Wake Up

[Soliath Devin Talith]

Soliael didn't react for a heartbeat. He knew what she was feeling, he knew the emotions running through her head, the thoughts racing a mile a minute. He could see the need in her eyes, the want,, the absolute overwhelming desire to be with him, to be as close to him as physically possible. His arm tightened around her, his hand dropped from her chin and down her body, sliding softly until it reached her stomach.

His hand tucked beneath her blouse, finding a warm stomach. It rounded around her back, clutching her.

“Devin.” He corrected her, though he had no idea if she would know what it meant.

Soliael had several names, dozen in fact, but only few used that one. Three individuals in fact, Quietus, Dissero, and Silencia. His family, those closest to him, those that loved him and he loved in return. It was a very special name, a name for those closest to him.

Before she could respond, he kissed her, and once again they became lost.

 

[Kira Talith]

Hot water would shower over Kira as she stood quietly in Soliael's refresher. They had awoken early, tangled in each other's arms as the morning light came dancing over the snow covered peaks. Last night he had held her within his embrace, pressed his lips upon her brow, and in a low murmur gave his word.

"We'll leave tomorrow."

Dawn would draw them from the warmth of his bed and into the chill of the morn. Her to the refresher and him to prepare; the preparations to be had for a trip into Republic territory. Precautions in the wake of the One Sith War. Tensions would be high on vessels not registered within the Republic transponder registry, and while Kira had no doubt to the reach and breath of one Neth the Keeper, even such a trip would certainly take a few hours of work to finalize. Even for Soliael --

No, not Soliael. Devin.

His voice had been low and weighty in the darkened bedroom as he'd said it. The name was not unfamiliar to her. Nor was the importance of such a confession. It was there in the rear of her mind, due to the meld. Due to that bond that the Force had merged them briefly into one in the depths of the cavern system. His secrets were his own and she would respect that, for he had no foreknowledge what consequences her actions would face. That he had so desired to include her in that warmed her heart as much as it broke it.

Her eyes fell shut, the hot water rushing over her.

The corner of her mouth would perk. He had been right. These certainly felt better than the sonic ones.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

Soliael stood in the ante-chamber before his own room, the small alcove being somewhat warmer than the rest of the fortress. His hands were shaking, and his eyes were heavy and lidded. Kira had slept like a baby after she had had her way with him, but he? He had remained awake, wondering, thinking, and even beginning to fear for Kiras life.

The box had helped.

Or rather what was inside that box. He intended to give it to her today, to placate some of her thoughts and worries, perhaps put her at ease. He held the box in his hands still, the caress of it bringing a smile to his face.

The Readying of the ship didn't take as long as Kira had hoped. His ship, the one that he himself had created, was always on standby, and flying to the Republic would take time, but the journey itself solved many of the political problems. The Omega Protectorate would be their route, and although it was a time of war, it would still be quite easy.

It would only take three days.

Three days left with the woman he loved, three days to spend with her, three days to love and caress her. His hear tightned, but he shook his head and walked into the room. “Kira?”

 

[Kira Talith]

The sound of running water would soon fade, and in its wake would come the soft response of the Lorrdian female.

"In here."

He would find her wrapping a thick terrycloth towel around her slender form. The bruises had all but faded now, what mars lined her skin either mere memories or now a new testimony to her past. Her hair was still wet, and another towel would start to rustle through the still dripping wet tendrils to dry it.

Her bare feet would take her just to the archway between the refresher and his room. Pale blue eyes would drink the sight of him as she gave a ghost of a smile.

"Hey."

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

Soliael walked into the room with quick, tight footsteps. He stood up straight, and his eyes were hard, though loving. He was clearly struggling with the choice of letting her go, clearly hurting on the inside because he knew he had to do it, and because he knew it would break her if he didn't. He smiled at her, a sad smile, one that told of love, but at the same time misery.

“I have something for you, my love.” He gripped the box in his hand more tightly.

Ordinarily her near nudity would have roused something in him, would have screamed at him to pick her up off the floor and toss her into that bed.

Not today.

Today he simply wanted to love her, to care for her, to see her smile and bewildered by what he had brought her. It was unique after all, and beautiful beyond measure. His smile grew more genuine as he anticipated showing her the present.

Yes, she would like it.

