Private Unfinished Business

[Leliana]

Quite a bit of time had passed since Leliana had last seen Sylvia. Back then the young magenta-haired woman was still very much Sith, but had been walking along the edge of falling off that path. Oddly, Leliana didn’t feel anything from it, at least in terms of negative emotion. She assumed the Overseers would’ve preferred her to feel slighted, betrayed by someone who opted to turn their back on the Sith.

Leliana instead felt happy, glad that Sylvia; her friend, had found something that better suited her. She imagined if things hadn’t turned out like they had, being thrown back into the Academy, making friends, meeting Natima, she would’ve had a different viewpoint on Sylvia’s actions.

But right now she was more concerned about unfinished business. Namely that their little joint project had been left incomplete. Sure, the timing hadn’t worked out with Leliana getting pulled elsewhere at the same time Sylvia made the decision to leave the Sith. But at the very least she could’ve left a message or something, make it easier to contact her when she had free time.

Leliana was joking, mostly.

It had taken her weeks just to work out where Sylvia had gone initially, then finding out what ship she had procured and was now operating from. From there she had spent much longer trying to track her down, trying to predict where she’d go next to intercept her ahead of time. Ironically, it had been Quinn who ended up tipping the assassin off.

She still kept a tab on the Echani, especially after hearing that Vesta had seemingly disappeared. Tempting as it was, Leliana didn’t want to reopen that particular can of worms right then. She had moved on from the situation with Quinn.

But she had provided a means to get a more recent track on Sylvia. Giving Leliana the means to follow her path more closely, and find an opportunity to ‘meet’.

Thus one night, when the sky was full of stars and Sylvia was returning to her ship finally. An eerie quietness filled the interior, maybe not too unusual of a sight. But when she flicked the lights on, she’d find a familiar face greeting her.

Leliana, sitting in one of her chairs idly reading a book. She looked up and over, dark brown eyes immediately catching Sylvia’s light blue.

“Sup, Sylvi.”

Sylvia Virtos​

 

[Sylvia Virtos]

Carpe Noctem
​

"I know, bud. I just..."

Sylvia sighed. Her thoughts made sense, but it was difficult to put them into words. Ever since that day on Eshan, she didn't know what to think of her feelings anymore. She didn't regret anything she'd done, but diving head-first into something like that after everything with her felt strange. Meeting up with someone so closely related to the Sith Empire had been risky at best and outright suicidal at worst, but now that was only the beginning of all the crazy things that went paired with Quinn.

Spark beeped, pulling the spacer out of her head again. The little droid had been doing that quite often the past few days. "Yeah, you're right. A break would be good. The budget can take it." Force knew she needed rest. Going right back to work after Eshan had been a struggle, with her head all over the place. Thankfully, most of her work had been simple courier jobs, including the one she had just been paid for. It paid modestly, but also didn't really have any risks attached, making being stuck in her own head less dangerous. Regardless, some time off to put everything into perspective would be good for her in the long run.

The spaceport was as good as abandoned. A backwater planet like this didn't draw much traffic; that paired with the fact it was close to midnight meant nobody was looking to take off anytime soon. The silence was oddly comforting, allowing her to focus on the sound of her own footsteps as she approached her ship. Spark beeped again.

"Good idea. Your data banks need some cleaning out," Sylvia remarked as the boarding ramp lowered before her. A visibly tired spacer walked into the main area, where she tossed off her jacket onto a nearby table and snapped her fingers to turn on the lights. "Spark, cou-"

"Oh."

Sylvia froze in place, shock overwhelming her senses. The Sith had finally tracked her down, and they had sent Leliana of all people. Her overseer always loved poetic cruelty. The initial shock wore off, and resignation set in.

"Hey, Lel." Sylvia was quiet, the nonchalant edge she always had to her nowhere to be found.

"It was Eshan, wasn't it? My fatal mistake."

Leliana ​

 

[Leliana]

She heard the sound of a muffled voice at first, followed by what sounded like the beeps and boops of a droid. That fact confused Leliana for a moment, until she remembered Sylvia had a little droid companion, Spark was its name if the assassin recalled correctly.

The conversation became clearer as the boarding ramp lowered and the sounds of footsteps began to echo across the ship’s interior. Leliana showed no concern as she continued to read her book, only ever looking up when the lights finally turned on.

Eshan? What happened there?

Something to ask later, but right now Leliana needed to cut to the chase. Hopefully before Sylvia had a heart attack if the expression on her face was anything to go by.

“About time you showed up, been waiting here for hours.” Leliana slammed the book shut, turning her attention fully to the woman. “And I’m not here for you, Sylvi.” The assassin paused, no that wasn’t quite correct. “Well no, I am here for you, just not what the reason that’s no doubt running in your head.”

