"If things don't go wrong for either or both of us in the near future, we may still have a chance to meet again, Dorian." She smiled genuinely, apparently relaxed and placated by his apology. "I don't believe third time is the charm. Some partnerships need to be given more time."

"I was quite aware of where your loyalties lie without that speech." She leaned back, tossing her hair off her shoulder. "Nor am I exactly new to political volatility. I felt a pinch of being patronised, but that was just in the acoustics, wasn't it?" A pause. "Last time I told you exactly what I wa...

"Tuek indeed deals with Bewts more than with me, but his own business acumen guides him toward making pragmatic calls. In the end, he deals with a variety of clients. You'd be surprised." She mused. "Still, I am not entirely sure whether and how things have changed for him after his Fremen wife Roul...

"Some Fremen can be hired just like your guide, Dorian. Haven't you noticed that the Fenrings themselves are staffed with them? They were serving during the banquet. They are in many respects as you have described them, but they also possess unique expertise, or more like - desert wisdom." She steep...

"I suspect it depends on how this audit ends. You aren't nearly as reviled as the ones you're investigating." She sighed, less keen on jokes at the moment. "Your questions have told me you're struggling with finding a decisive resolution. Have you tried finding allies among Harkonnen opponents?"

"In there troubled times, I am more interested in security than indulgence, Dorian. What guarantees can you offer to me?"

"So they say. Frankly, he keeps away from social circles, doesn't attend my establishments. He doesn't do small talk unless he really has to, prefers to be mostly about business. When I asked him about his absence from social life once, he said that he's very busy at his Wind Pass centre, and as a f...

"You mean Paymon? He was on the banquet during which we met."

"Those vanished? Several dozens after I started counting, having realised something is going on. It all started several months back, a few weeks after the surtax had been imposed. It stopped right before your arrival." Rima grimaced slightly, allowing him to draw his own conclusions. "In addition to...

"So let me tell you this without tainting it with my interpretation: the houses of origin for most of skilled professionals that have passed through my establishments recently are Uchan, Verdun, and Hagal. Mercenaries, industrial workforce, and geologists, respectively. Ixian businessmen can get an ...

"That is indeed good news. You'd have to be more precise though; I don't presume to know what can interest the Emperor. He's not one of my clients."

"For good news, I am willing to show some favouritism before all those prying eyes. To my demise, no doubt." She chuckled ironically then slipped her arm under his before they would walk.

Once alone in a similar alcove like before, she sat opposite to him, looking expectantly.

"Nuance is lost on mobs, Dorian. It's something every good propagandist understands. An outrageous story sticks better if it's simple enough to absorb than the truest one. Truth, let's face it, is never simple." She put a hand on his arm, though her expression was slightly chiding. "Don't be incense...

The room was filled with those who were either ignorant because they had just come to the planet and didn't take the welcoming plaque on the Arrakeen spaceport: ‘Oh you who know what we suffer here, do not forget us in your prayers.’ too seriously, or those who had the wherewithal to not care. Peopl...

Rima would be meandering, exchanging small talk with various guests in the lounge to keep the in the right mood. He smiled seeing Dorian.

"Of course." She said as a general reply to his remarks, after a small chuckle. "You know where the exit is, Dorian. I'll stay here for a moment more, and think on what you have said. Please don't get killed."

"I believe you." She lied, but only a bit. "Who wouldn't believe the word of the famed Swordmaster of Ginaz?" She straightened herself and took a moment to drink, thoughtfully. "Let me make a suggestion then. I shall think about it, you shall consult your superiors what's in the realm of possibility...

[Your Asset is created!] She considered. "To stay and struggle, or to leave everything behind... this is a tighter choice than you can imagine, Dorian. Having a A House Major patron of such gravitas is something beneficial to me either way, as you've been kind to elaborate on. My business here is es...

"Hence I am tentatively interested. Once you have something to bargain over to offer, I shall be an avid listener, Dorian." She paused. "Only a fool can think that Harkonnen are going to rule here indefinitely. At the same time, the moment of their end is moot for me if I don't outlast them. The jus...

"So, a compliment, even several, which I appreciate, and then a vague mention of your possible offworld assets. What I haven't heard yet is a something you want from me, Dorian." She leaned onto the otoman while looking at him curiously. "Since the pretense of wooing has been abandoned?"

"Take your drink with you." She said as she rose, directing her steps to one of the private alcoves on the other side of the bar.

"You know there is. Question is, what would you need such privacy for?" She let it hang for a moment. "Whether it is Salusan bulls for the Atreides or the Mutelli, or the big felines for the Corrino, the trainers are handsomely rewarded for their effort."

"I dare say you may cease to be interesting if you allow yourself to be turned too docile." She chuckled, finally dipping her lips in the liquor.

"I am terrible on occasion. Aren't you?" She held her own glass hanging on her fingers extended upward as her elbow found support on the counter. The liquor danced gently, and darkly - in the dim, sultry lights on the place, undulating as she played with it using moves of her exposed wrist as if she...

"It is a standing one. I'll welcome you any time." Her lips twitched in a forestalled signal. In the end, she just curtsied. "You'd have to forgive me though. As much as the Count's hospitality is gracious and his guests captivating, I need to return to my establishment. Failure of leadership is a s...