Ask High Hopes

[Darth Stolas]

D'ian, Corporate Sector​

It was a nice and sunny autumn day on D'ian, full of pleasant breezes and bustling people. Broadly speaking it was one of their newer acquisitions and came into use shortly after the rise Palpatine's Galactic Empire. Now it was yet another thriving trade planet that even had its very own trading schools and, unlike some other planets taken centuries in the past, hadn't been reduced to industry-covered rock. Instead it was still a popular spot for tourist. The only real complication of sorts was that use of the local currency was required but there were exchanges that swapped out all sorts.

They even took Crowns these days. One can always trust corporations to jump on a chance to make a profit after all.

Morgan had been extending the reach of his intelligence network into the corporate sector lately. Of course he only did some of the actual work himself, he had agents and spies to do the legwork these days. It was a strange feeling not to be scoping out some location or other for weeks on his own. Instead there Morgan was sitting on a VIP veranda of some restaurant dressed in what he considered casual. His blazer was neatly placed on the back of his chair and a simple white folding fan lazily blew air over him while he lazily drank from a ceramic tea cup. No weapons were carried since such things were strictly prohibited throughout the Corporate Sector.

The view was nice from way up here. There was just one problem. Recent rumours were spreading in concert with certain reports that he wasn't entirely sure what to make of. The Eternal did sometimes leave their throne but usually for their own business, nothing of much interest, but there also weren't usually rumours to go along with it. Or a call from Renfry asking to meet him somewhere. Usually if they met it was on one of her planets, not her coming to him.

This felt odd and with the things he was hearing Morgan wasn't sure how to feel about any of it. Even if he appeared relatively calm there was a sense of tension that he couldn't shake, a tightness in his jaw and around golden eyes like a bird of prey's. If the whispers he heard were even partly accurate then there could be trouble.

But for the moment he waited patiently. Renfry would be lead to the upscale veranda and the sole table Morgan sat at when she arrived after handing over the reservation details.

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

Of all the meetings that that Renfry had to take after the death of the Eternal, there was no doubt this was the one that she was most nervous about. It was the one that would take the most convincing and the one who was by far the greatest threat.

But the sooner this bandaid was ripped off, the better. She wagered he already had some concept of what had happened, and she couldn't decide if that made it better or worse. Probably better, maybe worse.

She made her way up to the terrace level, spotting Morgan reclining at the table. Though her face had been on the holonet, she was fortunate enough that most people didn't recognize her by sight yet. The irony of two of the most powerful Sith meeting in a cafe might have struck her as funny were the energy in the air not so tense.

She took a seat across from him, her own clothes less tribal and robe-like than she usually wore. In fact, she looked almost comical wearing a pair of jeans and a hoodie, but she was comfortable so at least there was that.

Morgan, she said with a nod, taking a seat across from him before the waiter came up.

Caf with cream, she said, before looking back to him. She weighed within her mind whether this would eventually turn to a fight and she would be able to drink her caf. Hopefully not. And if it did, what kind of fallout would there be on a world like this one?

Tension. Not violent tension, but it still hung in the air nonetheless.

What have you heard? she asked, deciding to simply address this head on.

 

[Darth Stolas]

Renfry arrived just in time to catch Darth Stolas shamelessly taking a selfie. He didn't look up from his small datapad for a moment, typing with one hand and lazily fanning himself with the other. It was sent off to his boyfriend as part of a check-in ritual he'd fallen into over time. Given who and what they were Morgan liked Emryc to know he was all right and thinking of him.

"Renfry,"

The datapad was placed screen-down on the table while the Queen of Dathomir, attired casually, ordered a caf. This new look elicited an elevated brow while the Firrerreo looked at her from the side and retrieved a cigarra from somewhere, ignited with an electric lighter. Smoke plumed from between his lips in wispy clouds and floated away over the rails.

"Many things," Morgan replied in an oddly even tone, eyes returning to the view out before him. Not all of it was necessarily reliable but there was a decent number of common themes. "Rumour has it the Eternal left its castle and hasn't returned." Slender fingers picked up the teacup, taking a slow moment to drink from it before replacing it very precisely atop its saucer. His thumb delicately pushed the handle to rotate it a little.

