Private Shuura a la Madness

[Arcturus Dinn]

This was nice, wasn't it? Arcturus, Rhiannon, out on their first real date... It was surprising to think that after all they'd been through, and all they'd done together, sitting down to eat hadn't really crossed their minds. Not in so fancy a setting at least. Did breakfast count? They'd made breakfast together before... No matter. He was remedying it now.​

​

He held the door open for her, leading the way into N3CT4R. It was probably the most expensive place he'd ever stepped foot in, establishment wise, the very definition of fine dining. That it existed within the Nether of all places didn't seem to tarnish its opulence, in fact if anything it was all the more spectacular for it. The walls shifted between a myriad of tastefully muted colours, most of which were incomprehensible to the human eye, the music which drifted down from above was simultaneously sweet and sorrowful, and seemed to some how fit every occasion at once, and the space between tables seemed far more vast than the building seemed to have space for when looking in from the outside.​

​

Privacy was assured, yet even as they were led to a table it didn't feel isolating in a bad way. Still somehow retained its intimacy.​

​

Arcturus rejected the offer to have his chair pulled out for him, and instead stepped around to help Rhiannon into her own. He tucked it in for her once she was seated, and then carefully slipped into his own. His jacket was soon removed, and before he could figure out what to do with it their host took it and set it upon a rather magnificent coat rack made of star-stuff.​

​

He reached his hand out softly when the first menu was placed before them, and gently shook his head. "We'd like to see the Sanctuary menu, please." His request was met with a simple enough nod, and the first menu, maroon, was slipped out of sight before either could think to open it. Another was set down, this time a forest green.​

​

"Wine to begin, Sir?" the server, whose face seemed ever changing, asked. Arcturus glanced across to Rhiannon. "Wine, love?"​

​

Ishani Dinn ​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

Rhi didn’t know what she expected, but it wasn’t this swanky. After all, why would a restaurant in the Netherworld, a realm populated primarily by dead people, be this nice?

Well, seeing as they were dining in hell, it might as well be fine dining, she supposed. The ambiance of the place was pleasant enough, with plenty of interesting things to look at, but she was a little wary (it was still part of the Netherworld, after all) and couldn’t help feeling out of place. Focusing on Arc kept her grounded.

After letting him seat her, she watched as he asked for the “Sanctuary” menu instead, and a knot of tension between her shoulder blades seemed to relax. Next wine was offered, but she declined with a shake of her head. “The last time you and I had alcohol, it led to double trouble,” she said, giving Arc a little smirk.

After the shapeshifting host left, she pointed to the green menu. “How did you know to ask for this?” Probably Kal had taught him these things, she guessed. She hated to think it might have been trial and error.

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

Arcturus took note of Rhiannon's confusion as she took in the sights of the restaurant, and gave her a knowing smile. "Even the dead have their vices" he explained, "And where there's a market, somewhere in Masque will likely cater to it."​

​

"Double Trouble..." Arcturus couldn't help but smirk, "What, afraid there'll be more gremlins in our future? It's midnight somewhere, Rhi..."​

​

Her reluctance to drink was met with a shrug, he wasn't exactly the biggest fan either following his bender, and he shook his head to the waiter. "Juice, please." He pondered for a moment what kind to request... "Shuura, with that little garnish." He loved the garnish. Most didn't eat it, but who passed up some super fresh shuura flesh? Such a delicious fruit should not go to waste in his mind. Hopefully Rhiannon liked the taste of shuura, but if not they could get her something else. Whatever she wanted really, Arc didn't care about the cost.​

​

With their initial requests made, the shifting face wandered off and left them to their own devices. Arcturus leaned back in his chair, looking quite content, though when she asked her question his smile turned rather sheepish. "They assume you're either dead or Netherformed..." Arcturus drummed his fingers on the tabletop, catching the very edge of the menu. "Trying to read their main menu is like... Trying to comprehend the complexities of the Universe while staring straight into three dying stars."​

​

He shuddered, then pushed one of the menus over to Rhiannon for her to read. Opened his own too, though he was probably going to request the usual. "Took me two days to recover. Figured I'd save you that headache."​

​

Ishani Dinn ​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

“I noticed,” Rhi murmured, resting her head on her hand. Silver shone around her wrist and dangled from her ears. “Not even the dead can escape capitalism, huh?” Not unless you surrendered your individuality and became one with the Force.

