Words Make The World Turn

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She'd been invited up into his private study, though her presence here would go unrecorded. It was no secret that the Archlord was sponsoring the Jedi Order, but at the same time he showed a certain amount of patronage to the Sith. Even still, Cedric would have rather preferred to keep rumors from spreading, both of his confidants and his intentions for either particular group.

They had worked together at varying points, though Cedric hardly knew her beyond her name. She was a quiet sort, not one to go around showing off her emotions to just anyone. Reserved was the choice word; reserved in a way that reminded him of his grandmother.

The study itself was a simple place. It sat just below his office within the skyscraper that served as Ession's capital building. The floors were hardwood, the walls a light shade of gray that could almost look tan to the untrained eye. A desk was tucked into the righthand corner of the room, and it was lined with myriad books, papers, datapads, and other matters of mess. Alongside that was a personal refrigerator. In the center of the room was a simple leather couch flanked by two rocking chairs.

Cedric awaited her in one of those chairs. Clad in a simple black T-shirt and sweatpants, he most certainly did not look the part of his position today. Gray eyes darted over the datapad in his hands, a cup of caf dangling from the other.

The door would be unlocked for his guest.

 

[Riamah]

Ra approached the door of [member="Cedric Grayson"]'s private office. He had sent her message requesting her to join him there a few days ago. The note she held instructed her how to get there and that his door would be unlocked so she could just come in. She's not sure of the reasons why, but felt confident if she was in trouble with him, she wouldn't currently be free to walk to his study.

They had worked together a few times, but since she was so reserved when it came to getting to know people, they barely knew each other. However, she hardly knew anybody beyond Dune.

She wore a dark blue, long sleeved tunic that hid the knives up her sleeves, black pants and light brown boots. Even though she didn't anticipate having a need for her knives, she felt naked without them. The ones she normally kept in her boots, she did leave behind as well as her cloak. Without her cloak, one can see just how physically attractive she really was. It was a natural beauty, the kind that can only be hidden behind layers of clothes or covered by a cloak.

Not on to wear make up, her face was clean and her eyes a calm gold. Her hair was down today, not even in a tail to keep it from falling over her shoulders. The white, glittering like fresh snow on the ground.

Ra walked up to the unlocked door, knocked and opened it. She went into the study, her eyes first found Cedric sitting in one of the chairs, holding a datapad and then took the rest of the room in at a quick glance.

"Good morning, Cedric."

She spoke as she walked in and closed the door again behind her.

 

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There were few that could feel the winds of ethereal change within this building. Cedric had made a point to keep ti that way - he liked to know who was around at any given time, and that was harder to accomplish when force sensitives were wandering about like living flashlights. As that was, the Archlord knew the moment Ra stepped into the building so many floors below, and had awaited her accordingly. She'd arrived about on time, though no real deadline had been placed.

This wasn't an official meeting.

"You actually look quite lovely when you aren't off adventuring," Cedric mused by way of greeting. He offered the snow haired woman a brief, albeit warm smile and waved her on in. The datapad was set down on the coffee table, the mug of caf brought up to his lips.

"I was beginning to think you were going to leave me all by my lonesome this morning," the youth snickered as he placed his mug down on the table. "I was reviewing after-action reports from the DSB. Intelligence suggests that our Sith friends to the south are mobilizing for war, but not against us."

He waved a hand about as if he were talking about the weather.

"How's your stay on Ession been?"

@Ra'a'mah

 

[Jairdain]

X

 

[Riamah]

Not having spent a great amount of time on Ession, Ra really hadn't done much exploring outside of a few of the city domes. She always seemed to find trouble though and had been in a few scuffles. Nothing out of the ordinary though. Maybe it was the trouble that found her.

She walked over to one of the chairs near [member="Cedric Grayson"] and sat down. Crossing her legs and placing her hands on the arms of the chair, she looked at the young man. He wasn't dressed up in battle garb or a face mask. He was roughly five or six years her junior, but carried himself like somebody way older. He had a hard cross to bear and it showed on him, aging him more than what he should be.

"No, sir. I wouldn't dream of leaving you alone, especially when you requested me to be here."

