A Beacon in the Storm

[Riamah]

When he was about half way up, he reached and picked her up to his level. Even if she felt irritated by not being able to get up on her own while holding the fox, she did find it nice he was there to help. He reached the top and finished lifting her up. Once again standing next to him, Shadow came up behind them and he reached out to pet her.

Giving her a smile, Ra walked over to Shadow to present the new fox that was in her arms. Petting him, she introduced them and turned to look at Vulpesen before speaking the thought that just went through her mind.

"I've always been a logical thinker and the fact I'm speaking to what I would have considered simple animals at one point seems a little odd."

The words weren't meant to sound mean or come out offensively, she just couldn't think of any other way to say what went through her mind.

[member="Vulpesen"]

 

[Vulpesen]

"I was always taught to respect nature and living creatures, something which was truly impressed on me after I immersed myself in the culture of Veradune. And as odd as it might seem to speak with them, the force does allow a bit of a bridge for the language barrier." He patted Shadow who swirled her tails around, allowing him to climb onto her back before offering a hand to pull Ra up with him.

As Akata was shown to Shadow, the large fox licked the smaller one's face as a sign of hello. By now, Vulpesen had been able to drop his concentration on taming the small creature, it having gotten used to Ra's comfortable hold. "I enjoy logic as well, but that's part of the reason I prefer animals over technology. A speeder bike doesn't have the good sense to not run headlong off a cliff if its rider doesn't know what he's doing. And as simple as Shadow might be compared to us, she is smart enough to not walk directly into her death if I fail to guide her properly."

 

[Riamah]

They had been raised far differently and Ra had never been given the chance to connect with nature like he had. Growing up though, she had learned some things about the nature of people. Never gotten close to anybody really on a personal level, her master had kept her held at a distance from them. He told her that just because they were sith that didn't mean they should go out and randomly murder, kill or harm people. To carefully pick your targets and kill only when needed. If it didn't help them gain power, then people were allowed to live. Nor were these people treated as slaves, he had passed on that fact. Each person should be allowed freedom, but if they got in his way, they were dealt with. It was why she didn't have slaves herself now and went out of her way to grant the ones she found freedom.

"With the Force, I think anything is possible."

Adjusting her hold on the fox, Ra took the hand Vulpesen offered and took her seat behind him again.

"I could get used to this."

[member="Vulpesen"]

 

[Vulpesen]

While shadow secured the two on her back, Vulpesen wrapped his tail comfortably around Ra before setting off. "Its a good life. Comfortable and adventurous. All the glory and pleasure offered by the sith. But it comes from aiding others rather than taking from them." The work of the Vitae did have some profit in it. Confiscated materials sold or auctioned. Buildings built by slavers that had been captured, now working off a debt to earn their own freedom back. Then there was the life of Veradune. Beauty and danger, all mixed together in a single never boring planet.

 

[Riamah]

If Ra could have, she would have just closed her eyes and rested against Vulpesen, however, she had a fox to hold instead. The feeling of Shadow's tails and that of him around her, she knew she was secured. Listening to what he said, Ra nodded.

"As comfortable as I've made my castle?"

It was a light hearted question and she didn't expect an answer.

"Sounds almost like an ideal life. Though sometimes it's nice to take stuff from people. Like Vincent, I took him from a slaver."

[member="Vulpesen"]

 

[Vulpesen]

"Even more comfortable. The one good thing about spending two years locked up and passing legislation, was that I had one hell of a comfy chair." He smirked and tightened his tail a bit, the fur fluffing up around Ra's waist. "And we do take. We just take form certain people. I live in a massive castle and while it may have some zorren sweat in its mortar, I know that much of it was built not by slaves, but by slavers. Its a common punishment for us to free slaves from slavers, then take the slavers for our own labor force. Of course, they don't remain in such work for the rest of their lives, but they do work until we believe their debt is paid off. Its not the same, but its at least a taste of the suffering they've inflicted on others. The irony of it is intoxicating."

 

[Riamah]

"I can hardly imagine a place more comfortable than home."

