2024-05-05: Society People

• Log: 2024-05-05 Society People
• Cast: Elan Ceres, Luanova Luckwright
• Where: Orbital Ring
• OOC - IC Date: May 5, UC 0099 (2024)
• Summary: After the announcement of CANON, Elan Ceres attends a party and runs into someone he knows.

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Title: CANON Law
Poster: Leina Ashta
Date: Sat May 4

 
 An announcement was made today by the Benerit Group that Cathedra's extrajudicial special authority was being utilized to redress the protracted and costly legal waste within NUNE's international courts.
 
 It has been a well known criticism of the legal system that holdover rules from the transition to the EFF have allowed certain key pieces of legislation to be enjoined far too easily, with often a single judge acting to tie implementation or distribution of funds in court for years.
 
 President Delling Rembran of the Benerit Group's Mobile Suit Development Council spoke briefly on the subject, "Enough. I will permit this foolishness no longer. If progress is threatened by judicial deadlock, then I will spare it not the hammer."
 
 Representatives from Cathedra then laid out the in detail the advent of a new program known as CANON, which allows any side with standing within NUNE's international court to have it removed from the court system for binding arbitration in the form of a 'champion' represented one on one winner take all mobile suit duel.
 
 As part of this announcement they revealed that expansion of the front of the Asticassia School of Technology has already been long underway to accommodate this program, allowing both cases of intense international important, to minor disputes between various military factions to be settled on hand.
 
 To encourage this, the group has revealed it's buybacks of older generation mass produced mobile suits has been utilized in preparation for this program, provided free of charge to any duelist for the arbitration. Utilization of personalized high performance mobile suits is likewise permitted, but will not be covered by the group.
 
 Shockingly, rather than Cathedra's well known professional auditors handling the arbitration, that duty has instead been delegated to the Asticassia School of Technology's Dueling Committee under the supervision of school faculty and several Cathedra liaisons.
 
 The NIA and Britannian Union have been swift to publically throw their support behind the measures, immediately stating intent to choose CANON arbitration for numerous significant cases currently tied up in the courts.

<Pose Tracker> Elan Ceres has posed.

        The form of society may change, but the nature does not. The Federation may have broken apart and been replaced by NUNE, and the Gundam Fights may have been done away with, but the rich and powerful are still in charge, and government is still handled--at least in part--by mobile suit combat. The advent of the CANON program as put forth by the Benerit Group's President Rembran means that might will continue to make right... and the fact that it will be arbitrated by the Dueling Committee at Asticassia School of Technology, where mobile suit combat is regularly used to settle disputes, means that anyone who's anyone wants to cozy up to anyone who's on that committee.
        
        And one such anyone is Elan Ceres.
        
        Tonight's party is ostensibly not about that, of course. It was scheduled long before the announcement about CANON went out--naturally, given that it went out yesterday. But it's still a party of well-to-do movers and shakers in the business and political worlds. The four CEOs of Peil Technologies, who sponsor Elan at Asticassia, and Elan himself are all present.
        
        This isn't Asticassia, so Elan Ceres isn't in his school uniform. Instead, he wears a tailored black suit with gray shoulders, its cut so sharp one could prepare sashimi with it, with a twice-striped black tie and stylish suit buttons. His lime blond hair is styled as perfectly as usual, and a discreet earpiece loops around one of his bare ears. His yellow-green eyes are sharp and observant as he laughs at jokes and discusses money with the many adults who've come to get a better look at this up-and-coming young man--to make sure they memorize his face.
        
        He has such a handsome face.
        
        ...All the smirking notwithstanding.
        
        There comes a point during the party when there's a lull in the attention Elan gets. He takes the opportunity to pluck a champagne flute from the tray of a passing server and take a couple of swallows to wet his throat. Then, with a satisfied sigh, he strolls over to one wall and leans on it to people-watch for a while as he tucks his free hand into his pocket and sips his drink.

<Pose Tracker> Luanova Luckwright has posed.

        "Elan."

        Luanova Luckwright, the heiress from Neo-America and the Foresight firm, recently jockeying up from the mid-ranks of dependable industrial suppliers with the demonstrations of their supposed 'wunder-wanzer.' Seven years his elder, a cutting figure in a fashionable evening dress, stark red chosen to contrast with her blonde hair. Of course she knows Elan, and of course he knows her - they're both sharper than they let on, and both attend plenty of these networking events. Lady Luckwright has stayed above the fray rather than involving herself in the typical positioning - though when someone has been caught out doing what you're not meant to be caught doing, she has occasionally been one of the ones with a few words to help corner the culprit.

        Lua raises her own champagne flute in a casual, mock toast. "Don't you still have a few years to go on that one?" She knows as well as anyone that a moneyed heir like Elan Ceres is not going to catch anything over underage drinking.

