Even Debt?

[Vascious Relens]

Vascious Relens, or Aesir Kalee as he was known among the Moross Crusade, walked down the corridor toward his chambers. The Ithari Swarm Frigate he was currently on was typically what his fellow Aesir used for their home away from home while moving through space with the Crusade's forces.

That day while inspecting the ship and crew to pass the time he had run into Kassandra Distorith. He hadn't seen her except in passing since she had potentially saved his life on the Silken Asteroids mission. It would have been a lie to say that the she hadn't been on his thoughts since then. As such the Aesir complimented her on her successful mission. Then when no one was still in earshot he finally invited her to dinner to get some things off of his chest.

Admittedly the Mandalorian was running a bit late. He typically prided himself on punctuality, but had misjudged how much time he'd spent enjoying a tour of the armory. She'd likely understand. He just needed to change out of his old battered armor, and into something made of cloth. It would be nice to talk of old times with someone that had been there with him.

Finally the false god made it to his door, which hissed open to admit him.

[member="Kassandra Distorith"]

 

[Kassandra Distorith]

There were times, the woman mused, that she wished she were still frozen in sleep. Still oblivious to the way the galaxy was changing around her, still oblivious to the warring factions of Sith that threatened to set everything ablaze around them. Still oblivious to the fact that most of the people she’d known and loved were long since dead and their spirits faded away.

Crimson eyes cast out across the starfield, like so many tiny gemstones nestled in folds of blackest velvet. The Ithari frigate moved through space on a series of exercises that Aesir Kalee himself was overseeing, and she had merely been upon the ship to inspect the troops. She had not thought to see the Aesir, but their paths had crossed earlier that afternoon.

They spoke of the Silken Asteroids mission, and he had congratulated her on a mission well done. It was not done well enough, Kassandra had thought quietly, knowing how grievously he’d been injured as she’d been the one to find him.

To save him, really, but under the guide of the false god was a man she’d known since her earliest Apprentice days on Korriban some six hundred years prior. She could not honestly say if she’d have done the same for anyone else. But for him? There had been no question.

And it had certainly invited a great deal of thought since their return to Moross space, and the months since. A very great deal, indeed.

Kassandra sighed and smoothed out the dress she’d chosen to wear to the dinner, fingers carefully coursing over the gold embroidery that cascaded down the front, beneath her crimson cloak. She had managed, for once in her existence, to be on time, and he, for perhaps the first time in her memory, was running late.

But...knowing he was touring the armory, it did make sense. The man could get lost in an armory the way she could get lost in a shoe boutique. It was just the way things were. So the Lordess waited, staring out into space through the windows of the sitting room that was part of his chambers.

Fingers rose to push her loose raven curls over her shoulders as the main door hissed open behind her. She turned, a smile curling her lips, and waited until the door had closed again before she spoke. “I think this is the first time in half a millenium you’ve ever been late, Vascious. Distracted in the armory, I take it?” she purred softly.


[member="Vascious Relens"]

 

[Vascious Relens]

As the Aesir entered his chambers he found Crusader Distorith waiting patiently for him. The closed faced mandalorian helmet the false god wore hid any signs of emotion. Yet a slight twist and a hiss of his suit's pressure allowed the head armor to give way. This exposed a previously hidden smirk as the man used telekinesis to place the helm on a shelf on the far wall.

"I'm pleased that I can still enjoy the small things in life. Shame the weapons master grovels so much. Sometimes I go in disguise to get a bit of social interaction. Keep that between us."

The older man's body levitated a couple inches into the air as his armor plates unfastened and his under-mesh suite unzipped. Each article of armor floated onto nearby shelves just like his helm had just a moment prior. The Aesir's feet touched back down to the floor leaving the man standing in only tight fitting boxers and t-shirt. Some of the newest scars caused by the claws of the Val'kar on the Silken Asteroids could be seen past the confines of his undergarments.

