Time Well Spent | Dianah, Ivum, Jaron

[Malok]

When did he get so attached?

The luxury of downtime was one that did not come consistently for Darth Metus. Between the demands of the Confederacy and his responsibilities as a Master, the Sith seldom had time to do what he wanted to. But. When the rare opportunities presented themselves, he did not find himself locked away inside a Forge for hours on end. Nor did he stow away inside his archives, burrowing into holocrons and scrolls until his head spun. This was not to say that the pursuit of power had waned in his eyes, not by any means. But...there were other things that had started to come first in his mind. When [member="Srina Talon"] was gone from the Well, either on business or spending time with her lover. When [member="Alora Fae"] was away, training or on a mission of his choosing.

He'd pick up the comm and get ahold of [member="Amaya Cardei"]. And for just a moment, he'd forget that he was the Sith who clawed his way back from the jaws of death. He'd forget that he was the Vicelord who guided the lives of untold trillions. For just a moment, he had the most powerful title in the Galaxy: grandpa.

When he was much younger, he would have balked at the notion. A young Darth Metus would have howled with laughter - or demanded to know why his current self did not mirror the strides of the Dark Lord or others like him. They were just as strong, but would Kaine Zambrano take time to spend with his grandson? Kark no. It'd be a cold day on Korriban before such a travesty occurred. So why? Why did the Darth Metus of the present feel so...right whenever he chased Isley the Younger through the Halls of Sinner's Well. Why did he feel at peace when he'd hoist the young boy onto his shoulders so that he could see the world a bit better? Why did it crush him each and every time the young man boarded the ship to go back to his mother?

He couldn't make sense of it. When did he get so attached? The question plagued him more than the phantom aches from wounds long since healed.

In the here and now, the Sith watched as the engines roared to life and took his grandchild away. His sulfuric gaze followed the vessel as it sliced through the sky, headed back to either Concord Dawn. Headed back to the kinfolk who now looked upon Amaya as their guiding star. It was bittersweet whenever he thought of it. Bitter, because he had turned his back upon the heritage that had reared him. Yet sweet...knowing that his daughter had risen to the challenge. Sweet, knowing that Amaya would stare down any within the Mandalorian Empire if they so much as sneeze upon her land. To say that he was proud was the understatement of the century. When the ship finally escaped his field of view, Darth Metus turned and strode deeper within the Well.

And with each step, he could feel the weight of reality sinking in. Stray reminders of meetings that were on the horizon or lessons he had promised to teach began to infect his thoughts. He wanted...He wanted it to stop. Even for five more minutes. Wanted to savor the memories he had made for just a little while longer. But life waited for no man. By the time the sun rose yet again, he would be joining his grandchild in the stars, racing towards a new destination. But...No...for now. For those precious hours, he wouldn't work. He wouldn't plan. If the Galaxy belched fire into his lap, sure, he would respond. But for now...he could spend that time better.

He could do right by the fresh memories dancing in his skull.

With this fresh resolve, his strides were infected with purpose. An odd pep cascaded into the Sith's steps as he rounded the corner and moved deeper into the Well. Though the whole of his responsibilities were not present within his fortress, he was by no means alone. You see, in order for Darth Metus to become a grandfather, he first earned the mantle of father. And true to that title, he opened his roost to his children to come and go as they saw fit. Though few accepted the offer, a pair of his children did. The Dread Siblings as he had come to affectionately refer to them: [member="Dianah Vi'Dreya"] and [member="Darth Ivum"]. At this particular hour, he could feel them on the far side of the property. Accompanied by a presence he had come to recognize as [member="Jaron Lesan"], Dianah's...friend.

She grew up far too fast for his liking. They both did. He could recall, even now, when they were just like his grandson - rambunctious little scamps getting into everything that wasn't nailed down. Back then he'd have hollered at them for their mischief...he wouldn't have spent the day chasing them with a grin on his face.

And here he always thought there were no regrets in his life. Bah.

The twins and their friend would also feel the Lord of the House coming before he arrived. Today, he made no grand introduction. Made no demands of action or spouting a mission that was theirs to undertake. Today, he simply entered the room - knocking upon the doorframe as he passed.

"Do you...mind if I join you?"

[member="Dianah Vi'Dreya"] | [member="Darth Ivum"] | [member="Jaron Lesan"]​

 

[Darth Miseria]

Family time was time well spent in Dianah's eyes. She had finally managed to drag Jaron and her brother into the same room together, whether they got along or not remained to be seen. Convincing them had been easy as they were both susceptible to her quirky charms. Beside she knew the two of them well enough to know what they would agree to by now. The card game had only been going for half an hour but with every hand played Dianah was getting more and more excitable. Her feminine titters and shouts of dismay or success echoed throughout Sinner's Well, easily heard by anyone who had ears to listen. It didn't help that her voice was steadily growing in volume after downing two shots of the amber colored liquid the siblings had been saving for such a night.

