Private Notation From The Stars

[Arcturus Dinn]

"I..." He paused. Frowned. "I don't know, actually..."​

​

He hadn't seen Odana since being pulled from that weird planet. Years had passed, Maliphant had gone from a man freshly freed to a figure of power in that time, and Odana had never been made mention of again. He wondered why that was.​

​

Arcturus frowned. Then he watched as she set about fixing the pommel issue.​

​

"Uh, yeah... I dabbled. Briefly." His time on Lorrd had been truly eye opening. Pravus had been unhinged but in the best possible way. He missed learning from him, even if Arcturus had mostly been a glorified book fetcher during his stay.​

​

Ishani Dinn​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

"You don't know, or you just haven't asked?" His answer might reveal something about Maliphant, but more likely it would speak volumes to Arc's character. Had he cared enough about Odana to inquire, and been given an uncertain answer, or had he been afraid to find out the truth?

"You dabbled?" Letting the new, fully formed sword resting against her palms, she approached where he sat. "What exactly does that mean?"

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

Boy, was it hot in here? Arcturus felt like he was beginning to sweat under her scrutiny.​

​

"Odana was someone from my first few months with Maliphant. Then... Well..." He looked away, had he shared this story with her before? Maybe not. "I ended up stuck on a planet. Crashlanded. Time moved differently there, Ish. It took years from me, sure, but when I was found, and returned to the Galaxy, decades... Literal decades had passed. Maliphant went from being just a simple Sith to.. Well.. what he is today. And I was sick, and being reintroduced to society, then I stupidly found myself in the Nether, and went through that whole ordeal..."​

​

Not that he regretted going into the Nether. He'd helped save Noelle's mom, and he'd met Kal. Call that a double win.​

​

"And after that? Well... I don't know. Everything just became a rhythm of expectation didn't it? Classes to attend, lessons to learn, tasks for Maliphant, etcetera. I..."​

​

He ran a hand up through his hair.​

​

"I never thought to ask." That... That bothered him more than he expected it would.​

​

Of course that wasn't the only snippet of information she wanted clarification on.​

​

"He taught me the basics, mostly we focused on sorcery in general though. Didn't exactly raise the dead or anything, just... Laid the foundation, in case I ever wanted to explore it further."​

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He'd wanted to, too, before the whole crashlanding experience.​

​

Ishani Dinn ​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

He had his excuses, although she could tell by the look on his face that he felt bad about not asking sooner. Still, it was up to him to act on it. “Well, as the old saying goes, ‘if you need to, keep time on me’,” she said, moving a chair to sit beside him with her sword across her knees. “I don’t plan on letting you disappear on me.”

Arcturus explained a little more about his time as a novice necromancer. She had to admit, the subject didn’t really interest her—the lingering Chaldean parts of her identity were repulsed by the idea of summoning the dead—but she liked to listen. She wanted to learn everything about him, after all.

“Who taught you this? Was it Maliphant, or someone else?”

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

"I... Honestly have no idea what that means," he said with an awkward chuckle to the mention of keeping time. One hand moved to rub at the back of his neck, watching as she brought a chair over to sit beside him. Her newly completed blade lay across her lap.​

​

Next came the question of who had tried to teach him necromancy.​

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"Not Maliphant, no, another Sith over on Lorrd. I was sent to act as his assistant, and along the way he divulged information to me and let me watch snippets of his work. A long time ago, though... I don't even really remember his name."​

​

There was so much he only vaguely remembered. So much more he didn't remember at all. But thankfully he still had more recent years down pat, so that was something wasn't it?​

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Ishani Dinn ​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

“It’s keeping time in a musical sense, I think. Like if you’re in a band, you have to match your rhythm with your bandmates.” She had been trying to be clever, conflating lost time with kept time, but now that she thought about it it didn’t make a whole lot of sense. Oh well, moving on!

With the sword completed, they were just killing time anyway… heh, nailed it. “I remember you told me you used to travel around a lot, just to serve as an assistant to various Sith. Were they all good to you?” That didn’t quite sound right, better be more specific. “I mean, did you learn something from all of them?”

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

"Are you asking me to look to you to measure the passage of time, or..?"​

​

Nope. He was still confused by it all. So very confused. He rubbed his forehead, then peered over at her when she asked her next question. Were they good to him? Had they been..? She equated that to him getting something out of the deal, but for Arcturus the two were not synonymous.​

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"The ones since I came to Mal? Yes. They were good to me."​

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Arcturus made a conscious decision not to speak about the others. She could already infer enough given some of their tear-filled conversations as of late. He didn't feel the need to breathe life back into those conversations.​

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"Alright, come on. No use sitting around in here, unless there's something else you're hoping to do?"​

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He made to rise up, provided she didn't in fact have other plans.​

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Ishani Dinn ​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

"Are you asking me to look to you to measure the passage of time, or..?"

