RP logs: Paying Respects, part II, coincidences

((I will, if asked, pull these posts.  Many are not mine, I indicate the person who did them.  This post should be read directly following   Subsidised  ))

Al Saffah

7th of Faith, in the 5th year of the reign of House Redwater

Indeed, paying a visit to one of the most powerful Houses in the galaxy is almost never a bad idea- especially when a mere five or six sectors separates your homeworld from theirs. As Bundar's father had said to him once, going out of your way to show respect for a big, powerful neighbor is rarely a bad idea.

A similar question had arisen- now it was decided that he would travel to Algol, who to take? Bundar had no illusions as to the limits of his capabilities- he would need to bring someone sharper of mind and more personable of manner than he. Bushra would be his natural first choice, but his cousin, the brains of the operation, was at present armpit-deep in transforming the Al Saffah Trading Company into a viable interstellar trading business. She had no time to spare, so that simply left Qaribah as her substitute- which admittedly is doing an injustice to his daughter. Incidentally, their vessel touches down at one of Algol's spaceports, at more or less the same time as a much more well-appointed vessel, bearing the coat of arms of House Laurent...

Laurent

Salamah strode from the ship's gangway, full of vim and confidence. The trip had gone surprisingly well, and there was far less infighting than he had expected. And, looking at the sleek, small ship, whose inside was as impressive as its outside, he could feel nothing of the annoyance he had expected. After all, he had paid quite a bit for this ride.

Beneath the coat-of-arms of House Laurent, much smaller, was the coat of arms of the House he had bought the trip from. Still, a good appearance was worth much.

The air was bracing, and it was a fine enough day. That was always a risk with space-travel. There was always the chance that one could arrive at night, since just about every planet had its own cycle.

He stepped out onto the dock and glanced at the other ship. It too bore the mark of a great Noble House--as any house that was large enough to be interplanetary was considered, even if they were all minnows against the likes of the Ser Noche--and it, like his own, was new enough that its identity would be unknown. Another new House, hrm...

He watched the ship for any sign that its occupants were exiting.

Al Saffah

And indeed, they do. Bundar is first. Slim, by dint of genes rather than effort, clad in the scarlet and black displayed on house's coat of arms, but a dark, muted scarlet- it doesn't do to be overly garish, after all. Swarthy-skinned, close-cropped hair and a respectable beard, both of which must once have been black, but are now being slowly but steadily stained grey. Immediately behind him, Qaribah. A young woman who certainly has the look of her father about her, if rather finer of features, her dress evoking the expansive forests of their homeworld, the dark green cloth providing a counterpoint to her father's scarlet. Bundar looked up at the other ship, not recognizing the crest, but realizing it's significance- another Noble House- and, since he doesn't recognize it, another minor one. And finally, of course, his eyes alight on the man who has emerged, considering him. Cast: House Laurent: Salamah, Jamilla, Marcus. House Al Saffah: Emir Bundar Al Saffah - House Leader - 52 years old. An idle, ordinary dullard. He is an average duellist and an able administrator. Head of Leisure. Qaribah Al Saffah - Daughter of the Emir - 26 years old. A diligent, charismatic intellectual. She is an average duellist and a poor administrator.