It Has to Hurt if it's to Heal

[Kay-Larr]

Kay sat in her bed, curled up under a blanket with her pillows propped up behind her. A cup of tea was in one hand, a datapad in the other. Her doctor told her to do as little as possible, even to pass off some of her duties to her staff so that she could have time to heal. She was taking her medications and as expected, the side effects made her tired. Yet she had been in bed for a while now, so the grogginess had worn off.

She finished her tea and set her datapad aside. Maybe she'd go for a walk. Her doctor couldn't say that that was unhealthy, could he? It was hard to say, yet she needed the fresh air and open spaces.

After getting dressed in black slacks, shirt and floor length jacket, she set out of her chambers, but not before grabbing her lightsaber and blaster. She couldn't be too careful. Her guards kept their distance, yet two pairs of them followed her all the same. At times she felt like a prisoner in her own home, but it was necessary. She just had to accept it and live with it.

Where was she going to go? What was she going to do on this walk? Just walk? Think? There was plenty of other times for thinking. A few people were getting her to open up, but still she loathed it and didn't trust them to not use that information against her. It was hard to trust anyone these days.

As she crossed the field and headed towards the Twin Canyons, her eyes drifted to the sky above. It was another clear day. The night was sure to be beautiful. Hopefully she'd find some way to allow herself to enjoy it.

With no one around besides her guards, she opened herself up to the Force. There was no need to hide it right now. In doing so she felt a pull again. Was [member="Veiere Arenais"] nearby? More than likely he wasn't. He still had what she wanted to make herself more complete and stronger. He held some of her memories. Maybe now, as things had quietened down for the moment, she'd be able to regain some of them. Surely her doctor will agree that it would help her sanity, rather than deter her healing process.

Her focus was turned to that connection now. Veiere would hopefully be able to hear her. It all depended on how far away he was.

~It's Kay....Are you close? Can you hear me?~

 

[WolfMortum]

Chasin City Outskirts.

The great mountain overlooking the City far below was a splendor to behold, especially at night with the moon cascading down through the roof of leaves and branches, showering the earthen floor and lighting the way for Veiere to leisurely stroll. He had not taken the time to do this for the share sake of doing it, everything before had held it's reasons whether life or death or simply long ended goals, yet this was his own time and having returned to the residence of which no one, it seemed, had discovered, kept off all official records thanks to [member="Lady Kay"], his sanctuary remained elusive to all travelers lacking the desire to climb the mountain side.

He stood amidst the clearing of trees, the grass bristling as the wind coursed throughout the enclosure. From here he could see the lights of the local houses dotted about the land far below, and overhead the looming royal palace which never seemed to sleep; ever busy and rife with members of the government working their lives away for the sake of the betterment of the people. Or atleast, Veiere hoped that was the case with this new regime of leadership that Kay had brought in. She wasn't lost, not in his mind. While her alignment in the force had been swayed over to the Dark Side, she continued to fight for the people and the provinces now under her renewed protection. The manner in which she achieved all of this however, greatly troubled him. The Truth about the Elders, the loss of their lives and the way they had been taken...-Executed. Einon had helped to fill him in on some of the details in the many days since and following, Veiere's strength and dedication to all else had waned, his mind following more truthfully to his heart now than he had dared to since his days long ago as a Jedi Padawan.

"I can hear you..."

He replied, his watch turned distant, staring off into nothing as he spoke through voice and mind. He had indeed heard her and she would know now that he remained on Commenor for the time. He had to assume she had forgotten about this place, what this mountain meant and who the one was that lived high upon it thanks to her own doing. She had reconstructed her lightsaber here, restrengthened her bond with her crystal and worked to fuse the pieces that would represent who she was as a force practitioner. Veiere wondered if she still held claim over the lightsaber, nothing handed down from another felt as whole to the weilder quite like those that they attuned themselves to through the Force. Despite carrying Brennan's, Veiere's remained locked away, not having been used since he had taken the lives of the Sith back on Svivren, a great derolection of his duty, prisoners unarmed and slaughtered in all of his anger and pain; their desecration of the Enclave, his answer for their sins.

 

[Kay-Larr]

He heard her. [member="Veiere Arenais"] had heard her. And she heard him. It was the same as the night that she had returned. A quick reply, that unmistakable feeling of closeness. He was on Commenor. She blinked and looked around, scanning the field, the skies, but there was no immediate signs of him.

~Where are you? I'm on my way to the Twin Canyons. Can you meet me there?~

More than likely he'd figure it to be a trap. She would if she was in his shoes. But it wasn't. Despite her guards there shouldn't be anyone else around.

