Private No One Knows

[Zaavik Perl]

We get these pills to swallow...
Balmorra, 18:23 Local Time
Darth Daiara | Kaalia Pavanos | Ishana Pavanos
​

Okay, just relax. This is nothing. You got this.

Visiting nearly dead center within Galactic Alliance territory did Zaavik's nerves no favors. On the outside, he wore an impenetrable guise of being unbothered. Inside, though, he was a twelve-speeder pileup. One could suppose that meant he wasn't inordinately far from his usual internal temperament. Living in fear was quite the experience, though it did little to steel him for being back within those abstract cosmic walls.

Pavanos estate was big. It didn't quite reach the levels foreboding extravagance he'd nearly gotten used to on Maena, at least not from the outside, but it was still far more than enough to be intimidating. Even if it all appeared homey and inviting, something about it managed to make his hands sweat a little more than he expected, even for the Balmorran heat.

As soon as he and Aradia reached the front, he wasted no time on a persistent, closed-fist knock. Expenditure of some pent up energy was oddly relieving. Somehow it created a cope for the feeling of imminent doom that had come over him. Half a moment later, he found the actual buzzer. Equally persistent clicks assaulted the button. Muffled chimes from within the abode reached beyond the door to his ears.

One tight step backward, and he'd pried himself out of arms reach of either the door or the module. If they were around to hear, they got the picture by now. Wary of making any more indications of his jitters, he stood still in awkward silence and waited. Almost expecting an SIA agent to answer the door, his fingers twitched in anticipation for his weapon.

With a breeze, his gaze floated over. He didn't imagine Aradia was at ease, either. They both had a real knack for hiding it. Call it a survival skill. She had her own worries, but he didn't question whether or not they were any more reasonable or intense than his own. Half of them, he couldn't even mention. Kaalia and his correspondence previous to their arrival was still a secret. It wasn't one he felt to good about keeping either.

"You ready?" He definitely wasn't.

 

[Darth Daiara]

No.

Why did she let him talk her into this?

The hairs on the back of her neck rose with the wind, a wary glance drifting over her shoulder. They had enemies in every corner of this world, and yet this... this was the lion's den.

What if they turn and ran? Would anyone even--

"Aradia?" A little voice squealed. Her head whipped up to find the rounded cheeks of Gideon grinning down at her-- five, mischivious, and totally not quiet. His cheeks puffed as he sucked in air.

"Moooooooooooooooooooom, Aradia's back and she looks funnnnnny! -- Did you fall in mud?" He chirped, his head poking back out the window above them.

Aradia groaned, her feet rooting into the ground.

"This was a bad idea."

 

[Ishana Pavanos]

The Pavanos Estate.

Hot as kriff as it might be on Balmorra in the summer, Ishana loved every minute of it. The rolling hills of green where the family's grove grew, and somewhere beyond the grove. The grass for grazing as the livestock was shepherded by Ishana's brother-in-law Casnar and her nephew Theodoros. Outside of the view of either Darth Daiara and Zaavik Perl goods came into the estate by beast-drawn carriage, and Ishana who happened to be working on the brick oven outside the house had not heard the insistent knocks and rings.

Which might have been a good thing, as annoyed as she was working with her sister Aaliyah on the project. The cool sea breeze brought sweet relief to the former Imperial pilot as her daughters Xariah and Xarielle ran down the path from their house to get her. Ishana dressed in a loose white shirt and black pants with a simple brown belt and boots, pulled her now salt and pepper colored hair up. "Mom, Aradia's home," Xarielle said somewhat out of breath.

Aradia had been the subject of much conversation at the old homestead, and so, Ishana sighed with relief. "Well good, go get your ma and I'll go see to Aradia."

"She's got a boy with her."

One of the twins said just as Ishana had started to head toward the house. Ishana only raised her hand with a finger pointed up in the air and the two girls decided to help their aunt with the brick oven, while mom went back inside. Thank the Force for Gideon, Gideon was often by Aradia's side, and as much as he always thought he was being sneaky. He never was, plus he was loud, and so finding them was pretty easy.

