Ask Friends Will Be Friends

[Darth Tiamat]

Eriadu, before Denon

Tiamat was delighted to hear that Morgan was visiting Eriadu, in fact, it couldn't have been better timing as she absolutely just needed someone to talk to...or at. She was not certain what to think of anything anymore as she had spent the better portion of time in recent weeks debating if she were just a terrible person and uninteresting, dull and possibly just fooling herself and everyone around her that she was not a capable Sith let alone a competent person. It didn't help that these thoughts and ideas just made her feel worse about the situation; everything she had grown to believe to be was how things were and always will be were ultimately torn apart and it felt like it was taking longer than she wished for there to be something familiar and normal she could grasp.

She guessed the closest thing to that was food; she remembered before she passed, her grandmother baked similar when she was having a bad day and how much better she felt afterwards. She had baked several dozen different cupcakes though, saving her favorites for her to enjoy later with Morgan and leaving the rest to debate what she would do with them later. She also made the extra trip to find the largest bottle of wine she thought she could handle and possibly share while chirping a comm message to Morgan of her soon arrival before heading to where he was staying.

On her way up to his place, she paused, catching how frumpy she looked, finding it mildly irritating that Emryc's taste in style for her seemed to bother her more than ever. There was nothing wrong with the way she dressed! Leggings and oversized sweatshirts were so comfortable, especially after years of not having a choice in what she wore. She shifted the bag on her shoulder and ran her fingers through her hair, giving it a bit more volume before heading inside, carefully not to tap the box of cupcakes on the corner of the walls as she counted the room numbers before making it to Morgan's place.

Tiamat gently tapped her knuckles on the door, waiting for him to answer.

@Mr. Teatime

 

[Darth Stolas]

The place Morgan made his home on Eriadu for the time being was a high rise apartment a reasonable distance from the Sith base, a section of which he'd co-opted for his own use, while keeping a decent distance from the more corporate and wealthy sectors of the planet. He'd been contacted prior to Tia's arrival and it happened to coincide with a bit of down time he had from work. Morgan had other things to do as well but he had free time to entertain a guest. She was a friend and so was welcomed through a turbolift easily enough.

Tia knocked on the door and after a short wait it was opened by the young man she'd come to see. As always his hair was cleanly and meticulously styled, although it was shorter than before and so a little different. A long-sleeved red shirt was tucked neatly into high waisted black cloth pants with wide legs that tightened around the ankles. It was quite different from the more shapeless attire that Tia chose but really, this was generally about as casual as Morgan ever dressed.

He stepped aside to let her in and closed the door behind her. Beyond the smell of stewing food and the vaguely sweet smell from a rice cooker there was the distant sensation of song that she'd also experienced on the Karma Chameleon as well as a collection of different art pieces and a few plants. Most notably, however, were the stacks of what were obviously packing boxes. Much of the apartment was being prepared for a move and sections of the normally decorated walls were bare of adornment.

"Welcome. It is nice to see you," he said with a warm smile, turning away to head back to the kitchen area where a large pot was bubbling and emitting a savoury steam. Morgan stirred it a little.

"Research going well I hope?"

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Tiamat had a wide grin when Morgan opened the door, her happiness was genuine as it was not often, perhaps even a rarity, to have someone she trusted especially in the Sith Order. Immediately she felt this place to be familiar, taking her back when she first stepped onto the Karma Chameleon: the soft ring of song, minimalist decor, but the layout was efficient, giving a flow that matched Morgan's personality. Though the difference between the ship and here, was the aroma of food cooking. She did not realize how hungry she was feeling until she stepped inside, letting him close the door behind her as she slipped out of her shoes, and followed him into the apartment.

"Thank you, I'm glad we both finally had time." Tiamat replied, "Which is also good because I did a lot of baking and don't have very many to share with." she said catching up in the kitchen, looking for a place to set down the box, "Here, ok?" she asked slowly placing down the treats box on a cleared space away from where he was cooking. "I hope you like them, I tried doing a filling for some of them...I was in a fruit mood so we'll have to see which ones are the best." she explained, "And research is going really well. I've made a lot of progress and I have the code configured so I can change jump locations."

Tiamat was in fact making significant progress, she could feel the finish line to having them fully working. The next step would be if they could actually create an access gate and not blow up like for Blackwell on Theta.

"But, that seems like the only thing going well..." she started digging into the bag on her shoulder to pull out a cheap bottle of wine with the sole purpose of drinking as much as she could to feel less, "You can have some too, but this bottle will explain how the rest of my life is going, Morgan." she frowned.