Regardless of whether or not Veiere would agree to go, she went anyways. It wasn't as though she wasn't planning on going for a walk. At least out here she was more or less alone. No electronic communication, nothing that could get her in trouble. Would her guards tell on her though? Only to Darlyn perhaps. Word shouldn't get out to her Master. It better not have. Kay found herself fortunate that a feline-like humanoid had distracted her Master away from fighting Veiere. And away from killing him.

Although her Master was a powerful fighter, he lacked the full scope of the strategic mind needed to fully control someone else's destiny. He lacked the vision required. After her return and crowning, what then? There was nothing. No direction, no instructions. She was on her own.

Kay worked better that way.

 

[WolfMortum]

"You once gave me residence here on Commenor, closer than you might imagine...".

Veiere smiled to himself and those feelings transferred through their force bond, fueled by the telepathic communication, emotions as easily shared as words yet far more intimately felt between those who were bonded as they had become in life and in the presence of imminent death; they had survived much and grown stronger for it. Veiere was learning to accept that in his mind, there was nothing else more important than this one fact. The Force worked in ways he could not comprehend yet they remained and against whatever Jedi rhetoric that might come his way, they still held on fighting, against whatever reasons they both had to hold on to one another, whether self-preservation or out of love most loyal, the Force kept them both in the game.

"Give me the hour...".

He finished, turning away from the view of the city and beginning his return hike up towards the estate buried within the tree's and not easily seen from the skies above. Cillian had been instructed to return to the Chimaera, of which the vessel patrolled the sector seeking out anything peculiar or any sign of aid required by others. Veiere had convinced Vikras to abandon their post on the outskirts of the silver territories to instead pursue a path most common for the Order. Never the less, with his pilot absent, he would be forced to take the swoop bike. Rather suicidal machines, vehicles that were incredibly fast yet offered little protection to the rider, if any at all. It was only by the grace and power of the Force that Veiere felt he could work the bike at all.

Forsaking his robe, he remained within his old tan Tunic, leather boots swinging across as he mounted the firebrand and reaching for the levers, pulled back on the clutch, firing all cylinders and surging forward through the tree's. The path down the mountain side was fairly steep and exceedingly dangerous. The Force guided him, his instincts telling him when to pull away from the throttle and when to drop the hammer down. He didn't have the time to consider why [member="Lady Kay"] wished to see him though it wasn't massively difficult to presume that she wished to continue their past discussions. He wondered what she might think of the place in the hills, had she the trust in him to visit it all. Perhaps one day, when her guard was down far enough for him to feel inclined to ask, she might return and spend time with him as they once had before. The ordeal felt like a sick joke really, the fact that they'd done this all before, together, only to have history repeat itself and she none the wiser for it. It had been difficult enough to convince himself to let go, to feel for her...

En-route to meet with her, he wondered if she were still capable of the very same thing.

 

[Kay-Larr]

[member="Veiere Arenais"] was glad for the contact, glad that she had reached out to him. That much she had felt through their connection. And she had given him a home there? Was it in the Palace? No. Surely she would have known if he was there. Wouldn't she?

~I'll be waiting.~

Kay's pace quickened. The guards took note and matched it easily, just in case she tried to give them the slip. But that wasn't her plan. She just wanted to be in the canyons and out of sight of anyone spying on her. The risk was too great otherwise.

Finally she got to where she wanted. The dead end where her guards had died during her capture. Scorch marks from the blown up speederbikes still darkened the rocks and the walls. For a moment, it took her breath away. Flashbacks of what had happened there flooded her vision. A guard, bloodied and burned came into the entrance seconds before her Master did. The guard was then impaled after he warned her to run and then he was gone. Kay's heart was in her throat, her breathing heavy while she felt herself try to run, to charge her speederbike towards her Master, only to dive off in the last seconds and run through the canyon....running in vain....

"My Queen, are you okay?"

She was brought out of her flashback. It took a second before Kay could find her voice to speak. "Yes, I'm fine. I have a visitor coming. Let him through and leave us be. This is a dead end, there's nowhere for us to go. So you needn't watch us. If I need you, I'll scream. Is that understood?"

Reluctantly the guard nodded. "Yes, my Queen." He silently signalled the others and they soon took to their posts.

Kay retreated to the center of the dead end and worked on calming herself while she waited.

 

[WolfMortum]

It was not a difficult ride following the mountain pass, the rest were fields endlessly sprawling the countryside around Chasin city, one after the next with each river abridged in fine sentient craftmanship. The world of Commenor was truly beautiful and following [member="Lady Kay"]'s full term, they had hoped to retreat to a quieter life, Veiere had hoped to walk some of these places with little a care for the burdens of the lives they had chosen. Nothing of the sort had been given to them however and instead things had gotten worse, she had been manipulated into forgetting herself while Veiere had chosen to follow her into the chaos of the Darkside, praying for some sort of way out for the both of them. There were really only two ways that things could end up for him, either he would be successful in the end and help to return to Kay the old life that she so lived...-Or he would wind up being confronted by the Sith Lord he had seen before, him or his peers within the remaining Order of the Sith. It was a risk that he was willing to take, proven by his refusal to put distance between them even with her new found fondness for the Dark Side of the Force.

