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Lando moved through the crowd, drink in hand. A nod here, a smile there. Dressed in simple black clothing, accented with a pale purple cloak, he certainly looked the part of Baron Administrator. He was itching to take a seat at one of the sabacc tables in the lower part of the room, but it seemed unprofessional to be gambling so early in the evening. Governance came with the drawback of having to maintain appearances at all times.
He restricted himself to the upper part of the room, a raised area of standing tables and mingling people. The early evening light pierced the floor-to-ceiling windows, making glasses and jewellery sparkle.
He paused at an empty table.
He slipped into a momentary daydream, only to be abruptly shaken out of it by a man walking up to him, claiming the other side of the table. He did so with a confidence that was almost arrogance, the kind that stemmed from being used to getting your way. Lando often pulled on a similar manner, except this man’s seemed entirely legitimate.
He was fairly eye-catching, Lando would admit. He’d picked a shade of green that not only suited him perfectly, but also complimented Lando’s purple, coincidentally. Attached to his chest was a pair of golden brooches that were shaped like antlers. His facial hair was perfectly manicured, not a hair out of place.
In short, he was exactly Lando’s type. If Lando hadn’t been so set on being a good and responsible leader, he would have instantly set about charming the man. As it was, it seemed like the stranger had been sent to test his will.
The stranger spoke first. “Evening.”
“Good evening,” Lando replied, looking the man in the eye with an assessing gaze. “I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure.”
“We haven’t. I only arrived a few hours ago.”
“Well, I’m Lando Calrissian. And you are?”
“Renly Baratheon.”
“Now, that’s quite a name.”
“Yes, well, the Elder Houses have to live up to their reputation.”
Oh, don’t be afraid to name-drop, Lando thought wryly. But the Elder Houses? In my city?
“Really?”
He gave an exaggerated sigh. “Indeed. The names part of the tradition, apparently. Personally, I think it’s ridiculous, but it’s not up to me.”
“So, where are you from?”
“Westeros. You’ve probably never heard of it.”
“I have, actually. Went on a… business trip there, a couple of years ago.”
It stood out in his mind because of the fact that it had more than a single climate or biome. He’d been working in the southern part of the main continent, which was warm and sunny, but apparently the north was freezing.
“You’re the Baron Administrator, aren’t you?” Renly asked, gesturing to the insignia pinned to his cape.
“Yes, I am.”
“Forgive me, but you don’t strike me as the typical leader type. And, trust me, I’ve known a lot of them.”
“Well,” Lando glanced away, as if coy. “My rise to power wasn’t exactly… typical.”
“Oh?”
“Another story for another time,” Lando evaded. “Can I get you another drink, though?”
Renly nodded. Lando gestured towards the bar. They turned and walked together, the crowd clearing a path for them.
Lando ordered two flutes of champagne, which flowed like water at this kind of event. Renly accepted his glass with a small smile of acknowledgement.
Lando leant against the bar and cast an assessing glance over his companion. Renly’s Elder House status meant that he wouldn’t be getting a casual night of lust – having just come to power, he couldn't afford to alienate someone powerful.
“No offence, but you might not want to mention the Elder Houses thing. Plenty of folk here aren’t into that kinda stuff.”
“Tradition?”
“Classism. Monarchy.”
“Ah.” Renly took a sip of his champagne. “I can sympathise.”
Lando lifted an eyebrow.
“It’s suffocating,” he explained.
“Is that why you’re here?” Lando guessed shrewdly.
“Maybe.” Renly’s mouth curled into a smirk, the kind reserved for people that took pleasure in being mysterious.
Well , Lando thought to himself. Two can play that game.
“Is it the gambling? The anonymity? The adventure?” he guessed.
“Something like that.”
Lando ran through a couple of scenarios in his head, judging and calculating. He took a risk on his conclusion, hoping that he was right – he really didn’t need to alienate a member of the Elder Houses. “Well, no harm in that, I suppose. Lots of people have that phase when they need to escape, travel, find themselves.”
As he’d predicted, Renly almost visibly bristled at the implication that he was like others. Being just a normal person was intolerable to him. “‘Finding yourself’ becomes irrelevant when you’re under constant public scrutiny.”
“Trust me, I get that. You can’t do anything that’s not considered fitting. It’s tiring.”
Renly nodded, placated. Now they had common ground and Renly wasn’t feeling quite so defensive, they could have a proper conversation. They talked idly for the rest of the evening, until Lando excused himself on the pretext of working the next day.
“Where are you staying?” he asked on a whim.
“Sunrise Casino Hotel,” Renly answered, his disdain of the name palpable. “It seems comfortable.”
“Well,” Lando remarked slyly. “The views are better up where I live.”
Clearly, Renly caught his drift and played along. “Really?”
“Mm-hm. I can have your things relocated to an apartment up there, if you want.”
“Since you’re offering… I can’t deny it’d be enjoyable.” He gave an affected sigh. “Alas, no. Duty calls – I’m departing at an uncivilised time tomorrow morning. My hotel’s close to the port, so I really can’t justify moving.”
“Ah,” Lando mourned, with a hint of a pout. “At least I’ve got you for this evening. Although I can’t stay late – can’t be setting a bad example.”
“I guess we’ll have to make the most of it, then.”
For the rest of the evening, Lando took Renly under his wing. Well, that’s what he’d call it, if he had his way, but in reality their engagement was equal. Lando took his guest on a tour of the room, introducing him to the few interesting people that he could find and ensuring that he drank only the best wine. For his part, Renly was charming and provided a kind of diversion, which Lando welcomed. He even wheedled Lando into telling him the story of how he’d won the city in a game of sabacc. Not that it was particularly difficult to get Lando to tell that story – he was partial to showing off.
Lando’s quick wit and Renly’s brazen confidence meant that they flirted liberally, but there was no real substance to it. The necessarily rushed nature of anything that could have transpired appealed to neither of them.
When Lando next glanced at the clock affixed to one of the walls, he saw that several hours had slipped by without him noticing. “I’ve got to go in a minute,” he reluctantly informed his companion. “But… how have you enjoyed the party?”
Slowly, Renly smiled. “Could’ve been worse. I’ve seen better, though. Much better.”
“I’ll make sure it’s better, next time ’round.” Lando laughed. “What’s your preference: fireworks or dancers?”
“Both.”
Lando grinned. “Well, I’ll see what I can do.”
“Drop me an invitation, if you think you can pull it off.”
“Is that a challenge?”
“If you want it to be one.”
He winked. “In that case, don’t worry. You’ll be hearing from me.”
With that, he bade him goodnight, walking away with a bounce in his step. It was good to know that a bit of responsibility didn’t kill all of life’s fun.