Chuckling at his words about the comfy chair, "I rather like my large wingback chair with the stool pulled up in front of it and wrapped up in a blanket."

She had just killed the slavers so they couldn't do it again. However, the people that bought the slaves lived on. In a way, they could be worse than a slaver. Slavers actually took care of their goods and products. It was up to the purchaser what the fate of them was.

"What do you do with the former slaves?"

[member="Vulpesen"]

 

[Vulpesen]

"Comfortable and exciting. Also, our rain doesn't melt off your flesh." He sped shadow up to a smooth canter. "Free them and offer them a place among the Vitae. If they refuse, we try to escort them back to any homes they might wish to return to. It takes a bit of work, but at least they're free. Some of them just make their homes on Veradune. Given that we're rebuilding, we welcome all the help we can get."

 

[Riamah]

"Your rain may not melt flesh, but your trees eat people. While I would like to visit and have you as my guide, I can at least get out of the rain."

When he said what they did with the freed slaves, it was like what she did herself. Many had stayed with her and then gone as their lives changed under her care. Only Vincent had stayed with her through everything. In a way, she wouldn't know what to do without him now.

"You and I have the same views there."

[member="Vulpesen"]

 

[Vulpesen]

"You can walk around a tree. Rain falls en masse from the heavens. Besides, proof that we can beat those trees is found in my office where I have a desk made of teradin wood." He grinned widely as she spoke of their view points. Leaning back, he turned around to look at her, knowing the journey back to her home was almost over. "What do you think I've been trying to tell you. You might follow the code in your own way, but any other sith would berate me for these ideas, if they weren't already trying to kill me."

 

[Riamah]

"Yes you can walk around a tree..."

Tilting her head slightly, she had in her imagination the image of tree going out of its way to pick a trespasser up and eating them.

"How do your trees eat people anyway?"

Her little bit of time actually interacting with the sith was limited, but they were odd and different than her. The way a person was raised or felt their code should be followed was not how it had happened with her.

"Why somebody would want to kill you is beyond me, I rather like you."

Returning that smile, what she said came out on its own. Giving a mental roll of her eyes at revealing her feelings, she resigned herself to not being to keep them from him anyway.

[member="Vulpesen"]

 

[Vulpesen]

"Tendrils that slide out from the base and grab you if you get too close. Then they have some limbs on the trunk with paralytic spikes. Then the tendrils draw you up into the branches where you're digested." He was well aware that he was describing a nightmare, and there were times he had killed a few bandits by tossing them into the trees. Veradune was beautiful. But it was dangerous to those who were not welcome.

As Ra spoke of her liking him, Vulpesen's grin opened up into a fanged smile. "Because I'm bad for unsavory business. Though its good to know that there's someone who enjoys my company." In the force, his feelings would be fairly open and honest as the rest of him. He truly enjoyed being in Ra's company and hearing her declaration had only served to enhance the positive light in his presence.

 

[Riamah]

Nodding at what he described as the tree, it was pretty much like she expected.

"They only do that to people that aren't welcome?"

Having met Vulpesen, Ace and then Shadow, the ability nature had to communicate with people became known to her. She wondered if the trees were the same. His smile was returned and his words made her chuckle a little.

"Perhaps it is luck that there is very little unsavory business here. I wouldn't miss a chance to spend time with you, Vulps."

[member="Vulpesen"]

 

[Vulpesen]

"Oh, they'll eat anything they can grab. But last man I saw eaten wasn't welcomed by us. Had he worked on his footwork and stayed aware of his surroundings, maybe the fight would have lasted a bit longer." As Shadow stopped in front of the Castle. Vulpesen slipped off the fox and helped Ra down, his eyes shining brightly. "Nor I you. You really should come and let me give you a tour of Veradune."

@Ra'a'mah

 

[Riamah]

"Good to know that I'll have to watch out for them all the time."

The fact Ra made a mental note wasn't hidden from him. He would see that what she said was true for the past few hours. She hadn't deceived him in any way or lied to him. Even though at first, she had portrayed neutrality, that façade had been dropped and she was truly herself. It was how she felt she would always be around him. If the need ever arose that she couldn't be it, it would be for a good reason and not because she wanted to hurt or deceive him.