And there was half the problem, she had been deprived of the knowledge to know better than to want anything else. She sought power and strength as all Sith did and yet she had been robbed of her memories and the life that she had lived before. The friends that she had made and the connections established through all of her good works, broken by the one with the guile to deceive her. His hands gripped tightly at the throttle of the bike, his feet kicking down against the panel and sending the swoop into a roar as his mind ran to the Sith Lord Prazutis. Upon sight of the Dark Sider, Veiere recognized he had been outmatched. Even with the Force and all his experience in harnessing the lightside to deter violence, the Sith had come well equipped with possessions enthralled in the Dark Side. That aura had been enough to alone to shift the air in the room, dense and difficult to inhale, he had reeked of Corruption and it had become clear to Veiere, just why Kay had been turned. What other choice must she have had against such a foe. He had to question whether or not the two would come face to face once again. If that was ever to be the case, it would be a battle that he would have to risk everything to overcome.

The bike whined down, the audible overhaul of the engine screaming as the rotors died out, the pistons slowing and the repulsorlift gears kicked in to make up from the loss of momentum, ensuring it's continued elevation from the ground even after Veiere had swung his leg across and slipped forward off to the right of the single seater, dropping lightly down onto the canyon floor, lightsaber in clear view, attached to his belt though his only weapon. He also carried his datapad and commlink yet these did not seem to bother the guardsmen, they obeyed their given commands to the letter and stepping between them, his mind focused to the area behind him as a precaution, least they seek to shoot him in the back.

Kay stood further up ahead, with her now in sight, his pace picked up to make the distance between them and stop only two meters or so from her, his pace becoming a walk and soon the reluctant stop as he looked across to her, head inclining to the left a little in a marginal tilt as he took in the sight of her. "I am relieved you still have want of me, Kay..." He spoke up, her name the most powerful of words in his arsenal vocabulary, that notion of intimacy, that voice that whispered of a past relationship together, enough so to be on such a basis.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay heard the engine of his bike echo through the canyon. It almost sounded as though there was more than one. Did [member="Veiere Arenais"] bring others with him? More than likely it was a trick of the canyon. Besides, her guards would probably of informed her anyways.

And then he came, approaching with a datapad as though he had come to work. Was he going to work for her again? Veiere spoke, his voice calm and soothing, just as she remembered that night that she had announced her return. It was a bizarre evening and a confusing one. So many had come, so many she had no recollection of. They expressed their anger and outrage then and afterwards. Most of them never returned. Not that she really cared anyways. She had a whole planet that relied on her, depended on her. She wasn't going to abandon them if she could help it.

Kay folded her arms across her chest, already looking to defend herself from what could possibly be a very troubling conversation. "Yes. I do. You have what I am missing, what I want and need. My Master would want me to kill you for that. I'm actually surprised that he hasn't tried to do it himself, or tried to have you captured. But maybe....maybe he just doesn't know who you are to me."

Was Veiere her Master before her capture? That certainly made sense and would explain their bond and how forward he was in speaking to her with disregard to formalities.

Kay needed to change topics. She was growing uncomfortable again, still learning how to open herself up to others so that she good better deal with her post traumatic stress. But it was a struggle. "How are my former Ministers and staff? Settling down elsewhere? I have a large bounty on my head again. It wouldn't surprise me if some of them were behind it." It made sense. If she was the type to sponsor a bounty, then that is what she would have done.

 

[WolfMortum]

"You would have me fear your new Master..." Veiere nodded absently as his gaze drew to the canyon surrounding them, the one exit the entrance he had come in through, stood with guards to protect her. A curious place for their meeting, his eyes soon danced across the walls taking in the sight and damage of the area, obviously of the distant pass as the burn marks across the rock and the stone cut out from weapons fire held no heat nor sign of recent conflict any longer; "...Yet you recall nothing of me" He smiled a little at the irony though it was a facade where the remorse could be heard in his voice, his gaze soon falling back upon [member="Lady Kay"], his hands moving to the front of his belt, etching his thumbs beneath the leather sache and turning his attention back to their conversation. "He is capable, true...-Quite possibly more so than I am but I fear him not. The Force is far larger than all of us; Not the Dark Side nor the Light but the whole Force for you cannot have one without the other" he watched, noting her level of attention, gauging her expression closely. "Everything has a life cycle Kay, we are no different. If your Master were not to kill me today, someone may tomorrow for the ideals that I choose to stand for. The Safe keeping and the protection of others. And before you lecture me again for your failed safety, remember who it was that took you from us and who it was that did you so much pain...-It was not I".