Leliana knew coming here that Sylvia would be thinking the worst, she was after all technically a traitor, turncoat, defector, whatever label you wanted to put on it. But to Leliana, the one thing Sylvia was to her, was a friend.

“The Overseers haven’t sent me, nor have the Sith in general. Besides. If I was here to capture or kill you, do you really think we’d be having this conversation right now?”

Sylvia Virtos​

 

[Sylvia Virtos]

The moment she had locked eyes with Leliana, Sylvia was convinced the assassin had come to tie up loose ends. The empire wasn't fond of defectors, even when they had no intention of fighting back against them. She really just wanted to be left alone by them. Even though Sylvia had come to hate the nation and the values they represented, she had forged connections there. Then again, apart from Quinn she had cut them off out of necessity and even Quinn she hadn't spoken a word to for over a year. And now Leliana was here.

But the assassin wasn't here to return Sylvia to the Force. Perhaps she was too eager to believe it, but the spacer felt a wave of relief washing over her. She didn't need to die today. It would've been far too early. "You got a point there. I hope you understand my jumpiness, though." Being a runaway was incredibly tiring. Paranoia ran deep.

Spark noticed Sylvia's change in demeanor and relaxed itself, the color of its 'eye' shifting from red back to blue. It continued to hover around her creator, though, until she nodded. Everything was okay.

"Anyway!" Sylvia walked over to a cabinet and pulled it open, revealing a few bottles and glasses. "I'm just going to take the edge off after that, because Force you scared the chit out of me. Can I offer you anything?" If Leliana wanted a drink too, she'd grab a second glass. She then walked over to the chair next to Leliana's and set a bottle and the glass or glasses down onto the table in front of them. "Sorry for keeping you waiting, Lel. And disappearing. It's a long story, one I won't get into." It was a sensitive topic.

"You already made yourself at home, but welcome to my humble abode. Thanks for not breaking anything when you broke in," Sylvia joked as she poured a drink into the glass.

Leliana ​

 

[Leliana]

Leliana nodded her head in response. “Of course, I’d be equally on edge if the roles were reversed.” Albeit if the scenario had been opposite, Leliana would’ve likely had a blade at Sylvia’s throat already. But that was just how the assassin was wired, unlike Sylvia whose immediate response wasn’t to attack her would-be attacker.

“Whatever you have on hand will suffice.” Leliana never had much of a taste for alcohol, but since dating Natima she had grown more accustomed to certain things. But as long as it wasn’t awful, the assassin wasn’t going to turn her head at it.

As Sylvia went to grab the glasses, Leliana leaned over the armrest, drawing her bag open and sliding her book into it. She zipped it back up, then watched as the magenta’s droid companion; Spark, hovered and bobbed around the area.

Her attention snapped back when Sylvia returned, placing the glasses onto the table along with the bottle. Leliana waved her hand dismissively. “It’s fine, Sylvi. You had a different path you wanted to follow, and certainly didn’t need to keep connected with the Sith while you were finding your footing.”

She waited until Sylvia had poured her drink, before following up and doing the same with her own glass.

A look of amusement appeared on her face at Sylvia’s joke. “You’re welcome.” Leliana’s voice became muffled as she spoke, obscured by the glass as she took a sip. She swirled the contents a little bit, before looking over at Sylvia.

“So how’s the Spacer lifestyle been?”

Sylvia Virtos​

 

[Sylvia Virtos]

For how fanatic most Sith were, it was a relief that the people Sylvia had associated herself with in the past weren't so bad in that regard. Her encounter with Quinn had a most interesting twist and even the assassin among them wasn't looking to slit her throat and dump her out an airlock somewhere in space. All that even gave her an idea, but she left that for later. This wasn't the time to go ask for any favors.

"I'm glad you understand," the spacer remarked as she poured a drink into her own glass, "there's also the fact that most of them would kill me for my choices and keeping contact was a major risk, but you know..." She let out a slightly nervous chuckle, even if it was meant as a joke. "But yeah, let's be real. I was never going to make it as a Sith." Sylvia set the bottle back down and screwed the cap back on. She raised her glass as a salute, and took a good sip. The burning sensation she felt as it went down was exactly what she needed.

"It was rough at first, not gonna lie." Flying a deathtrap of a ship and fighting over bottom-of-the-barrel jobs wasn't the best way to live. "I'm somewhat known now though, so it's a lot better now. Got a couple of steady sources of work as well," Sylvia explained. One particularly well-paying client lived on Eshan. "You could say being a spacer is growing on me." As much as there were aspects about her work that kept it from being the perfect job, she really couldn't complain. The freedom was something Sylvia wouldn't give up for anything.