"What, afraid there'll be more gremlins in our future? It's midnight somewhere, Rhi..."

That got her to lift her head, cheeks coloring. “You want more?” she blurted in disbelief. He really had changed his mind…

Could she even have more, in her present state? She was suddenly a lot gladder that she’d had the twins, even with all the chaos their birth had caused.

Instead of wine, he asked for shuura juice, which Rhi ordered as well. She made a face at his explanation of the menu. “Yikes. And that’s just from looking at the menu? I’d hate to think what actually eating the food would do to you.”

After a few moments of staring down at the tablecloth, she looked up at him, her expression serious. “Arc, is there something else you need to do in Realspace?” she asked. “I know you said you just felt like it was time to go, and it’s not that I don’t believe you, but…” She had a sneaking suspicion that there was something he wasn’t telling her. Maybe because it was too personal. But if they were going to be married, they shouldn’t keep secrets from each other.

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

"Such is the way of existence" he retorted with a gentle shrug, "Though I'd call it more of a barter system than anything else..." They weren't necessarily looking for currency in the traditional form, after all. What sort of ghostie had credits on hand?​

​

Her question caught him slightly off guard too, his ears burning slightly as he considered it. Did he want more? The more rational part of his brain soon piped up, and he was left wondering if such was even possible for them anymore. At least biologically speaking. "I'm just saying, there are far worse things in this Galaxy than our rugrats..." His heart skipped a little beat, and his expression momentarily slipped. "Chaos, I miss them..."​

​

A new grin appeared when he saw her disdain for the menu though. "I don't know, might be fun to find out..." Still he didn't have a death wish, as much as Kal might have temporarily thought as much. Knowing which menu to ask for in a place like this was invaluable though, so at the very least his initial misstep had been worth it.​

​

Arcturus was silent following her query, then he drummed his fingertips on the table again. Finally he sighed. "Father has sent for me" he stated with just the smallest of frowns as he tried to keep his emotions masked and under control. His expression schooled. "He... He died, Rhi." Those two statements likely didn't match up, but then was she not also one who had a claim to death yet still walked among them?​

​

"It's time I stepped up, and stopped hiding. For you, for the kids, and for Father too. I'm... I'm going to re-swear my fealty. When I last saw him he gave me the choice to walk away, to do as I wished with my life even if it meant leaving behind the Order. I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to keep running away when things get tough."​

​

It seemed then that they had both entered into this engagement with something left unsaid. Still it was out there now, her deaths and wings, his future intentions. He reached across the table to gently tip up her chin. "Are you okay with that, Rhiannon? Do you still wish for me to be by your side, knowing that I'm returning to cement my place among the Sith?"​

​

Ishani Dinn ​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

“There are few things better, and nothing more important to me.” A beat passed before she added by way of reassurance, “You’re a close second.”

She loved them enough to let them go, sending the children away so that they could grow in a more safe and stable environment than she could possibly give them, and letting Arc ramble about the Nether even though she longed to have him at her side. How did the old saying go? “If you love someone, set them free”?

"Chaos, I miss them..."

Her expression had grown more serious by then, and she reached over to take his hand, her touch a silent affirmation. "We'll have them back soon. First we have to prepare a home for them."

His remarks about the menu were met with a faint smirk that faded as he answered her question. “Maliphant is dead?” she whispered. Her tone was not incredulous; even as she spoke the words, she found them surprisingly easy to believe. The Sith Lord who had managed the Academy during her tenure there, while fearsome and intimidating, had never truly impressed her. She wasn’t sure why, but she thought she could detect a note of weakness in him, some self-destructive inclination, a tendency towards losing control right when he was at his most powerful. She had been afraid Arc would fall victim to a similar vice...

Arc had called him Father. Chit. No, no, she would be happy for him. If anyone had needed a paternal influence in his life, it was certainly Arcturus Dinn.