"Had I the lack of integrity, I could kill your guards and you and I could face off, I could take you from this place as he did but that is not who I am, Kay...-True strength does not come from power, it comes from character. It is why I did not fight him within the Palace, there is nothing to be gained from violence, the only promise I saw in that place was in you and for that, I am willing to die if I must, if that is what it takes to help you to see clearly again. That is why I answer your call, and why I have not strayed far" His shoulders rose and fell with a heavy breath, such things were a burden to be handled with care. He wished not to scare her but she ought to hear such things. To understand him best, where she only knew the comparison of a man such as Prazutis, the Sith Lord whose name Veiere had no need to ask.

The news of the bounty did not come as too much of a surprise, though he had not known of this either. It wasn't her first, the last he believed was due to the Hutt Cartel, for her intervention in their slave trade and yet this time, this time she had likely earned the high digits for the way in which she had returned to Commenor. "I was not aware of the bounty, though such things are a product of the life you choose. Nothing around you is set in stone, it's all contemporary until you decide you seek something more...-I know not of your former associates, I've heard nothing since our first meeting. The way in which I acted, would not have gone down well to their eyes yet I explained myself clearly to them and to you now, violence was not what I sought back then...I only had one goal and that was to see and speak with you. I will continue to do so until you are able to realize the truth of all things".

 

[Kay-Larr]

She had heard this before, the argument over the Dark and the Light. Her Master spoke of destroying the Light. But as evident throughout history, one side could never fully destroy the other. There was always a side that survived. Was that the same with her too? It was possible. The theory was sound. She would always have a weakness about her.

[member="Veiere Arenais"] mentioned her capture. Her eyes narrowed slightly, but not so much in blame as it was in agreeing with his words. "I was weak. I couldn't even prevent my capture. I couldn't even save myself! Instead I hid, and for what?!! For fear of not being able to do my job alongside those that hate us?!!!" Kay's anger grew the more that she spoke. Yet despite how she thought that hiding her abilities was a sign of weakness, she still did it to this day. She needed to in order to protect Commenor and it's economy. Her argument was more with herself than anyone else.

Kay took a deep breath to calm herself down. Her eyes took in Veiere and his subtle movements, the way that he breathed, the way that he looked at her. It seemed...unusual for a bodyguard. Even now, despite all that had happened, he chose to remain nearby to help her.

"The truth of all things? I know that I am a mess, but I'm working on it. That's why I brought you here. You have memories that I don't. You gave me a glimpse of one." Kay dropped her arms and took two steps towards him, closing the gap. "Please show me more...It's not fair that people know me and I don't know them. It puts me at a huge disadvantage." It kept her in a state of weakness. More likely than not, it was another way for her Master to keep her under his control.

 

[WolfMortum]

Veiere frowned, his gaze taking to her own as he considered her request and more importantly the consequences that might come of his agreeing to it. It wasn't that he did not wish to help her, that couldn't be farther from the truth yet his help would come with a price and he wondered whether she would be willing to pay it or not. "If I help you to recover these memories...-I need you to trust in my way of doing things. This isn't something easily achieved, some memories are fleeting and brought about by the mere exchange of emotion between two people strongly connected...-Yet others will be far more deep seeded and require meditation, the kind of training that your new Master would not approve of...", though Veiere doubted that he would approve of any of this.

"Memory suppression isn't an easy thing to undo, though fortunately memories can never truly be destroyed. They are a part of yourself and no matter how blinded or turned away from them you are, you can come back from it all providing you're able to dedicate yourself...-The Force is capable of many mysterious and often thought, miraculous things yet these things cannot be accomplished when you are in such a volatile state emotionally. The utilization of the Dark Side of the Force will be your foe for this, not your ally Kay..." He hoped she was hearing him right, the means of undoing the damage that Prazutis had done to her would mean delving back into the training they had started together, this time from scratch. Self control was the best aid to attuning ones self to the Force, and only when she had peace within herself would she unlock that which she had lost. Up until now, she had misunderstood. Veiere had not given her back any hint of a memory past, that memory back within the Royal Palace had been a product of her reacting to their obvious connection, and seeing more in herself than she had meant, reflected by Veiere's compassion for her.

"The Master you now follow, put you in this disadvantage...-I do hope you remember that come the time you are given the choice..." He did not explain what the choice would be for he could not see it though what he did know is that the Force held a Will of it's own and for all those lost, opportunities or signs would always arise in certain key points of their lives, times in which the consequences could make or break them. Veiere had no doubt that sooner or later, Kay Larr would have to choice between the one she followed and the life she had had taken from her.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Trust in his way of doing things? What was [member="Veiere Arenais"] trying to say? She stood there while he spoke, half listening and half in her own thoughts. So it was very difficult. Meditation was something that she knew well. Her doctor was getting her to go into healing trances before she slept to help her with the healing process. It was too early to tell if that was working with her other treatments.

