My Heartbeat Sound

[Jairus Starvald]

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Rudrig​

Tion Hegemony​

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[member="Dissero"]​

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If there was one thing the Lord of the Fringe had not been expecting... it was to reconnect with his old friends in this particular fashion. A man known for his many contingency plans, plots wrapped around in even bigger plots and a solution for almost any problem, this particular situation threw him for a loop.

It wasn't anything to be ashamed about, of course.

Nobody would have expected Anaya to do what she had done. There had always been a method to her madness, a particular plan, a direction moving towards a goal.

But this was different, wasn't it?

Ovmar pushed it out of his mind for now. Later. Later would be enough time to figure out what to do with her and how to prevent a situation like this.

Now was the time to get back in touch with friends. Jared had already been on Vassek - the only occupant of the ancient castle being Ceri, the look on her face was priceless, but not the commodity he had been interested in buying right around then. She pointed him to Rudrig next, and here he was.

She probably got in touch with Dissero after he left, but to minimize the surprise, Ovmar briefly announced his arrival through the briefest of mental touches on his old friend's mind, if he was able to locate it, of course.

Foot steps sounded, walking towards the front door.

 

[Dissero]

[member="Verie Lacroix"] was somewhere within the homestead, either reading or studying or perhaps even meditating. She'd been meditating quite a lot lately and he supposed he didn't blame her. Day by day the young woman grew ever more vibrant, roundly so. She was carrying his child - his very first, and though Dissero still did not know whether he was expecting a little boy or girl, the excitement was nevertheless palpable.

And distracting.

His sister Amore was also here, happy to help them settle into their new home of only a few weeks. She was putting her artistic skills to use in aiding Verie with the challenge of decorating and filling their new home with furniture and timeless art pieces. They'd been all over Rudrig so far, collecting paintings and antique things, bringing them in via crates and boxes. Today Verie had been to tired to go out and Amore agreed a day of rest was a good idea.

Sitting at his desk in a rather large, circular, and mostly empty room that was set to become his study, Dissero poured over material for the upcoming semester. He'd taken a position as a Professor of Historical Artifacts and Antiquity and had only a few weeks left to prepare. It would be his first time devoting his knowledge to the tutoring of others where the Force wasn't concerned, so it took some effort to keep it out of the curriculum.

When [member="Jared Ovmar"] knocked on the door it was not Dissero who answered, but a lovely young redhead who went by the name Amorella Shamalain, formerly Darke.

"Mr. Ovmar," Amore blinked at him in mild surprise. She'd not been informed of his impending visit, but she also was not aware of his previous death, so it was more earnest surprise than ethereal, "what an unexpected surprise."

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Dissero"]

Ah, and there was that grin of his once again.

It just appeared, summoning itself from the depths of his expression and demanding the forefront of attention.

Old habits died hard, it seemed, and if there was one habit that Ovmar had always been guilty of... it was the habit of women. Especially ones that were as lovely as Amore herself - the only reason Jared never made a move on her, was because of his friendship with Di. If there was one thing that always and constantly made a friendship complicated, it was dating your friend's sibling.

That only spelled disaster.

"A pleasant one, I hope, m'lady Shamalain." Jared responded after only a moment of taking her in. A respectful distance was kept, though, it was a long time ago since they had interacted with one another.

Things changed in such a span of time, so there was no reason to strain a fledglingly revived relationship.

 

[Dissero]

"Well," Amore replied pleasantly, warm smile maintaining, "that remains to be seen. I suppose you're here to see Dissero's new home? It's not much to take in just yet, practically empty, oh but I'm being rude-" she stepped aside and motioned the man in, "come in. He's upstairs in ... well, what will become his study eventually. Just up those stairs there."

[member="Jared Ovmar"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Dissero"]

"That's cold, hurtful even." Ovmar teased, before inclining his head slightly as thanks for being let in. He followed her through, those blues studying the hallway into Dissero's house. It was very, very empty, but according to Cerita they had only moved into the new house a few weeks ago.

So it wasn't a completely surprise that they hadn't completely settled in yet.

