A Meeting of Chance

[Vaulkhar]

Iridonia​

Capitol City of the Planet, Outlying District of the City​

Early Evening​

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Vaulkhar sat silently within the personal quarters of his home. Being the right hand of the Iridonian King, one would expect much larger accommodations for the half breed. However, much like everything else in Vaulkhar's life, he liked to keep things simple. Sith Assassins and Mandalorian Bounty Hunters didn't think to look for simple while hunting the son of Kaine Zambrano. He wasn't wanted by the Sith Empire itself, as he'd kept his recently covert operations against his father's empire under wraps. Which was most certainly how he preferred it. Though it was better to be prepared than unprepared, and ensuring his home could easily be overlooked as that of a farmer's was a good first step. Along with his highly trained Assassin Droid, the various traps set in and around his home, and of course the former Sith himself... Well, whoever was foolish enough to hunt Vaulkhar Zambrano would find themselves in a rather unfortunate position if they themselves were unprepared.

He was most certainly surprised when his holopad received a transmission from a recognizable and enjoyable face to look at, that being Dae. He met the young Atrisian woman at the ball hosted in his father's honor, which turned out to be an enjoyable enough evening for him and likely her as well considering the request to come visit him at his home. Vaulkhar imagined the woman expected a sprawling and beautiful estate on his people's homeworld, so he most certainly looked forward to the idea of her seeing his rustic homestead.

As his Assassin Droid moved into his room to report the likely incoming of Dae, Vaulkhar pushed himself to his feet and nodded his thanks to the droid. He moved from outside of the room and tugged on his simple, brown leather jacket. During the days it was entirely necessary and probably stupid, but as the sun began to set the Iridonian evenings became cool enough to kill the unsuspecting person. Everything about the planet was dangerous, which was something the blind man loved and appreciated about his new home. Wandering the streets reminded him of his earliest days within the Sith Academy on Coruscant, a welcome thought even with the darkness that surrounded it.

Now thoroughly prepared for the brisk night air he stepped outside into his rather large yard. He looked to his right and gazed blindly upon the large farm which housed various beats of burden. Beside it sat a simple tree trunk with various pieces of firewood chopped and prepared for whatever Vaulkhar deigned worthy of their use. On his left sat his speeder bike, kept clean and currently covered by a tarp for whenever it would next see the light of day. He paused about midway between the entrance to his home and the large wooden gate that separated his home from the main road leading to the city. Instructions were given to Dae to arrive however she saw fit, whether that meant landing her ship in his yard or walking right in from the main road.

Aside from his much more humble outfit, the half breed was sporting shorter hair with a bit of a dyed fringe in the front. Vaulkhar simply waited as the sun set, hands clasped together behind his back...

[member="Dae"]

 

[Dae]

The ball had come and gone, she had assumed she would be returning to her usual duties. Which included nothing of traveling to a distant planet to meet with a prince. Dae watched as stars passed and the galaxy gave way to the atmosphere of the planet she was headed to. A hand lightly caressed her own cheek, feeling her gentle skin for just a moment. She needed to return to the right headspace remember the things they had spoken about.

The shuttle descended and Dae was gathered by the Prince’s men and droids and brought to the rustic homestead. It would be a lie to say that she wasn’t impressed. She hadn’t expected anything like this from the son of a Zambrano. From her knowledge of the Dark Lord, he seemed to enjoy the lavish and lush things. Here, it was peaceful, and a person could lose themselves forgetting what they were here for. The woman paused for a moment and adjusted her contact lenses, she looked around and blinked quickly taking in the sights afterwards.

“You’ve gotten a haircut?” The woman entered from behind, being lead by the assassin droids that seemed to scatter the property. She wore something simple, a dress that was a soft yellow and stopped at the knees. The shape complimented her, and she smiled softly. “It looks nice, I prefer this than what you had before.” She kept her hand bag close and quickly admired the area, she sighed softly and continued to admire the area.

“So this is your home?”