"And how has being a Sith been lately? I'll be honest, I'm glad I got out before the war broke out."

Leliana ​

 

[Leliana]

The assassin looked at Sylvia, looking her up and down. She took in the woman’s appearance, the way she was holding herself. The clear lack of tension in her form compared to when she was a Sith was evident to see.

“I’ll say one thing, the spacer life certainly agrees with you.” Leliana smirked, taking a sip of her drink. “Don’t think I’ve ever seen you so happy, so at ease as you are right now.”

The lifestyle Sylvia had chosen wasn’t exactly an easy one, but for her it was much more preferable over that of a Sith. If she had continued to pursue it, Leliana had no doubt Sylvia would’ve been broken by the experience.

For better or worse, her magenta-haired friend had taken the better option when she still could.

It wasn’t like Leliana was devoid of her own identity. She had carved out something for herself, adopted the powers and made her own little home within the shadows. But it was part of a life she had always known, not dragged into it like Sylvia had been.

“Things have been getting...chaotic.” Leliana let out a slight snort of amusement at her own words. It was a grand understatement given the state of the war efforts. “With both the Galactic Alliance and New Imperial Order attacks, the Empire has been fighting on two fronts. But personally I haven’t been close to the frontlines a lot, been using a lot of the time to work on pet projects, and spending time with Nat.”

Sylvia Virtos​

 

[Sylvia Virtos]

Leliana's observation elicited a surprised chuckle from Sylvia. She herself never really noticed how she had changed from then to now, but now that she thought about it the assassin wasn't wrong. Not every day was perfect, but at least she felt like herself. The past left its struggles for today, but at least there were good days to go with the bad ones now. As tired as she was, today had been a good one. Apart from the scare courtesy of Leliana, at least. She'd probably be able to laugh about it later.

"I guess you're right," Sylvia replied, an involuntary smile creeping across her face. "No superiors, no ridiculous punishments... yeah. I never really thought about that." She had turned to this life out of desperation, but it ended up fitting her well. Only now did Sylvia realize how lucky she had been; she had been so focused on simply surviving for so long that it never crossed her mind. By the time things settled down, she had gotten used by the changes already. She really wasn't doing all too badly for herself.

"I'll drink to that." The spacer rose her glass again, and took a good sip. Her supplier had good stock, much better than what she was able to get her hands on as a student at the academy.

Where Sylvia had expected Leliana to be out there on the front lines though, she instead focused on her own business. With how much service to the empire was shoved down everyone's throat, it did surprise her. What grabbed Sylvia's attention above everything else was the last thing Leliana mentioned. The grin she gave Leliana said it all.

"Nat, huh? I knew there was something going on between you two during the tryouts way back when. You're doing well for yourself as well, then." Even before Sylvia defected, she had noticed that the two were getting quite close. She harmlessly bumped Leliana's shoulder with her fist. "Nice. Who gives a damn about front lines when you got a lady, right?" Another healthy sip of her drink.

"Speaking of pet projects, though," Sylvia added, "I guess I did kind of leave you hanging with ours. My bad."

Leliana ​

 

[Leliana]

In a rare moment of open emotion, Leliana’s cheeks burned red at the mention of Natima. It wasn’t often that someone brought her up to the assassin, but whenever they did it always had the same effect. A reminder of how warm it made Leliana feel, as opposed to the coldness she felt looking back at her time with Quinn.

“Yeah, we realized we had been dancing around each other for a long time. We were close friends, just didn’t capitalize on it until much later.” Until after Quinn.

Leliana’s gaze shifted over to watch Sylvia for some type of reaction. She had been part of their little group during that period, when Quinn demanded Leliana’s attention. Not that it was anything new, the Echani Princess demanded everyone’s attention, but the assassin most so during that time. Then Vesta happened, and the rug was harshly pulled from beneath her feet.

Fortunately that time had happened around the same time everyone was shifting towards new directions in their life, personal and educational wise.

The assassin cracked a smile at Sylvia’s gesture, raising her glass in a toast. “Agreed, it’s much better to focus on the personal things, than the overall picture.” She took a healthy sip of her own drink, pulling the glass away as Sylvia continued.

“Don’t worry about it,” Leliana said, waving her hand dismissively. “You had much more important things to go through. Besides you know how I am, it just gave me more time to go over the designs.”

Anyone who knew Leliana well enough, knew she had a bit of a perfectionist streak. Especially when it came to drawing, painting or just general designing.