 

[Kira Talith]

He was struggling with the situation as much as her. Kira could see it in his eyes, read it in his body. He was trying his best for her, and that only endeared him to her more. Slowly the towel would draw from her hair, and she would hold it in her hands. Her smile would widen, a faint curiosity filling her expression along with the affection she held for him.

"Cookies?" she'd ask, half teasing, half joking. The Lorrdian was unable to completely do away with the attempts at humor. It was her catch all for when she was nervous; and he made her nervous. The entire situation hung with such a somber cloud and she was trying her best to find that strength in her core. This was something she had to do. Knew it well. That he would not ask her to stay and break that which was her in essence is what only drew her closer to him in turn.

It was a sacrifice. Love, at its core was a sacrifice. Of self, of mind, of all. It made one vulnerable, but also garnered great strength. Perhaps this is what Kira had managed to impart.

As he came to a stop before her, her head would tilt back, taking the breath of him with her eyes. Staring down, he let his golden eyes roam over the Jedi Master, and she felt vulnerable, but not in danger. No, never that. He was a man of great strength, blessed by the Force yes. And while she had started this journey knowing so little about him, there was one thing she had felt unequivocally through all of it: safe.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

He smiled at her.

“I'm afraid my gifts of creation lay elsewhere.” His hand came up, and his palm flattened with the rectangular box coming to rest at the very center of it. “It's something to keep you safe.”

The box was velvet on the outside, small, but grand enough to seem a great chest of treasure. The latch on the front held an insignia, Soliaels own. Three large horns growing out amongst each other, each one trying to grow larger than the other but each one kept in check by the other two. The insignia seemed to give off a slight sheen as he offered her the small item.

Inside she would find a necklace.

A mastercraft of the force, created by Soliael in the forged of Exocra with the aid of his Fathers, and Dissero's knowledge. One of the greatest Artifacts of the force that the galaxy had seen in a dozen lifetimes. Something that had been forged out of love, out of necessity.

It was a way for Soliael to be with her, even when he could not.

 

[Kira Talith]

Kira's eyes would widen slightly at the revelation of a small box. Her lips would fall into a small 'o' of surprise, her eyes lifting from his extended hand to his face in question.

Something to keep me safe?

Ever so carefully, she set the towel in her hands over her forearm, freeing her hands. After a second her fingers would gingerly take the box from his outstretched palm. The pads of her fingers would lightly trace over the three horned symbol, a familiarity coming to her at the design. She knew this. She knew what it meant. It was more of a sensation than actual knowledge, like the feel of a familiar warm blanket. Only that this one had in it the sense of calm like that of a deep ocean.

She knew that feeling. Had felt it in the caverns. In yesterdays training session. An Angraal crystal lay in the box. A question would develop in her pale blue eyes. Her heart would flutter. For one who owned so little, every gift was precious to Kira. One from Devin would be even more so.

Carefully, so very carefully due to a slight tremble in her fingers, Kira would open the contents. There in lay a small sheet of parchment with a firm scrawl of aurabesh. She carefully would read the written word, unable to help her widening smile at the love note.

Finally, her attention would shift to that which lay within the velvet folds of the box. A soft gasp would fall from her lips, one of utter surprise and awe. There, laying upon the folds of black, lay a highly polished Angraal crystal, its facets catching the light in a rainbow of amethyst hues, the pulsing energy swirling within its core. It had been set upon strands of electrum, highly polished and delicate filigrees given a white sheen. Next to it lay a ring of equal beauty, the joined crystals giving of a heightened sense of calm.

It took her breath away.

"It's absolutely beautiful." came her honest admission.

For a moment she was in shock. Then she could only just shake her head, as if saying 'no, this is far too much.' For a girl who held nothing, this by far was the most beautifully crafted piece she ever had the honor of seeing much the less holding.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

Soliael looked at the awe she felt, the expression on her face. He reached out and grabbed her hips gently, stroking her sides through the towels as if to soothe her slightly. The smile on his face grew as the shock ran through her. The necklace was fit for a princess, fit for a Queen of any line in fact. That was what she was to him after all, a princess, a queen, a goddess.

“It's for more than it's beauty.” He said quietly. “The necklace is...special.”

It was hard to explain without comparing it to a Sith Artifact. She would know what those were, and he didn't want to make it seem like she would be wearing one. “It will shield you. From the force, from blades, pretty much anything. The Crystal will keep you calm, and the strands will help you to draw upon the force.”

He paused for a moment, then took a step so he was beside her, he pointed to a small shard of crystal at the clasp of the necklace.