@Mr. Teatime

 

[Darth Stolas]

Morgan gave the box of things a glance, able to smell the scents of baked goods from within. He recalled the red-haired young woman making muffins around the time of the attack on Eiattu that he'd enjoyed and found himself looking forward to the snack. His head just nodded to confirm where she put it was fine and added some kind of white powder to the pot and stirred it in.

"Fruit is a good choice," the Firrerreo commented approvingly. He wasn't all that fond of plainly sweet things and had a preference toward fruit-based things, in fact. It helped the man he was dating also seemed to like to such things.

He walked away from the pot and flicked a button on the rice cooker to pop the lid up, using a scoop to fluff the rice within. Morgan noted her progress on the gates but didn't let it distract him overmuch. Particularly as she pulled out a bottle of wine. Golden eyes turned to look at it critically and an eyebrow raised before they settled on Tiamat's face.

Without a word he pulled a bottle of some deep red brandy from a liquor cabinet and placed it on the counter for himself. Wine was nice and all but human strength wasn't going to do Morgan much good.

"Dry and fruity?" He retrieved some glasses from another cabinet as well as a bottle opener, handing the latter over to Tia.

"What new weight do you carry?"

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

"Dry and fruity." she nodded while watching him go to a cabinet to grab a couple glasses and returned also with a bottle opener. Tiamat took it and started immediately working on the bottle as he asked her what was on her mind. With an exasperated sigh, Tiamat felt herself slouch as she exhaled, "One about guys." she started and there was a distinct pop as the cork came free and she started pouring the wine in her glass.

"I don't understand them." she huffed, filling the glass almost to the top and then took a sip finding it tolerable, though she was certain the more she had the better it would taste, "They're so complicated to navigate. They claim its just being simple, but I don't think its that at all. I can say I am simple, its easy to understand me because I know me." Tiamat explained now taking a larger drink from her glass, her blue eyes studied Morgan's face, gauging for his reaction to determine how she wanted to continue.

"I think they are just more trouble than what its worth somethings." she added, her eyes falling away from Morgan as she felt herself begin to sort out her thoughts. There was less anxiousness now that she was able to get those few thoughts off her mind and out into the air. However, the evening was still young and she had not even yet finish a single glass of wine yet!

@Mr. Teatime

 

[Darth Stolas]

Morgan watched Tia finagle about with the bottle of wine with an expression of clear, if mild, amusement throughout the process as if it were immensely fascinating. He was listening as always but it took the mention of boys to actually draw his eyes to the fiery-headed young woman. Polite bemusement coloured his expression then and a brow raised in interest.

The bottle of brandy's top was popped off and some of the crimson liquid was poured to swirl into his own glass. Tia might not know the specifics of his species but this was more or less the same as drinking wine in this case. Based on the other Sith's drink preferences he was already surprised she'd elected to drink at all. Unlike Renfry he had strong doubts she'd enjoy any of the drinks from Firrerre.

He leaned then on the counter and listened to the young woman explain her woes. Boys, she said, she didn't understand them, complicated. Morgan quickly looked puzzled again. As a person who was adept at figuring out other people there was only really one who had challenged him in that regard but it made sense not everyone had that sort of game-playing habit. It was a habit he'd been taught as much as learned on his own from experience, after all, putting together tidbits and pieces into a collective whole.

Morgan blinked once, head tilting a little to get a different angle on the red-head's facial features and the way they moved.

"Boys can be trouble," he agreed breezily. "Tell me about this confusing one you've found."

He sipped his brandy. This was going to be interesting.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

She watched him pour his drink, noting the deep red that filled his glass looked just as appealing. Fully aware she wouldn't get through this glass of wine before the alcohol hit her, the redheaded Sith guessed it wouldn't hurt to keep going with something new. At least Morgan seemed interested in what she was saying and alcohol was not necessary to motivate focus, which was a plus; Tiamat felt she would be bad company if she bored the firrerreon to tears. She couldn't recall a time where she was like that, but she tended to be more self-conscious than most; perhaps in her own flaws to keep setting a perfection standard so she kept believing she was dull. It was what Emryc had implied... or at least how she interpreted after all, uninteresting in parties...might as well as put it in company of others too.