Veiere seemed to hold some reservations. More so for her sake, out of worry of what her Master would say or do. There was no doubt in her mind that Praz would not approve. He would see it all as a weakness, yet part of her was missing. Surely becomong whole again would make her stronger?

"Surpression? You think that I don't remember on purpose? As though I am hiding away from these memories of you and others? Well you're wrong. They were taken from me....They were taken." Or at least that was how it felt.

Her Master had done this to her. She knew it and hated him for it. There were times when she wondered if she would kill him as others had wished. There were times when she had drempt it. Maybe the time will come when she would have to make that choice....And not run from it.

But for right now?

"I am not ready for such an undertaking." Kay stepped back away from him, giving them the same gap that they had earlier. "As much as I want to,...I can't. My mental state wouldn't allow for me to do what I need to. It would undermine the little bit of progress that I have made."

She had wasted both his time and her own. Did she feel bad? No. At least she was smart enough to know. That proved something to herself at least. It could mean that all of her councelling was working. So far.

Veiere was free to leave, but in a way she didn't want him to go at all. Having him close felt...right. They were connected in ways that she didn't understand. Perhaps in time she would. Right now she was trying to stop herself from breaking.

 

[WolfMortum]

"I do not believe that such things can be taken...-Hidden from your eyes, yes, but as they are a part of you they too are a part of the Force and through the Force there a wealth of possibilities in this life" He was well aware this 'suppression' hadn't been voluntary, she had a way of taken his words so defensively compared to the old Kay that he had come to admire; it was a testament to the frenzy of emotion that seemed to be swirling within her, lost and alone with herself, the Darkside clouded everything from her.

"You will also find that my methods differ greatly from the Sith..." He added, as if to reassure her. He did not wish to come so close simply to have to take a step back. He was cautious certainly though [member="Lady Kay"] ought to know the risks before delving into this separation from ignorance, "The Darkside of the Force can inflict great pain, anguish and torment upon others...-Where as the light, it can heal. If you are to pursue this all with me, you will be forced to face the pain of what happened to you, but so too will you remember the good in your life. Your friends and many allies...-Those that made you happy". He could openly see her reluctance for him to leave, most blatantly in the fact that she didn't seem to 'dismiss him' as seemed to be her way of doing these days. This was all well and fine with Veiere, he was quite happy to push the boundaries as far as she was willing to receive him; their company shared was rare but never was she far from his thoughts in the absence of her voice.

It was here that a thought occurred to him, Veiere glanced back to Kay with a slight tilt of his head in open question, soon speaking up in intrigue. "Perhaps you'd like to see the residence you have given me all these years...", she might find this to be a curious gesture yet the place itself held a wealth of presence within the Force, the two having shared a great deal of time their together expressing their interests both in one another and in the Force itself; perhaps she might be prompted to remember some of the things she had lost with a trigger as small as the gesture was. "It is secluded within the hills high above Chasin City, it's a splendid view and the two of us spent a good deal of time there; some of it exploring the very nature of the Force through training together...It is where I continue to live, a place you'd be welcome away from the prying eyes of your people".

 

[Kay-Larr]

Hidden? How was that possible? She searched and searched but could not find it. Seeing the faces of those that she couldn't remember didn't help. Even reading holo-mails didn't trigger anything. If what [member="Veiere Arenais"] was saying was true, then it offered her a little hope, but she wasn't going to hold her breath. She wasn't going to count on it.

Her eyes began to swell up with tears as he brought up the fact that she will have to be forced to face the pain of what happened. She clenched her jaw to fight that all back. There was a lot to face, but she didn't want to. And what good was there? Yes she was free now in most respects, but there was hardly a soul that she could trust, most especially with the intimate details of her captivity. Her doctor was doing his best. Atheus and Lykos were each doing their parts as well. But still she felt as though it was going nowhere. Perhaps she just needed more time and more effort.

Kay looked up to him as he suggested that they go to the home that she had apparently given him. So he didn't want to leave her, even when she was in this state. That was a true testament to his character and his loyalty to her. She wished that she had more of that around her.

"Are you sure that you can trust me with the knowledge of where you live? That could be ripped from me and used against you. And what of my guards? I don't expect that they would let me go alone." Of course she was their Queen and had the final say, but there was no doubt that it would go up their chain of command to Darlyn. And then more people would find out which could lead to trouble, etc. Worst case scenarios were all that she could come up with at the moment.

