Sunlight was beginning to peek through the sheets of fabric draped over the guest bedroom's singular window in makeshift curtains. As errant streams pierced through the gaps and dappled her eyelids Solae stirred restlessly. The night had been kind to her once she had been able to drift off to sleep. Though she could not remember any of her dreams, she had the faint recollection that they had been pleasant, and she was grateful that she awoke much more refreshed than if she had been plagued by nightmares of New Concordia. Rubbing the crust forming at the edges of her eyes she rolled over to feel if Rene had joined her. Unsurprisingly the other side of the bed was immaculate and untouched. Solae was mildly disappointed even if this had been expected; as a woman in love she wanted her fiance to crave her proximity and touch as much as she craved his. Perhaps he had been afraid to wake her or anxious about the tasks ahead of them.

Sitting up and throwing aside the covers she began to pull her discarded clothing closer to her. Julia had encouraged her to undress before climbing into bed so that everything would be dry by daybreak. Her blouse had obviously seen better days but had neither shrunk nor stretched as a result of the dip in the ocean. By contrast her pants felt a bit slimmer than she remembered but she had unintentionally been on a diet by failing to eat the lavish meals the aristocracy typically enjoyed. She was uncertain if her mother would be proud or disappointed with this knowledge. The marquise slid into both, idly brushed them free of salt and sand, and started to make her way out the door before she spotted a note on the nightstand.

Solae let out an exasperated sigh. For as much as Rene protested being labeled a hero he was, without question, a more stalwart defender of virtuous principals than most men alive. She could almost hear his objections to being compared to the paragons of humanity and fealty to the Stellar Empire that had given his lineage title. Somehow she doubted all of them would have leapt at the chance to selflessly help rescue impoverished citizens from their rubble homes without any chance of recognition or sizeable reward. The diplomat both admired his courage, conviction, and morality, and resented that it meant he neglected himself often. When he returned she would give him a kiss and then chastise him for pushing himself so relentlessly; after all, a Rene that was injured from overexertion couldn't render aid to anyone.

"Good morning!" Julia called out as Solae entered the kitchen. Damaris was seated at the table, swinging her long legs, and humming an unfamiliar children's tune. The faint aroma of stir-fried vegetables and fish filled the room. At first blush this was an odd choice for a morning meal but upon reflection other staples of breakfast would be scarce. What livestock San Royao had were almost certainly killed, fruit trees were toppled, and most grains drowned by the fury of the typhoon. She predicted many months filled with more seafood in the resident's diet than even they were used to.

"Good morning Julia, Damaris," Solae greeted politely. "Julia, by any chance do you have a scarf I could borrow?"

This question caught the other woman off-guard. Glancing behind her at the noblewoman she quickly moved the skillet off the stove, pushed around the julienned vegetables and chunks of fish fillet with a flat spoon made of bamboo, and wrung her hands in a dish rag. Damaris sensed the concern in her mother's face and stopped her ditty to glance back and forth. Solae tried to give a reassuring smile but Julia was no fool- she had already deduced this request meant she had an intention to go outside even after she had declared it would be dangerous if she was spotted.

"I do, but... Miss Solae, could you please tell me why you need it?" she asked. Trying to appear casual she motioned for Damaris to come to the stove and fetched her a small, worn clay plate from the cupboard. The dinnerware was not a mass-produced design from a distant factory, but rather had the hallmarks of something made locally. Trade routes on Panopontus were not exclusively for off-world imports and exports.

"Rene went with Tychon to help look for survivors. I know the risks, but I can't bring myself to sit here and wait the hour, two hours, or more that it will take for them to return. What they are doing is important, but I think it would the best use of my time to go to the communications center and get the information we need," she explained smoothly and in an even tone that she knew to be persuasive.

"Are you sure that's wise? I wouldn't want you to..." Julia started as she fretted. Solae was not related to her in any way but she still considered the aristocratic lady part of her family. Years from now she, Damaris, and Tychon would remember the two strangers that had saved a life and patched them back together when the circumstances were the most grim. It was only natural she'd worry over this risky proposition to which there were vague allusions to negative consequences if not executed perfectly.

"Please, Julia. I won't ask you to go with me, but this is something I feel I must do. To be honest with you, I'd be of no real help to Rene right now doing what he is doing because I lack his strength, and he would not be able to truly help me research at the communications center. I have spent far more time in front of a console looking for data and documents than he has. Does it not make sense for us to each utilize our independent skills when we are apart? All I need is a scarf and some directions," she promised.