Ishana stopped off in the kitchen to wash her hands, and had taken a hand towel with her into the sitting room. She draped it over her shoulder once her hands were dry, the Balmorran looked between the pair in the room and then at Gideon. "Hey kid, go get your ma," if the twins hadn't already done so then Gideon would definitely get her.

Kaalia Pavanos ​

"Hi," she greeted Zaavik, "names Ishana, welcome to the humble abode, and you..."

She stepped toward Aradia, getting to eye level with the teen she said lovingly, "welcome home."

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

Darth Daiara | Ishana Pavanos | Zaavik Perl

Kaalia had heard the ever-loud Gideon all the way from her study. Though she could not make out her son's exact words from where she was, with the message she had received earlier that day at the forefront of her mind the woman was quick to connect the dots. With a few swift keystrokes, the terminal she sat before shut off. The family business' bookkeeping could wait. It was nearly time for dinner, anyway, and the return of her daughter was more than enough of a reason to make the meal that bit more festive.

Meanwhile, Azarin had been reading a book on the floor. The shouting from her younger brother had elicited no reaction from the only child that had inherited Kaalia's scarlet locks, but she finally looked up from the page as Gideon came bursting in.

"Ma!" that same voice, ill-adjusted to the indoors, called out to her as the door behind her opened. Gideon had found her mother before she had even gotten up from her chair. "Mom told me to call you. Aradia's home and she looks weird." The boy held onto the doorframe and hung from it as he tried to get his mom's attention.

"Really now," Kaalia responded, the slight hint of humor in her voice lost on the five-year-old. "Let's go see how weird she looks then."

"She looks reaaaaally weird!" he nearly shouted as he bolted back towards the sitting room.

"Careful on the stairs, Gideon!"

"Yeeeeeees, ma!"

Gideon would be the first of the two to return, followed by the much more quiet Azarin and Kaalia herself shortly after. Her eyes were on Aradia first, who indeed looked very different from the last time she had seen her, though a split second was spent acklowedging the young man that accompanied her. He would get his moment to talk with her like he wanted, just not this moment.

"Well, that's certainly a different look," Kaalia spoke with gladness found between the lines, feeling much more relieved now that Aradia was here again. Their last encounter had left the woman with more than a handful of sleepless nights. "I'm glad you're back, and on time for dinner no less." There still was some time before then, which Aradia likely was going to need to mentally prepare herself.

"How's the oven looking, miala? Can we start setting the table yet?" The quick look in her wife's direction made it clear the relief was shared.

 

[Zaavik Perl]

A humorous grin cracked across Zaavik's face when the voice called from a window. It got bigger when Aradia groaned. It did look a little weird. Maybe he was just more used to and fond of the old color. That, or he did a worse job than he thought.

"This was a bad idea."

"You never mentioned having a brother," he observed. Before that topic had much of a chance to progress, the door opened. Brief intermission from tension and anxiety ended the moment the figure appeared. That wasn't Kaalia. Look too old to be a sister. Zaavik's fingers twitched, nearly drawing.

"Hi, names Ishana, welcome to the humble abode-"

Oh, right. That was nearly a disaster. He was so on edge he could nearly plummet. "Zaavik," he returned the introduction with a nod. She probably knew that already. "Nice to meet you," he croaked, doing his best to sound untroubled. One check over his shoulder and he let out a gust of relief. Every wild idea about the family being tied up or something while agents waited to beat him to the ground began to fade.

Others appeared, then Kaalia. He always had assumed she'd run the place, but the dynamic here wasn't what he'd expected. For some reason he'd assumed Aradia was an only child. Cleary that was far from the case. Zaavik tried to appear insouciant when Kaalia gave him the quick look of acknowledgement. He might have flinched instead.

"How's the oven looking, miala? Can we start setting the table yet?"