Hell, knowing Di he dropped all of that the moment his books were organized and started to study again. That man was always appreciative of the literary arts.

"No, I am afraid not." he answered in reply, before looking up to the stairway where the Archivist would be. "I am in a bit of a... bad situation and I am in need of his assistance."

 

[Dissero]

"Jae if you pissed off Ashin again I'm afraid I'll be of no help to you."

This from the upper level, echoing down the aforementioned staircase. Dissero appeared at the top with a wane smile. The last time he'd spoken to Jared the man had aged over 40 years, physically - spiritual aging notwithstanding. Now, it seemed, he'd returned from the dead. Having a heads-up for the dead-man-walking's arrival certainly softened the initial shock, but for someone who had seen the return of numerous dead persons, or the body-swapping of others through his lifetime...?

Very little in the way of death surprised the Archivist.

"Hey buddy," he slowly descended the stairs, leather-soled shoes tapping along worn wood. As he reached the bottom he greeted Jared with a left hand to his shoulder and a right hand offered in a shake, "good to see you. What sort of trouble are you in now?"

[member="Jared Ovmar"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Dissero"]

"Last time I did that, I had to give up military control over Annaj to make up for it." Ovmar replied without missing a beat, as he spotted Dissero walking down the stairway.

"I learned my lesson that day." Marginally so. If his friends knew anything about him, it was his tendency to never really learn anything, unless it directly benefited him.

Infuriating and uncompromising at the best of times.

Hands were shaken, arms grabbed and shoulders grasped. It felt good, felt like the good old times when things were simpler and... brighter. It hadn't been the same since the Fringe collapsed, hell, probably hadn't been the same since before that. Since Andra had gone mad, ran off with Shorn out of all people and things like that.

Since Lipsec.

The shadow passing his eyes vanished as quickly as it appeared, together with that memory.

"Sight for sore eyes, you are, Di." He commented, before shaking his head without his trademark smirk. "Not me, I am afraid. Woulda been more easy, if it was."

"Remember Anaya? ...well, we may or may not have a child together." Long story, his eyes said. "And she just got her captured and imprisoned by the Mandalorians."

It wasn't ever easy with Ovmar, wasn't ever simple either.

 

[Dissero]

"Uhhhh..." the Archivist blinked, looking back and forth between the slack-faced Ovmar and his sister who was attempting to be friendly and listen in without being intrusive. She seemed unsure if she should give the boys their time, but the fact of the matter was that Dissero held very few reservations where her involvement was in his life.

She was the most trustworthy person he knew.

Another blink, the man lifted his hands to his hips before looking back at Jared, "Child? Come again? Anaya who?"

Sadly, or perhaps fortunately, the man had next to no experience with the Sith Mistress herself.

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Dissero"]

There was only confusion radiating away from his friend... who apparently hadn't ever met Anaya.

Which was surprising considering the Fringe and the Sith Empire of old- not that he was around for that last one, but still. For a moment he was just silent while trying to figure out how to best relate this tale.

"She was in the Sith Empire, lethan twi'lek, Sith Lord? Penchant to do stupid things." He loved her. Didn't he? Sometimes it was difficult to keep his emotions... to keep 'em clear and cut.

"She uh... might have made a clone out of our DNA material without letting me know." Now Ovmar was looking a touch sheepishly, because it seemed like these things only happened to him. And when they happened... it was just a whole lot of mess that other people didn't experience.

"Might have taken the kid and ran."

Ovmar frowned at that last one.

"But now she is back, after karking everything up and getting my girl imprisoned by the Mandalorians."

 

[Dissero]

Dissero's eyes narrowed with contemplative judgement.

"Jae, buddy, friend, brother-" he squeezed the man's shoulder with his left hand and leaned in to very quietly give him a piece of advice, "this is why you don't kark Sith women."


"Why don't I fetch you boys something to drink. A good strong drink..." Amore turned and headed off through the home to the kitchen. The one place in the house that had been fully stocked and loaded while everything else trickled in. You don't deprive a pregnant woman of her food.