Julia still looked wary but she could also spot the stubborn streak in the linguist that was a figurative mile wide. Sighing in resignation (which sounded quite like the sigh of exasperation Solae had for Rene earlier) she instructed Damaris to eat before the food got cold and wandered down the hallway that joined the bedrooms to the rest of the residence. Several minutes passed with the dark-haired youth staring at Solae in wide-eyed wonder and admiration. To the adolescent it was terrifying and amazing she had won an 'argument' with her mother and was going to waltz into the city alone. Suddenly the marquise was wondering if this was a poor life lesson she was teaching the impressionable youth still convinced she was a princess.

"I know that face. Maybe I won't be able to change your mind, but I won't let you go alone either. Damaris, finish quickly and put on your shoes when you're done," Julia announced as she strode back into the kitchen with a linen scarf that was green, grey, and tinged with accents of a deep coral. Before a retort could form in Solae's mind both peasants were preparing themselves for the jaunt downtown. Damaris was shoveling food into her mouth more quickly than she could have possibly imagined and the matriarch of the household was cleaning the cooling pan so that nothing would spoil while they were away. Just as Solae had been ready to defy instructions to hide in the tiny dwelling's protection so too were they ready to defy her resistance to being joined by their company. In political circles the title of marquise would have empowered her to order without a chance of defiance yet she was impotent when among the commonfolk.

To complete her disguise Solae stepped outside and splashed some of the muddy storm water onto her face and hands. It would not completely conceal her unnatural beauty under intense scrutiny but it would help her blend into the populace as a whole. Her pallid and smooth complexion was darker, dirty, and at a distance appeared to have minor blemishes. Satisfied with the effects provided by nature's bounty she then wrapped the scarf around her head, tucking in every stray golden hair visible, and used the loose end to cover her nose and mouth. For Panopontus this was strange garb unless the individual in question was ill and trying to avoid spreading a contagious virus. This was precisely the ploy that the noblewoman hoped to achieve; people would not want to engage her if they thought there was a possibility they would be infected. Once Solae had met a duke and duchess who had bragged endlessly about the enhancements to their immune system only to later reveal their paranoia about the prevalence of the common cold. By the the time the couple was excited from the diginitary's dinner they were attending they were hysterical about a 'plague' that was relatively benign and they were exceedingly unlikely to fall victim to given their genetic history.

"Now, you stay beside me, you understand? I'll do all the talking," Julia commanded.

The trio used alleys, side roads, and walked through yards to avoid as many people as possible, not that it was necessary; San Royao was a barren wasteland. The farther they progressed downtown the more buildings that were standing, but it was clear that nearly everyone was devoted to efforts to aid their neighbors on the coastline. Of the eleven that she spotted in the half-hour of ducking behind stone walls and jumping over overflowing drainage pipes, seven were elderly, one was a nursing mother, two were pregnant, and one was a man with a pronounced limp that was trying to help his wife hang laundry on the remnants of a fence.

While there were town and city ordinances giving guidelines to builders and homeowners as to how they ought to construct their homes, the Stellar Empire was much more strict regarding official imperial outposts. After terraforming was completed, if necessary, only the most durable materials were imported to each planet and utilized to erect buildings such as the communication center they now sought. To use inferior stone or alloys would have been a sign of weakness and that was not an image the empress, or the emperor before her, could afford to portray. This identical design was seen as excessive in almost every situation but proved invaluable after a natural disaster of the hurricane's magnitude. The exterior had been worn down and exposed in some places but the typhoon had been more more ineffective against the core official imperial buildings than any other. There was absolutely no evidence that their integrity had been compromised, though this made Solae anticipate a challenge: security protocol would still be intact and invoking her authorization code in front of Julia and Damaris was a gamble.

"Julia, I have only deep gratitude for your help, but it's not necessary to proceed any further," she whispered as they rounded a corner that was directly adjacent to the street on which the communication center resided. Damaris inched forward to look for guards or law enforcement that might be posted at the entrance.

"All clear! I bet everyone is helping Papa," she beamed with a toothy grin of pride.

"Nonsense. We've come this far and we don't know if there is anyone inside yet," Julia chided Solae lightly. Clucking her tongue she adjusted the scarf, tucking lockets that had come loose back behind the fabric, and looked her 'guest' in the eyes with a warm expression. "It might have been used as a shelter during the storm. Lucky for you I know everyone in San Royao, and there's no one that will be shooing out the princess that saved my daughter. Come on, staying here won't get us what you need!"

Straightening up Julia stepped forward, Damaris trailing behind her on her heels, and Solae chewed on the inside of her cheek. Summoning some of the courage that had kept her alive thus far she tugged on her head covering and shuffled after them, praying to deities of every mythos that this little quest didn't end as poorly as the one launched on the slaver's plantation. She recalled all too well how she had narrowly escaped death several times over during that escapade and she had no desire for a repeat performance with two innocent, wonderful, caring bystanders that could be caught in the crossfire.