Simple Gifts

[Riamah]

Feeling like she could be a bit more herself, Ra allowed some of her feelings to show. Giving Josh a slightly flat look when he said sorry for being trouble, she shook her head as well.

"As I said before, I might not have a biological family, but those four people I mentioned are as close to it as I come. I would do anything to keep them safe. You are doing the same for him. It's no bother or trouble."

She listened to what he said about Josh acting out and others not being able to control him and nodded. There wasn't much for her to say to that really.
​
The walk back to the more lived in area happened and again she pointed out where her room was, the refreshers which included the showers and just how close they were to the room set up for Josh and Jason. Practically right across the hall from each other. Her own room had a refresher, but the location and proximity of the other was convenient for guests.

Stopping outside the door, she waited to see if it was close enough for Josh.

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

The Jedi would lower his head in thanks at her explanation and at her understanding. He really did appreciate it, he knew that he was being a burden by going to such lengths to keep Jason safe. They were necessary but still a bit out there. Ra would point out the space between the bedrooms and the shower rooms and the Jedi would walk over, going from one to the other, one to the other, seeming to be testing distance and taking guesses at whether sound would carry.

"Hmm..." He mused aloud. "Should be fine. I should be able to sense all that's going on in the room from there. I may keep the datapad on somewhere nearby in order to have sound carry if he starts crying, but I'll turn my camera off, just in case. If that's okay" Josh would suggest toward Ra. Considering what her offer entailed, he knew it was likely a bit off-putting for him to be fretting so much about details like this when they were about to do this and that. He hoped she would be understanding here too.

Still, it was clear there was trust if he was willing to lower defences even just a little more. This was Jason we were talking about. Anything lowered in regards to him was huge.

 

[Riamah]

It was difficult for her to put herself into his shoes and imagine what it was like. Just one of the things that came with her not being an empathic person. However, her innate and natural love for children allowed it this time. She gave him the time he needed to walk between the rooms, judge the distance and waited until he came to a stop in front of her speak on his decision.

"Exactly. Forget for a time what I was when we met and accept me for what I am now. Trust is earned and not given, I know this. Even before I was that other woman, I didn't trust easily. When it happens though, it's a natural and wonderful thing."

When she started speaking, it was with a smile, by the time she finished her tone was more serious. Still quite happy though and it showed on her face. She wanted to trust, but it needed to be earned.

"You mean if he was awake, he could have been watching you kick my butt? That is embarrassing."

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

He couldn't help but laugh at that. "Aye, I'm sure he would remember that arse kicking forever" He would tease, shooting her a cheeky grin and sticking his tongue out at her. "I just figured if he started crying I could pick up the datapad, he'd see us, and it'd calm him down at least enough to buy us time to get over there" Josh would explain.

"But yeah, if you're alright with that, then shall we go?" He would ask as he would motion for her to lead the way.

 

[Riamah]

Shaking her head, she wore a smile after speaking the last bit about being embarressed. Not falling to the biat of sticking her tongue out too, she nodded and lead them into guest refresher. Her own might have been nicer, but here it was a little larger.

This room needed to be as it more or less would be used by more than one person. Maybe not at the same time, but if the need was there for it, the room was present for such things.

There was a little bit of furniture to set items on, such as the datapad, clothes or anything else one might bring in with them.

"Hopefully it's water resistant."

Pointing to the datapad,​ she sat down on one of the chairs and started taking off her boots.

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

After their little shower together, the two had departed to finish the night off together in style, so to speak. When morning came though, Ra would find herself alone in her bed. Not that the night had been horrible or anything, actually it'd been a great deal of fun, and it'd been a time that Josh had been able to forget about his range of problems for just a little while. But the reason why she would find herself without a companion in her bed if she was awake would be answered with the faint sounds of a wailing child. It appeared that while they had been asleep, Jason had went into one of his little episodes and being so attuned to being able to sense Jason's distress, it had woken Josh up immediately and the Jedi had headed off to be with him. Odds are he would have roused her by accident with how quickly he had moved.

In the guest bedroom, Josh cradled Jason as he sat on the side of the bed.