'Okay, cyar'ika. You never told me you were this good at cards, no fair. I'm definitely being ganged up on here.'

She threw a card with a huff, resigning herself to another loss. Settling back in her chair she took a moment to look at the company currently sat at the table. One man was her lover, her partner, her soul mate. The two had been entirely inseparable since they'd first met on Arbra. Every moment they had spare was spent with each other, though until very recently their meetings had been sparse. Now they were living together on Krant where Dianah had taken up a position as Viceroy. The second man at the table was Dianah's elder brother Ivum. He had left their home on Sinner's Well when Dianah was young and hadn't returned till she was nearly eighteen. When he came back they'd shared a moment in the throne room that bonded them beyond any regular sibling relationship. They'd garnered the nickname "The Derriphan Siblings" and they wore it like a badge of pride.

Dianah wrapped her fingers around the neck of the bottle and topped everyone's drinks up with a flourish. They were two of the most important men in her life, not including her Father, but he was always so busy. She never expected him to be in Sinner's Well when the siblings came to call but they still visited regularly. Just as she had gathered up the cards to deal out another round an impressive presence made itself known in the room. Dianah lifted her gaze from the pack of cards to meet her brothers deep brown eyes, a single brow lofting toward him. It was hard to hide the excitement she felt when she heard the hallow knock on the door frame. Doubly so when she heard her Father's booming voice requesting permission to join.

'Buir! We'd love that.'

A swift motion with her hand caused a fourth chair to fly across the room and land neatly at the table, positioned between the two siblings. Another glass shortly followed and it was quickly filled to the brim with the sweet liquor. Dianah patted the seat with the flat of her palm, a sweet smile plastered to her expression as she did so.

[member=Darth Metus] | [Member=Darth Ivum] | [member=Jaron Lesan]​

 

[Jaron Lesan]

"I can assure you, I am not cheating, ner cyare," Jaron retorted to the demonstrative pout that Dianah offered at yet another loss.

His eyes moved over to her brother, Darth Ivum, and a shrug was offered. They were indeed ganging up on her, but not because Jaron wanted to, the man was doing his best to bond with the only man that would know their secret. Dianah's force bond with her brother would not allow her to hide it from him, not without much cost, nor would Jaron ever ask her to. His love for her was too great to ever put the young woman in a place to do that. Family was everything in their shared culture, and while both of them only had one parent that could claim a Mandalorian heritage, they both had been raised in it.

Jaron could only smile even brighter as she did. They shared their own bond now, and when she happy he could sense it, and in this moment she was truly happy. He had thought nothing could make her more happy than she was in this shared moment, but then a dark presence was felt approaching the room. His glass was empty as soon as it was filled, because despite having known Metus since Jaron was part of the First Order, their relationship had never included one of his daughters.

A confident smile was painted on his face as Metus walked into the room and asked for permission to join. The request seemed odd that a father felt like he had to ask, but Jaron also understood the dynamic. An absent or uninvolved father who was trying to reconnect with his children often displayed a lack of confidence in these settings. Dianah's reply should have been a boost to the man, and with the same flourish as Dianah had always done everything with, a chair and fourth drink were added to the table.

Jaron looked at his lover with a grin. He loved her flare and flourish and willed it that she would never change. His eyes then moved back to Ivum, and Jaron feigned fear in his voice.

"We best be careful... I think we are about to have our shebs handed to us..."

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[member="Darth Metus"] | [member="Dianah Vi'Dreya"] | [member="Darth Ivum"]​

 

[Darth Ivum]

Location: Sahet'yaim [Sinner's Well] ​

Time: 0951​

It had been far too long. ​

The light orange fortress still stood as tall and proud ad the first time he'd come back after his training. He'd certainly grown since then. No longer was his face rounded with youth and innocence abound. His build wasn't lanky or composed of lean muscle anymore. He supposed he was thankful for that. Though, his height bothered him still. At just over seven feet tall, Ivum is a giant compared to the rest of his family, even his father.

Even when sitting at a table for a few rounds of cards.

Ivum was certainly teaming up against Dia with Jaron for the past couple of rounds. Though, he'd never betray the partnership through their bond, not if he could somehow help it, that is. But, this was all fun and games. A bit of mischief and a splash of drinks being poured, downed, and poured again was always good for a person. At least, he certainly believed so.

It had been far too long. ​

​

When was the last time they'd had time to truly relax? Was it when he first arrived at Sinner's Well? No, not even then. It was then that he learned of Hadashah's passing. That, that was everything but relaxing.

But, that didn't matter now. He was here, with his family, save for one. Father wasn't there...yet. The man could feel his father's approach from across the Well. His coming was as deliberate as they come. But, once the presence swelled and peaked just outside the door to the room, the voice did not match its owner. This voice was... hesitant.
As if Father were actually nervous and unsure in this situation. Though, Ivum knew, that may have been the case.