Inclining her head slightly, she took his compliment on her looks in stride, her cheeks turning slightly pink.

Her interactions with the Sith had been few and one of them almost confrontational. At the time though, she had been under the influence of a Dread Seed and been touched by its darkness.

"Who do you think they are gathering to fight?"

She curiosity genuine and she raised her eye brows to indicate her interest is true.

"And my stay here has been interesting. The few cities I've been to remind me a lot of home."

Her mouth gave off a half smile at speaking, feeling she can let down her guard with the young man instead of keeping a neutral façade all the time.
​

 

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"Ah, good. Otherwise I'd be driven to the edge of my sanity with paperwork and boredom." He answered with a playful roll of his eyes. A second mug of caf was place upon the table and then offered to Ra with a gesture of his open palm. "You don't need to call me sir Ra. Cedric is fine. Cyr if you're feeling very friendly. I can't rightly complement you if our relationship is one of hierarchy, that would make things...complicated." He continued as he eyed over the contents of one final time. After a few seconds of perusal, he would lean forward to offer it to Ra.

Fleet movements and shipping numbers were plastered along its screen. To most, it would have meant very little. To someone that had any kind of mind for logistics however, a pattern could be seen. The Sith were stockpiling, and for what was rather obvious.

"The Silver Jedi and their allies," he answered honestly. "They don't have any quarrel with us yet, though I moved our fleets to box them in. They cannot expand northward without encroaching upon our borders. The Silvers are a softer target than us. It just makes sense," he offered her an easy, confident smile. "Going after us might result in a significant loss if they go about it wrong. The Silvers? Well, they're a lot less militarized and a hell of a lot less centralized than us. They're a far easier target, and I'm waiting for them to reach out asking for help."

He paused, lofting a brow. "I'm glad you've enjoyed your stay. I know how hectic Ession can be at times. I hope that you'll come to see this place as a home of sorts," he paused, "Let me know if you need anything, by the way. I've always got time for friends."

@Ra'a'mah

 

[Riamah]

Ra gave half a chuckle at [member="Cedric Grayson"] when he mentioned the paperwork and boredom. It was something she was very familiar with in her business having to keep track of payments and shipments of both people and goods. When he said she didn't need to address him formally, Ra inclined her head slightly and picked the cup he offered her as well as the datapad.

It contained some items she didn't understand, but could most of it. The shipping numbers, destination, amounts...these were familiar and what much of what the tablet contained. She could see where they were headed as well. Handing the tablet back to her young leader, Ra sat back in her chair again. Considering his answer, she agreed with his assessment.

"Are you sure the Silver Jedi will reach out and call for aid?"

From what Ra knew of them, they pretty much kept themselves closed away from the rest of society and might be totally oblivious to the incoming attack.

One of the reason's Ra wore her hair normally pulled back was because some of it had the tendency to fall in front of her face. One portion did that now and she naturally pushed it back behind her ear, hardly even thinking about it.

"Hectic here? Not really. I guess I'm just used to it. Growing up on Coruscant will do that though. It's the only home I knew, besides my own ship. At least it was until I met the Dominion."

One to have learned the hard way to survive on her own, there isn't anything she can think of that she really needs.

"So far I have everything needed and anything I don't have I can get on my own."

Her words hold no heat or accusation that her needs aren't being met, but as a statement of fact from her point of view.

 

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"To a point. One can never be certain when it comes to galactic politics, but I think they'll want to preserve their hides if it does come to an attack." Cedric mused as he peered at Ra from over the lip of his caf. The woman was several years his senior, though that did not keep him from hosting his interests. He waited silently as she perused the various strips of data plastered across the face of the datapad. It would all be rather confusing to most, though she seemed to have an understanding of it.

"I suppose we'll find out what they intend to do soon enough either way. The Heavenshields are trustworthy, despite their status as a dynasty." He added, gesturing with a hand toward the area outside. "They already have agents here on Ession. Some have reach out to speak with us, though we've given them no formal reply."

He lifted his shoulders in a slight shrug. It was better to have his neighbors begging for assistance than giving them promises he may not be able to fulfill. Futhermore, Cedric simply held no real fondness for the Silvers. They, like their Sith counterparts, were just another theocratic empire that would fade in due time.