Don'tsayyou'restarvingDon'tsayyou'restarvingDon'tsayyou'restarvingDon'tsayyou'restarving.

Zaavik sunk his hands into his jacket pockets. Black leather whined as it stretched slightly. Reactive cooling fabrics brought relief to his clammy fingers. He kept his mouth shut initially. This wasn't about him, although it had been his idea. Ulterior motives aside, he didn't have any intentions to get in the way. Eyes cast a sideways glance at Aradia, then double-took back to everyone else. That repeated a few times more, wondering if everyone knew him already, or if he should bother to introduce himself.

Maybe staying under the radar until after the discussion was the right move.

 

[Darth Daiara]

Aradia shied back, unable to help the way she squirmed under Ishana Pavanos 's affectionate greeting, even if it was nothing more than a welcome filled with warmth.


The woman had been nothing but kind to her. In fact she was the reason Aradia had ascended from apprentice to daughter at all. Aradia always thought it was just... cause she looked too much like one of their children and she had shown her face one too many times.

She hadn't been permitted to show her face in the past. The change in dynamic was requiring a lot of patience from the two that came down to the door.

Aradia looked down at her feet, not meeting Kaalia in the eye as she came over. "Hi." She embraced the change in topic, not prying as Kaalia spoke to Ishana about dinner.

Crap. They weren't meant to come for that. A forlorn look was cast at Zaavik. Did he count his timezones wrong? Her fingers itched to wrap around his but found themselves brushes air and leather. It was probably for the best. It was childish to want his comfort. ...A little crazy to hold hands with him in front of them too.

They weren't really her parents, she insisted, but already they were feeling like it.

She scuffed her feet into the dirt, then walked in when the door was cracked their way. A tiny form crashed into Aradia, a five year old nearly knocking her to the ground. "Oof!" She complained.

"You're back!"

"Yup."

"Your hair's dirty."

"It's dye."

"Who's this?"

Aradia blushed and pried Gideon off her legs. A nervous glance was tossed at the two matriarchs hovering over them. "...A friend," she lied, unconvincingly.

"Um... Yeah. This is Zaavik," she told them both, eyes still catching on the ground. Zaavik would have never seen her so timid before, or out of her element. It wouldn't make sense. Aradia was afraid of nothing.

"We're just here for ...food, I guess..."

Ishana Pavanos Kaalia Pavanos Zaavik Perl

 

[Ishana Pavanos]

The Pavanos Estate

​

Ishana took a step back and watched the exchange, she then hid her smirk. "Uh-huh," she acknowledged Darth Daiara with a tone of disbelief, but that was as far as she was going to let it go. Ishana figured if Aradia wanted her to know, she'd say something, "well good thing, it's the big family dinner... y'know the one we have every week, with all of the family." A slight gesture in the air with her hand, placing emphasis on the word all. "Just about habibti, well, c'mon don't you two just sit there."​

​

The Balmorran welcomed the two with a smile, "let's head out back, everyone's getting prepared."​

​

Every week there was a family dinner, but every month there was the big one. The one where no matter where you were, what you were doing, you made the time to be there. It was a big celebration of love, life, and the blessings from the gods for which the family was grateful. "Gideon, go get Azarin and the two of you need to go make sure uncle Cas and your cousin Thiago know about dinner." ​

​

"ISHANA!" Called Dali into the home, "ISHANA! MOM NEEDS YOU!"​

​

An audible exhale from the woman as she placed her hands on her hips and looked over her shoulder slightly, "I'll be right there!" She sent back and then turned her attention back to Aradia and Zaavik Perl , "when Gideon and Azarin get back, you two can help them set the table, and Aradia don't let him set the chairs on fire, ...again."​

​

Before Ishana went left the room, she stepped toward Aradia and pulled her in for a motherly hug, "glad to have you back kiddo." Giving the now brunette teen a familial kiss on the cheek. She turned to leave the room, with her hand lightly tugging at Kaalia's as she did so. Sure, it might've seemed like this off-the-cuff offer to bring Aradia into the family, but honestly? Ishana knew what kind of life the dark side held and she knew what it could lead to, most especially, when there was nothing to anchor the person down. ​

