Legacies

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

"I am plenty chivalrous." He told her plainly, following her along as she inspected the reaches of the plateau. "Otherwise I wouldn't be building you a palace."

That was what this would be in the end, a palace.

No matter how they shaped it, no matter what Seraphina wanted built, Vrak knew that eventually it would end up becoming nothing less than a fortress. If his child was to be born here, perhaps even raised here, then some tiny little hut simply wouldn't do. He would not make it overly grand of course, nothing as ostentatious as could be found on Korriban or Dromund Kaas, but he would make sure it was suitable for both himself and the child Seraphina was carrying.

He frowned as she stopped. "Good."

His hand came up to gently stroke across his chin for just a moment, his mind carrying to just how he would be able to do this.

"I'll have you look at designs." Vrak said. "We can begin construction soon."

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

"Which of us is benefiting more from the construction of a palace on this world? You? Or me? I didn't ask to come here. Your chivalry is an act."

It was only so that she was moderately appeased. Vrak wanted her out of sight, his child out of sight and others without knowledge of its existence. It was hardly out of the goodness of his heart. He was making concessions to her and little more. A palace or a prison, it was one in the same really. A prison without bars, but one nonetheless.

As she stood the Twi'lek turned her head back to look at Vrak, her lekku shifting to the side so not to obscure her vision.
"Better to be sooner than later, lest you want to risk building in the storms."

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

"Where else would you go?" He asked, a clear hint of annoyance hanging within his tone.

There weren't many options that Seraphina now had, that they now had. It didn't matter if she didn't like it. The Empire was still very much a thing, and Vrak was a source of power within it. That meant he was a target, and even without the others looming over his every moves there were still half a dozen planetary governments that wanted him dead.

Most of them were not above using his child to get to him.

"You and the child won't be safe elsewhere." He stated simply. "Unless no one else can find you, you'll be in danger."

He frowned for a moment, looking at her. "And if you want me there, as you have said, you can't just disappear either."

That was the trouble. Vrak could peel himself away from the Empire, make himself scarce and even maneuver things so the Council was dissolved, but all of that would take time. He needed weeks, perhaps months to properly remove himself from the Empire. He glanced around the plateau.

"This is a compromise." He told her. "The best that can be managed."

It grated him to even say those words.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

"I don't know. Where I'd go is not my point. Just don't pretend to be more sincere than you are, Vrak." The annoyance in his tone was mirrored by hers now, seeking to match his irritation with her own. "Why pretend to be a gentleman for my sake? You've no right to take offense to fact." She turned, looking over the treeline towards where they had landed their ship at the base of the mountain, at the beachhead.

"I will stay here. I've already agreed to it. But I won't pretend to enjoy total isolation either."

Despite her way of life, she did still find cities like Coruscant and Nar Shaddaa pleasurable for the experiences they provided. She wasn't the type to brood in the underbelly of a lair for weeks on end, only appearing for the briefest glimpses of daylight to convene with compatriots, only to once again return to the darkness. In a way this was like the underbelly, even above ground.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

"Despite what you may think I am not entirely devoid of compassion." It was true that he felt the barest of positive emotions, but despite all of the plotting, scheming, killing, and even murderous ideals Vrak did care somewhat for Serpahina.

There was a reason he had not killed her.

It was of course a twisted, broken sort of feeling, the kind that only a Sith could bring about, but it was still there. The Sith Lord knew this well enough, he'd thought about it often. Were she anyone else, someone that he did not feel this odd sort of care for, she would likely already be dead or in the nearest dungeon hanging from some chains. It might have seemed odd, but he didn't have to make this deal with her. He didn't have to build her a palace here or anything of the sort, yet he did. "Perhaps in time..."

He trailed off, glancing up towards the sky where small gray clouds were beginning to form.

"Things will change." Vrak continued. "But for now, it simply isn't safe for you to stay anywhere else."

Trust was thin.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

"If you say so."

She was a bit dismissive in the idea that he was capable of any grand display of compassion, or that things would change with regard to where she would be taking up semi-permanent residence. Carefully the woman set herself down, allowing her legs to drape over the edge of the plateau, swaying lightly. Her hands rested on either side, propping her body up. "At least there's a view."

Sera allowed her mind to wander to the future for a moment, to wonder whether the child would be male or female, what it might look like, the combination of genes shared between she and Vrak.

"Twi'lek and Sith." She said quietly, "I wonder what the galaxy will make of you." Her words were directed not to Vrak, but towards her stomach.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]