        Her eyes have been working the crowd, with an appearance of disinterest. That doesn't necessarily mean anything. She's always been hard to read.

<Pose Tracker> Luanova Luckwright has posed.

        She was already standing around where Elan has taken up people-watching, doing the same herself. He likely could have seen her on the approach, if it interests him. Or if it doesn't.

<Pose Tracker> Elan Ceres has posed.

        Elan of course knows Luanova. Aside from both being well-to-do heirs from successful companies, Elan's also from Neo-America. His family originally got their money from asteroid mining, with a significant share on the dwarf planet Ceres--indeed, where the family got the name. A major accident there roughly seventeen years ago diminished their prospects when it resulted in the death of the business owner, Elan's father, though the family itself remained rich thanks to the inheritance. Given the high hopes placed on him as Head of Peil House at Asticassia, clearly Elan has inherited his father's business acumen. (His good looks come from his mother, though.)
        
        He did spot her on the approach, but he hadn't intended on chatting her up. No point, really. His limited experience with Luanova is that she doesn't actually enjoy these parties, something underscored by that disinterested look on her face. Still, he knows that might be a false impression. They've spoken in passing before, but for the most part he only knows of her, and if she really hated it, surely she wouldn't keep attending.
        
        "Who're you asking? If we were in Neo-Germany, I'd be just fine," he counters, smirking. "But seriously, lighten up, Luanova. A single glass of bubbly isn't going to hurt anyone." And, as if to prove his point, he takes a tiny, measured sip. "So, what're you up to these days?"

<Pose Tracker> Luanova Luckwright has posed.

        Just ribbing him for the sake of ribbing him, perhaps. Lua tends to go a little heavy on the champagne here and there, after all. "Nothing as interesting as what you're up to, unless you're actually spending your school years hitting the books. Mother has decided I should go back in for graduate studies." That doesn't mean she actually has to attend the classes and perform, but she's one of those types with the misplaced dignity to care about actual academic merit. What did that other comment mean, though? Lua takes her own sip of champagne and looks off aimlessly away from Elan. "I'm surprised you went for the piloting program. It's not really just as straightforward as it looks, is it?"

<Pose Tracker> Elan Ceres has posed.

        "I'm not not hitting the books!" Elan replies with a laugh and a sardonic smile. "School's a place for learning, after all. And I'm learning so much these days."
        
        Graduate studies, huh. "You seem pretty old for that," he observes, not caring if that sounds like an insult or not. He raises his glass for another sip--but then she talks about him entering the piloting program, and something clicks.
        
        "Wait. You aren't attending Asticassia too, are you?" he says, smile fading away, eyebrows furrowing. He doesn't answer her question. The answer to his is far more important to him.

<Pose Tracker> Luanova Luckwright has posed.

        "Do I?" Lua answers the comment about her age with a serene, perfectly practiced smile. She would expect most of the people here to be fooled by it. Someone like Elan... well, if he cares enough to pay attention, anyway, he might know that she reserves this smile for her most miserable of acquaintances.

        Then the young prince's defenses form a crack, and Lua's practiced smile gives way to an authentic, sputtering laugh for a moment, before she smiles warmly and covers it up. "All right. Maybe I was giving you too much credit. That's what trips you up here?" She figured a would-be schemer like Elan Ceres wants to be would have a little file in his head on figures he meets. It's no secret where Lua went for her bachelor's degree.

<Pose Tracker> Elan Ceres has posed.

        Elan doesn't know Luanova well enough to know for sure that that picture-perfect smile of hers is faked--but he does know upper-class society well enough to know a faked smile when he sees one. This doesn't stop him from snickering at her.
        
        Of course, then Luanova turns the tables on him without trying or even meaning to. His frown deepens when she laughs at him. There is a very good reason why that tripped him up, and he will never, ever tell her what it is.
        
        "And here I thought I'd be able to enjoy myself tonight," he laments in a mutter as he glances away. His gaze rises to a nearby server, carrying around a tray of sparkling water; he crooks a beckoning finger at them, then trades out his glass for non-alcoholic bubbly. During this exchange, his smug demeanor fades entirely; he adjusts his tie and holds himself a little tighter, his feet closing together, his free hand falling to his side rather than tucking back into his pocket. He dismisses the server with a curt nod. Then, at last, he looks back at Luanova, expression now neutral. It's quite a change.
        
        "When it comes to the student body there, my main concern is who participates in the duels. Those who don't aren't my concern. But I'll admit, I did slip up here," he replies, cool and measured. "If I thought there'd be another student here, I'd have been more on my guard."
        
        It's even the truth.

<Pose Tracker> Luanova Luckwright has posed.

        Elan is concerned with the duels. Luanova says, "I know," as if he had just told her that the sky is blue. So it is just as straightforward as it looks, then. No special long-term plan for military distinction. Just win political power through the new Gundam Fights. So he's still a problem for the Earth Sphere in the long run, but not as big a problem as somebody who's creative.