"Well, I'm glad you see this place as a home." he smiled, "It used to be a lot crazier. Bad gang problems, working women on the streets," he shook his head. "It's a lot safer now. You said you were from Coruscant?" He lofted a brow.

"What was that like? Who were you before you joined up?"

@Ra'a'mah

 

[Riamah]

He makes a good point and Ra nods at it.

"Yes, it stands to reason if the Silver Jedi don't have the ability or tools to defend themselves, then they would reach out for aid. I'm not sure it would be to us though, aren't some of the less ah...chaotic Sith our allies?"

She tilted her head and looked at him out of the side of her gold eyes as she spoke. The eyes could be considered a portal to the soul, showed the potential of the power Ra was learning to use.

"Gangs, thugs, whores...the problems of any typical society. Even in ancient times this was the case."

She shrugged her shoulders slightly as she spoke and looked again directly at [member="Cedric Grayson"] when he asked what her home was like who she was before joining the Dominion. Thinking for a moment before answering.

"Well, it was a place that never slept. There was always something happening. I grew up in an orphanage and as I got older I had to care for the younger kids there. When I turned 18, I was basically kicked out of the home and told to make something of myself."

Shaking her head slightly before continuing.

"I never really did make anything of myself. Before I joined the Dominion and it actually the premise of being recruited, I transported goods and people. I was hired and have been welcomed here now. A place where I can call home and provide for others more than just myself."

Closing her mouth after speaking, she was shocked she had said so much to him about herself, her past and her present. She briefly looks at her cup while taking a drink and sets it down on the table next to his cup.

 

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Cedric listened to Ra's story in respectful silence. He leaned forward, his caf being forgotten on the table, his fingers tented beneath his chin. He nodded here and there to urge her to continue, and met her words with a smile that could only have been genuine.

"I can't imagine being an orphan. My parents were always around until I was around ten. That was when the war with the One Sith took them. My father was a great warrior, and a troubled Jedi. He formed the Dominion. My mother organized its military, she was a Stormtrooper. One of the special ones too," he muttered in reply, seeing it only as polite to share something about himself considering Ra's general openness.

"Last time I was on Coruscant, I was a child. A very small one too. Maybe six years old? It was before the war got really bad," he waved a hand about. "Coruscant's changed hands so many times that I wonder what the people there even identify as. Capitalists, Imperials, Anarchists? Gods only know."

He took another sip.

"I'd say you're making something of yourself now. We're changing a galaxy here, and rebuilding the Jedi Order at that. That's worth something," he paused, gray hues meeting hers of gold. "It means a lot, actually."

@Ra'a'mah

 

[Riamah]

Tilting her head at him, Ra nodded as he spoke briefly of his own past.

"So you too are an orphan, even if you know who your parents are."

Her voice softened a little when she spoke that, a sign of joint sympathy for both of them.

She smiled at his comments of Coruscant and nods.

"I guess I got lucky on the streets there and made the choices I did. If things had been different you and I would not be sitting here talking."

Ra almost felt like gently touching his hand to drive home how important this was to her, she instead reached out for her cup again and took a sip, keeping a hold of it instead of putting it back down. They made eye contact and instead of looking away, she maintained it not looking away.

"Yes, it very much is worth something now."

[member="Cedric Grayson"]

 

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Gray met amber, and they did not part.

Cedric hesitated before replying, evidently having a bit of an internal conflict over his next choice of words. After a few seconds of silence, the youth gave Ra a simple half-nod, one limned by the thin smile that he gave her.

"I suppose you could say I am. My parents are both gone. My mother passed away, and my father may as well have. He left all this to me," Cedric held his arms out wide. "So much responsibility for one man. I was only fifteen when they named me Archlord, you know?" He quirked a brow, "I have no limits, yet I am limited. I could have whatever I wished now that the Dominion is at its height. Noble women come to court me everyday, and when they've gone, I return to planning strategy."

A quiet sigh fell from his lips.

"It is a life many would covet, though I tire of it at times. That isn't to say I'm not proud of my achievements, of course," he waved a hand about. "It can just be tiresome I suppose."