[member="Vaulkhar"]

 

[Vaulkhar]

The comings and goings of the homestead were negligible for the most part. Aside from the few men and women Vaulkhar kept on staff to help him maintain his property, along with the droids which patrolled the perimeter and guided Dae towards him, she'd likely note it was relatively calm. As the days responsibilities winded to a close and the staff returned to their personal quarters, whether that be on the property or off of it, the duo found themselves for the most part alone. As the small procession stopped before Vaulkhar, the droids all saluted the young man before turning and disappearing to different corner's of the property to continue their vigil. He lowered himself into a slight bow before straightening once more, a hint of a smile tugging at the corner's of his lips.

"Indeed, this is my home. I've a few places to rest my head scattered throughout the galaxy, but this little homestead is my favorite of them. Recently constructed by the Iridonian King and his workers. I spend most of my time here," he shifted on his foot and turned to survey the home that sat dead center upon the property. He absentmindedly ran a hand through his hair at her earlier question, a laugh escaping him. "And yes, I cut my hair. I felt it be a good idea considering my recent activities," Vaulkhar's blind gaze flickered back to Dae and settled upon her.

"I do hope it isn't too small or simplistic. I imagine a woman of the empire such as yourself would prefer something a little more... urban, for lack of better wording."

Vaulkhar scanned the woman after that, studying her form. While he couldn't make out all the details due to his blindness, between his other senses and the aid of the force he managed to paint a vivid enough picture of what the woman looked like in the moment.

"You look nice, Dae. And I'm not just saying that because I can't see you," Vaulkhar teased himself more than the woman with the comment, teasing his own blindness.

[member="Dae"]

 

[Dae]

She had made note of his blindness when she had first met him at the ball. He was still as charming as ever and it had seemed it was a trait that ran through the Zambrano line. They were charmers and able to get what they wanted. Even so the Mand’alor and the former Queen of Commenor all trusted the Dark Lord. Just thinking about it forced a small frown on the Atrisian woman’s face. She was disgusted with how they threw their loyalties to him and expected him to return it. That wasn’t the conversation now and Dae pushed it from her mind.

His compliment made her smile and she nodded. “Your blindness and wit add to your charm. Though I’d love to see what you’ve painted me to look like in your mind.” A soft chuckle as she drew closer, his hair cut looked good on him an she made note of it. A nagging feeling made her want to question what he had been up to, she wondered if it pertained to the man’s father. There seemed to have been bad blood between them.

If there was, then the woman could probably use it for her own means. Once more, a conversation for later, for now there was only pleasantries. “Too simple? Never. I’m in awe of what has been done. As much as a woman such as myself enjoys the urban feel – nothing can overwhelm as much as the outdoors.” A soft smile spread across her face as she nodded towards the man. “It’s freedom in its most basic form.” Musing, the woman couldn’t help herself.

“So, what has my charming prince been up to these days?”

[member="Vaulkhar"]

 

[Vaulkhar]

The woman's first comment brought an even wider grin to his face. It was evident he was proud of it even, considering his condition. As she spoke to him, he motioned in the direction of a large field across from the duo. A simple wooden fence boarded off various beasts of burden within, the majority of which were calmly grazing into the late evening. His hands fell to his sides as he moved in the direction of the field, listening intently to what she said. He momentarily came to think about the idea of explaining what she looked like to him, though he didn't have a clear enough mental image of her and it be a lot less satisfying to only explain half of an image, so he silently opted out of that for now. Reaching the fence line, he paused and turned to face her, still wearing his grin.

"I am glad being blind has given me something, rather than taken it away. So many look upon it as a curse and I strive to prove I am not held back by my condition," he paused and thought momentarily on her other comments and questions. It was probably unwise to discuss his work for rather obvious reasons. Not many folks enjoyed the company of an assassin unfortunately. "I've been helping the King of Iridonia primarily, taking care of various jobs and errands he needs handled. I'm a bit of an adviser to him, I suppose. And I'm happy my little paradise here is impressing. It really helps me relax and escape from the day to day activities that can be so draining. However, I am rather interested in how my beautiful companion from the ball has fared these past few days."

At that, his hands slowly rose to about head level with the woman. His left hand was entirely flesh, his right cybernetic. "If you'd allow me to, I can paint a much more vivid mental image of you just by seeing you through my other senses, though touch would be involved with that. I'd simply do the face if anything else made you uncomfortable. Then I can properly describe what it is I see.

[member="Dae"]