Sylvia Virtos​

 

[Sylvia Virtos]

Sylvia gave Leliana a nod and a shrug. "Better late than never, right?" she remarked, though she didn't add more than that. Her lips tugged upwards, though nervously. She knew that Leliana had been involved with Quinn at the time, and considering what was going on between herself and the echani she didn't want to let too much filter through. Then there was the way things had ended between Leliana and Quinn, which only made it even more of a touchy subject. The fact she had mentioned Eshan already could already have been enough to tip the Sith off. Sylvia quietly prayed she wouldn't find out.

Thankfully, the topic shifted from there. The last thing she wanted was for things to get awkward between herself and Leliana. Not in the least because she was an assassin, either. It was good to hear Leliana had her priorities straight, at least. "Crazy, how everyone's lives got better after they left the academy. Who would've thought?" The spacer chuckled, "I never bothered to find out, but I hope that place got levelled." Even after all this time, she still passionately hated the academy.

Sylvia took a sip of her drink to hide her disgust while Leliana returned to the project the two had been working on before her defection. It surprised the spacer somewhat to hear Leliana had continued to work on it in her absence. "So you tidied up my terrible handwriting and illogical lists," she jested in response, knowing full-well she more than likely had. Where Leliana was a perfectionist, Sylvia had the tendency to act like a mad scientist. Throwing things at the wall and seeing what sticks was her preferred method of doing projects.

Leliana ​

 

[Leliana]

Leliana chuckled, taking a sip of her drink. “You’re lucky you partnered up with someone who likes having lots of physical papers to sort through.” It was probably one of the oddest traits that the two shared, few as they were. Leliana used tablets and datapads for her work, but if she could find an excuse to use a pencil and paper, she would.

There was something about the physical act, be it writing or drawing that helped the assassin feel more creative. It came as no surprise to anyone who knew Leliana, knew how she was raised. Confined in an environment that stifled creativity for the most part.

“You should’ve seen the state of my desk, hell my entire room when I was first sifting through all the notes.”

Leliana reached over the other side of her chair. Glass still in one hand, the assassin deftly opened up her bag and used the Force to pull out a tablet. She carefully floated it over towards Sylvia. “That’s got my final designs on the first physical prototype. I’ve already got some ideas for improvements, but they’re all theory at the moment. Need to see how things stand with an actual example first.”

The digital tablet was high-end, which probably wasn’t too surprising if you knew how serious Leliana towards her hobbies. She wasn’t one to spare any expense when it came to them. It was a recent model, which included a handy little function of seamless connection with a larger holo-projector.

Leliana shifted in her chair a little, sitting up a bit more straight. She watched and waited as Sylvia looked through things, set things up. Then a small smirk graced the assassin’s features.

“So, how’s Quinn been?”

Sylvia Virtos​

 

[Sylvia Virtos]

"I definitely did get lucky. Most people would positively despise me as a partner." Mad scientists generally worked on their own for a reason. Not only did others often slow her work flow down, the other party wouldn't be able to get anything done around Sylvia were they not able to keep up. Leliana had been surprisingly good at following the spacer's wild ideas, though. Working together had always gone surprisingly smoothly.

"At least you had something to remind you of me, right," Sylvia remarked. An obvious sense of sarcasm prevented any joke at her expense, something that came naturally to her. As her attention slowly began to drift back to her glass, the woman quickly took a sip to quell the nagging thought. By the time she set the glass back down, a datapad had floated over towards her.

"Let's see," Sylvia mused as she took hold of the device. The parts where her own skills came in were looked at first and looking over it all, the details slowly came flowing back into her memory. "I have a good amount of the parts here, actually. Not everything, but we could make a start for sure." One couldn't mess around and try making new gadgets without the materials to make them out of. That's why Sylvia often picked up bits and pieces whenever she came by them. If it seemed useful, it would come with her. "I already see a few mistakes old me made, but it's nothing too bad."

With a nod, she connected the datapad to the holoprojector the main area featured. The design Sylvia previously studied on the datapad was now visible from anywhere in the room, which was going to make things a lot easier.

"Alright," the spacer remarked as she got up and made her way over to a wall of drawers she had gotten installed to store all of her 'bits and pieces'. Next to it was a pair of large boxes, which held the larger items. While most drawers were labelled, over time nothing was in its proper place anymore yet somehow Sylvia never had much trouble finding what she needed. As she pulled open the first drawer, though, she froze.

"Quinn? How'd I-"

How'd I know? There was no point in trying to lie. She continued to look at the drawers, refusing to look behind her and face Leliana.

"I mean... Quinn's doing alright. You knew we, uh, reconnected?" Sylvia quietly prayed that Leliana hadn't figured out just in what direction the relationship between Quinn and herself had shifted.

Leliana ​