The Archlord paused, his lips pursing as he fought for his words. A rare thing indeed. Setting his cup down on the table, Cedric rose to his feet. He rounded about his chair, before coming to halt just at the edge of the glass.

"It's all rather impersonal. Few friends, relationships that border on the political if nothing else," his brow furrowed as he stared out at the city wreathed in the amber light of the evening. "I am young. A conqueror in every right. I wonder why I worry about things that old men struggle with. I am both fulfilled and not."

@Ra'a'mah

 

[Riamah]

Though his father still lived, he must have very little contact with his son. Ra began to understand him a little more. He had a vast people to lead and it weighed heavily on his shoulders. Though he had people to assist him, none were close, they were all people he could use. It might be for knowledge, strengths, technology or any number of things, none were friends though. She knew that part all too well.

She gave him a half smile when he mentioned the different women that tried to court him, only to be replaced by duty when they left. At this time, Ra had no intention of making that sort of move on him. Though the thought did cross her mind, she kept it to herself and buried it deep. Perhaps another time if they met again like this, she would pull it out of its little box and think about it again.

Nodding in agreement, that people might indeed covet his power, his strength and ability to rule and run the Dominion. She looked at him gently as he spoke, showing she cared for him in a professional manner. A look that could not interpreted any other way. Providing a little support for the young man when and she could, Ra watched as his words failed him for moment and as got to his feet to look out the window, admiring the city below them.

Her light golden eyes watched him walk away and turn his back to her, as if he was trying to hide something. She didn't feel this was the case though. Giving him a moment to himself, Ra rose to move and stand next to him also looking at the same city he was. Her own opinion likely differed from his, but they were two different people from separate lives.

"Cedric, if there is anything I can do to personally assist you or the greater Dominion, do not hesitate to tell me."

Again she wanted to touch him, but felt it inappropriate so instead just stood next to him with her hands clasped behind her back.

[member="Cedric Grayson"]

 

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Cedric was ever the observant man.

His gaze flickered to the side as Ra approached. He saw the hesitation in her visage - the way her body shifted as if she denied herself one action or another. His brow furrowed as tried to ascertain what it was she struggled over. He did, to some degree, trust the woman. He'd allowed himself to open up to her, and she him, though that was the extent of things at the moment. If nothing else, he believed she wasn't trying to hurt him, but then things could always changed.

"Give me wild space," he stated plainly, his gaze shifting back toward the city. The sun had now set, leaving the sky a dark gray that looked as if its very soul had been drained out. "Help me take this land, and then help me regain Coruscant. Help me rebuild what has been destroyed, and deny the Arch Enemy her final goal. Do this, and you'll have created a world your children may live in that does not know war as we do - does not see blood spilled as we have."

Finally he looked to her, his gaze falling to her hands, then back to meet her own. "Something is on your mind. You're hesitating, and hesitation is what kills you Ra." His arms folded behind the small of his back as he turned once more to his city, but then he looked to her once more. Though a few years his elder, Ra was still a head or so shorter than him. "Take what you want, if you think it's the right thing to do. Don't hesitate when you feel the need to act. Otherwise you lie to yourself."

@Ra'a'mah

 

[Riamah]

Even though Cedric did not turn to face her as she approached, Ra knew he was watching. She saw the stiffness in his stance, the unbreaking suspicion of a person that is used to being in danger. However, he did not pull away from her and she took this as a positive sign, a sign of trust to an extent.

He mentions taking the lands around them, regaining Coruscant, rebuilding places that had been destroyed and beating the Arch Enemy. To provide a place where future children would not know war or the pain of loved ones lost in battles far away. Ra shook her head hearing, both denying that she would have children and that there could be galactic peace.

Looking directly at him as she spoke, her voice solid and true, but not harsh or mean.

"There will always be pain and suffering, Cedric. What one views as a positive thing like we have in the Dominion, another people may this their way is the best way and more blood will be spilled."

Following her instincts this time, Ra reached out to take Cedric's hand and placed it on her heart. She raised her other hand and placed it on his heart. Looking him solidly in the eyes spoke these words.