When his fingers tipped her chin, she reached up to cup his hand in hers. “I am yours and you are mine,” she answered firmly. “But I would have you step out from under his shadow. Become a Sith in your own right, not just his heir or his apprentice. I want to see you knighted… and I'd like for you to have me as your student.” Her training remained unfinished, after all.

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

Arcturus took precisely zero offense to the notion that the kids were of more importance to Rhiannon than he was. "I'd be unimpressed if it were any other way" he informed her with sincerity. The children were innocent, and helpless, and they deserved her devotion even if it had meant she stepped away for a while in their best interest. ​

​

When she took his hand he managed to break out of his solemn mindset to offer her a smile. His hand squeezed hers softly, and then he nodded. "I know, soon..." A home for them, that was a matter most pressing wasn't it? "Leviathan can hold us all comfortably, until we find somewhere to settle our roots" he suggested, humming in thought. "It's a shame that Folende has fallen to the Ashlan scourge..." Arcturus wrinkled his nose in disdain, "With any luck our people are being treated fairly under their rule."​

​

Who knew with Jedi... Some were mighty hypocritical, after all. Shoot first, ask questions later types. And the Ashlans certainly seemed to resemble more of an army than a monastic order.​

​

"Dead, but present still.. In some capacity. I'm not sure what capacity, exactly. But I'm sure I'll find out soon enough. That's part of what I need to do before I meet with you on Naboo. I want a firm foundation before we bring the kids back into this."​

​

Her reassurance warmed him to the core, and eased away at any remaining doubts he had about whether this was a good idea. Returning to Realspace, reuniting with her, and with his Father, and the kids. It all seemed to make more sense in the wake of her support. Not just her support, it would seem, her encouragement.​

​

She wanted more for him. From him, even.​

​

"It's not for me to decide when it's time for me to make it on my own, Rhi" he reminded her softly, his hand shifting to tenderly stroke her cheek, "But with my attentions less divided, and my focus on reaching such a state, I have faith that it won't be too much longer." It was the last part which surprised him most. "You wish for me to teach you..? Are you sure that's wise?"​

​

Ishani Dinn ​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

She smiled faintly, then sighed. Folende. Memories of golden fields crossed her mind’s eye, a younger Arcturus standing among the wheat, the sun in his hair and the sky in his eyes. Those days were what she recalled of Folende, in the short time they had ruled there. In a way, it was the twins’ birthright. They existed because their parents had achieved their first victory there, after all. Can’t put all the blame on the bottle.

“I would hope the Ashlans can at least provide protection against pirates,” she said, chewing her lip. But she didn’t want to dwell upon one of the worst moments of her life, so she quickly changed the subject.

Arc answered her questions about Maliphant, though even he didn’t know the full story. “Does he plan on sticking around for a while, or is this a… a temporary state?” she asked. Was he going to be like Carnifex, hopping into new clone bodies whenever they grew too old or injured to continue? Or did he intend to actually, truly die at some point?

"It's not for me to decide when it's time for me to make it on my own, Rhi."

“Oh no, Lord Marcion. You will know when you’re ready.” He must not feel ready just yet. But he was close.

"You wish for me to teach you…? Are you sure that's wise?"

She smiled at him, her cheek dimpling against his stroking thumb. “Why wouldn’t it be wise? I was practically your student at the Academy, when you were just a nineteen year old acolyte yourself. I know you liked it when I called you ‘master’ then—and I don’t mean titillation. You enjoyed teaching me, guiding me… So why not make it as official as this?” She tapped a finger against the electrum ring.