​

Oh sure, the dark side could corrupt even the purest of Jedi.​

​

Sure.​

​

Didn't stop Ishana from offering her heart and her home to a kid who needed one, even if they couldn't see it.​

​

Love could do so much, and if her near twenty years of marriage with Kaalia was proof of anything, it was proof that love really was all anyone needed. Stepping out the back door, Ishana surveyed the large estate her attention falling to the large pavilion that held an amazing view of the sea. Where there was love, there was hope, and with hope, there would always be a will. ​

​

Kaalia Pavanos ​

​

​

​

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

Ishana Pavanos | Darth Daiara | Zaavik Perl

It would have felt a little strange to only learn Zaakvik's first name on the third meeting, but she had already learned it between the last time and now. Bounty messages were common enough, and his face had become a common sight on them. It was quite bold to come here despite the price on his head. Kaalia had a much harder time disregarding what Zaavik had said to her in his message now that he had taken the risk he had just to meet her in person. He did have a few more words to share with him, though. Seeing him on edge made the fact he carried a weapon a little too uncomfortable.

"Before then, I do have to ask you to keep your weapon away from the dinner table, Zaavik. I have a locker in my study, if you'd like to keep it safe there."

It doubled as an excuse to pull him somewhere private. More importantly, though, that way Kaalia's mother-in-law would not chew him out over it. One did not go against Aalicya Pavanos' rules. Nobody had thought to bring a weapon to the family dinner before, but Kaalia knew her well enough to know it was a bad idea.

And perhaps she wanted to address the very obvious shift in dynamic between the zeltron and her daughter she had noticed as well, a daughter that was clearly not the most comfortable either.

"ISHANA!" Called Dali into the home, "ISHANA! MOM NEEDS YOU!"

Kaalia could not resist a chuckle at her wife's sigh. "You go on ahead with Aradia, actually. I can show Zaavik where he can leave his gear in the meantime. We'll join you afterwards." Kaalia's attention shifted towards Aradia, but the girl still had her gaze fixated on the floor.

"I know the big dinners are always a bit hectic for you, so it's okay if you need some time for yourself when it gets too much. The family will be very happy to see you, though," the woman reassured right after Ishana's hug, after which she gave Aradia one of her own right after. "What your mom said. Welcome home."

Even if it was likely not much more than a short visit.

Ishana tugging at her hand prompted Kaalia to lean in for a quick kiss before returning her attention to Zaavik and gesturing to the hallway that led to the second floor. "It's upstairs. I promise you won't need any weapons here," Kaalia quipped. Deep down, though, she was keenly aware of how serious their incoming conversation was going to be.

 

[Zaavik Perl]

" I do have to ask you to keep your weapon away from the dinner table, Zaavik. I have a locker in my study, if you'd like to keep it safe there."

If you'd like?

Zaavik didn't say anything, but the furrow of his brow said 'not really' on its own. They were deep in the hornet's nest for this. If someone turned on him or caught wind of his presence, he'd be chit out of luck if every method of self-preservative recourse was locked in a box somewhere. Had Kaalia figured out there was a blaster in his jacket too? What about the one in his waistband? The blades in his boots?

Was it worth trying to get away with? He'd have what he needed, but if he was caught? Causing problems wasn't the intention he came with. Solving problems was the motivator here. The more he cooperated, the more amiable everyone would be, he hoped. A little voice in his head argued, There's always a chance they're all in on it, waiting for the chance to snatch me themselves.

No way to find out except the hard way, if he wanted to keep any chance of this working.