"Shh... Shh... It's okay... Daddy's here..." He whispered softly. It was still quite early in the morning, far too early for anyone to be up. He had closed the door so as not to disturb anyone while he tried to calm him down. Josh knew he should have stayed in the room with him, considering the room was new to Jason. Looking around to ensure he couldn't be heard from outside the window, he took a deep breath before he began to sing softly to him.

"~On the fields... Of Naboo... Where the animals roam... Night comes down... And the animals sleep, they go to sleep... They go to sleep... Sleep tight little Igitz... Sleep tight little Jaboons... Sleep tight little Quadducks... Sleep tight on this night... Sleep tight little Jason... On the fields of Naboooooo~"

That seemed to do the trick, as before he had even finished the song, Jason had promptly fallen back to sleep. Josh would breathe a sigh of relief then as he would continue to cradle him for a little while.

 

[Riamah]

In what seemed like moments, the evening and night were gone. When she woke up, where Josh had been sleeping was still warm and she sat up in bed to look for him. Seeing the datapad was also gone, Ra assumed he was with Jason.

It might actually surprise Josh to know, but there was one other person awake. That would be Vincent. The old man almost appeared to never sleep and was always there when something was needed. No matter the time of day or night.

So as not to disturb the father and son, he brought to Ra a warm glass of milk which she looked at him oddly.

"It is for the child. To help him sleep. Go on."

Motioning to the other room, he had been a father once himself and knew a few things about taking care of children. Taking the glass from him, she didn't hesitate in moving to the other room. The door was closed, but she gently knocked and cracked it open slightly.

"Vincent brought this for Jason."

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Jason had of course, already dozed off when Ra had arrived. Josh would look over toward her when she would approach, noting the glass of warm milk. He would smile warmly toward her, shaking his head.

"I appreciate the thought, I really do, and do tell him thank you for me. But as you can see, Jason is already-"

As if on cue, Jason would spring right up to a sitting position, eyes open as he seemed to smell the warm milk. Jason would stare at it, seeming to understand that they meant it for him by what words he could understand. He looked toward Josh, pointed toward the milk and then pointed at his open mouth. "Ahhh... Ahhhh?"

Josh couldn't help but laugh at that as he would take the glass of milk. "Somehow I doubt you were even asleep" He would joke as he would help Jason get the drink down, knowing it probably wasn't safe for him to be holding a glass by himself presently. He might drop it by accident and break it since he wasn't used to holding them. Jason would very quickly dunk the whole thing down, before letting out a loud belch, starting another laugh from his father. It wasn't long after before Jason's head would thud against Josh's chest, and the child was out like a light again.

 

[Riamah]

As if Vincent had known the trick of the child, he had woken up almost as soon as Ra walked in with the milk.

Considering how cautious Josh was yesterday, she was a little surprised he didn't think either she or Vincent were trying to poison his son. Neither one was or would, but she did understand how he felt. Very likely she would have been the same way if it was reversed.

Smiling at the sweet scene, she leaned against the wall as Josh helped his son with the drink. It was quickly finished and a short time later there was no doubt that Jason was asleep this time.

Speaking softy so not to wake up him, Ra tipped her head in the direction of where she normally ate in the kitchen.

"Are you hungry?"

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Josh was well-versed enough in poisons to know quickly whether something was or not, and even if he'd missed it, he'd have been able to sense that Jason had been poisoned quickly enough to scatter Ra and Vincent and de-tox him. It would be harder considering Jason was still a toddler, which explained why he was generally wary. Still, he had managed to check, though he was mentally kicking himself for not doing so more thoroughly. Not that he thought Ra and Vincent would poison a child, but habit still kicked in. It seemed though that his fears were unfounded, Jason seemed to be just fine and he couldn't sense any abnormalities.

Josh looked toward Ra when she would ask if she was hungry, and shook his head. "A bit peckish from the spar, but if there is food involved, Jason won't stay asleep for long" He revealed with a light smile. "I'll wait until he's awake again in a few hours. If that's okay with you. We just got him back to sleep."

 

[Riamah]

"I'll make sure to have extra made. Hungry boy like him will eat everything put in front of him?"

This was said with a hint​ of humor and Ra wore a smile similar to what Josh had.