"Eh yeah, let's go with that." Bottom line, he could rely on her.

His response to her question, oddly phrased as it was, had a slightly clipped nature to it. Not in a rude way, but it was clear he didn't want to discuss it anymore. Accordingly, he changed the subject, suggesting they leave.

"Nope, nothing else to do." She was eager to get away from the forge's heat. On the other hand, completing her sword meant that there was just one thing left to do: get a tattoo. Her stomach flip-flopped at the thought.

Not afraid of the pain? Ha. Tell me another one.

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

Cool. Everything Forge-wise was done with, so he shut off the power and led her toward the exit once more. He'd be back in there soon enough, it was somewhere he liked to spend his time dabbling after all, but for Ishani it may end up being the final time she stepped foot inside. With that in mind he turned and peered over it before the door could close, remembering how nice it had been to have her company there.

Back through the Academy they wandered, before the sound of a received message chimed on his datapad. He pulled it out and glanced down over it, then grinned.

"When do you want to go for that tattoo, Ish?" he inquired, in as innocent a tone as he could possibly muster up. He didn't stop walking though, but he also didn't respond to the message. Not until she'd settled on a date.

"I'm hungry. Are you hungry? Do you maybe want to leave this place for a little while? I know, why don't we take your ship. Maybe to, uh, I don't knoooow...."

Ponder, ponder, ponder, think think think, pause for dramatic effect.

"Coruscant?"

Was that a bad idea? Probably. But was that where Arcturus actually had a couple of contacts, after the months he'd spent with the Rand family? Yup. Yes it was.

Ishani Dinn​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

As if he could read her mind, Arc asked her when she wanted the tattoo done. “Uh.” She chewed her lip. “I dunno. Whenever your, um, friends want to do it, I guess…”

Hungry? She couldn’t think about food. They were going to stick a needle in her and inject ink between the layers of her skin…

“Cor—Coruscant?!” she blurted. Her eyes darting, she stepped closer to him, lowering her voice to a whisper. “Why? Wha—On my ship? But I thought you said…” He didn’t believe that Vixen could fly.

On the other hand, the idea of going to Coruscant with him, or even just getting away for a little while, was too tempting to deny. “...okay, I guess. Sure.” She grabbed his hand and dragged him through the halls toward the hangar. “Make sure that you do bring some stuff this time. Oh wait, do I have everything I need?... yeah. Go, go!”

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

"Whenever, whenever?" he inquired, sloooowly beginning to type a response on the datapad. His finger hovered over the send button. "Likeeee, in the time it would take us to reach Coruscant? That kind of whenever, whenever?" Coruscant would take a while. Maybe they could see it as a mini-vacation. Time alone on the Shard-like ship, time alone on Coruscant... Then the time it took them to get back to Korriban.

Why, it was a full on vacation if they looked at it that way.

Ishani seemed dubious at first, after all what crazed Sith went to Coruscant? But then she thought about it, and likely came to the same conclusion he had. He grinned when her excitement flared up, and next thing he knew he was being pulled along toward the hangar. That was before she realized he had nothing of his own aboard her ship.

"Easy, now... I have some things I need to grab, beyond just clothes too. You mind if I bring a project to work on?" Would she mind? Not if he only worked on it when she was busy or asleep most likely. He'd make sure it was a small one. Maybe something sand based. Sand based was good.

He kissed her cheek, then parted ways to go back to his suite and fetch a few things.

Soon enough he was clambering up the boarding ramp of Vixen. "Ishaaaaniii" he called out, full of goofball energy, "I'm hoooomeee...."

Ishani Dinn

 

[Ishani Dinn]

“That’s why you want to go to Coruscant?” She was starting to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Also, eep, tattoo. “...Okay.”

"Easy, now... I have some things I need to grab, beyond just clothes too. You mind if I bring a project to work on?"

“Yeah, sure, of course.” Her excitement hadn’t abated, but she was a bit more subdued now that she knew the intended goal of their trip—not to mention that he was going to actually see the rest of her ship.

After sending him off to get his things, she raced to the Vixen. The ship hadn’t been particularly messy last night, but the following morning she had, uh, made herself at home while getting ready to start the day, the evidence of which was still scattered around. Imagine a miniature whirlwind, and you have some idea of what Ishani looked like as she ran around the crystalline vessel, tidying things up (or rather, stowing the mess away somewhere out of sight).