 

[WolfMortum]

Veiere looked to her and saw the wealth of emotion within her eyes, her expression struggling not to break. "We need not rush this..." he spoke softly, looking to her with naught but compassion and sympathy; she was trapped within herself, a person that she didn't rightly know anymore. Of course he was eager for her to find some way back to her old self, if that were possible now after the acts she had already committed. Veiere wanted not to think of the crimes that she might be forced to account for should that good streak within her return; it would surely mean the end of her political term and the lives he suspected she had taken or at the least been a part in the decision to wipe out the Elders...-It was all too much. He had to bury those thoughts deeply, for they made him fear for her; and fear was dangerous in those already stumbling from the light.

"What's the worst that you can do, Kay..." Veiere spoke up again, answering her now in blatant honesty. "I trained as a Jedi Knight for three decades, one as a student before that within the Order...-On the off chance that I were to believe you could stab me in the back, do not underestimate my love for you to be in any part a show of weakness within myself. You will find I am rather capable of defending myself" he spoke the words with a smile, it wasn't a threat but a fact spoken with some amusement for her trying to caution him; "Though you are kind to be so considerate of me..." he added, just to emphasize the gesture she had given for him. His gaze lifted and he turned some to look to the sky, the moon of Folor just visible against the light of day; behind that, the StarDestroyer, the Chimaera. "Furthermore I'm not alone. I tried to invite you aboard but you preferred the moon itself. Beyond Folor, a StarDestroyer awaits my contact. It is mine, along with the nine thousand troops and armor upon it...-If you chose to take my home back for yourself, I would not argue. You gave it to me in the first place and I would not be without a roof over my head still" he chuckled quietly. His honesty was really rather generous, he had just announced the personnel that followed beneath him as if it were nothing truly significant between them; they were all good men, reliable soldiers certainly though between he and Kay, they had their own lives where as his was standing before him feeling rather unsure of herself. "Admiral Vikras Ansion leads them under my command, you might remember the man. He's Commenori by birth and used to be one of your leading strategists for Naval Operations until your abduction. I hand picked him myself to help me in my search for you...-You know the rest...-The point I'm trying to make here, Kay, is that you can do as you please but I'd dare say it's in both of our interests to avoid such affairs. I prefer your company far too much...".

"So then...-Shall we get going? Your men are welcome also...".

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay was grateful that [member="Veiere Arenais"] wasn't going to press her or rush her. She hated being forced into things that made her uncomfortable. But that was no different than most people.

A brow was raised as he asked her what the worst that she could do was, when it came to knowing the location of where he resided. Sure she could be forced to have it destroyed or at worse, have others discover it in order to take him out and bring his life to an end. She didn't want that of course, for she needed him in ways that she had yet to understand. More than likely it was due to their Force bond, but she suspected something more. And then he said it. He loved her. Kay did a double-take. Did her old self love him too? That would make some sense as to why he chose to remain near instead of leaving her like so many others.

Her eyes followed where his went, looking up to one of Commenor's twin moons. Oh yes, she avoided coming onto his ship. She didn't want to risk being kidnapped again or arrested and sent to some governmental body that thinks that they have jurisdiction over her little corner of space.

Veiere had an army at his back, and one that was fair in size. Although hers was larger, she didn't have a ship as big as a Star Destroyer in her fleet. In time she will, but not now.

Admiral Ansion. Yes, she remembered him. His resignation letter was inside her desk in her office. It was a huge loss for Commenor, but a position that she hoped to have refilled soon. With Veiere having him at his back, a confrontation wouldn't be a wise choice right now. Not that she was planning one at the moment, anyways.

Kay turned her attention back to Veiere as he suggested that they head out there now. It was a relief that her guards were welcomed too, but getting there was a different story. "Alright. But we can't all fit on your swoopbike. We'll need to go and get our own transportation. We walked here from the Palace."

Was she really considering this? Yes. If it was going to help her regain her memories, then yes.

 

[WolfMortum]

And so his Datapad was required after all; such a tool he had come to depend on these days without the presence of the Jedi Order's vast archives to explore and utilize, so far from his past life. He handled the piece of technology with a distant frown, never entirely comfortable with these things yet always amazed by the convenience of the holonet. In this case, it was a simple matter of transferring co-ordinates from his device to her own personal registry. "You will find me here...-Bring what you feel is justified in this...'new outlook' that you seem to have acquired. I will not be accompanied by anyone else..." he dipped his head to her in polite thanks before turning side on to look towards her guardsmen. "I do not recognize either of those men..." His gaze found hers again and he spoke with a slim smile, "I hand picked your personal security once upon a time too, you know. Specifically your Coronation as Madame President...-She's still there inside of you somewhere, I think. I do not believe I would be standing here having such a discussion with you if the case was otherwise..." he offered a silent laugh, a huff of his breath in mild humor and only this time, now choosing to step away before she had the want to argue or question him further. He had not given her the one sanctuary where other people knew not how to reach him. He hoped that she would not spoil his trust. "They may not have been able to rival the Sith, but they were extremely trustworthy and fiercely loyal...".