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

"I wish there was a way we could know for sure. It seems foolish to wander into enemy space, though." He sighed, and then focused on her queries concerning Maliphant. Quite frankly, Arcturus wasn't sure he had any answer to give much less one that would be satisfying to hear. He scratched at the stubble lining his jaw and then ultimately shrugged.​

​

"He seemed to be fighting to remain" Arcturus responded, a distant look in his eye as he recalled their conversation, "Though that might be because he was working through a vessel.. In the Nether..." Neither of those things were easy feats, much less when put together. "I hope it's stable, I hate the thought of him suffering through it, fighting every moment to remain."​

​

He had a wife now. Children on the way... Whatever anyone's opinions might have been on Maliphant, Arcturus loved him dearly. He'd lifted the boy up, given him his freedom and a future, claimed him as his own. He wanted something better for his Father than suffering.​

​

"C'mon, you know what I mean. I can't Knight myself... Until my Master deems me ready, I'll remain as I am. But that doesn't keep me from progressing and excelling, what's even in a title? It's little more than an honorific, it doesn't magically hold me back."​

​

As she recounted their past and the attempts made at forging a teacherly relationship, Arcturus couldn't help but softly smile. It helped of course that she was smiling, dimpled cheek and all. Before he could respond their waiter returned, asking for their orders.​

​

"I'll take the braised shaak roast, hold the mushrooms. Thanks." Arcturus glanced to Rhi, curious as to what she'd order.​

​

Once their order was placed, and the waiter dispensed with, he slowly nodded his head. "Alright. If that's what you want, we can try again." It was true, Arcturus did enjoy the role, and there was something to be said about being called Master... "But if we do this, we do it properly. Betrothed or not."​

​

There was no use in doing things in halves, not if they wanted to really get anywhere with it.​

​

Ishani Dinn ​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

“It’s not so much going there that’s a problem—we could always disguise ourselves. It’s knowing that if we do find the conditions lacking, there’s not much we can do about it,” she pointed out. “It’s out of our hands now, even though we fought for it.”

That and the talk about Maliphant served to dampen the mood somewhat. Rhi may still have seen Maliphant as an old bastard schoolmaster, and her own relationship with her father was quite poor, but she radiated sympathy for Arc. He cared, and she cared for him.

“It all depends on him, then, doesn’t it?” she murmured. “Whether he has the desire to keep going, or if he thinks it’s his time.” She certainly hadn’t felt like it was her time yet. “You know that whatever happens, you can count on me to be there for you.”

The conversation turned to the slightly lighter subject matter of his training, and she sought to cheer him up a little. “Arc, you’re, what—twenty-five now? You’re engaged, you have two children, and you’re growing a beard…” At that, she playfully swept her fingers over his stubble. “Yet you’re still in a class populated primarily by teenagers. Most of them can’t even grow beards! As many times as you’ve disappeared, you’ll have to forgive me if I still can’t help but find it a little strange that your master hasn’t knighted you yet.”

The waiter returned, putting a hold on their conversation. She let him order first, then said, “I’ll have the same thing, with mushrooms.”

“It’s what I’ve wanted almost since I met you,” she continued, speaking with pure sincerity. “I was in love, but I admired you too, Arc. You studied so much, you were practically self-taught. Compared to the other students, you knew more than the lot of them combined. Even some of the instructors weren’t as smart as you, I could tell.”

"But if we do this, we do it properly. Betrothed or not."

She nodded vigorously. “Of course! I don’t want to make things weird between us. We keep the betrothal and the apprenticeship separate. Shouldn’t be too hard, as long as you keep both halves well-fed…”

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

"I just hope..." Arcturus shook his head, whatever thought he'd had trailing off into oblivion. He couldn't keep dwelling on it, it would do him no good, so instead talks turned to Maliphant and frankly they were no better either.​

​

"I know I can count on you" he said with a soft smile, "You're nothing if not consistent..." A slight grin formed, banishing away thoughts of malady and sorrow in one fell swoop. She'd never stopped hoping or trying, had she? He was the one who had pushed her away. Now he had to work to earn her trust, to prove that he meant it when he said he wanted to be with her.​

​

"I don't actually know how old I am" he responded with a chuckled, "But biologically speaking, yeah... That's what I've been told." So much time spent in spatial anomalies and the like had stripped him of any actual tangible age, at least in so far as the Galactic timeline was concerned. He'd been born so long ago now, but that didn't change him at his core. He'd still only lived for so many years, even if they were technically stretched out.​

​

Talks of classes attended with teens made him shake his head, "I don't train in an academy anymore, Rhi," he reminded her, but soon he turned a little more serious. "I reckon that's why I'm still an Apprentice... I haven't been the most stable figure, have I?" He chewed on the inside of his lip, and then shrugged. "I plan to change that though. Prove to Father that I'm capable and ready."​