If Vascious was the least bit concerned about modesty in front of his guest he didn't show it. The Sith wasn't the same beast of physical prowess he had been in his youth, but a loss of tone and definition had fortunately not given way to severe muscle degeneration and obesity. The Master had definitely aged, but he hadn't given up on life just yet.

The Sith Lord finally made it back to Kassandra while pulling on a robe in his colors of silver accented by bronze. Relens found a nearby seat and gazed at his fellow Sith Master before giving the woman an appraising smile. "Ah Kassandra you've always had an extravagance coupled with the beauty to justify it. It is good to have you with me again. I hope you can forgive the impersonal way I have treated you in front of the worshipers."

Her scandalous outfit choices hadn't affected him like other men, but she seemed to know that an elegant ensemble caught his eye.

[member="Kassandra Distorith"]

 

[Kassandra Distorith]

"Not a word shall pass my lips." she bowed her head, her smile warming with a hint of mirth. Who was she to judge after all? She'd likely do the same if the simple pleasures in her life were so restricted by position. She could hardly fault him for that, nor would she divulge his secret.

A dark, sculpted brow lofted as Vascious levitated himself and divested himself of his armor, piece by piece. They floated to their appointed places on the shelves waiting to receive them, leaving him clad only in form fitting undergarments. It was a marvelously profligate use of power which she could appreciate, and left his armor displayed neatly. Armor she knew quite well after so many years, able still to recall the cause of certain of its imperfections. But that was neither here nor there, Kassandra mused, crimson eyes watching him carefully.

Perhaps a bit too carefully given his state of undress, but he didn't seem to mind, and she certainly didn't.

As Vascious availed himself of a robe, she took a moment to slide her crimson cloak from her shoulders. The silk lined velvet was carefully draped over one of the chairs behind her, his compliment setting a warmth in her cheeks as she turned back to gaze at him. Crimson eyes slowly faded to a bright cerulean blue, their natural color. It was rare, but it happened when she was truly comfortable and in the presence of someone she trusted.

"It is good to be at your side again, Vascious." Kassandra added softly, taking up a seat close by. "Consider yourself forgiven - I can well understands the demands of your position. I do not mind being treated thusly in public, where you are the Aesir and I the loyal Crusader."


[member="Vascious Relens"]

 

[Vascious Relens]

Social flattery aside she really did seem to have a radiant glow upon her. Kassandra was always attractive of course, but this was something subtlety just a bit different than usual. He couldn't quite put his finger on it. Being in private? Being in the presence of good company? He even noticed her eyes were an intriguing shade of blue instead of their typical crimson. Perhaps it was an issue of comfort. He had seen her eyes turn such a hue before when relaxed outside of stressful situations.

The Aesir's thoughts were broken by the slow careful intrusion of a servant. The man who poked his head through an adjacent doorway was meek enough though he did appear to have the look of a soldier. Vascious likely had recruited from that caste for someone he felt he could trust. "Forgive me, your holiness. I have dinner prepared when you are ready."

Vascious nodded to the their attendant before rising to his feet and offering Kassandra a hand to help her up from her own chair. Then he led the energy vampire into the next room where an ornate elongated dining table had been placed. Relens then pulled her chair out and waited for her to sit before sliding her chair under the table. He took the chair right next to hers at the end. Empty plates and silverware waited in front of them accented by the flickering light of a nearby candle. Unsurprisingly the rest of the table was barren since it would just be the two of them.

The Sith Lord smiled again as he swiveled a bit in his chair to face her more. "It has been at least half a millennium hasn't it? It boggles the mind to think of it," added the older man. The servent came by with a cloth over his left arm and what appeared to be an aged bottle of red wine in his right hand. He poured into the Aesir's glass before offering it to Vascious' guest next.

[member="Kassandra Distorith"]

 

[Kassandra Distorith]

He had fallen silent after she'd spoken, and for a brief moment, it made her briefly wonder if perhaps she'd erred in addressing him so informally. But somehow Kassandra doubted that was it...they were alone, save for his most loyal servants, and it was in such an environment that he'd always assured her she had such a freedom. She wondered then what the silence portended, but found his quiet gaze was still upon her.