Vincent would politely knock on the frame of the open door and carry in a couple items.

"Master Jedi, I was a father and know what it is like here. The castle can be bothersome. I am used to it by now and so it Miss Ra. You and your son are not. Here are better observation and surveliance devices. Would you care for anything to drink?"

Placing one next to the bed Jason was in, it had a display that would show Josh as well as a speaker and microphone to talk back and forth. He handed Josh the other. It was essentially the same, but a little smaller and could fit into a pocket.

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Josh would lower his head at that, deeply appreciating it, the warmest smiles spread across his face. “I don’t know what to say. You honor us, baroness.”

Believe it or not, he -had- looked into Ra before coming. He was taking Jason to an ex-sith’s home. You think he was going to go in blind? No. He had found out she was a baroness of something and due to that title he was able to find out she lived in Vader’s former abode. With its history, while he didn’t know the full layout, Josh was able to gauge exits in case he needed to take Jason and get out as soon as he could. Not that Ra had given him reason to distrust. But with Jason involved and her circumstances it was necessary.

He kind of felt bad about taking these precautions now, but... Ra had said she understood.

Vincent would arrive with some gear, and while he was clearly hesitant to use someone else’s gear that they could turn off if they turned on him, he would nod his head as he took them. “Thank you” He spoke softly. He would need to figure out a backup plan though...

 

[Riamah]

She was a good one at keeping her thoughts and feelings close and when Josh called her Baroness, Ra was truly surprised. That title had been given to her when the Dominion was active. She had control of a small world that held very little population. In fact, it had been a few years since she was last there. Perhaps it was time to revisit Helska.

While it was not something well known about her, that title was not something she had gone to any trouble to hide, bury or keep secret.

"You are quite welcome, Master Jedi."

No answer had been provided on if anything was wanted to drink, so Vincent took that as a no. Bowing his head slightly, he turned to leave the room with no further words unless he was stopped.

"I don't often get called Baroness anymore. Where did you learn that bit of information?"

She also wondered just h​ow much more Josh might know of her past.

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

"HoloNet" Josh answered. "It's kind of hard to hide a Baroness title, you know. And the fact you live in Darth Vader's personal castle" He pointed out as the lot would leave the room to allow Jason to sleep while they spoke. He declined Vincent's offer of drink for now, Jason would probably smell that too. They had just gotten him back to sleep, he had no interest in waking him up again for a little while.

"Was actually thinking of going back to bed" Josh would admit, scratching his head. "It's quite early, even for me. Jason woke me, so I just wanted to make sure he'd go back to sleep. I don't think this planet's agreeing with him very well" He spoke. "He's used to planets like Naboo, or Kashyyyk. This planet is as dead as Circe's womb... Hopefully."

"No offense, of course" He amended quickly. Was this what Vincent meant by not being used to this place? "I have to ask though. How the hell do you live here? Even the coldness of space has more life than Vjun."

He couldn't imagine raising Jason on a planet like this, where the rain was literal acid and most plant and animal life was dead.

@Ra'a'mah

 

[Riamah]

Seriously contemplating telling Josh just how easy it was to hide information, Ra changed her mind before she made some sort of mistake. She still held a few cards up her sleeve about herself that she wasn't yet willing to tell him about.

"I suppose you're right. However, Baroness does not come from living here. Before I came here, I helped the Dominion take over another small, lifeless world named Halska IV."

When he mentioned Vjun ​being lifeless and dead, she let out a small breath of laughter.

"This place has life, you just need to know where to look for it. Helska on the other hand, is just as dead as you think Vjun is. On that planet is an ancient facility that was rebuilt and there is where I got Baroness from. The people that came to work and live there gave it to me."

In the days before she w​as sith, soon after she learned what she had grown up and this place had been given to her for the purpose of training. She had become head of intelligence and a suitable location had been needed to properly train those under her. This bit of information Josh wouldn't know about her and when the Dominion fell, she had destroyed all record of her activities with intelligence.

Letting out a sigh, Ra stopped walking and turned to give Josh her full attention.

"I live here because this is my home. If it wasn't here, then it would be Helska or on my fleet of ships. I've been alone for almost as long as I can remember and certainly all my adult life. Why would I look for another place to live when it's only myself to care for?"