Dissero cleared his throat and motioned for Jared to follow him into an adjoining sitting room complete with oriental chairs and couches still covered with white moving sheets, "So when you say imprisoned by the Mandalorians...are you speaking of the Empire or the Clans?"

Puppet or Puppeteer?

[member="Jared Ovmar"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Dissero"]

"The Clans." He added, while shaking his head at the entire situation.

You see, when Ovmar was right in the thick of it, right in the middle of a difficult situation? He usually didn't even realize it was... unusual, he just dealt with it one moment at a time. The cool operator, one might say. But now - surrounded by friends who were more normal than that, gauging their reactions to his story - it started to come to him, that this wasn't exactly how most people lived.

Or had children.

"Don't have all the details, yet, but apparently Fen forced her to try and make a deal with Ra - the current Mandalore. He recently declared a crusade against the Sith and Republic alike." Clarification came and went, while they entered the kitchen and he settled down in one of the chairs. "Apparently, the Mandalore wasn't too amused when a Sith's daughter walked up to him and tried to negotiate a deal."

Sarcasm, it ran thick in that last sentence.

 

[Dissero]

Dissero's knowledge on current Mandalorian affairs was limited but there. After making the decision to move to Rudrig it paid to have some idea of who your neighbors were and what their political agendas might happen to be. Unfortunately for most, Ra Viszla had proven to be a wild card exploding onto the scene. Unseating current hierarchy and rallying numbers the galaxy hadn't seen under one banner in ... well, maybe a century. It was an unsettling prospect, made all the more concerning because no one knew where the Wolf was headed. Only Ra Viszla knew what he was going to do next.

The Archivist's brow furrowed in thought as he listened to his friend after taking a seat at the dining room table. Amore appeared a few moments later from the adjoining kitchen and set a steaming mug down before him. He knew the scent of Honoghran tea from miles away.

"We don't have much in the way of adult beverages here, but I found some whiskey his mother sent along. Whyren's Reserve, to calm the nerves," she set a tumbler down infront of Jared, giving the man a gentle squeeze on his shoulder before heading back into the kitchen.

"That sounds like a pretty decisive call to war," Dissero said after several moments of thought and a deep sigh, "though I'm not entirely sure who they think they're rallying as an enemy. The One Sith dissolves by the day, the Triumvirate has gone silent. Unless you've got a secret Sith faction tucked up your sleeve...there's nothing left, not even the old guard of the Fringe."

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Dissero"]

Ovmar patted Amore's hand and then nodded in thanks, before gripping the tumbler with both his hands.

He didn't drink of it yet, but the mere proximity was already enough to start soothing his own emotions on the matter. It was difficult to keep acting like the cool, smooth operator who had everything always under control, so the fact he could take it a bit more... easy while being surrounded by friends? It made things just a bit more bearable in the long run.

A snort came from him then.

"I haven't been a big player in the galactic game since I left, so no secret factions here, I am afraid." Jared responded, before taking a shallow dip into the glass and coming up with fire coursing through his veins. He sneezed at the intensity, before blinking a few wild times.

"Woah, that's got a punch to it. Thanks."

He rubbed his chin for a moment, before shrugging. "I am tapping the old connections I have had - friends, favors owed, allies... -- a fair few have responded, so I think we have got a fair chance at it."

 

[Dissero]

"Buck up," Dissero gave a waspish smirk, "my mother can down a glass of that without batting an eye."

A coarse chuckle followed but it was without heart. Humor - ever the inappropriate coping mechanism that he'd never be broken of. He hugged the surface of his tea mug with a hand while he steeped the cage of pressed leaves and various other ingredients with the other. Tea might not have been an ironic choice for the present discussion. It took time and care; one couldn't just rush into a cup of tea.

"I could provide you with some useful tools. A few Master Tier Velokrons could come in handy. Maybe a generic Marauder's Bag to take them in..."

 

[Jairus Starvald]

His eyes went from the glass to [member="Dissero"] himself.

The lack of offer to join him in the skirmish was noted, Ovmar took another gulp down, this time the burn came from afar.

"Any help you can provide will be appreciated, old friend." He said calmly, quietly, before returning his gaze to glass at hand. "Busy training Sarova, then, I assume?"