When she heard his voice coming up the ramp, she was throwing shoes into her closet. Why she had so many shoes, she didn’t rightly know. “Oh shit,” she blurted, grabbing an armful of them and dumping them inside before sealing the closet door. Then, she sneezed—her frantic cleaning must’ve kicked up some dust—and went out to meet him.

“Made yourself at home already? What happened to ‘can this thing even fly?’” She directed him to put his stuff wherever; she had a lot of empty space, after all. “Say, do you want to try piloting us out of here?”

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

Arcturus didn't really bring all that much with him aboard Vixen mostly because he knew how to pack light. A couple of changes of clothes, a project or two, and some credit chits. That was the bulk of it, not counting what he always had on his person of course. Weapons, gear which attached to his belt, that sort of thing. What else could a boy even need?

Ishani was still a little busy when he entered the ship so he found the first comfortable looking seat and sank down into it, stretching out. He'd put down the rucksack by his feet, and his eyes were closed when she came and found him. Making himself at home indeed. It was easy to relax around her.

She directed him to place his things... somewhere. So he did. He put the rucksack in the bedroom, ready to unpack later, and he stole an empty room to use as a workshop of sorts. Not that he had much to work on, just some sand really. But even so, he dumped that there with a couple of books to supplement his studies while they were away. Hey, he couldn't just goof off on this trip.

"You want me to pilot?" he asked her, raising a brow. Then his eyes narrowed, and a smirk pulled at his lips. "You're afraid you can't get it out of the hangar, aren't you? Aren't you?" He was only teasing of course, and to highlight as much he kissed her cheek and took her hand in his. "Sure thing, My Queen" he crooned, lifting her hand to kiss it, "Lead the way to the cockpit!"

Ishani Dinn​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

"You want me to pilot?"

She nodded.

"You're afraid you can't get it out of the hangar, aren't you? Aren't you?"

"No, I'm just lazy."

"Sure thing, My Queen. Lead the way to the cockpit!"

"What's gotten into you?" Her face reddened as he kissed her hand, and she tried not to giggle too much, but it was hard when he was acting like this. She couldn’t recall the last time she had seen him this laid-back and carefree—he'd gone full goof. It would be almost shocking, if it weren’t so delightful. "Okay, okay, come on, my fair and perfect Knight..."

She led him by the hand to the cockpit, which would look alarmingly unfamiliar to the average starship pilot. While there were two seats, there were no visible controls, only a series of crystal slivers arranged like piano keys on the dashboard... at least, until Ishani lifted up the decorative panel to reveal the controls hidden underneath. You have to admit, they did clash with the aesthetic a little.

"It also came with one of these things," she said, picking up what appeared to be a pilot's helmet. "It's a Neurocrown. If you wear it you can control the ship's computer with your thoughts, supposedly. I've never used it." She plopped down in the co-pilot's chair. "She's all yours, baby."

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

"Gotten into me?" he inquired, something of a spring to his step, "Why, nothing's gotten into me, silly! I'm just, well, I'm happy. Excited. It feels like forever since I've just gone off for the fun of it, no underlying tasks, no expectations, just the stars and a destination of my own choosing!" Well, their choosing. Kind of. He supposed the likelihood was Ishani wasn't as excited about the destination nor the cause for it, but hopefully she'd enjoy their time away from the Academy all the same.

"Aren't you excited?" he inquired, glancing her way, "Why aren't you more excited? I thought you'd want me all to yourself for a few weeks..." He pulled a face, but by then they'd reached the cockpit and he glanced over it with a curious and admittedly confused expression. "Um, Ishani sweetheart, where are the---" She opened the covering, which made him chuckle a little in response. "You are such a girl" he stated, rolling his eyes. Of course she'd hidden the controls behind a pretty façade.

She held up a helmet, and he recognized it immediately. "Leviathan has one of these," he stated, picking it up and putting it atop his head before standing there proudly adorned. "It's fun every now and then, but I'd much rather just punch in the destination and let the ship do the hard work, wouldn't you? I mean, unless you want me stuck in here for the next few hours?"

Still, he had to at least launch the ship. He kissed her hand again before removing it from his and slipping into one of the seats. He cracked his fingers, then started up the ship. It practically purred beneath him, and he whistled in response. "Baby's a beauty," he stated, with a nod, "I mean, no Beholder or Leviathan of course, but..." He teased her with a grin, and then set about getting the ship airborne....

Ishani Dinn​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

"Why aren't you more excited? I thought you'd want me all to yourself for a few weeks..."

Ishani instantly went bright red. She looked away from him, pretending to be distracted.

"You are such a girl."

Somehow, she got even redder at the sight of him rolling his eyes. Her hands went up to cover her burning cheeks...