​

When Rhiannon made her order known, Arcturus' eyes practically bulged from his head. "Woah, wait, with mushrooms?" His brows knitted together, "They're poisonous, Rhi. If I learned one thing from Starlin, it's that humans can't tolerate such things."​

​

Her words stuck a chord within him, and he looked simultaneously bashful and enamoured in the wake of her sincerity. What did one even say in response to such? To being told that they had been admired beyond that which was caused by love? Arcturus blinked, and then smiled sheepishly. "Well, then I hope I can live up to your expectations." Both, they could be both. "Consider it done, and who knows... One day I'll be a real Knight, and you won't have to be ashamed of your Master's status."​

​

This was said with a jovial tone. Arcturus really didn't care about what rank he held.​

​

Ishani Dinn ​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

Rhi met his eyes as he called her nothing if not consistent. She smiled back, but there was a little sadness in her gaze. Sleeping together, going on a date together—none of it was enough to fully convince her that all of this was real. It felt like a dream, a vivid fantasy. Would she even believe it when they had the kids back? Or would she need to spend a lifetime with him to truly know he wanted her?

“Yeah yeah, I know,” she muttered, stirred from her thoughts. “You look pretty good for your age, old man.”

He tried to correct her. “I wasn’t referring to a literal classroom, ya goof,” she said, and sighed. “But oh, the Academy days… I don’t miss them, but you were so darned cute back then. ‘Ish, are you sure? I don’t want you to get hurt, love.’” Not a bad impression of a younger Arcturus. She had his Dromund Kaas accent nailed down perfectly.

At least he was self-aware of his own instability. She thought it wise not to comment on the subject, lest she reveal too much of her inner pain. But she smiled and nodded encouragingly.

His reaction to her ordering mushrooms had Rhi looking at him like he was nuts. “Arc, only some types of mushrooms are poisonous. Certainly not the kind they put on food.” She paused, frowning. “Starlin was probably pulling your leg. I’ll be fine, you’ll see.”

“I’m not ashamed of you!” she declared, wincing as she realized how loudly she had blurted it out. Maybe she was making too big of a deal out of this, but damn it, she was in Arc’s corner. She had always been in his corner, even when he left the game altogether to go drink his sorrows or hide in the Nether. He said he wanted to do things right this time, but deep down, she was afraid he would just piss it all away again. Waste all his potential and run from his problems rather than dealing with them.

She leaned toward him, her expression earnest. “Let’s help each other be the best we can be,” she said in a lower voice. Then, with a sudden burning intensity, she whispered, “Force, I adore you. Take me with you to Realspace, please. I want to be at your side…”

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

He could sense something more beneath her smile, and his heart sank to realize it. "I love you" he whispered, guilt gnawing at him for all the fragility he had caused. Somehow, some way, he vowed he'd find a way to prove himself worthy of her love and care. ​

​

When she spoke of their Academy days an almost wistful look crossed his face. "I miss the simplicity of it all" he confessed, "The stability. I knew where I'd be laying my head every night... And I knew exactly where to find you." Things were much more complex these days. Her impression made him scoff. "I do not sound like that" he mumbled. He was always worrying over her though, wasn't he? Even when he pushed her away he'd been trying to save her and the kids from the messy whirlwind which often followed him around.​

​

Fat load of good that had done any of them, though.​

​

Matters turned to mushrooms, and his brows furrowed. "I dunno... Seemed pretty sincere about me not eating that pizza" he explained, still if this was to be his life partner he had to have some level of trust in such things. Maybe she was right, maybe Starlin had meant a specific type, or had been pulling his leg. It was a long time ago now, after all. "Is it bad that I miss him?" he mumbled. Jen too. He hoped that wherever she was, she was safe.​

​

"It's okay to be ashamed of me on some level" he said with a sigh, "I've messed things up a lot in the past. I know it must be difficult to have any level of faith after that..." Her suggestion helped to soften the pain in his chest, and he nodded his head. "Okay, we can do that. We can help each other, and ourselves."​

​

Her request though left him frowning. "I'm not sure, Rhi. I don't know what's going to await me when I reach Father. I... I need to do this one last step alone, and then? Then I'll never turn you away from joining me again. I promise, okay?"​

​

Truth be told Arcturus was afraid of what he might find when he saw Maliphant again.​

​

Ishani Dinn ​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

"I love you."