Mounting the swoop, it wasn't long before he was screaming across the plains making his way back towards the mountains beyond Chasin City. Every small success was a step in the right direction with [member="Lady Kay"] in these vulnerable days, that she chose to agree spoke volumes though one might not initially realize it. Things seemed to be playing out much the same way as they had when she was her old self. Spending time together within the grounds of Veiere's estate up in the hills had brought them closer, there without the eyes of others on their backs, it had given her the chance to train and explore the force around her. Naturally this time would be rather more complicated what with a squadron of soldiers there to watch over her but never the less, he would be most welcoming to see her standing back upon those cobble stones lining the steps buried within the grass of his backyard, the place so complimented her beauty.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay didn't have her datapad on her, but she assumed that [member="Veiere Arenais"] had sent it to her holomail. Her brows furrowed as he spoke of her old self, her weaker self. Perhaps his love had blinded him, she wasn't sure. But loyalty was so hard to find. It was one of the things that kept her wanting to be near him.

She looked to her guards as he spoke about not knowing them. After her return, her Master had hired new guards for her. Darlyn also hand picked some that she found to be more tolerable than the others. And maybe she felt less spied on with them too.

"I'll see you there..." That was all that she said before he left and they parted ways.

A few hours later a trio of speederbikes made their way up the mountain path to the house where Veiere resided. She knew this path. It was like revisiting a dream. There was no reason to be led or to follow a map.

Kay parked her bike where she had done so before, her two guards following suit. One did a quick scan of the building while the other unpacked their supplies. Kay's eyes were on the door. She approached the residence, satchel over her shoulder, and nearly hesitating before she walked inside. It was as cozy she thought it would be, or rather what little bits that she could remember.

She walked further inside, walking from room to room to get her bearings until she got to the kitchen. It was an odd sensation to know a place but not remember it completely. And it was frustrating too. Kay dropped her satchel onto the floor and sat down in the same chair at the table that she had sat in before. "It's very tranquil here..." She didn't speak to anyone in particular. Only to herself. Her guards did a more in depth inspection of the residence before taking their posts at both the front and back doors.

 

[WolfMortum]

Her soldiers didn't much regard him with any hint of pleasure, perhaps due to the fact that he had revealed his position and residence to them where as they had failed to find it. Truly, they were fortunate that Veiere Arenais was of no threat to them; even more so that he had not left a small cell of the 501st here to monitor the events surrounding Commenor in his absence. "Make yourselves at home..." He returned one of the men's glares with a smile rife with sarcasm, soon to move away from her personnel and instead joining her within the kitchen overlooking the patio outside. The view still never ceased to impress him, the yard towards the front of the grounds was secured by a wall of stone that dropped down into the cliff face; Veiere had built up a railing along the edge of the perimeter to deter anyone from falling off and later focused on the backyard to which if [member="Lady Kay"] wished to step outside, she'd be introduced to the grounds in which they both trained together. The estate itself was indeed humble, not filled with any overly vane possessions, no riches or flash looking decor; it was all simply as he needed to remain comfortable whilst listening to the wonders of the natural world outside. From time to time, he'd receive the odd visitor from the wild life, boar and the like though they seemed to pay him no mind and his presence had seemingly been assimilated in with the rest of the forest, the former Jedi a threat to no one in these lands least they seek to threaten his livelihood here.

"I need to remind myself of this place at times, whilst roaming the sector aboard the Chimaera...-I always was a lost cause for such natural splendor. There really is nothing like the peace and quiet of the outdoors left to flourish in it's natural state...-I could not live on a world such as Coruscant, Nar Shaddaa or any of those other industrial worlds...." he spoke as he moved over to the counter, setting the kettle to boil and preparing to cups of the tea that she had showed him how to make. It was no secret that she adored the stuff and he hadn't much had an excuse to use it in the lack of time he had spent there lately. Much of his company had been aboard the flagship trying to keep tabs on what was happening back on Voss and surrounding the Silver Jedi. Veiere still felt guilt there for choosing to return, yet home wasn't meant to be a place you had to struggle to fit in. Or perhaps his inability to make friends was the product of his heart being elsewhere entirely.

"If the Palace Grounds are anything like I remember them, I doubt you'd have seen the peace and quiet of this place in quite some time....".