"That they went to Dathomir." That planet seemed to be unlucky as far as irate Sith Lords went. Or perhaps it was the opposite given each event had elevated Renfry in some way. A quiet second passed before golden eyes found the Nightsister across the table. As always they were intense and focused, like a bird of prey, with some secret fire burning beneath. There were different things that could be guessed from the reports. The Eternal could have chosen Dathomir as its new home, or it attacked and Renfry escaped. But then she was injured so little Morgan barely smelled blood over everything else, and bacta had a very distinct aroma.

The Firrerreo's nostrils momentarily flared. Together with his unusually still features these were signs he was less than pleased about something. "What happened, Renfry?"

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

Renfry had learned to read others over time. She was no expert like some, but it was clear in this world that she learned or she died. She had no intention of dying just yet. There was far too much left to be done.

She glanced around the terrace to make sure that the server was gone. They were alone.

The Eternal didn't appreciate my public condemnation. She came down in force. We fought and she died by my hand, she stated bluntly, not dragging it out any longer than necessary. She paused for a beat to let the information sink in. It was something that she knew he would have already considered as a possibility, but it gave him a moment to gather those thoughts nonetheless. She didn't let the silence linger for long because that would simply draw out unnecessary questions.

By Sith Rite of Ascension, I intend to take her position, she went on. She knew that was what he was waiting to hear and what he wouldn't want to hear.

I would like your support. The two of us being at odds seems a waste. I am not the Eternal, she said, and then she was silent. There was tension in the air and his golden eyes met her own. She wasn't going to flinch, though. She had come too far to turn back now. This price had been bought in blood: her own and that of her people.

 

[Darth Stolas]

The more Renfry spoke of what happened the more stiff and agitated the Firrerreo seemed to become. It was surely shown in silver shades over his skin, a certain stiffness that slipped into the way he moved and sat, how solidly straight he sat. Lips curled downward into a tense frown, muscle around eyes and jaw tightening and brows dropping closer to sharpened eyes. Morgan looked away from the other Sith.

A storm of thoughts streamed through his head that only partly showed on the surface, micro-expressions he fought to keep under control. In truth he had considered this outcome from the whispers he'd heard. However, the sheer severity and weight of conflict that surged through his chest like wildfire wasn't how he expected it to be. It was if he being dragged down and lifted up all at the same time and he just didn't know what to make of it.

On the table the tea started to let off clouds of steam as it heated in the cup. A hand slowly lifted the cigarra to his lips for a drag, the fan sitting very still in fingers like bands of iron. When Renfry mentioned support it abruptly snapped shut and he raised it toward her.

"Stop," he snapped, uncharacteristically terse. A moment later the veranda door slipped open and Renfry's caf was delivered by the oblivious waitress. Goldens glanced at his tea, blinking twice, and waited for the server to leave again. "The Eternal is dead." It was said mostly to himself, lips curling up toward a snarl.

Lady Andruil wanted the same throne that Stolas had been aiming for, a grand goal formed long ago before Morgan was even born. A Sith throne, the return of the Drast family. A Drast Emperor. After several seconds of silence his tight-shut lips opened again, slowly, and the first thing out of Morgan's mouth was a growling-

"Fuck."

His eyes stared off into the distance and he took a long, deep breath. To Morgan's own surprise what came to the forefront of his mind amidst the storm of thoughts was his grudges against the Eternal, his hesitation in fully acting on them and taking the throne for himself as he'd wanted. As was expected.

"You don't know what you're asking from me," he finally said softly, bitter and matter-of-fact. Morgan still wasn't looking at Renfry. Most of what he felt in this moment wasn't directed at her. Instead, he seemed to be sinking into his own thoughts and feelings and trying to sort them out.

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

As she finished her sentence, she simply sat there. Her face was stone cold as she sat there, looking across at him. It was similar in many ways to Emryc's stoic gaze. It was something she had learned from years of being at his side. She had changed much since the days when the two Sith Lords had first met each other on Dathomir.

As he spoke and struggled with what she said, she simply sat in silence. She didn't look over to the waitress, never breaking her gaze from the other Sith. But she gave him time to think and process. She knew this wasn't something that would be easy for him to swallow, but she wasn't going to back down. She'd fought and very nearly died to get here.

And so she was silent. For a long moment she was silent, saying nothing and letting him process. The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a dull butter knife, but still she sat.