        So why be on his guard? "I can assure you, you're not going to see me participating in duels. I'm in political science." Another sip from her champagne flute. "The worst you have to worry about is me grading your papers." She's one of the TAs, and piloting track or not, there's no way Elan's curriculum doesn't have one or two corporate or political classes that will cross her path.

<Pose Tracker> Elan Ceres has posed.

        Elan is intelligent and cunning, with a keen analytical mind and sense for business--but creative? No, that's not something he often gets accused of being. This is definitely as straightforward as it looks.
        
        "Is that so? With the CANON program going into effect, just about everyone is going to start dueling soon enough. Even if you don't do it yourself, you or your mother will have someone do it on your behalf," he points out. He takes a sip of his sparkling water. When he pulls it away, he manages to keep a straight face as he adds, "Though the prospect of you grading my papers does sound pretty worrying."

<Pose Tracker> Luanova Luckwright has posed.

        On mother's behalf in the CANON program... that brings up a host of mixed feelings that Lua's long-suffering poker face does not allow to the surface. Just a smile that indulges a little smugness in having been able to disturb Elan Ceres's day. "And I'm going to what, dig up dirt on a pilot or have their unit sabotaged?" That's not Lua's style. Elan's, maybe. Publically, Lua would say she wouldn't stoop so low. (Privately, Lua thinks that if you've got to break the law, you might as well go all the way.)

        "As long as Mother is in charge, it's her business and not mine." How passive an heiress... or internally simmering, she can have it and she can shove it. "As for your papers, I'll make sure you get a fair score. So when you're learning so much these days, just make sure some of that so much includes what's in the textbooks."

<Pose Tracker> Elan Ceres has posed.

        A little smugness surfaces in Luanova's smile, and in return, a little irritation bubbles up in Elan's deadpan. He glances away, taking another sip. When he looks back, his own poker face has reasserted itself.
        
        "I never suggested anything like that," he replies. Her counter gets him to shake his head, though he opts to keep his opinion to himself this time. Instead, he says, "I'll keep that in mind."
        
        It's a very important thing to keep in mind, after all. At least he always intended to write his own papers, and indeed has been up 'til now. He's willing to do the work--as long as it's work he can excel in.
        
        "So once you're done with graduate school, what do you plan on doing?" he follows up. If she's so disconnected from her mother's work that she considers it none of her business, is she really going to take over afterwards? Her attitude continues to make her seem so... ill-suited to it. It's not like she's a child, either. Surely someone as savvy as Ada Luckwright would see that, too.

<Pose Tracker> Luanova Luckwright has posed.

        "Well, I doubt you particularly care about the answer except inasfar as it impacts your own prospects," Luanova says, putting on a look of innocent concern that then returns to that impenetrable artificial smile. "So: given the chance, I'd like to go into causing problems. Look forward to that." She finishes her champagne, twirls the flute lightly in a way that would swish it if there were any left, and looks aloofly around the room. "I don't have to keep you if you'd like to escape this conversation." He probably doesn't hold her in contempt as much as she does him, but he is slipping.

<Pose Tracker> Elan Ceres has posed.

        Causing problems, huh. That actually sounds pretty interesting, Elan muses. The respectable heiress, tearing off her mask and causing a scandal? That would be a lot of fun to watch unfold. Too bad she clearly doesn't intend on telling him the details. Still, there's something to not getting spoiled on how a story will unfold. He decides to leave it be for now. But--
        
        "I wonder if you'll get that chance," he remarks. His tone is even and seemingly indifferent, but make no mistake: it's meant to be a barb. She invites him to leave, and he tilts his head a little as if thinking it over. "Hmmm... No, you really don't."
        
        He deposits his glass deftly on a passing server's tray, then takes a step forward as he slips his hands into his pockets. As he goes, he smirks over his shoulder at her. "Incidentally, you may not care about the business you represent, but I take mine very seriously--so don't expect me to joke around with you like this at school."
        
        Then, unless Luanova does something to stop him, he strolls off to rejoin the party.

<Pose Tracker> Luanova Luckwright has posed.

        Is that meant to be a barb? It's not much of one. "Sure, sure. Got to stay respectable for the cameras." Luanova takes a step aside to open a further berth, allowing Elan the space to leave. "Have a good evening," she says with a beaming smile.

        She folds her arms and nods to herself at her post by the railing, a posture of casual self-satisfaction. Still beaming, she says lightly to herself, just slightly before Elan gets far enough away to leave earshot, "What a horrible young man."

<Pose Tracker> Elan Ceres has posed.

        'What a horrible young man.'
        
        "Pfft." Without looking back, Elan snickers to himself.
        
        Looks like they both chose the wrong barb.