"It's upstairs. I promise you won't need any weapons here,"

Better opportunity than any. Metal fingers came up to his forehead, brushing trimmed strands back out of his face. "Fine, lead on," he feigned resignation. Large motions and glimmering appendage caught eyes, misdirecting attention way from the hand at his side. Furtively, in passing as he stepped forward, his organic fingers gave Aradia's wrist a quick squeeze.

Mental message pulsed through the contact. 'Don't stress on it,' it reassured knowingly.

Down the hallway, one half-glance over the shoulder made sure. Zaavik followed Kaalia into the study, vividly aware of every exit his eyes could manage to mark. Standing before a table surface next to the locker, Zaavik uncoupled the saber from his belt and placed it down while he waited for Kaalia to unlock the container. He hesitated, considered, argued with himself, all in the course of two seconds.

Suddenly, he reached in his jacket, freed a blaster from an inside pocket and laid it beside the hilt. Then another from behind in the waistband of his pants. Leaning down, he pulled up a pantleg and removed a sheathed vibroblade from the leg of his boot. Finally, his heels clicked together, a blade shot out from the toe of his right boot, protruding from the toes. The opposite foot stepped on the flat, and one lift of his leg pulled it free. The severed blade snapped into his fingers with one telekinetic whisk.

Onto the table it went, along with the rest of the armory.

That was all. Well- Chit- besides the things within his prosthesis he couldn't take out. He forgot about those. They wouldn't expect him to take the whole arm off too, would they? Bone-welding didn't really make that luxury very pleasant or easy. Okay, so maybe he would sneak something in, but only because he thought it was unreasonable not to bring his dominant hand in with him.

Zaavik flicked a pointed finger towards the door panel of the study. A weak, electric stream of mechu macture flashed dimly. "Relax," he ensured, holding up the hand pacifistically. "It's just so no one walks in. Won't last long." Some warning might have made the maneuver a shred above tactless. No time for worrying about manners. This is it. "We don't have long before someone suspects something either so-"

Unceremoniously, the sentence died. Zaavik blinked, head flinching down slightly. "You have something to say too, don't you? I can feel it." Insight and empathy worked on everyone. Even former Dark Councilors, it seemed.

"What?" he asked defensively.

 

[Darth Daiara]

And then there were two.

Aradia's eyes followed their trail out. All hunger died in its tracks. She was nauseous, painfully so. She could barely catch her breath with how fast her heart pounded in her chest.

She finally caught sight of Azarin, the younger red head watching in her quiet way. "She's not gonna beat him up again, right?" The girl stepped forward, putting an arm around Aradia's shoulder and guiding her out with the rest of the family. She was the only one that could coax the panic from Aradia's chest.

Perhaps it was her quiet nature, or maybe just cause they looked alike.

She liked her.

"Again?" The girl echoed.

Aradia shook her head, dismissing the unfortunate reveal. The sea air kissed their face. They stepped around Ishana Pavanos , the two slowing for her direction.

"Okay but, what really happened to your hair?"

Aradia touched it self-consciously. "It doesn't look bad... does it?" She looked between them both, her expression slowly gaining concern the longer they took to answer.

Ishana Pavanos Kaalia Pavanos Zaavik Perl

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

Where one was most certainly feeling on edge, Kaalia was the opposite. The only reason for Kaalia to look behind had been to gesture Zaakvik into the study and close the door behind them. Her demeanor quickly shifted the moment the door clicked into place, her warm and welcoming visage making way for one that was much more difficult to read. She still was far from certain why the zeltron wanted to speak with her, especially considering the complete indifference he had shown her before, but it had to have been important enough to reach out to someone who had left him worse for wear the first time they met.

Zaavik had come armed to a comical degree, eliciting a raised eyebrow from Kaalia. Regardless, the safe had been opened for him, revealing a total of four lightsaber hilts inside. Two of them were clearly meant to be a pair, a simple yet elegant design shared between them, while the other two hilts looked much more worn. One of them was exceedingly simple in design, not unlike a padawan's first saber, while the other fit much better at the hip of someone taught in the ways of the Dark side.