She was ready if this turned to violence. Her mind had already made up its route of conflict, but she still hoped against that. It would be a waste. A waste for the Sith and a waste for both of them.

It's already done, she stated. There was nothing left but to decide how to move forward.

The question you are left with is whether you're going to challenge me for my title, she said.

I am not Malicia. I've paid my price in blood already, she said. And she would do it again if she had to. She wasn't going to back down, abdicate, or otherwise flee. She would fight tooth and nail as she had done on Dathomir.

 

[Darth Stolas]

There were innumerable factors for Morgan to consider. Some Renfry knew about, some she really had no idea of. His entire life the goal had been to take the throne of the Sith. The prince had been taught how to be Drast, trained to fight, conditioned to use the Force as his family had for generations. He hadn't joined the Sith, he'd been born as one, the latest in a long line of monsters.

Renfry had been pushed to take Dathomir by Emryc and took to it well. She wasn't the Eternal, so far a more competent ruler. Morgan had supported her as well when she claimed a Council seat. But there was simply more to it than that.

Goldens at last turned from the view over the railing to take in Renfry's face. Her expression was so unlike her usual, still as a statue, the face of a Queen determined to follow the path she'd found herself on. Even if it was blank Morgan's eyes were always watching, and that stillness combined with her words told him more than enough.

Morgan wasn't an enemy Renfry wanted or she wouldn't be here in the first place. The truth of the matter was, if they fought over this, it likely wouldn't end well no matter the outcome. She'd asked for his support without demanding, asked if he intended to challenge her. He'd intended to challenge the Eternal, but Renfry?

Malicia was brought up and his eyes narrowed in irritation. But she had a point and it dragged other thoughts up with it. The prince sought the throne because it was his birthright, his destiny, his purpose. Because to not would be unacceptable failure. Because if he didn't, he couldn't secure his legacy. However... Who, exactly, had decided that?

The Drast blinked once. "You are not," he began slowly. Amidst the storm of thoughts and feelings different facets of the situation came together behind his eyes, the Firrerreo finding for a moment the hurricane's eyes to stand in. Even so he was far from pleased, and truth be told, slightly bewildered at his own train of thought.

"Why would I want your throne?" His voice was quiet, steady, and with undertones of pensive bitterness, as if he was asking the both of her and himself. Morgan paused a moment and his fan snapped back open with a pop to resume blowing air over himself in D'ian's balmy weather. By now Renfry should be able to recognize decently whether or not Firrerreo intended to be hostile. This was him trying to maintain calm and patience.

"Define support."

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

Renfry knew how things sat. She knew it was unlikely that if they fought they would fight here and now. She knew that if they went to true war, the Sith would suffer for it. And she knew that if they fought in a single duel, one of them would die... and the Sith would still suffer for it. No, she didn't want to make an enemy here today.

As he looked at her face, he would indeed see that stone cold gaze, but her eyes were still wild. That hint of untamed energy that had been boxed up enough for her to become a far more detached and professional ruler. But it was always there, ready to leap out again. Fires of passion.

She watched him struggling internally, seeing the strife within him over this. It was not the expected or planned path, but it was the one they were now on.

Finally, he began to speak, popping open his fan. It was... not a relaxing moment, but she did know him well enough to know he wasn't about to leap across the table at her.

For the first time, she lifted the cup of caf to her lips and took a sip. Right, she'd forgotten to put any cream in. She poured a bit and began to stir it, thinking of how best to phrase the answer to his question. Specifically, the second one.

She almost said "not challenging me would be a good start" but realized that was superfluous and redundant.

I'd like you to remain on the Council. Grow and run your network of informants and spies. Execute cover actions, she said, taking another drink now.

We both agree that the Sith need reform. We won't do it as disjointed as we are. I intend to bring the Sith together under a singular, genuine vision and government, and I could use your help to do it, she said.

 

[Darth Stolas]

Renfry's suggestions of what support actually meant sounded frustratingly reasonable. Morgan had always been someone who specialized in that sort of thing, even enjoying it. It was so mundane at times, gathering information, observing movements and security, even simple wetwork. Work was exactly how he'd always treated it, just a job. Morgan wondered to himself when that began to change.