“This. This is the most important part. With it I can sense you, feel where you are anywhere in the galaxy as long as you want me to. You can call to me, anytime, for any reason, and I will come.” His voice sounded stern, as if he meant his words and tried to imprint them upon her.

 

[Kira Talith]

Kira would listen carefully as he would explain the necklace to her. She was stunned.

He made this.. for me?

The more he would reveal the exact nature of the necklace, the more her eyes would widen at the sheer magnitude of what she held in her hand. She was speechless.

"I... why would you.." she began to stammer, lifting her face to look at his towering form. Her hands couldn't help but tremble more. She took a deep breath, water trickling in silver rivulets over her neck and collar only to saturate the robe she wore. Goosebumps would run over her pale skin, and the tiny hairs at the nape of her neck would stand on end.

A knot in her throat formed, and she found it hard to continue to talk. Had her hands been free she'd have been gesturing every thought she had, signing it all for him to read despite the fact he knew not the entirety of the kinetic language.

Her thumb and forefinger had all the while been nervously rotating over the necklace, until the tiny shard of Angraal crystal he had pointed out to her in the end was held between them.

Glancing down, she would watch the pulse of energy within the purple crystal. "I.. how?" she would ask, in reference to how it actually would work.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

Soliael looked at her with confusion, her first words bringing him slight concern.

“Because.” He said in answer to her. “Because I need you to be safe, I need you to stay whole. I..i need...”

He trailed off, not being capable of saying the last. I need you to stay alive. He thought to himself. The thought of Kira's death was an unpleasant one, one that ripped and tore at his very soul. If she left this plain, he frowned slightly. No. He had found love for the first time in two centuries, and he would not allow it to leave any time soon.

Her second question was more what he expected. “You touch the crystal with your palm, and send a trickle of the force into it. Do that, and I will know. Or, break it. Though breaking it will only work once obviously.”

It was really quite simple. All she had to do was nudge it with the force, and then Soliael would know. Breaking the crystal would have the same effect, though it was only a one time thing of course, in case she was in a situation where she couldn't use the force, where she was trapped.

“The necklace is special.” He reiterated. “It is unlikely the chain will be broken by anything less than the hole of a black hole. I hope you will wear it always.”

There was a slight plea to those words.

 

[Kira Talith]

His expression, the hint of a plea in his voice was heart-breaking. There he was, staring into her eyes and relaying the importance of the necklace. To her. To him. And what it represented as a whole.

It was an extension of him. A way for Devin to look after her while she was away. A way to make sure she stayed safe. Kira found herself giving a slow nod, her teeth nibbling on her lower lip.

"I'll treasure it... always." She would shine him a comforting smile. Then, with a soft voice and a trembling hand, would ask "...Would you put it on me?"

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

Soliael looked at Kira, then smiled. From the box in her hand he took out the necklace, leaving the ring in place. He took the necklace and wrapped it around Kira's neck, pulling strands of her hair to the side and away from her. The False God smiled slightly, and then clasped the necklace together. It sat tightly and snugly against her neck, but not uncomfortably so. The sense of calm would rush over her as the crystal touched her skin, and the silver strands would feel cool to the touch.

It would feel comfortable to her, it had been designed to, like it was supposed to be on her.

He smiled slightly as he walked around her. “Beautiful.”

Was he speaking of the necklace? Or her?

Probably her.

Soliael loved the way she looked, hair, body, skin, scars and all. She was everything to him. The icy blue eyes that settled on him seemed calming, that warm smile sent his heart to flames of passion. He smiled at her, knowing that she was pleased beyond all measure.

 

[Kira Talith]

She would warm under his praise, but more so at the reflection of love and affection she beheld in his eyes. The necklace was warm to the touch, not by her own skin but by the power that would permeate through it. Right at the base of her throat, she could feel the faint pulse of energy from the Angraal crystal. A thought came to her that she would have to be very careful with it, so she would not lose it.

"Thank you," she would reply gratefully with a shy smile, her fingers lightly playing over the necklace as it would start to absorb her Force energy. The pool of calm was certainly a boon, especially now. Perhaps it was wrong of her to feel as if this was a good thing, but the calming sensation certainly kept the worry and sense of forebearing she had earlier at bay -- as if naught but a distant memory.

Her attention would fall back to the box, to the electrum ring that lay there. Gingerly, her fingers would pluck it between her own. It was too big for her, she was able to tell right away. None the less, her face would up turn to his in a question.