She pressed the lip of her glass to her chin, trying to decipher her own thoughts as Morgan inquired more about the boy she seemed terribly confused about. Her blue eyes returned to Morgan and she took another big drink from her wine glass, uncertain where to start, "I think to level the field, I can be a handful too." she admitted know she could be a troublemaker too, "Though, I feel provoked and perhaps even mocked by this guy." she frowned, reaching up to scratch her head and combed her fingers through her hair, "And that hurts...more than I want it too, because I feel like I have disappointed him in some way and maybe too in myself that I couldn't be better..." Tiamat sighed softly and took a sip from her wine glass.

She returned her gaze to Morgan, "He's great though and most times he's kind, but not like super creepy kind; he's always honest, but at times has no tact. I try to do things because he likes them, but I come off as awkward or inept., he teases, I get flustered and we are good most of the time." she smirked, thinking back to those moments. Her eyes fell to the countertop and she set down her wine glass, exchanging for a thin lock of her hair to twisted around her forefinger. "Other times, when I feel on the verge of being hurt, I have the urgency to hurt him first."

@Mr. Teatime

 

[Darth Stolas]

Morgan turned away in the midst of her extended explanation and walked over to the stove, although his head kept an ear slightly tilted in her direction. He stirred the stew, switched the stove to warm, placed a lid atop it, and then headed right back. Wordlessly as she spoke he collected the two bottles in one hand and his glass in the other and gently nudged Tiamat over toward the couch near the back of the room, a sturdy-looking wood and cloth design.

Regardless of whether she followed his nonverbal suggestion or not he sat there himself and placed the drinking paraphernalia on the coffee table in front of it and sipped at the brandy in his glass. Morgan wondered briefly if Tia and himself had the same taste in men, at least insofar as Morgan had a taste for any 'type' of person.

Finally golden eyes found the red-headed young woman again with that sharp look that indicated he was watching her directly, a thoughtful expression settling on his face. Rather than asking pointless questions he generally preferred to figure out things himself.

"Has he ever hurt you himself?"

Morgan sipped his brandy.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Eventually the aroma of the stewing pot reached Tiamat and she heard her stomach remind her of how long it has been since she had last ate. The young Sith couldn't remember the last time she had a home-cooked meal, let alone made by someone else; it certainly beat anything she would get from the bases or make on her own. She watched as he took the bottles and his glass, heading over to a couch to set them down on the table and Tiamat followed, draining her wine glass before she sat down, grabbing the wine bottle as she did. Carefully she filled the glass again, feeling her head already starting to buzz and it was easily becoming easier to not care about anything remotely dramatic currently.

His gold eyes met her exhausted gaze, his own expression softening as he asked his question, sipping his own drink as Tiamat took a second to think and frowned. She set down the bottle, "Just my feelings." she spoke with a pout and and a huff. Falling quiet again, she retreated for a moment into her own thoughts, trying to sort them, "I've been hurt before, not by him," she glanced at Morgan before her eyes drifted and her brow furrowed as though she were watching something happening behind him, "I anticipate for that moment to come, one day. It always does." she softly stated, but it felt like she was yelling from across the room; a pinch of heartache grew in her chest and Tiamat looked down at her wine glass, taking a long drink from the glass.

Tiamat grabbed the wine bottle again, refilling the glass again and then relaxed against the back of the couch.

@Mr. Teatime

 

[Darth Stolas]

Morgan's eyebrows rose a little when Tia answered, head setting back to straight as he leaned back against the couch. He blinked once before sipping again at his drink. Her huffiness was a little cute and drew an amused look from the young Sith but he said nothing, the little smirk on his face saying enough.

"You look for something that isn't there." The statement was matter-of-fact, but quiet and understanding all the same. Morgan unbeknownst to Tia had lived much of his life with who he really was hidden away from the galaxy, fearing that one day someone might eventually see. At the same he'd wanted nothing more than to be seen for what he was and accepted. He'd been happier ever since just that had come to be and he thought perhaps Tia was suffering under a similar dilemma.

Morgan also had suffered at the hands of another before the man he now loved and that had, and still was, a struggle all its own. His mouth opened a moment as if to speak and then closed, brows furrowing. He looked over across the apartment at an abstract painting that still hung up on the wall, yet to be packed for the move he was obviously preparing for. Morgan smiled a little at it.

"Do you think he would hurt you?"

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

It wasn't the first time she had been told that she searched for things that weren't there and she could not disagree with him. She did search for what did not exist, not because she wanted to, but because she felt she needed to, there was an urgency to that feeling that was difficult to overcome. It felt like Morgan understood and she couldn't tell if the feeling of acceptance and validation was necessarily all from him or the wine that was already giving her a slight buzzing feeling. She allowed the silence to fall between them and she saw him readying to speak but didn't and instead turned his gaze to the painting on the wall.