Replying “I know” would be a lie as well as a cliche at this point. “And I love you,” she said instead. “You’ve given me hope again tonight.” Frail hope, but hope nonetheless.

“We can’t have that simplicity back, I don’t think. It was an illusion anyway, wasn’t it? A fragile thing, easily broken, like a bubble being burst. But stability, maybe we can do that.” She grinned. “You do sound like that. Or you did. You had a tenderness to you when we met, almost a sweetness at times. I don’t know how you managed to stay like that, after everything you went through, but you did.” The honey was all gone now, but in its place was something stronger, a fortifying draught.

He missed Starlin. She smiled faintly. “For a Jedi, he seemed to actually want to do right by others, rather than just acting out their dogma.” She glanced down at the vine ring encircling her finger. “Did that have anything to do with you running away? Were you afraid that you’d see him on the other side of a battlefield again?” Rhi certainly hadn’t looked forward to encountering Alicio in battle. She had done everything in her power to avoid killing him. Doing so had meant her own death, yet she didn’t seek revenge and didn’t regret it.

“We’re ashamed of ourselves,” she said. “Not of each other. You feel guilty for pushing me away, and I feel guilty for being clingy and needy.”

…She said, right before begging him to take her with him. If only there were stairs nearby, so she could fall down the steps too while she was at it…

“Okay,” she said, with minimal pouting. Maybe she was learning after all. But something about his mannerisms tipped her off that something was wrong. “Are you afraid of what might happen when you go to see Maliphant?”

The waiter returned right around that time with their food, making sure to set the plate with mushrooms in front of her and the one without in front of him. "All right, moment of truth," she said, taking a bite.

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

There was no doubt in his mind that she meant it when she told him that she loved him too. That had never been in question, had it? She'd never done a single thing to try and turn him away or make him believe otherwise. It only made his guilt all that more gnawing, though he did his best to push past it. Look to the future, not dwell on the past. Relish the present, most definitely. He reached out a hand to take hers in his.​

​

"I'd like stability" he said with a soft nod of his head, even if simplicity was no more. "It's definitely something I've been.. lacking."​

​

She spoke on how he had been, and Arcturus found himself looking down at his lap. Had all that sweetness really dissolved? Was there no honey left to share? "You were everything I'd never known before" he whispered, "I wanted you to have only the good in me. That's all I want, really... You were soft yet strong, determined and delightful. Intoxicating, really... I should have run away with you when I'd had the chance."​

​

But he hadn't. Just one of many mistakes he'd made along the way, and now it was too late. As for Starlin...​

​

"I ran away because I was messing up my life every way I turned and looked. I needed something to change... Some way to hit pause and collect myself before I thoroughly burned out and..." Well he didn't want to think about where that road would have led had he not fled back into the Nether. Maybe Kal hadn't been so crazy as to make that grim skull for him.​

​

"I feel better now... Stable. I'm really happy to see you, you know? I wasn't sure how I could ever face you again, and I don't know how I can ever apologize enough or make it up to you. I was foolish, Rhi, and you deserved better."​

​

When she queried him regarding Maliphant he shrugged slightly, then nodded. "Yeah..." No use lying to her or downplaying it, "I don't know what's awaiting me. I don't even know if he wants me back, to be honest. And the not knowing... It unnerves me. I have to face it though, I can't cower from it." He hoped she understood then why he needed to do it alone.​

​

Their food soon arrived, sliced and marinated shaak steaks on a bed of noodles with an accompaniment of various different vegetables and a light and fragrant sauce drizzled overtop. He'd had it before, and it never failed to satiate him. He couldn't focus on his own food though, because he was much too preoccupied watching Rhiannon take a bite from the mushrooms. Sweat formed on his brow as his nerves rose.​

​

Ishani Dinn ​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

Well, maybe there was a sprinkling or two of sugar left here and there. There were pros and cons to losing one’s innocence, and it rarely all went away at once.

