Solae's lips were pressed together ever so slightly at the allusion to their earlier conversation. The marquise was not a shy wilting flower but she also did not make it a habit to impulsively kiss men to which she felt an attraction. While Rene had reciprocated the expression of desire, his passive non-reaction to her departure and then subsequent statement that he didn't want her to 'regret' when the subject was broached had left a sour taste in her mouth. It was undeniable she had put herself out on a precarious limb. Perhaps he would have apologized had she not cowardly severed the internal broadcast... but nothing had been resolved as of present. Revisiting the memories did not conjure positive emotions.

"While I appreciate the insight," she began in a quiet, calm, diplomatic voice as polished as the marble of Lord Armon's home, "I am not ready to make that decision over dinner. I don't consider this to be about 'appeasing' the men of the rebellion nor making choices so I can be the best symbol on New Concordia for the Stellar Empire."

"Point taken," Oanh said. Although she did not agree with delaying the decision indefinitely, it was clear from the way that Solae spoke and sat that she was immovable on the topic for the immediate future.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Oanh continued after a brief moment of silence. "We heard about your parents. Are there other branches of the Falia family on other worlds you are close to?" She was trying to more delicately touch on a point Rene had just made- that whether she meant to or not she would be a representative for her lineage and the empire on a whole. There were not many nobles left on New Concordia and she wagered very, very few that would not be executed as traitors once this was all over. Solae's survival was thrusting her into more of a spotlight than she realized.

"There are other branches, but we are not close. I have two cousins, Countess Marina Nowak and Count Constantine Falia. They are both quite a bit older than I am and we have never lived near one another or run in the same social circles," she admitted. Her tone was casual and measured to sound neither excited nor depressed, but there were nuances that indicated a frosty distance.

"If you can communicate with the empire, is that who you plan to contact?" Oanh inquired.

Solae laughed at the suggestion. For the typical person it would make sense to reach out to family, but hers had raised the cousins to 'compete' in a way to be the most 'true' Falia heir. Technically Solae was born to a slightly higher station as her father had been the eldest son of the previous Falia generation. As their mother was second born the cousins knew they were considered 'lesser' no matter how minimal the degree. This had pitted them against one another from an early age. Solae did not attempt to measure herself against the relatives since it seemed rather ridiculous and her ambitions did not lie in besting them, which only irritated them more.

"No, no, though I'm sure they would do everything expected of them if I did. I'm certain Rene would have someone more worthwhile to reach out to or I'd try to contact one of my peers in the sector," she said with a soft smile. There was a certain soft-spoken older man in an office connected directly on the relay that she was wished to meet in her lifetime. He sounded unusually calm and thoughtful, a true rarity in the bureaucracy.

"Well, if I am to be taking the night watch I will need a nap," Oanh declared as she finished her food, stood, and cleaned up after herself. "The guest bedroom is the secondary safe room, so it does not have an exterior window, is fire resistant, sound proof, and the floors and walls are reinforced. If you need anything there is a small blue button underneath both nightstand drawers that can alert us to an emergency situation," Oanh explained. "I can't imagine there is anything you will need but it's there. If for any reason we are breached, the first safe room is the armory downstairs. We only utilize the guest bedroom as a safe room if for any reason the cellar is inaccessible."

"Thank you, Oanh. I'm sure Rene and I will be fine," she reassured. The inflection in her words made Oanh raise a brow and she exchanged the briefest of looks with Min Ho. They both sensed the strange air between their guests but were, for the moment, too polite to intervene or comment on it openly.

"Is there anything you need, Rene, before I head to bed?" Oanh asked.