Dianah was the one to invite him in, as cheerfully and lovingly as she knew how. He smiled warmly, a chair appearing directly in between his two children. He glanced at Jaron a moment and grinned, giving a playful response.

"If ya don't know how to play, don't sit down at the table. You might lose more than a little pride."

He looked to his left, looking to start a conversation with his father. "How have you been, Father?"

[member="Darth Metus"] | [member="Dianah Vi'Dreya"] | [member="Jaron Lesan"]​

 

[Malok]

The icy laugh haunted him.

Though he was a being that had spat in the face of Death, Darth Metus was the furthest thing from a deity. He was able to feel. Able to hurt. And as his knuckles rapped upon the wooden frame, he was able to fear. It was the strangest thing - to be the sire of two in the room...to be the reason they lived and breathed...but to also feel small in their presence. Yet one of the reasons why reared its head in the back of his mind. He feared their rejection. Feared their hatred. He knew that he was not the most present fixture in their lives; in the lives of any of his children for that matter, and had one time felt the sting of this fact.

They would not have remembered when it happened, for they were very young. But their elder sister, [member="Runi Verin"], once threw her head back in an icy laugh. Her mother and father stood on either side and pleaded for an opportunity to be apart of her life. For once, Darth Metus and his former lover saw eye to eye when it came to their daughter. And she laughed. A wintery, cold expression of disbelief which rent the Sith to the core.

And as he stood before the Derriphan siblings, he braced for the same agony. But there was none to be found. Instead of a nuclear winter of hatred, he found a glorious summer in the response of his children. The already warm atmosphere of the room seemed to brighten as Dianah gleefully summoned a chair for him to sit upon. Ivum, ever the soft spoken, even seemed to perk up in his verbiage. There was no rejection to be found here. No winter. No hurt or pain. And upon seeing how happy the two were to spend even a moment with their sire, Darth Metus happily entered the room.

His strides regained some of their former confidence as he descended into the seat - a wide grin ultimately claiming his feature. ”I hope you’re all ready to los-” he began, immediately intent upon talking chit. But before a complete sentence could fall from his lips, a chime erupted in his pocket. This was the bane of their relationship - the duties of state demanding his attention. For but a millisecond, it would appear as if the Sith was going to succumb...as if he would be the Vicelord instead of their Father. But, he simply retrieved the datapad from his pocket, dismissed the notification, and slid it back into his pocket.

”Sorry about that, I-kark me.”

Another chime, this time upon his watch. An urgent notification - this time he took a single second to glance at what it said before dismissing the missive. Jen’ari something or other. Perhaps a report from that nation that Dianah had been spying on sometime prior. Regardless, it could wait. It all would wait. Even if he only had time for a couple hands, he could spend that much time with his children. They deserved that much at the very least. ”Okay, that’s every electronic device I have.” he said, chuckling.

”And to answer your question son, I’m busy as Kad during a Crusade. But not so busy that I can’t hand you all your shebs. Deal me a hand, let’s go.”

He offered the three of them a playful grin, blissfully unaware of what surprises the love birds had in store for him. All that mattered now was time well spent.

[member="Darth Ivum"] | @Dianah Vi’dreya | [member="Jaron Lesan"]​

 

[Darth Miseria]

Excitement was bubbling up inside Dianah like a pot ready to boil over. It was a rare opportunity to have Jaron and Ivum sitting in the same room, never mind adding her Father into the mix with either of them. To have them all together in one place was more than she could handle, she was practically bouncing on her seat as she waited for her Father to join them. It didn't help that the alcohol was extremely strong, something she and Jaron had brought back from a short vacation. The shrill sound of a message coming through was hardly surprising.

Dianah was all but ready to flick her hand to send the chair away when he dismissed it without so much as a look. A second one came, but just like the first it was silenced without a glance. For a moment she was completely taken aback. She couldn't remember a single instance where he had ignored one. 'Wow...' Dianah let her mouth hang half open, sparing a quick glance at her brother by her side. 'I've never once seen you do that.' Her tone was filled with more surprise than she had intended. The emotion quickly dwindled as he settled into the chair and answered Ivum's question.

Jaron spoke and snapped her mind back into the conversation. A tinkling laugh spread out through the room, emanating from Dianah's throat. 'We best be careful. I hope you're not scared, Jaron.' Dianah mocked Jaron easily, her teasing tone seemed to be a product of a little too much alcohol. 'Even the great Darth Metus can be bested, though he doesn't like to admit it.' A cheeky smile worked its way onto her lips and one of her hands came down to meet the table top rather loudly. ''Enough small talk! Let's play cards.' She dealt quickly, her nimble fingers spreading the cards evenly around the table. Almost the second she had placed down the last card she had scooped hers up, clutching them tightly against her chest. 'Left to the dealer.' She nodded her head at her Father with a serious expression on her face.

[member=Darth Metus] | [member=Darth Ivum] | [member=Jaron Lesan]​