A smile came unbidden to her lips, warming her features, her cerulean gaze dropping briefly to the hands she had folded gracefully in her lap. Her brief introspection was interrupted by the demure voice of a servant informing them that all was in readiness for dinner, and Vascious rose before her, a hand extended in a most gallant manner. She certainly did not expect any less from him, but it was still a pleasure to behold impeccable manners. It was not often, she mused as he assisted her to her seat, that men in this day and age even knew anything about such gentleman-like manners.

The long, ornate table was set for an intimate meal, the china and silverware glittering beneath the light cast through the crystal goblets by a flickering candle. It was a lovely setting, and one that Kassandra took a moment to appreciate as Vascious took his own seat and canted towards her. She answered his smile with one of her own and nodded in response to his words. She spared a brief nod for the servant and a soft 'thank you' as he poured a measure of the crimson liquid into her glass and withdrew once more.

"It has indeed. I could give you the precise figure if you wish..." the Lordess replied, merriment shining in her cerulean gaze "...but perhaps it would be best if I do not remind us of how old we actually are."

Fingers gently clasped the stem of her wine glass, raising it from the table to take an appreciative sniff of the delicate bouquet and glance to where the bottle sat between them. Her smile broadened and her cheeks warmed, her free hand reaching over to lightly brush against his own by way of thanks. "You remembered about the wine...I can't believe after all this time that you still remember. Wherever did you find it?"


[member="Vascious Relens"]

 

[Vascious Relens]

Vascious' hand gently grasped her own hand as it moved to brush against his. The skin of his fingers and palm were soft despite a long lifetime of fighting. Then again they had been mostly shielded by gauntlets. His thumb gently caressed the back of her hand for a moment as his eyes cast down toward it. He seemed deep in thought as of late. The reasons hadn't been spoken of thus far, but it was possible that it had to do with the Crusade's logistics.

The Mandalorian then seemed to come back to reality as he smiled and brought her hand up to kiss the back of it lightly before releasing her. "Goodness, no don't give me the numbers," he added with a soft chuckle.

"I have some idea of what you did after you awoke. My story is not very thrilling either, unfortunately. You see my niece Lady Silencia had survived the plague and cut out a niche for herself. I was thrilled to see her well, but she had been my brother's legacy. My own legacy and everything mark I had made upon this galaxy had been swept from memory as if I had never existed. I had been stabbed, shot, bones broken, burned ... and yet nothing could compare to having been reduced to nonexistence."

He peered into his glass as and lightly swirled the crimson liquid around. "Whiskey, sex, and even thrill seeking held no depth anymore. I couldn't find a stimulus that mattered. I reduced myself to that of a common mercenary roaming from one port to another with whatever trash crew had a spot open. I think in the end I was looking for a death. Of course nothing could kill me unless I laid down and let it happen. That was until I stumbled across two of Silencia's progeny on Exodus," Vascious added before taking a sip of his wine.

There was another pause before he broke out into light laughter. "Ah I feel silly telling you these things. This is how I found the wine though you see. My path of self destruction eventually led me to two kids who were trying to build an empire upon faith. Well kids might be inaccurate. Amorella might have been 20 though I suspect Solaiel had seen one or two hundred years before I met him. Progeny of Silencia and yet thus still tied to me in some way. I felt something odd as I saw what they had started to accomplish. Had it been pride? Pride in the machinations of others?"

The old man stopped then to lean back into his chair as he brought his hand up to rest his elbow into the arm rest and his fist under his chin. Those old brown eyes peered at Kassandra. "I don't know how to explain it, but I felt reinvigorated. It gave me some measure of purpose to help build their empire past what mine had been. That day upon having that realization, I had an urge to explore suddenly. As such I worked my way through some old dusty shops in a worn down section of the city's market sector. There I found this jewel. An old dusty bottle overlooked countless times. I remembered, which is admittedly odd given that I've forgotten more than some Sith Masters will ever learn. Still I kept it hoping i'd find an occasion worthy of opening it."

[member="Kassandra Distorith"]