"Code's nine-two-six-four," Kaalia told Zaavik to hopefully put his mind at ease a little more. Giving the code to him meant he was able to retrieve his items without having to rely on the woman. She would simply change it once he had done so. She waited on him to store the last of his weapons before getting to the much more important part.

After addressing his last act of paranoia, at least.

"I did have something to say, yes, but about that..." Kaalia responded as she walked over to her desk. "It was a little unnecessary. I get it, you're wanted all across Alliance space, but nothing's happening to you here. If someone like me can live here, there really isn't anything to worry about. Regardless, we'll keep it short if that makes you feel any safer."

The woman placed her hand flat on the desktop, shooting a glance at Zaavik as she did that betrayed just how much she already knew. "If you end up breaking her heart, you should be more afraid of my wife than me. Take that as you will," Kaalia remarked coolly. It was the only thing she had to say on the matter, but she was certain the message had been brought across.

"Now- do excuse me for taking the initiative instead of waiting for your signal, by the way- you said you needed my help."

 

[Ishana Pavanos]

The Pavanos Estate

Ishana watched as Azarin and Aradia walked ahead of her and as they did so, it evoked a memory. She swore she saw her sisters in front of her, she swore that it was just a minute ago, she was there walkin' with her sister down to the grove. Where did the time go? Not so long ago Azarin was givin' Ishana a toothless grin, and Aradia was still an apprentice but somewhere along the way Azarin grew and Aradia became more than just an apprentice. She became part of the family, just as it was supposed to be. All her life, Ishana hadn't been the kind of person that believed in the whole everything happened for a reason, but then there were days.​

​

Days just like this where that belief, well, showed itself. ​

​

The twins, the twins rushed up to meet their sisters, and Force help the Balmorran as she saw the four teens crowded around one another. The twins inspected their sisters' new hair, Ishana just took a deep breath and exhaled, and kept on walking toward that stone oven on the deck near the Pavillon. "Oven's done, but mom needed help gettin' the food over here," Aaliyah remarked, breaking Ishana's thoughts, Ishana wiped the tears that threaten to fall from her eyes.​

​

"Right."​

​

"Wait, were you crying?"​

​

"What? No, just allergies, c'mon let's go see what the old woman's got planned for tonight," Ishana remarked with a pat on Aaliyah's shoulder with an understanding. Aaliyah gave Ishana a tight smile and walked alongside her older sister and there settled between them was a comfortable silence. Until Aaliyah looked over her shoulder and caught a glimpse of Aradia and the girls. "You remember those days? Talking about hair, boys, girls, and what we were gonna do?"​

​

Ishana gave a slight smile and then a nod of acknowledgment, "oh yeah, wasn't but the other day you and Dali wanted to go for a ride in my beat-up X-Wing."​

​

"I remember we had to tug it up a hill, twice, because the cable holding it snapped on the way," recalled Ishana's sister with a laugh, "and you went running down that hill so fast."​

​

"Didn't even see the mud slick until I was in it, oh yeah," a happy memory, one of the many the fighter pilot had of those days. Even if sometimes they were a bit fuzzy, and the two sisters met with the youngest, Dali who was by their mother Aaliyca. Aaliyca looked between the three and started directing each one to take different trays and carts up to the stone oven. ​

​

Ishana had taken over a lot of the cooking these days, and with her sister's help, they went one by one from the centermost home which belonged to Ishana's parents, up to the pavilion. The younger two sisters were sent down to help their mother and father further. While she started the oven up, building heat while doing the rest of the prep work. ​

​

The stone oven rested on its own deck as part of a large outdoor kitchen, custom-built for the family. Ishana knew there would be at least two stews, several variations of seafood and meat dishes, and a variety of vegetable sides to go along with it. Bread would be prepped by either Dali or Aaliyah along with tea. Dessert would be done by one of the aunties or uncles on Ishana's mother's side, her fathers' side of the family would bring pasta or rice-based dishes. It was always said, you wouldn't go hungry at a Pavanos dinner, there was something for everyone.​