They returned to the castle and he held his hand out to help her down again. The fox had actually fallen asleep in the warm hold of her arms. When she had to adjust her grip slightly, bright eyes peered up at her. They almost matched those of Vulpesen.

"I think after whatever your business here on Vjun is done, I will join you on Veradune."

[member="Vulpesen"]

 

[Vulpesen]

"Just stick close and you'll be fine." One arm wrapped around her and pulled her over to him while the other started to pet the creature in her arms. The honesty was refreshing. Years among the sith, then even longer in politics. There was always someone trying to pull the wool over his eyes. He was always forced to lie to people to get what he felt was right for the people. And while he didn't regret any of it, it was nice to finally be himself and be fully honest with someone.

Walking towards the door, he started to wag his tail, happy that Ra had accepted his invitation. "I'd be happy to have you, and you'll be free to stay as long as you wish. While the teradins reside in the forests, we do also have a few zoos and gardens which are far less deadly but none the less beautiful." Feeling a small weight on his shoulder, Vulpesen turned his head a bit to see Ace before the small blue wolf crawled down to find his pocket.

 

[Riamah]

"I wouldn't want to leave your side."

Allowing him to pull her over wasn't difficult and they walked to the door of her castle.

"Oh, when I'm not at home, I wear that façade I had on when you found me. It tends to allow people to trust me if the don't think I'm sith. This goes for those of us gifted to use the Force as well as those that can't. So uh...that is likely what I will show when we leave here."

To be able to stay with him as long as she wanted, she liked that thought. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ace dash into his pocket. With a simple look at the doors of her castle, one of them opened as they approached. Not being a user that actually needed to use her hands to perform most skills, she didn't need to motion to open the door.

[member="Vulpesen"]

 

[Vulpesen]

"That's good to hear. Though, that facade may or may not help you if you run into my mother. She has a tendency to worm herself into the business of anyone that enters the vitae castle. If she could, that woman would have documents of anyone who's ever even heard of the planet. hell, for all i know she does and shes just hiding it from me." While his father was a calm man, Vulpesen had no illusions about the woman that had given birth to him. She was devoted to her family, but being one of the broken Zorrens, she was, for lack of a better term, insane. Obsession and rage suited her, and the Valde was certain that had it not been for his father to keep her calm, she'd have burned down anyone in her way, literally.

Tilting his head at the opening doors, Vulpesen smiled a bit and continued on inside with Ra. "Though I will say that you do keep a lovely home here. Even if the scenery isn't the best view out from your windows." His hand moved up the fox's head to scratch behind its ears "By the way. Is there any place I can set Shadow up? I don't think she'd appreciate it if I just sent her back to the ship."

 

[Riamah]

"My parents are dead, but I don't remember them. So cherish yours."

Raising an eyebrow at what he said about keeping logs and gathering information, Ra let out a little chuckle. In a way, she did the same thing, but that was business, not personal. No record would be set down about him, this meeting or people. It was information she would keep to herself.

The fact he said she kept a nice home made her smile. He had only seen a few rooms. While the library was her favorite, the kitchen was her second and it food would need to provided for them as well as the other three.

"Yes, of course. I have that nexu after all and keep her in here. Shadow, you may come in. Please follow me."

She would lead them to the area of the house she kept Ankhaara. The rooms were made for the nexu and various toys were laying around. No furniture was in any of them, but items the cat would use.

"It isn't much, but it's out of the rain and it's warm."

[member="Vulpesen"]

 

[Vulpesen]

"Oh, I assure you I do. I love my mother, even if she is a bit obsessive. But do be careful if she comes to see you. She can be... Unnerving at first." As Ra led them into the Nexu's room, he glanced around with a smile and motioned Shadow in, speaking a few words in zorren to coax the fox away from his side. "This will work nicely. Thank you Ra." He looked over once more at Akata. "And what of this little one?"