We Need to Talk

[Carliah Dakrone]

Carliah was in her small sitting room, book in hand, waiting for Jink to arrive. She had decided her needed to know what was going on with the amulet and Yusan's soul. She had no idea what his reaction would be, but she knew she had to tell him. The amulet was resting on the table in front of her. She had already told Yusan this conversation was occurring, she didn't want to risk more of his sanity vanishing because he was trying to listen. She could fill the paranoid Echani in later. [member="Hijinks"]

 

[Hijinks]

Jink walked into the little sitting room, meowing slightly as he yawned. The trip back from the Escher hadn't been kind to him this time, but he'd rushed it anyway, just to get back to Carliah faster. The prickling feeling that he'd been feeling in the back of his mind grew, though, as he entered the room, squeezing the Red Queen's shoulders as he sat down. He could feel a small bit of anxiety over something emanating from her, but what it was, he couldn't say for sure.

The purple-furred cat glanced around the room, and the prickling intensified as he looked at the amulet on the table in front of them. Some instinctive loathing made him want to throw it out the nearby window, but something kept him from doing so: the odd sensation of a Force Ghost nearby. He looked back at his red-clad love, and sighed.

"There's somebody in that little trinket, isn't there?"

[member="Darth Vivaldi"]

 

[Carliah Dakrone]

"Yusan... He... Had someone put his soul in there and send it to me. We... We talked... Worked somethings out. I've arranged to have him placed in a new body. We both agreed, that things could never be exactly the same between us, but I also realized that... What I had been told about him was wrong. I need to repay him for everything he did for me, so... I'm going to employ him as bodyguard for me. I know he can be trusted." Carliah explained slowly. At one point she sounded as if she was going to cry, but she bit back the tears and looked up at Jink.

"He's happy to see you take good care of me, and he looks forward to meeting you," The Mad Queen added, waiting for a reaction. [member="Hijinks"]

 

[Hijinks]

Jink watched as Carliah gave him the whole explanation, which was a tiny bit unnecessary, but he appreciated that she was telling him about this... The only thing that poked at his mind a bit was the fact that she'd had the wrong idea about the old flame she'd killed that day. But it wasn't enough to stop him from putting his arms around this woman he loved, and letting himself speak, finally. His voice was a low growl.

"If he leaves you again, I'm going to drop him into the Escher, and nobody will ever find him, got it?"

He relaxed a little, and lightened his grip on Carliah a bit.

"But I'm alright with him being around, just as long as he doesn't mess with me... Or try to take you. If he does, he might be testing the constraints of his new body a bit earlier than he would like."

[member="Darth Vivaldi"]

 

[Carliah Dakrone]

Carliah nodded, smiling cheerfully as she returned his hug. She was glad that her wasn't upset about it, and his threat made her laugh a bit. She knew that Yusan wouldn't try to do any of those things unless Jink harmed her, then Yusan would tear him in half, but she couldn't imagine her fluffy little kitty harming her.

"Oh... And he doesn't want anyone knowing who he used to be. Only me,you, him, and possibly Taeli if she figures it out, will know that the soul in that amulet is Yusans," Carliah explained as she leaned against her kitten. [member="Hijinks"]

 

[Hijinks]

Jink smiled back at hearing Carliah laugh, glad that having this man back, even in such a strange manner, would make her happy. His tail crept away from the softness of the couch they were on, and started thumping the wood. The secrecy bit, though...

"I have an odd feeling that Joelle will find out. Smart kitten is smart. But we probably shouldn't tell your kids when the Walking Bust brings them back. That'd be... hard to explain, and even harder to deal with if it becomes a problem."

He knew how that sounded: cold, and possibly a little bit unfair. That his daughter would know more about her adopted siblings' father than they did. But there was no hiding stuff from her. Ever. She was smart, and easily able to puzzle things out when she wasn't under stress.

[member="Darth Vivaldi"]

 

[Carliah Dakrone]

"I'll have to talk to him about it more. I'd like for them to know at some point, but telling them right away may not be the best idea," Carliah replied, after thinking about Jink's words for a few minutes. Joelle was rather smart, but she didn't know if the girl really knew much about her life before the Sith. Still it wouldn't be fair for Joelle to know and not them. She sighed and leaned back against the couch. Taeli really needed to hurry up. [member="Hijinks"]

 

[Hijinks]

Jink sighed a little bit, and reached out with the Force to lift up the necklace that held the remains of Yusan Fenn's consciousness. It spun slowly, and then landed gently back down with a little click.

"I wish you'd came to me when you got this... I could've bound him in the Escher before he started fading. Now, the only way to do this is to put him in a body before his presence disintegrates. If we had enough time, though, I still wouldn't let the Zambrano woman or Taeli anywhere near my castle."

He still felt a little bit petulant saying that, knowing that only one of those two probably had the knowledge or loyalty to Carliah to actually do so. But he didn't trust much of the Sith. His red queen was at least mostly predictable, even when she had her moments of insanity, but wanton destruction and creating monsters was her former master's stock and trade. Nothing about her lent the purple-haired cat any sort of reason to trust that one.

[member="Darth Vivaldi"]