Of course, he had no knowledge of Dissero's family situation right now. Otherwise Jared probably would have understood - disappointed maybe, but the understanding would have been there none the less. His mind was too focused on the moment at hand to even pick up on the other minds gliding through the house. If he had been at the top of his game, maybe he would have noticed that there was another presence in the house, besides Amore, Dissero and himself.

 

[Dissero]

A thin, strained smile was given in return. For all his gumption Dissero could not make eye contact with the man. A year ago he would have thrown himself to the cause - strangely worthy as it was. The daughter of his arguably best friend? There were fibers in his being that screamed to take the risk.

But it was a very big risk and not one he was willing to take anymore.

"She's Knighted," he said gently, clearing his throat, "has her own projects, her own business. Delusions of grandeur far greater than my own," a grin didn't quite make it into his expression, "I've released her into the wilds to make the greatest of mistakes. She doesn't need me anymore. Someone else does."

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Dissero"]

"I see." The words came and Ovmar pondered about it.

And pondered.

And pondered.

Then the realization hit him like a freight train, making him blink once, then twice and the glass was completely released. Only then when Ovmar actively paid attention, did he notice the additional sense of life- one vague, fledgling and still very much in motion of growing, the other older and of the feminine persuasion.

"Di," Ovmar began, but he wasn't sure what to say. "I understand."

A smile broke through then, his hand reached out for a grip.

"How long has this been going on?"

 

[Dissero]

Dissero looked up and stared at Ovmar for a beat before his gaze cast around as though the man had suddenly discovered he'd been keeping an embarrassing secret.

"Urhm, well, couple years I guess," the Archivist coughed lightly into a fist before brushing nonexistant dust off the table, "my whole life really. When does it ever really sta- oh," a blink, the man blushed slightly, "oh that. Six...uh, ssss-....seven months." He had to glance to his sister who stood shaking her head at him in the doorway, embarrassed for the man herself.

"Seven months, give or take. You know me, I'm terrible at keeping the time. What with all the planning and excitement. I do my best working off the cuff."

[member="Jared Ovmar"]

 

[Verie Lacroix]

Somewhere, the life form of an older being of the feminine persuasion stirred -- the vehicle of the vague, fledgling, growing life form urging her to shift indirectly by creating an ache in her back. She was in a quiet area, curled with a book against her baby bump, researching. She was planning to build another lightsaber, and wanted to know what received wisdom was before she began to research the newest methods. She knew there were visitors -- knew that they were here to see [member="Dissero"] and not her, so she had kept herself to herself for awhile, but now she needed to stretch her legs and move, so she thought it was time to stop being a hermit.

Cradling her swollen abdomen, she descended the stairs, her swollen ankles and feet making her doubt she had ever been a primo ballerina. She stopped at the doorway and peeked in, watching as Dissero struggled with the math. "About seven months," Verie confirmed walking into the room slowly. "So sorry to push in. Can I get you all anything more to drink? A snack, perhaps?"

[member="Jared Ovmar"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Dissero"] | [member="Verie Lacroix"]

Ovmar shared a grin with Amore across the room, before shaking his head himself.

"I am sure you do." The rest was interrupted when Lacroix decided to enter the room -- he had already been monitoring her movement from the moment he was made aware of her, so it was little surprise to him. It was the paranoia inside of him, always there, always whispering to be careful.

It was no wonder that Di kept her from him - friends or not... they were Sith. And one of the best ways to keep a friendship, was by ensuring that some parts of your lives stayed private.

This Ovmar understood intimately.

"No, no, there's no need for that, at all." The Sith Lord was quick to say, before raising himself from his seat and offering it rather quickly.

Perhaps it was some form of guilt for asking Dissero on a mission like this while he had his own family, perhaps he was trying to make a good impression, perhaps it was all of that or none of it. Who could really know with a man like him, build out of paradoxes, he was and that was one of the few constants you could count on.

"At any rate, Di," Jared readdressed his old friend. "I am thankful for the tools, I will need all the help I can get for this one."