"And this?"

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

Soliael looked at the ring in her palm. It was odd how things worked out sometimes really, odd how the force shaped and changed the course of events. He had not anticipated yesterday that she would leave so soon, yet he had made the ring anyway. Soliael frowned slightly, though not at her, then he looked at Kira with and odd expression.

“It's a connection.” Soliael said cryptically.

Yes. The ring was a connection, among other things. Its most important feature was the artificial force bond that it created between himself and Kira, a way for her to sense him, to feel him, to be with him even when she was alone. It was a way for Kira to remain by his side, half the galaxy away. A simple thing really.

One that he had expected to be used over a distance of miles, not light years.

“Here.” Soliael said slowly taking the ring from her. “Let me show you.”

Without hesitation Soliael slipped the ring onto his finger. An awareness would bloom within Kira's mind, an instant sensation in the back of her head that would tell her exactly where he was, what he was feeling, and any and all pains he had. She would feel depression, melancholy, but swept over by a mountain of pure unadulterated love. A love that seemed to bloom whenever his gaze fell on her, one that drove home like a spike.

 

[Kira Talith]

It was the strangest feeling. One that echoed her own emotions. It was like Soliael was a mirror, her reflection staring back at her. The depression. The melancholy. But most of all was the deep well of love that bloomed therein.

A trembling hand would reach out to gently rest against the area over his heart, feeling the quickening beat of it. At this close proximity, through the clarity offered by the Angraal crystals, she knew.

She knew.

He loves her. Loves her so much that it encapsulated all thought when he looked at her. It wasn't like she didn't know before. He had been able to tell her without words, just by reading the lines of his body. By the expression in his amber gaze. Yet this went beyond that. She could feel it.

"How did you..." she began, confused on how he managed all of this.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

Soliael let a shrug roll over his shoulder, his heart beating steadily, but a bit faster than it normally would as Kira touched his chest.

The force had many secrets. The forging of artifacts was usually held to the Sith, with Jedi not making many of their own talismans or props to use. He wasn't sure why that was, and had never questioned it before now. These two items were powerful, but they both held stringently to the neutrality, and even lightside of the force. Mostly this was due to the Angraal crystals that had gone into the making of them, though Soliael had not used a lick of the darkside in their creation.

“My father made similar trinkets when he was alive.” He didn't need to mention that those trinkets were of an entirely different persuasion, he also did not mention Dissero. Not a lie, simply an omission that truly hurt no one. She very likely had already seen Dissero due to the meld, but he was not quite yet ready to discuss his family so in depth, their secrets were their own to give, not his.

“Making something like these was simple after studying those.” That was an overstatement. “But time consuming.”

That was the truth, it had taken him hours just to finish one.

 

[Kira Talith]

"That's why you were gone all day..." Kira would say, a faint smile upturning at the corner of her mouth. For a moment there was joy, a touch of happiness at that knowledge. Yet the responsibilities of what this morn would bring within the blaring light were still at the rear of her mind.

For the moment, however, she wanted to savor this. To take a holo-picture in her mind so she could go back to this memory. Her hand would enclose over the small box, shutting it close. Thereafter, her hands and arms would snake in between his to draw him closer in an embrace.

Damp blonde hair would stick to his shirt as she would press her cheek against his chest, her fingers drawing up his back to hold him tightly to her.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

Soliael hugged her, simply letting his arms droop around her body.

It was almost comical how much larger he actually was than she. An entire food of difference in height stood between the two of them, with his torso like being tall enough for two of hers. Amusement bloomed inside of him, though he had of course noted the difference before, it now seemed so much more stark, so much more relevant.

While she snuggled up close to his chest he allowed his arms to settle in around her. There they stood for a time, simply holding one another. In the back of his head he wanted it to remain like this, but he knew that it couldn't

“The Ship is ready.” He said it slowly, as if that would somehow make her stay longer.

 

[Kira Talith]

"So fast?" came her muffled query from against his chest, the heat of his body already permeating through his clothes and onto her. She would slowly rub her forehead right between his pectoral muscles. Warm air would blow as she let out an exhale. She should have known it would be.

He was a False God afterall. Of a territory she hadn't been able to learn much of at all.

Soliael would feel a nod from her thereafter. "Okay. Let me change." she would take a deep breath. "Are my old clothes still servicable?"