Keep Your Friends Close...

[Sanya Tagge]

There were some businesses that never wanted for clientèle, and one of them was undoubtedly assassination. To Sanya's mind, it was an ignoble profession and one she was glad to be set apart from. Having no desire to discuss the intracies of Sorsha's profession, Sanya steered the conversation in another direction.

“It seems we're all experiencing some.. increased productivity of late. The Ministry is more effective than ever, and TaggeCo profits have risen ten-percent in the last quarter.”

[Gallus Tagge]

Hastily swallowing a mouthful of something, Gallus nodded.

“Our subsidiary, Gowix Computers, has just acquired the rights to a whole new software algorithm which will revolutionize the way we process...” His voice trailed off at the sight of Sanya arching an eyebrow. Smiling, he waved a dismissive hand. “Needless to say, it's doing wonders for the old bank balance.

Everything just seems to be going.. so well. I feel like I'm on top of the world.”

A glance to the left, to the panoramic view which overlooked the city, and Gallus grinned.

“Literally and metaphorically.”

[Sorsha Kasajian]

:: Sorsha raised her glass in a toast, but unable to think of anything eloquent enough for the moment, she burst into laughter ::



:: The look on Sanya's face was glorious ::

"To us!!!"

[Sanya Tagge]

Sanya matched the toast, though with somewhat less enthusiasm than the others. She sipped from her glass daintily, finding herself content to say nothing for the time being. Gallus was far closer to Sorsha than she had ever been and if left to their own devices they would keep each other entertained for the duration of the evening, Sanya was certain.

[Gallus Tagge]

And so they ate and drank, whiling away the evening as friends were wont to do. As they sampled the sumptuous meal their host had created for them, the trio retold stories of their childhood, laughing as if they were hearing them for the first time. An hour or more later, eyes damp at the edges with tears of laughter, Gallus drained the remainder of another glass of wine as he sank back into the dark leather of the couch upon which Sorsha also sat, her feet curled beneath her.

“I'll never forget the look on your face,” he said, breathless and grinning, as he gestured his empty glass – somewhat carelessly – over his shoulder. Sanya was perched on the arm of the couch behind him, with a photo album laid open in her lap, thumbing through page after page. Frowning, he turned to look awkwardly over his shoulder at her and pouted.

“Leave me to die of thirst,” he muttered theatrically, though the pout soon turned into a expression of quizzical interest as he shifted his posture to see what Sanya was looking at. There were a handful of pictures on the page, but one in particular caught Gallus's interest. It was Sorsha, years ago, in the arms of a rather roguish looking young gentleman.

“Ohh Sorsha.. Sorsha, Sorsha.” He grinned. “Look at you here. Look at you and.. what as his name? T- t... taaar. Tar? Something like that.”

Sanya had finally obliged his desire for more wine and even as she poured more into the glass he was pulling it away, to take another sip. She barely lifted her eyes from the album all the while, only glancing up to see that she was safely replacing the wine bottle on the glass panel table in front of them.

“Young love, eh.. whatever happened there? Bet he'd be kicking himself if he could see you now, eh?” he added, with an amorous glance in his hosts direction.

[Sorsha Kasajian]

"Tarn Ardsul."

:: Her sneer was twisted somewhere between amusement and embarrassment. Her heart had belonged to Miranda so completley that just the sight of the photograph seemed vulgar ::

"It was little more than a dalliance."

:: Sorsha's eyes met Gallus gaze, and she stared deeply into his face. She felt a twinge of desire, and entertained thoughts of what it would be like to indulge in lovemaking with after the Wedding. It would be Mira's first experience with a man. One she couldn't deny. She was trapped between arousal and jealousy at having to share Miranda with the one man she loved well enough to consider as her best friend ::

"I must confess I am jealous. Mira is marrying the most beautiful man in all the Empire."

[Sanya Tagge]

“Oh, don't.” The urge to roll her eyes was irresistible. Sanya hadn't drunk nearly as much as Gallus, but it was enough to loosen her tongue. When her brother shot her a grin, she scowled and shoved his shoulder. He looked practically stunned, fighting back an even bigger grin and laughter as he feigned surprise.

“And you. Gods, you really are just an overgrown child, aren't you?”

[Gallus Tagge]

“Don't be jealous, Sanya...”

Gallus shook a finger at her and she looked practically disgusted with the idea.

“I need some fresh air,” she snapped and was suddenly on her feet, striding towards the glass partition which opened out onto the suite's balcony. Gallus watched her go though made no attempt to stop her, then rolled his eyes back to Sorsha.

“I don't know what her problem is.”

[Sorsha Kasajian]

"She's a brat." Sorsha replied with a grin.

A silence passed between them as they sat together.

[Gallus Tagge]

“You know... and don't you tell her this or she'll...”

Gesturing vaguely with his glass, Gallus frowned and sat in silence for a moment.

“Well, anyway, she'd do something unpleasant. But the point I was trying to make was... she used to idolize you. Always admired you,” he added, nodding. “I suppose that's why you butt heads now.. you're too alike, when it comes down to it.”

[Sorsha Kasajian]

:: Sorsha was genuinely surprised by that assessment, and gazed in Sanya's direction as she replied ::

"I never imagined, the way she always tried to undermine me in school."

:: She looked a little hurt ::

[Gallus Tagge]

“Of course she did.. of course. I mean, she was raised by the Sub-Adults, wasn't she?”

A hiccup caught the breath in Gallus' throat for a moment. He narrowed his eyes and, with a frown, set aside his glass.

“They eat, sleep and breathe competition – and she.. I guess she had a lot to prove, you know, since she isn't.. like us. Really.”

[Sorsha Kasajian]

:: Sorsha set her glass down. The sake was beginning to impair her thinking ::

"What exactly do you mean?"

[Gallus Tagge]

Another frown, this time deeper as Gallus felt a pang of guilt for broaching the subject. Though the glass partition between them would stop any sound from reaching Sanya, when he spoke again it was in a lower tone.

“I mean, that she wasn't.. born into nobility.”

[Sorsha Kasajian]

"Ah." she noted, pausing to collect her thought.

"Neither was I. Palpatine awarded my Father a Barony after I was born."

[Gallus Tagge]

At that, Gallus sank back into his chair and inhaled a deep, sobering breath.

“We don't know where she came from, Sorsha... and now she has generations and generations of House Tagge to live up to. Father and uncle Cassio were way up high in the military; uncle Silas was a revolutionary scientist; uncle Orman.. well I don't need to say anything there. You see what I mean? She's a Tagge through and through to me, but she wasn't always... she had a lot to proove, epsecially to herself.”

[Sorsha Kasajian]

:: Sorsha looked towards the balcony with a hint of compassion in her eye. She wasn't quite sure what to say to that, but her emotion was clearly on her face. She felt a little guilty for treating Sanya the way she did. In many ways, they were alike ::

[Gallus Tagge]

There was a long moment of silence. Gallus pushed one hand back through his hair, now a tousled mane, all ruffled like the unbuttoned collar of his shirt.

“Frell, listen to me... like a rambling drunk.”

Smiling ruefully to himself, he threw one arm around Sorsha's shoulders to draw her closer.

“Thank you for being so good to us.”

[Sorsha Kasajian]

"You're Welcome."

:: Sorsha allowed herself to lean against Gallus, resting her head against his shoulder ::