"...I mean, unless you want me stuck in here for the next few hours?"

... only to be seized by him and kissed again. Her pulse throbbed in her wrist. "Hurry up," she mumbled. It sounded a little like a plea or a whine.

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

Hurry up?!

"What's the rush, sweetheart?" he asked, but even so he began to set the ship in motion, feeling it reverberate some as it lifted up off the ground and began to drift out of the hangar. It felt a little clunky compared to what he was used to, but that was mostly the feel of a new ship. He'd get used to it in no time, he hoped.

Up, up, and away, soon it was darting away from the Academy and up toward the edge of planetary atmosphere. Then Korriban was far below them, and stars stretched out across the viewing port.

"Never gets old that view, does it?"

Nope. Sure didn't.

Then he plugged in the coordinates, waited a moment to watch the stars streak across the window, and then turned to rise up out of the chair.

"Alright, Queen Impatience, what now?"

Ishani Dinn​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

As soon as the stars blurred into lines, she pounced on him, locking her lips against his. Might’ve even knocked him back into his chair—though if she did, she didn’t care. A chair couldn’t stop her.

Only Arc could’ve stopped her, if he wanted. If not, she’d be frantically yanking off his shirt, his pants, every article of clothing on him, her long hair tickling each area of newly-exposed skin.

The sense of urgency which drove her had a tinge of desperation. Perhaps a fitting parallel could be drawn to her little breakdown in his suite a few months back, shortly after Arc returned from Coruscant—though she didn’t hesitate or falter.

Looking at it that way, they were making a pilgrimage to the site of their first separation. Though they were together this time, Ishani was still behaving like she was afraid to lose him again. She was always acting like that, in a way; every kiss a sweet parting, every embrace far too fleeting, leaving her longing for more. It was as if she’d never quite recovered from that initial split. After all, hearing what he’d done on Ossus had paradoxically elevated him in her eyes from a cute boy she’d met on a survival trip, to a genuinely good person whom she desperately wanted to safeguard against the evils of the galaxy—even as it threatened to kill their romance before it had even truly begun.

Or maybe it wasn’t that deep, and he’d just set her off with his relaxed attitude. She loved seeing him so carefree, loved having him all to herself, loved him…

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

Well that was unexpected.

No sooner had Arcturus finished with liftoff, and turned to rise, than Ishani pounced on him. His surprise was apparent, but all the same her advances were not unwanted and a satisfied smirk lay over his expression throughout the process. Even now he remained far more carefree than he had in previous encounters. Part of him wondered if they oughtn't sequester away to the bedroom, but another part asked why that even mattered.

Though he'd let her take the reins to begin with, soon enough he flipped that on its head as he lifted her up from the ground and turned her toward the chair....

They had all the time in the Galaxy, and apparently Ishani wanted to make the most of it.

Some undisclosed amount of time later, Arcturus stepped free from the refresher rejuvenated and in a fresh set of clothes. He made his way through the ship, a hunger in his stomach demanding to be satiated. So he found the kitchen, and began to help himself to some of the food stocked within. Well, himself and Ishani. If he was going to cook he'd cook for the both of them.

Speaking of... He strained his ears to try and figure out where on the ship she was. While he worked, Arcturus whistled happily.

Ishani Dinn

 

[Ishani Dinn]

Turned her toward the chair? Like, face first? Back or front? Down or up?—

Eh, feth it. Cue the intermission music. This thread is already epic-length, it needs an intermission, might as well put it here.

Oh, Ishani was hanging around. She’d stuck to him like velcro all the way to the ‘fresher (conserving water and wasting less precious time, not that they didn’t have plenty of time, five days in fact based on the navicomputer’s calculations, but eh y’know life is short, seize the day, and all that) only to separate afterwards for a brief period of time. What was she doing? Probably reading a book or watching the holo or something. Riveting stuff.

The smell of his cooking summoned her; she practically teleported into the kitchen, barely clothed because why bother, it was her ship and he was the only one there. She was ready to show him where everything was, but found he already had the task quite in hand. So she found a perch to watch him from.

Vixen really was constructed entirely out of isinglass, which could prove a weird experience if you were used to not showering in a crystal prism or cooking in a stained glass box. Light played off of certain surfaces in strange and occasionally annoying ways, as Ishani lifted a hand to catch a rainbow that was blinding her. “I’m glad you can cook, because I can’t,” she said. “Although I’m not bad at baking. It’s easier, you just mix everything together and put it in the oven. Maybe I could make a cake or something… what kind do you like?”

It was gonna be a long five days to Coruscant—or at least, she hoped it would be.

Arcturus Dinn​