"No, I don't believe he would." she stated and knew she had pushed Emryc hard on several occasions, but he never lifted a hand in response. He had his ways of telling her exactly how it was, never coating the truth in warmth. It was what she needed as painful as it could be at times; her own habits tended to blind her to reason, the deeper its roots, the less control she felt she had.

She took a drink of her wine and looked at the painting on his wall, "Maybe I can just listen to him better." Tiamat sighed, "I think he likes my company, he always asks how long I plan to stay and where I will be going after I leave. He just seems aloof ninety percent of the time. Its hard to tell." she looked at Morgan, her eyes traced along the sharp angles of his face for a brief moment as though she were realizing he was really there with her. Suddenly she felt self-conscious with how much she had been talking, "Have you had anyone like that in your life that you dated?" she asked.

@Mr. Teatime

 

[Darth Stolas]

Golden eyes took in every strange curve and shape of the chaotic work of art on his wall, every splash of colour and line that tangled the whole thing together. Ever since he'd first seen it he'd been trying to unravel what it could possibly mean or if it had any meaning at all and he often found himself looking at it. It was like a puzzle that kept drawing him back to figure it out.

He only nodded, satisfied, when Tiamat said the boy she spoke of didn't seem like he'd hurt her. Such a thing was of concern to the young Sith and he appreciated her honesty in thinking about it quite openly. His head remained slightly angled to show he was listening even as he stared at the painting for most of her elaboration, a small smirk forming somewhere near the end and the intensity of his eyes softening. It was when she asked about his own love he actually turned to her with brows raised in mild surprise.

"It is not about listening, Tia," he said with a tone of amusement, "Understanding is important." The man Morgan loved was also a rather stoic man with subtle expressions that challenged the Firrerreo's skills at reading nonverbal cues but even so he'd learned to read his moods fairly well. Their comfort with each other probably helped as well. Not that he had an abundance of experience beyond his soldier boy, but still.

"If he seems to enjoy your company, maybe it really is that simple?" Morgan idly swirled his glass around a little before sipping at the burgundy beverage, then blinked as if he'd just thought of something before smiling a little.

"I have some experience with that kind of person."

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Tiamat felt like she wasn't getting buzzed fast enough and quickly downed her glass of wine; she was just tired of feeling crummy in the last few weeks and did not think it was entirely difficult to ask for a couple hours relief from it. Morgan spoke again, emphasizing with a shortened version of her name. She let it echo in her head for a moment trying to decide if she liked it. Though when Morgan said it, she enjoyed how it rang off his tongue and therefore, the redhead approved for now. He added something though that she had already thought she had gotten down: the understanding. That would of course open another door of questions for the young woman as she started to think and connect the ways she had shown understanding which seemed harder to find compared to the examples of understanding that Emryc had shown to her.

She nodded though, it felt like hearing it from a neutral party rung with more meaning than to hear it from herself or even from Emryc. Her eyebrows rose as he agreed to perhaps it was just as simple as it seemed and Tiamat let out a long sigh; life tended to tell her it was never that simple, but perhaps that was the test itself. She glanced down at her glass and the deep red of the liquid the remained, "At least the sex is great." she hummed into her glass before finishing off another glass of wine.

Morgan smiled when he informed he had some experience with such individuals and as odd of a feeling it was, Tiamat suddenly did not feel alone in such boy problems. "Really?" she perked up some, "Is it just like a Sith thing?" she asked, "Sometimes I feel just like...like my expectations are different...but how do you deal with it?" she paused and wondering if it really just her as the odd one out in the Order, "Aloof, hard to read..do you find it frustrating at times?" she asked.

@Mr. Teatime

 

[Darth Stolas]

Morgan's brows rose a little and he looked at Tia from the side as she mentioned the more intimate activities. That gave him a better benchmark for how far she and this boy of hers had gone. Casual encounters were far from the Firrerreo's preferred activity but he silently supposed if there were feelings involved on her part it didn't quite count as 'crude'. Golden flicked upwards toward the stairs to the bedroom and then back over to the painting on the wall.

Tiamat seemed to find some new and excitable energy and started asking a slew of questions about his own experiences. Morgan's brows furrowed a little when he turned next to see her, taking in the lines and movement of her face and eyes. He was quiet for a little then and didn't answer immediately as his expression became contemplative.

