out on me!"

"I had a fine day at work," he said. "It's coming home to a house full of flowers for your brother and you traipsing all around creation that bothers me."

"You expect me to stay home and monitor the house droids all day?" she shot back. "And I'll bring the flowers to their rightful owner so you don't have to look at them."

"You're always gone." He grabbed her arm. His grip hurt, but she didn't flinch. Instead she glared at him. "Uriellien is already a grand admiral. You shouldn't be doing your worming into people's good graces anymore."

"We have children that need that worming." She jerked her arm out of his grasp. The skin stung where he was pressing into her flesh. "That worming has done this family a lot of good."

"You wouldn't have to worm if you weren't a half-breed. I don't need any of it," he hissed.

"Then don't take it!" she stormed out of the room, her chest tightening with every step. "Be unhappy!"

"You're the reason I am unhappy, Sola!" he shouted after her. "If you cared about your family more and not your outings and cavorting in the bowels of the city, and bloody flowers, then maybe I'd be happier. You care more about "

She smashed the button that closed the door to their bedroom. It hurt under her hand as tears welled in her eyes. Why did he have to be so difficult? She hadn't done anything wrong. She did care about her family. Did she help Uriellien when he had no wife to get him into positions he might otherwise not have? Did she not raise two beautiful children, his children, one that was accepted into the Academy of Science and the other into the Military Academy of Coruscant, both prestigious schools? Did she not offer to help Teo over and over again, only to have him knock her olive branches away?

She flopped on the bed and buried her face in her pillow, allowing it to soak up her tears. It was his own fault if she was gone all the time visiting with her brother or cousins on Astarrax. Why would she want to be around him after him acting this way for years? And for what? Because she looked like her mother? Because she was an alien on a planet filled with humans.

Tomorrow she'd go back down the 'bowels of Coruscant' to the medical clinic and volunteer. They were always happy to see her there. Both the humans and non-humans.

A/N: This story was originally going to be much more about Uriellien and his attempts at getting that squadron of TIE defenders that he wants so badly. But Sola kind of took over. So I'm asking you, dear reader, to let me know if you'd like to see more of Uriellien and Thrawn's story or if you want me to just stick with Sola and Thrawn's story. Drop me a comment or a PM and let me know.