“You tried to only give me the good,” she echoed. “But that only made your bad side seem so much harsher, so much harder to swallow.”

She hummed in approval at his description of her, gazing at him through lowered lids. “Running away together, now there’s a thought. Where would we go, Arc?” She posed the question, yet she could see them just about anywhere. In a high-rise apartment or on a rural homestead, surrounded by trees or water or sand. The figures of the two of them were ghostly in each vision, but not impossible.

But why can’t we run away now? she thought, but couldn’t say. He had his responsibilities to his father. Knowing the white-haired lavender-scented prick, he’d drag Arc back into the affairs of the Sith, disguising servitude as filial duty. And knowing herself, she’d follow Arc into that abyss too. Only this time they’d be bringing the kids with them…

His admission drew her out of her darker thoughts. “You finally learned one of the governing laws of the universe: women are always right.” Har har. She turned more serious. “When will you be leaving? Tomorrow, in a few days, weeks…?” Obviously she wanted him to stay with her for as long as possible, but that was just her being selfish.

Knowing he was watching her, she made a show out of taking the first bite of mushroom. A few moments of tense expectation, and then… “Mmm, yep, that’s a very not-poisonous mushroom.” She took another bite, chewed, and swallowed. “Want to try one?”

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

"I wish you had only ever seen the good, though. I want you to get only the good in me, Rhi, even if it ends up reserved solely for you and the kids." That was unrealistic though, he knew. They couldn't have just the good, it was an unattainable pipe dream. One he'd drive himself crazy trying to chase down. He let out a soft sigh, and shook his head. "I'm sorry, I truly am."​

​

Where would they go, if they could feasibly run away? Now that was a question, wasn't it? "We could always go back to the start... Lao-mon." Hungry trees aside, and killer Acolytes forgotten about, had it really been that bad there? Reliving their earlier years wasn't likely to go well though was it? "I don't think we need to run anymore, though. We can be together regardless of where we are, and what the Galaxy throws our way, can't we? I'll fight for that, Rhiannon. I'll fight for you, to keep you by my side for as long as you'll have me. Chaos help any who'd stand in my way."​

​

Arcturus wondered if he'd even bow to Empyrean if the man sought to separate them. His first true act of defiance against his Father, that would have to mean something right? Take the man by surprise, and make him think otherwise? Maybe... Arc didn't know, and he wasn't sure he wanted to test it. Still, his Father had never been one to meddle in his personal affairs like that.​

​

"Always right?" He perked a brow, then shook his head, "How about, almost always right..?" As for when he'd be leaving, well that was a little harder to say for sure wasn't it? "I have a few things I need to finish up here, projects almost complete. You uh... You could stay with me, if you'd like? Until I have to leave for Realspace." He paused, then swallowed nervously before meeting her gaze more solemnly. "I'd like it if you stayed." He was done being passive in life, and most definitely in his relationship. No more of that.​

​

Rhiannon took a bite, and revealed that all was well. She did not succumb to the poisonous effects he'd feared she might, did not fall down frothing at the mouth. He let out a sigh of relief, then mulled over her offer. "Couldn't hurt then, I guess," he said, and he let her offer out a mushroom for him to taste.​

​

He chewed for a moment, making an "mmm" sound because it was rather delicious. Then, all at once, a redness began to creep up from his neck and soon coated his face. More than that, his lips paled until they were an off-blue colour. His eyes widened, and he reached a hand up to his throat as he coughed uncontrollably.​

​

Ishani Dinn ​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

She had a feeling he knew that what he was saying, what he wished for, was impossible. So she didn’t bother to correct him. “I forgive you,” she said. “Let’s not talk about it anymore. It’s all in the past. There’s nothing we can do about it now.”

He wants to go back to Lao-mon? Her eyebrows climbed nearly to her hairline, before she remembered that he spent more time in the Nether than in Realspace, and probably didn’t pay much attention to the news anyway. “Lao-mon was conquered by the Maw,” she told him. “It’s, uh, not a very pleasant place anymore.” Not that it ever really had been all that pleasant, in her opinion. Still, she understood the fondness for the place where they had first met, and the desire to return to the beginning.