Then it was deeply annoyed, at which point he shifted his gaze to a window so as not to direct his irritation toward Tiamat.

"It can be frustrating," Morgan affirmed, although he wasn't exactly referring to a sense of aloofness. He liked the difficulty in reading his boyfriend. It challenged his ability to pick up nonverbal information about a person in a way others didn't, even if it sometimes had complications of its own. But there were other details as well that he wasn't particularly fond of having to personally deal with.

This specific detail frustrated him and was profoundly awkward. He finished his drink and poured himself some more from the bottle on the table.

"What is it you expect of him?"

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Tiamat watched him think over his response, his gaze taking to the window as his emotions moved through his experiences. She was quiet, but not necessarily processing things quickly as she felt a wave wash through her body and things were feeling...better. Morgan spoke and Tiamat nodded, knowing what frustration felt like, she had experienced it so many times with Emryc; regardless, it felt like there were other moments that bettered the worst of it.

Her blue eyes followed his glass; watching how he tipped it back to drain the last bit, and how he poured himself another, noting that it felt like the rest of her needed to catch up to what she was seeing. In fact, it had not quite registered he had asked her a question and her cheeks glowed red from realizing he had said something.

"Expect of him?" she could almost hear Emryc beside her as he had asked what she wanted from him. Slowly, Tiamat felt herself lean back into the couch, her knees folding into her chest as she watched her and Emryc arguing once more in the hallway. The woman was quiet for a long time and it would be several silent minutes before she realized where she was and who she was speaking with as she turned to glance at Morgan.

She didn't even know what she expected from herself.

"I'm not sure...I jus' want more of the time we do spend together." she looked into her wine glass, gently stirring the liquid before pausing and closed her eyes. "When I'm not being dramatic and stupid." Tiamat sighed and took a drink, "I feel like this is all new, and it should just be easier..."

@Mr. Teatime

 

[Darth Stolas]

Morgan was patient with his friend's answers to questions, even in his clearly annoyed state. Perhaps he'd just become used to a much more micro-expression heavy individual that required direct attention to pick up signs and signals, or maybe some small grains of patience had rubbed off on him after a while? Either way he almost seemed not to notice the lack of immediate response from Tiamat.

That or he just let it pass uncontested and unbothered, even in the minutes after her first few words, a repeat of what Morgan had asked. He spent the time in thought and sipping his drink and glancing twice toward the pot on the stove, also keeping track of how long it had left before it was done and ready to eat. Morgan suspected food with the alcohol would probably be best at some point.

Golden eyes stayed on the painting when Tiamat finally came up with something, a wry but affectionate expression forming across the young Lord's angular features that did little to prevent him from looking irate about something or other. If anything his brows furrowed ever so slightly more.

"Simpler than one thinks," he commented before another sip of brandy, "But not easy." Just the lead up to he and the man he loved being together had been a challenge in spite of it being such a simple thing in the end. They both had their quirks and history that needed to be taken into account.

"Then, just spend time with him." Morgan tried very hard not to let his expression turn into a frown here.

"How does he feel about you?"

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

"I don't think he's very good with his words when it comes to anything but anger. Its mostly just silence, and simple gestures." she replied, pressing the glass against her lip for a moment while she tried to discern her thoughts. "Maybe we just need more time..." she nodded, feeling that time could possibly solve any dilemmas. The redhaired Sith inhaled and then exhaled with a bit more effort, finding it hard to continue to think. Her cheeks felt suddenly warm from the alcohol as she focused on her memories and how the half-Sephi had expressed himself in the past; he had his ways to let her know the good and bad, his words generally stinging harshly to their low moments.

"Or I am too sensitive." she frowned looking at Morgan and then followed his gaze to the painting, she felt her mind blank for a moment as her eyes traced the patterns of colors before returning to the present as though her mind needed a small reboot before she reengaged. Her head turned back to Morgan, feeling suddenly vulnerable to her admittance about herself as her eyes traced along his cheekbones and down his neckline. "Whoever you have in your life, I hope they're good to you Morgan." she spoke softly, her words genuine as she felt sudden gratitude in his hospitality and patience.

@Mr. Teatime

 

[Darth Stolas]

In the middle of Tia's answer Morgan wordlessly stood from the couch and walked off toward the kitchen, head still slightly turned in her direction. Slender fingers curled around the pot lid handle to remove it and place it down on the counter. Morgan retrieved a bowl and put a scoop of rice from the cooker and a healthy ladling of the stew atop it, repeated the process with a second bowl, and then brought them both over. One of them was placed on the coffee table in front of Tiamat with a spoon laid atop.