​

"Gideon!" Shouted Ishana, "hey, why don't you and your sisters go set the table and make sure your grandparents have good seats, alright?"​

​

Gideon who, Force only knew where he was had come zipping around the corner trying to put the fire out in his hand. Ishana stood there for a moment and looked at him, "you have to tell it to stop."​

​

"Oh." Gideon deadpanned and then, "stop!"​

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The fire in his hand went out.​

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"Now, go-"​

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"Get my sisters, I KNOW!"​

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Ishana shifted her lips to the side as she watched him run off, "for five years old you are way too snippy."​

​

"Reminds me of someone I knew at that age," Grandma Aalicya remarked.​

​

Ishana stood straight up, turned around on her heels in a rather perfect about-face. "Mom, yes, hi - yep, yeah I have no clue what, uh, I- I'm gonna just get to work."​

​

Gideon meanwhile ran into his sisters, literally. He then repeated what he had been told and then wanted to show his sisters what he had learned and that was summoning fire to his hand. ​

Darth Daiara | Kaalia Pavanos | Zaavik Perl ​

 

[Zaavik Perl]

"If you end up breaking her heart, you should be more afraid of my wife than me. Take that as you will,"

She knows? Of course she knows. The way she said it implied they both knew. Not that it was some kind of dark secret, but Aradia hadn't made a good case for surreptitiousness. "Whatever," Zaavik retorted. Threats, even well-intentioned ones, were making him more and more jaded lately. "You got bigger things to worry about. Sooner or later she's not even gonna have a heart to break if we don't-" Eyes squeezed tight, head shook. Not the best wording he'd ever chosen.

"We need to remove Vesta from the picture," he blurted, redirecting the poor segue and diving directly into the point. "I figured if you could've done it yourself, you would've." Zaavik hoped that was the case, at least. After that statement, it went without saying he knew what had happened with Kaalia encountering the two of them. "If I could, I would've by now," he confessed.

"The former Shadow of Knowledge and a former Dark Councilor together, though? Chit, there's probably no one we can't take down."

Did he overestimate them, or underestimate Vesta? If the way he'd calculated it in his head was correct, the answer was neither. He liked that answer.

"I could go on, but- I'm still unsure if you'll even help me."

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

If nothing else, Zaavik was not one to be thrown off-balance easily. Whether he had taken it as the warning it was supposed to be or a mindlessly spoken threat remained unclear, but the fact he was much more bothered with the topic he wanted to discuss made it clear there was something that bothered him more than anything Kaalia could do to him here. Thankfully, he wasted little time getting to the point.

Though the woman had not heard of the name Vesta before, the connection to Aradia's new master was quickly made. The thought of dealing with her had gone through her head the time they met. Ultimately, she had concluded it would have changed nothing. While Vesta had been the main factor that caused Aradia's dangerously quick descent into the Dark, eliminating her master was not the answer. It would only have been a matter of time before the next Sith master took her place and the manipulations would continue. Even more depressing was the fact that Aradia trusted Vesta; it meant that anything done to the Sith master would be seen as a direct attack against herself as well.

"The damage has already been done. Chances are things will only get worse, if we're unlucky." A clearly-bothered Kaalia stepped away from the desk and looked out the window. As calming as the view was, it did little for her. "I don't think she's too far gone, not in the slightest. But this is not a problem solved with mere violence." Perhaps an ironic statement, coming from the woman who had filled the Sith Empire's seat of the Triumvir of Strength twice over.

Ultimately, Vesta had opened the door, but removing her would not close it. Turning Aradia away from the manipulation and self-destruction could only be achieved if she unraveled the lies herself.

"We both know how stubborn she is. Kill Vesta, and before you know it she may just be dancing to the tune of someone even worse. We need to do something about this, and we will, but it has to go beyond 'removing her'."