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

"Ooh, you took over worlds huh. With your big bad Sith self?" Josh immediately snarked, that mischievous twinkle in his eye immediately beginning to return. He wasn't grilling her out of malice, of course. He just liked messing with her a bit. Though he would listen as she would explain that she lived here primarily because it was her home. Or more accurately, because she was used to living here from her work days and didn't know how to leave it. He got that, he did. He couldn't imagine leaving Coruscant back then, but he did. And considering it got bombed soon after, thank goodness that he did.

"Have you seen Kashyyyk?" He would ask, half-snarkingly. "It's teeming with life. So was Naboo, where I was born and where I ensured Jason was as well. That, and the view, you know? Atmosphere!" He cracked, purposely being over the top just for the sake of making her laugh. The big grin that had started to form on his face was proof of that.

"Honey, darling, damn, we need to get you out more" Josh snarked. "So I was thinking... Next date, why don't we try the carnival or something?" He half-joked. If she wanted to go to the carnival, sure. But honestly, he just wanted their next meeting to be... Somewhere else. Vjun gave him the creeps and it was obviously unsettling Jason.

 

[Riamah]

"Eh, you know how governments work around the galaxy. They get grabby grabby when it comes to taking planets and locations. Just call it luck that I got the castle."

The former owner had disappeared and she moved in. Listening to what he said about these other locations, she shrugged slightly.

"Well, I grew up on a no-name world that was quite full of life. Don't think I'll ever go back even if I could remember what it was called. The way I left was rather poor...pretty sure they won't want to see me again."

Chuckling when he asked if she had seen Kashyyyk, it was there they had met.

"Yes I have seen a small portion of Kashyyyk and spent a few years on Coruscant. Vjun almost has more life than that city-world."

He mentioned another date and that kept the smile on her face. A carnival or something and she nodded.

"If we can avoid a carnival, that would be great. Last one I went to, I was voluntold to be in the kissing booth. Guess I lucked out and nasty weather hit so didn't have to kiss any random people."

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

"I don't hear denial~" Josh would tease back toward her with a cheeky grin in turn. Though it seemed that Ra had left her old home planet on... Rather un-flattering terms. He wondered why for a moment. Perhaps she had done a bunch of evil Sith stuff and killed hundreds? Maybe she had enslaved them all! Who knows? He would let her tell him on her time and her schedule, he wasn't in a big rush to find out, really. Whenever she was comfortable.

"Coruscant is a bunch of ruin at this point. There's not much life left" He commented. "Not that I want to go back there. Too many bad memories."

Though he couldn't help but laugh at her carnival comment. "Well, sounds like someone just never thought they'd get a good kiss out of that... Perhaps I can change that" He would tease, playfully puckering his lips at her a moment, his lips inches from hers as he would tilt his head a bit as if to make a move before pulling back a little. He couldn't make all the moves, could he? If he did, what would be left for her?

"What about an amusement park? That seem like more your style?"

 

[Riamah]

If he allowed her, Ra would make a playful punch to his shoulder when he said he hadn't heard any form denial. With the light punch, she included a smile. Josh really had a way about him. He could get under her skin, but in a far more positive manner than negative and in a way nobody else had before.

"When isn't Coruscant in some sort of ruin?"

It was asked with a flat​ tone, but not without a touch of humor still showing in her eyes.

Raising her hands to make it look like she had only her head sticking out of a box, she lightly puckered up and met his lips with a kiss. Letting her hands drop, she met his gaze and smiled.

"That would certainly be an interesting date."

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

"Agreed."

Though she would catch him by surprise when she would suddenly act. His eyes widened when he was pulled into an actual kiss, and when she did pull away, he was left speechless for a moment. The first time since they'd met, if he recalled. Touching a finger to his lips, he took a moment to ponder a response, before his competitive side would kick in. He would gingerly take her hands, before pulling Ra into a kiss of his own, something far less subtle and far more active and passionate, his motions were wilder and hungrier than hers had been in hers, as his tongue would slide along her lips at times in between. Only then did he pull back and shoot her a smug grin in turn.

"I think I have this round" He teased. "An interesting date it could be."