Arcturus was quick to say they didn’t need to run, however. His words lifted the somber pall that had fallen over the table, though it was still just words. Mighty convincing words, but only that. It occurred to Rhi that she wasn’t much better. Sure, she had been gazing at him with adoration in her eyes all night. Yet what could she say that would make him feel her love, and know it to be true? Only action, care and service, could accomplish that.

She was chomping at the bit to do something magnificent for him, to shield him from some great danger, to fight off his enemies at his side. All that and more lay ahead. She was sure of it. She needed only to be patient.

“I feel the same way,” she said. “But the only thing that’s ever really stood between us has been ourselves. I used to be afraid that your father would try to separate us, but he never did. This love is ours alone to keep.”

"Always right?" He perked a brow, then shook his head, "How about, almost always right..?"

“Eh, I’ll take it.” She looked at him with naked, vulnerable hope until he gave her… a vague answer. He had time, yes, and he wanted her to stay with him. “Then I will stay as long as you’re here,” she said. “I think I’d like that very much.”

At her suggestion he tasted a mushroom, and all seemed well… at first. “Are you okay?” she asked, noticing first the redness, then the blueness of his lips. By the time he started to cough, she knew something was wrong.

Rhi got out of her chair and moved to his side, initially thinking he was choking. But no—it had been too slow, the changes too subtle. Couldn’t be poison either, could it? His boon would’ve saved him by now. So… an allergic reaction? Oh dear. Poor Arc.

She didn’t bother trying to get help. Most of the patrons and all of the restaurant staff were likely either dead or (in her experience, anyway) largely unhelpful Nether-beings who would probably want to sit and watch him die out of sheer curiosity. No, she wouldn’t waste her time when she could help him herself.

Force Healing and Detoxify Poison, two powers she knew so well, she had even taught them to others. The Force ran through him like a cleansing summer rain as she laid her hand upon his back. She waited until he stopped coughing, listening as his breathing returned to normal, no longer strained through a swollen throat, before she said, “I guess Starlin was right. You’re allergic to mushrooms.”

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

Forgiveness and a growing desire to focus more on the present and the future as opposed to the past lay heavy around them, like a warm blanket it draped over his shoulders and left him exhaling a soft breath. It would take time he knew to actually earn that forgiveness, for it to be true, but he'd take it for what it was right now. He'd take anything she brought to the table.​

​

"Oh" he said in regards to Lao-Mon, "That's a shame... I hope the trees survive their onslaught." Perhaps one day he'd visit again, once the horde had cleared. Look up at those stars and reminisce of a simpler time.​

​

When told that they were the only ones standing in their way he nodded simply. "I know" he whispered. More than that, he knew it had been mostly him. In fact he'd quite happily be told it was all him and wouldn't balk at the notion. "I see that now, too."​

​

Rhiannon decided that she would in fact stay, and a glow seemed to wash over him. "You will?" he asked. Well they certainly weren't going to sleep in the Hourglass, he knew that much for certain, there was no way he'd let her sleep in a bedroll on the floor. "I'll sort out plans" he said with a soft nod, before he took that first bite.​

​

Whatever thoughts he'd had, whatever solution had come to mind, was soon lost amidst the throws of anaphylaxis. He was aware that she was speaking, but nothing save a low drone thrummed through his ears. Her hand settled upon his back, and slowly but surely he felt the horrid sensations beginning to subside. His throat began to clear, airways opening up, and some of the colour faded from his cheeks.​

​

He was still coughing though.​

​

Ishani Dinn ​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

Seeing that he was still coughing, Rhi picked up the glass of juice and held it out to Arc. “Maybe try drinking something?” she suggested.

“Is anything the matter, ma’am?” a passing server asked.

“Oh, it’s nothing. Everything is fine,” Rhi replied with a forced smile. After they had gone, she bent down toward Arc. “Holy chit, are you all right?" she whispered, her touch on his back and cheek oh-so-gentle with concern. "Don’t die, please. Not when I just got you back.”

Arcturus Dinn​