"This is so," he slowly replied to her last statement, his brows furrowing mightily as he was still half lost in the flurry of thoughts and feelings. Once more he was quiet for a short time, taking a drag of his cigarra and then snuffing it in an ashtray. He almost lifted his tea to drink before remembering how hot it was now and put it immediately back down.

"There is more I need to do," Morgan stated plainly in a near monotone. "Still must secure my legacy." He didn't entirely know why he said it or what that meant in the end. It felt like some old weight was both trying to lift from his shoulders and drag him down. Did he mean the Drast legacy? Did he mean his own? Something else entirely?

Morgan truly didn't know.

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

She took another drink of her caf, only now beginning to, for fleeting moments, glance to her surroundings. It was odd that such a serious and potentially lethal conversation was being had in such a nice, beautiful venue.

At the mention of his legacy, her eyes snapped back to him once again. That could mean many different things that ranged from problematic to arbitrary from her perspective.

What does that mean, precisely? she asked. It wasn't concern in her voice, but she knew that it could potentially result in further butting heads if they didn't work these things out now.

She could sense the uncertainty within him still, and she wasn't even sure he knew the answer to that question yet. Some people searched their whole lives for the answer to that question. In some ways, Renfry, herself, was still finding that answer as well.

@Mr. Teatime

 

[Darth Stolas]

His family had always had high hopes for him. They'd always said he was meant to fulfill a prophecy, manifest destiny, go make a legacy. But in truth Morgan had never fully taken the time to consider just what he wanted for himself. He'd had high hopes for a living, a vision, but never realized it hadn't been his own. That he'd been wearing colours someone else had convinced him to wear.

When Renfry asked her question there was quiet. Then it was like the start of something coming to life behind the Firrerreo's eyes, just like when he was speaking to her in the forge on Felucia. A corner of his lips curled just a little bit as they parted to answer.

"It means there are things I'm after and you're probably the only one I can ask. Challenging you isn't one of them." It was, paraphrased, one of the first things he'd ever said to the Nightsister long ago on Dathomir. "That if you help me, you'll get something out of it too." Morgan seemed to relax a little as he spoke, still tense but not quite as much.

"You said you would. I said I'd explain things then. You'll still keep your word?" He was still uncertain, but he at least has ideas of his own. Morgan blinked once. "Ah. Is the Eternal only dead, or..?" The Firrerreo recalled Renfry had bound a Jedi's spirit quite horribly on Ajan Kloss. That would be an excellent start.

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

She continued to watch him, eyes scanning over his face as he spoke. There was certainly still tension, but she felt better as the discussion continued. He was still being vague about what he wanted, and referencing her as the only one who could help him left her with one of two paths that it went down.

As he continued to speak, she started to get where he was going.

Dead, she said. In truth, the curse she had used on Ajan Kloss was not one she used lightly. It was not an action she did without thought, and it was not something she would ever do on Dathomir. She had, however, considered it for the Eternal. The deaths it had caused of people she cared for was something that made her blood boil. Even as she sat there, speaking of it, he would be able to see her face darken and her eyes almost begin to glow.

What do you want with it? And why? she asked. As with most of her questions in this vein it was both practical and for curiosity. She never liked to put herself on the line without reason, and the techniques that needed to be used were, of course, different depending on purpose.

@Mr. Teatime

 

[Darth Stolas]

Morgan's expression formed something between a grimace and a grin at the news. Dead was better than alive by far but the Firrerreo hardly believed they deserved anything so simple and easy as the final, peaceful sleep. There was several reasons for this belief and very few of them were anything that he felt any need to express specifically out loud. Morgan kept it simple.

"Retribution," he answered darkly. "Death is too good for them." Some the Eternal had effected with their plots and plans didn't really hold to the concept of revenge but it was practically a staple of Morgan's' family. He didn't technically need to keep a promised grudge if the target was dead but the deceased Dark Lord bore the weight of several all at once.

"Is it a troublesome process?" His knowledge of sorcery was limited, especially so when it came to the arts used by Nightsisters. "There are lives broken the Eternal must pay for. Every single one."

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

Renfry's eyes were once again intense as he spoke about the process she had undertaken on Ajan Kloss. It was something that had not been done lightly and at the time she had done it, she thought it would see her thrown from the Nightsisters altogether. It was a defilement of some of their most sacred rules and not something she did lightly. Even the soul of the Jedi slain in the temple on Dathomir hadn't suffered this fate.