"I pledge myself to you [member="Cedric Grayson"], Archlord of Ession and my leader. I will not abandon you, hurt or undermine you in any way. My life is in your hands to do with as you please. So long as I breath, I am yours."

 

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People did not touch Cedric unless he wished it of them. To do otherwise was to invite a reprimand, as the Archlord did not take kindly to having his personal space invaded. Many a women had found themselves scorned by Cedric when they sought to sway him with their feminine charms. Few had kept up the act after the reprisals, but those that did tended to find reasons to return home shortly thereafter. It was not in his nature to accept intimacy.

And yet when Ra took his hand, he did not respond in any way save for a lofting of his brow. His lips pursed as his palm was placed just above her heart, and hers over his own. His head canted as a look somewhere between confusion and perhaps even flustering flitted across his features.

"There will, but it can be limited." He mumbled in quiet agreement, the confusion washing away as she spoke her words. Despite himself and all the rhetoric he wove about the coldness of a politician's heart, Cedric found himself moved by her words.

"Then I will take you into my service, from now until you wish it otherwise." He responded, his voice low yet meaningful. A quiet sigh fell from his lips as he met the woman's gaze, "You know, I'd thought that I might have to buy you a drink before I could get to second base," the youth snickered, his otherwise somber tone fading in favor of playfulness.

@Ra'a'mah

 

[Riamah]

Ra had been unsure of how her action would be taken, let out a mental sigh when she finished speaking. Cedric had accepted her pledge. Realizing their hands were still on each others chests, she blushed slightly and removed her hand. She did not however pull away from his touch.

Now that formalities were over, Ra returned his slight laugh with one of her own. It touched her eyes and in the near darkness, they almost appeared to glow.

She felt right in doing what she did and proper how she went about. The physical boundaries broken between them, Ra relaxed her guard fully and opened herself to the man in front of her.

[member="Cedric Grayson"]

 

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Ra's loyalty had been secured.

Another knight for the cause was always welcome, and while Ra had most certainly done her part thus far, now he had her trust. A woman with that kind of belief and zeal could accomplish great things in the name of her patron, and Cedric would not put her to waste. That all being said, there was other intent to his words aside from securing yet another asset for the long war. No, Ra had come to listen to him, not as a political figure, but as a person. That was more than what most could offer.

"You're different than most. I think that's a good thing," he mused, his hand falling away from her. The gray light began to die out just as the amber had, a shroud of darkness falling over their side of Ession as all color fled. The lights of the city came on shortly thereafter, replacing the shadows with a quiet and warm luminescence.

In silence, he pressed forward. Perhaps it was the weight of a thousand duties crashing down upon his shoulders at all given hours of the day. Perhaps it was the pledge that Ra had made in his name: a show of loyalty made not out of obligation, but out of personal desire. Perhaps it was simply the color of her eyes, or the way she laughed at him in the privacy of the chambers. Something about the entire situation was all too real; it lacked the artifice of the courts Cedric was so often surrounded by. He wished for it to remain so, at least for now.

Grays eyes drifted shut and pale arms drew about the white haired woman's midriff. She was drawn close, so close as to hear one's heartbeat against that of another. Lips moved to capture her own, though the motion was a brief thing; a breaking of bounds otherwise left untested. As quickly as it came, the brief kiss was gone, and Cedric's voice came as a quiet thing. "You may remain here for the evening if you wish."

@Ra'a'mah

 

[Riamah]

Ra tilted her head up to look at Cedric as he spoke softly, he hand dropping from her breast for just a moment. Its motion continued down ward to wrap gently around her sides. Once there, he pulled her close and in a natural move lightly kissed her on the lips. It was there and gone in a brief instant, she wanted it to never end. This felt as natural to her as if it was written in the stars.

No façade between them now. She saw him as more than a mere boy, somebody a few years her junior, she saw him as a young man. An equal to her, one with so much responsibility and a man that was so alone.

She stayed in his arms, listening to the beating of their hearts. Connecting to him in more ways than with anybody before.

Smiling up at him, she returned the arm hold with one of her own and wrapped her around him.

"That would be nice, Cedric."

Her tone just as quiet as his, as if the walls had ears that could over hear what was said in the privacy of his study.

[member="Cedric Grayson"]