His gaze lifted, his brows furrowing somewhat. There was a moment, in which he was silent, reluctant almost but it passed and he spoke his mind soon enough. "Kay..." He didn't turn to glance to her but kept his gaze staring forward out the window, his eyes taking in the view of Commenor from afar, "You once made a comment, one that I found strange back then and yet can't help but think of it now...-You compared the Elders to what might be considered parental figures residing over you. They were greatly admired and so too did they admire you...".

"You must know that sooner or later my assumptions will not be enough. I'm going to want to try to understand what happened to them. I'm going to ask questions...", perhaps his timing in bringing this up might be a shock to her but in truth it had been playing on his mind for some time, the dark truth behind his assumptions that she was responsible for their loss, the media had sold it off as old age or some other generic excuse but for the number of them to all go at once, Veiere did not accept the explanation that the public had been given; nor was he blind to the impact that the Darkside could have upon people, both those wielding it and those close enough to be swallowed up in it.

Bringing the tea to her, he finally took his place opposite to her at the table, the windows at her left and his back while his eyes fell to hers in close study, his right hand reaching out to leave the drink before her, soon retracting and simply cupping his in both hands, wondering how she might respond.

 

[Kay-Larr]

"I couldn't live in a big city either. I enjoy the quiet and having moments alone. As you can imagine, it's very rare for me to have that."

She watched [member="Veiere Arenais"] while he prepared the tea. A man after her own heart, he knew what made her comfortable. Sapir tea. It never failed her, never asked anything of her. It just warmed her up from the inside and made her feel better. Kay's doctor had limited her intake to no more than four cups a day, which was fine. That was close to her average anyways.

And no, she hadn't been here since her return. She didn't remember that it even existed. Perhaps she'd be able to come back when she needed to, and if not, there was always the canyons.

Her body stiffened as he spoke about the Elders, her breaths turning more shallow. Why did he have to bring that up? He wasn't the first and she was growing tired of it. But now she saw what his intentions for inviting her here were. She whispered under her breath, "Don't feed the hungry beasts..." Kay built a wall inside, trapping her emotions within it so that she wouldn't do anything stupid.

Veiere soon sat down and gave her her tea. She kept her eyes on the cup, never meeting his gaze as she slowly dragged her tea closer to her and held it in both of her hands. She brought it up to her lips and had a sip, keeping her focus on it's soothing taste. After her tea was finished, she should probably leave. It wasn't as though she came here to be put on trial.

"I don't want to talk about it. I came here to remember things, to remember you. I didn't come here to discuss politics."

She took another sip of her tea, focusing on just what was in front of her instead of the possibility of having a breakdown.

 

[WolfMortum]

The more she sought to remember the past, the more she would have to deal with her past actions and those she had wronged since. "I will not press the matter, though it will come about again in the future. Perhaps not by me but by others and if you are to regain the life you lost, you too will need to face these demons..." He reminded her gently, soon using the cup of tea as a deterrence from the subject at hand. Taking a sip, his gaze drew to the cup to which he frowned to himself, he never could quite make a decent cup of tea like she could though as his gaze crossed the table to her own, he wondered if she wasn't being polite in drinking hers; "Tea is a skill it seems I've yet to master...".

Turning to glance out towards the yard, looking off through the Kitchen double doors who's glass panel showed off the colors of the garden, he wondered about the state of her following her initial return. It drew in a great deal of attention from the media, so to from her proclaimed brother who Veiere had not seen since that day. Others like [member="Ultimatum"] who had needed not the help of the 501st to evac from the world; Veiere had managed to evacuate all of the prisoners by [member="Lady Kay"]'s leave yet beyond that he knew so little and they had not had a chance to speak so casually until now. He remembered that she herself had inquired about the status of her former associates not so long passed; fortunate that he had otherwise he might have asked. "Do you still have your lightsaber with you, or was it lost in your abduction..." he asked instead. Someone had returned her crystal to her, either [member="Ghorua the Shark"] or Ultimatum, Veiere couldn't remember the details though the hilt itself had been reconstructed here in his grounds. He had assisted her in its build and the crystal itself she had attuned herself to long ago; such things held great sentimental value and in her position, every little bit helped.

Kay's ideals had not been lost to her, only her memories as far as Veiere could tell, that and the influence of the Darkside yet from what he had witnessed she was not lost to it yet. He had yet to see her act out in anyway violently, her emotions were sporadic though she didn't hold the same unpredictable and often times murderous rage that others he had crossed, had. A politician at heart, something that he had always disliked personally though he supposed to himself in quiet that she could be masquerading to keep him civil until she knew exactly what she was dealing with. It was difficult not to let his guard down around her, Veiere wanting to trust in her more than anything else yet the questions unanswered and the wall that she built up around herself, however justified, remained obstacles to their past.

"The two of us reconstructed it here, you know. After one of your allies returned your Crystal to you the day of your Coronation as President".