She'd have outright told him "no" were it not for the fact that she was already considering it of her own accord. She'd promised the Eternal no peace, and as a penalty for defiling Dathomir itself, it was a measure she would actually consider.

It is not a process done lightly, she said, her voice more icy now not because she was angry at him but because it was a serious weight and her mind was now wrapped up in it.

I will consider it, she said, pushing herself to her feet and taking her cup of caf to walk over to the railing of the balcony, taking a drink and looking out over the street below. People walking around, oblivious. She wondered how their lives would be affected by what was happening. Would they even look up and notice? Probably not. It was an odd thing.

@Mr. Teatime

 

[Darth Stolas]

Morgan was thankfully fairly capable of determining whether someone was directing an emotion at him or not so he didn't take Renfry's tone personally. She was at least considering his request about the Eternal's spirit. On that subject, it would do. There were other subjects to discuss as well. The Queen of Dathomir obviously considered the Firrerreo important to her plans one way or the other.

Else she wouldn't have come all this way and risked walking face-first into a predator out for her blood and titles. But Stolas didn't want her throne. He wanted his throne, a more metaphorical concept he didn't yet fully understand. With that weight lifting steadily his own personal ambitions were already beginning to resurface.

The truth was, as it always had been, as he'd forgotten over time, that Morgan much preferred to do as he pleased.

He stood from his seat a few moments after Renfry and joined her at the balcony with his tea, fan closed and left behind neatly at the table. Slender fingers lay themselves slowly on the rail. Golden eyes looked at passersby but did not seen them in front of where his thoughts freely traveled.

"What of the rest?" His desires to learn magick and summon a specific spirit hadn't wavered. Asking an undoubtedly busy Empress to help him every time he needed something done was ridiculous.

"Or has your curiosity gone away?"

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

Renfry took a deep breath of the air. It was almost fresh, but the scent of smoke hit her nostrils instead. She rolled her eyes, wishing that she could have gotten something entirely free of the city smells. That was the downside of cities, though.

She considered what he said. Rather than the puzzle of the spirit and the armor, what she found herself wondering about was what he really wanted. What he was after now that he was moving on? He probably didn't even know yet, but apparently his interest in what they'd spoken of before remained.

It hasn't, but curiosity may not be something I have the luxury of anymore, she said. Each time she had moved up in the galaxy, she had lost more and more of the time she would have formerly devoted to curiosity.

You've still not really told me what you want it for, she said.

Or is it just curiosity? she asked.

@Mr. Teatime

 

[Darth Stolas]

Morgan grinned with wry bitterness at the concept of curiosity being a 'luxury'. It was something that had driven the Firrerreo much of his life, even. Every little game was played trying to get something without asking for it whether it was a piece of knowledge or a particular reaction. They were the way his family had always done things and it was difficult still to be completely straightforward even after the lessons he'd learned.

"When I joined the Eternal's Sith I had goals of my own. I want to learn and explore, Renfry, what my "legacy" can be. Your people's magick is interesting and useful." Goldens looked at the Nightsister from the side. "It could expand what I can do for myself. And this new order you're trying to build. It's worthy of respect."

He paused a moment, turning back to look out over the milling crowds of ordinary people ignorant of the kinds of beings who watched from above. Morgan slowly shook his head as he reflected on his life after he'd come out into the greater galaxy. "Curiosity is a cornerstone of the Sith. Knowledge begets knowledge. Is this not so?"

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

Renfry wasn't entirely sure what Morgan was saying, but she'd adjusted to that a long time ago. She couldn't actually tell if he was trying to get her to teach him magick or something else.

She drained off the remainder of her caf without another word. He was still struggling with finding his place, and the only way he would find that answer was with time. Time and action. He would have to go find it.

I doubt my magick has the answers you're looking for, she said bluntly. He needed to find his own place in the galaxy. Away from his family, away from Emryc, and away from her. Until he did that, he would be lost.

I'll be calling a Council of Lords soon, she said. I'll see you there if not sooner, she said with a nod. She set her cup down and headed out, onto the next of the million tasks that now lay ahead of her.

//Exit

@Mr. Teatime