Sudhana Nazari/Supports

**Sudhana:** …Good evening.

**Isolde:** My lord.

**Sudhana:** I pray you’ve gotten settled in.

**Isolde:** I have, thank you.

**Sudhana:** …This must be hard for you. Leaving your home and family behind to come here.

**Isolde:** Aljana is a beautiful country, my lord.

**Sudhana:** Indeed…

**Isolde:** …I suppose… you want to…

**Sudhana:** !!! Wh-what are you doing? Keep that on!

**Isolde:** ?

**Sudhana:** …No. Not until we’re ready – not until you want to.

**Isolde:** My lord…

**Sudhana:** It’s alright, Lady Isolde.

**Isolde:** …Thank you…

*C support achieved.*

### **B:**

**Isolde:** Lord Sudhana!

**Sudhana:** Hm? Oh – what’s that you have there?

**Isolde:** I don’t know. I was in the sand gardens, and some of the children chased it out of the bushes and cornered it. It seemed scared, so I… Should I not have…?

**Sudhana:** No, it’s quite alright. It’s a sandstar fox, native to the deserts here. They’re quite common here. Have you never seen one before?

**Isolde:** No, never. It’s… it’s adorable… Why are its ears so big?

**Sudhana:** For hunting. Large ears help them locate insects and other small creatures underground. See the little spots on its haunches? That means it’s female.

**Isolde:** Ahh…

**Sudhana:** Look how she rubs up against your shoulder – she likes you. If you like her, you should keep her. They’re not hard to tame.

**Isolde:** Really? May I?

**Sudhana:** Of course. What will you name her?

**Isolde:** I don’t know. Hm… I’ll name her… Hana.

**Sudhana:** …Hana?

**Isolde:** Should I not?

**Sudhana:** Ha! You flatter me, Lady Isolde.

**Isolde:** Hehe… Thank you, my lord. Truly.

### **A:**

**Isolde:** You seem pleased today.

**Sudhana:** I am. Enjoying your new friend?

**Isolde:** Look how she sleeps in my lap, precious thing… Tell me, though. Why all the smiles?

**Sudhana:** You came to me when you found her… It made me happy. That you would come to ask me, I mean.

**Isolde:** …I believe I owe you an apology, Lord Sudhana.

**Sudhana:** Whatever for…? What brings this on?

**Isolde:** I have treated you poorly. I-

**Sudhana:** There’s no need to-

**Isolde:** Hush! Please, allow me to speak my mind.

**Sudhana:** …

**Isolde:** I judged you prematurely. I decided that I hated you before I even knew you, and that was wrong of me. So… I am truly sorry. If you’re willing, I’d like to start over. To try again.

**Sudhana:** …There’s no need to apologize. I am guilty of the doing the same. I don’t love you, Lady Isolde.

**Isolde:** …

**Sudhana:** But I think I could. I think we could, if we tried, and I want to try.

**Isolde:** We’re going to be together forever, aren’t we?

**Sudhana:** God Vega willing.

**Isolde:** Then we should try, so we can spend the rest of our lives with someone we love. Starting today?

**Sudhana:** Yes! Starting today.

*A support achieved.*

### **S:**

**Isolde:** Sudhana?

**Sudhana:** It’s me.

**Isolde:** It’s late; come to bed.

**Sudhana:** …

**Isolde:** Long day?

**Sudhana:** You could say that. I, um… My father… isn’t as well as he used to be. He thinks that I ought to take the throne, and rule as regent king until Lyra comes of age.

**Isolde:** Do you want to?

**Sudhana:** Well… yes, but… I fear it will only make it harder to surrender the throne to Lyra, when the time comes. He’s still so young… He cares nothing for the throne, or for our people.

**Isolde:** But he will have you beside him.

**Sudhana:** He will always have me beside him. …What am I saying? I will defer to my father’s judgment. For the time being, there’s no point in worrying.

**Isolde:** Is there anything I can do to help? …Relieve stress, maybe…?

**Sudhana:** …Isolde?

**Isolde:** If you’re ready…

*S support achieved.*