Suddenly, Kaalia came to a stop. Her head snapped towards Zaavik, piercing emerald eyes meeting his amber gaze. A dormant fury hid behind them, flames of a past life still very much alive.

"She hurt Aradia, didn't she?"

Zaavik did not need to answer the question. His push to come here made sense, now. This had become personal.

 

[Zaavik Perl]

"She hurt Aradia, didn't she?"

Zaavik had an inkling that Kaalia already knew the answer to that. One word gave it life nevertheless, "Yeah." Memories of the marks he'd seen projected themselves behind his eyes. His once uninhibited regard drifted towards the floor as he uttered the confirmation. Anger flared, accented by nebulous sense of guilt as a realization struck. Elaboration would dictate he explain how exactly he'd been able discover the evidence he had. To her Mother, no less? Might as well shoot him on the spot.

"She is stubborn, you're right, but you gotta believe me about getting rid of that shifter," he implored. Naming what Vesta was came with an edge of contempt sharp enough for a Humanocentrist in regards to a Xeno. Were he not very clearly inhuman, it would have been more than adequately convincing. Years worth of pent up anger and hatred were being directed towards that Dark Lord. It outweighed the amount Vesta had created for herself.

That didn't make it feel any less deserved at the moment.

"There won't be another," he insisted. "I won't let there be." Zaavik's usually dead sure confidence had diminished to a fifty-fifty uncertainty. He was giving the façade of one-hundred percent a good effort, though. "I can dissuade her from that. I could have with Vesta too, but..." He grimanced. "I wasn't there."

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

At the beginning of their conversation, Kaalia would have been content with a mere separation of Aradia and Vesta. Making an attempt on the Sith master's life would have been a pointless risk to take. With this revelation, however, that she had dared to put her hands on her daughter, there was only one method of justice left.

She would rip the very soul out of Vesta's body if she had to. The grasp of the Netherworld had not left her and she would use it to its fullest extent if that was what it took. Yet still, Vesta's death alone would not suffice.

"She has already gone this far. For that, the wretch will pay, dearly," Kaalia spoke with a quiet fury. The Darkness around her swelled in a way it had not done for a long time. "But we need to get those twisted ideas out of Aradia's head. Everything else we do will be for naught otherwise."

Kaalia's Darkness was one kept firmly under control. Decades of practice and mastery had crafted an iron will that claimed dominion of the power of the Dark side. Even in her anger, it did not take her mind.

"We will return to this. We shouldn't keep Aradia waiting, if she's as paranoid as you are," Kaalia remarked. She glanced over at the door before walking towards it, a subtle hint asking Zaavik to undo what he had done earlier. "I will go talk to her later in the evening. She clearly took our last conversation the wrong way, so hopefully I can clear up some of the misconceptions."

Kaalia would wait until her unspoken request was granted, unwilling to damage the door to get out. Before leaving, she would say one last thing on the topic they had discussed. "You clearly care about her. I'm choosing to trust you, for her sake."

 

[Zaavik Perl]

"You clearly care about her. I'm choosing to trust you, for her sake."

Sudden cessation conceived a lingering pause. Zaavik glowered, a mask to obscure any sentiment the observation might have sought to dig up. Clearly, she said. Denial about those feelings was from a stage long past, yet an external indication made him defensive. Might as well have been a giant sign pointing to a vulnerability, thus designating his feigned coldness as a barrier.

"Can't jump her too early, and 's bound to go ass-up if we hit her at home." Redirecting the subject made it easier to bear. "I'll keep eyes on the spook, see what I can gather about her routine, find us a window." This was far from his first rodeo where clandestine removals were concerned. It showed. "I'll keep in touch," he declared. A digital chime sounded, from across the room. The previously shocked door panel had returned to operating capacity. Good timing, almost like it had been planned.

One last look toward the matriarch, and then he left on his own initiative with his hands slid into his jacket pockets. Descending the stairway, he circled around to approach sounds of occupants.

Four separate excuses fabricated themselves preemptively before he'd found anyone.