"Eat please."

Morgan sat back down and took a bite of his own food as well as a drink of the water he'd brought earlier.

"You are sensitive." Golden eyes turned to look over at the red-haired young woman. "About some things. For a reason, yes?" From what he'd gathered watching Tiamat things linked back to her history, even if she wasn't exactly fond of speaking about it. Morgan could sympathize with that to a degree and had little reason to judge overmuch. There were parts of his history that even Emryc didn't ask after but had an idea, and Morgan hadn't yet brought them up thus far.

Her final statement resulted in an unintentional and automatic softening of Morgan's features as his thoughts turned more toward the man he loved. Certain situations could be annoying, certainly, and at times he could be frustrating. The casual physical dalliances were something he was increasingly not fond of. But, was Emryc good to him?

His eyes flicked for a moment back toward the painting and then settled back on his food.

"They are good to me," he said in a warm but matter-of-fact sort of way. Morgan smiled softly and took another bite of his food.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Morgan had gotten up and returned with food, setting her bowl on the coffee table and gesturing for her to eat also. It took the redhaired woman a moment to figure out how to switch out tasks; she looked at her glass, the table, the bowl, and then back to her glass. She leaned over, nearly almost tipping off the couch to set down the glass and picking up the bowl of food, all while with a look of serious determination on her face.

Tia scooped a bite and fell in love with the stew, "Ah, Morgan, you know where to find good food, and! You know how to cook the best!" she said delighted as she took a few more bites while he mentioned to her about being sensitive, emphasizing about certain things and Tiamat nodded. "It is the heaviest weight I have carried. Its hard to unlearn what was normal, to let go of something that stole my dignity and made me believe it was just the way it was." she sighed, "Sometimes its more of a barrier when I make it be, like it is some shortfall to my capacity to be Sith." the woman shrugged, moving some of the rice throughout the sauce, pausing to reflect on her own words, "Some shortfall...to allow someone to care for me."

Tiamat let out a long sigh, her gaze moving from Morgan to the abstract painting on the wall that he was observing earlier. "Perhaps navigating me is the issue." she took a bite while speaking her thoughts out loud as she worked through her own processing, her face contorting as new thoughts formed and others meshed together for new ideas that sprung either a look of disgust or satisfaction.

"I'm complicated." she scoffed, "I wish I were a droid so I can just pop in a new program. So much easier."

@Mr. Teatime

 

[Darth Stolas]

Tiamat's wine-drunk awkwardness was a fun distraction from the myriad thoughts that bounced around Morgan's head off in the background. Some concern mixed into his expression as she nearly left the couch in the middle of figuring out how to change from glass to bowl, a hand raising up about to keep her from falling, then back down when she seemed to work out the process. He laughed a little just from the look of determination across her features.

Her explanation about the weight she carried resulted in a frown. It was the most up front confirmation of the nature of her experiences thus far and Morgan could understand her hesitation, he thought. He'd struggled as well with something like that even after the man who'd caused it lay half liquified on his office floor but steadily it was a thing to be worked through.

"If one builds a wall," Morgan began after a few seconds after her comment about navigation, "neither side can see."

If he hadn't been drawn to open up to his boyfriend on that couch, hadn't taken that chance, they probably wouldn't even be together. Morgan was attentive enough to know as much. Even still he had to try to be as straight forward with the half-Sephi as possible to get a point across instead of taking the overly round about way he generally fell into.

Morgan ate another few bites of his food and eventually turned again to take in Tiamat's features.

"Some consider such attachment solely a weakness. I disagree."

He put down the half-empty bowl, reflecting for a moment on the history of his family. Andraste had her three husbands, of course, most who knew anything about the old Sith empire were aware of that. Morgan attributed the change in attitude to the more modern works of Palpatine and his Rule of Two and the masked individual who currently sat at the head of the Sith Eternal, and while it may work for some, it wasn't for him. He took a slow breath and paused before speaking.

"The attachment and struggle of passions makes one 'human', so to speak, or more alive in a sense. If you could simply reprogram there would be no learning or growth. You would be different, not better."

Morgan turned to look at the red-headed girl, taking in wine-drunk features reflected in sharp golden eyes.

"Tiamat is Tiamat. If this weight is heavy, overcoming it will make you stronger. Is that not so?"

@GABA