Ask Dathomir Open Wounds

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc thought long and hard about coming here. He didn’t normally like complications or drama, and Renfry sometimes brought both. Nevertheless, he was deep in his thoughts in his own ship and before he knew it, he was on his way here. As always, he took in sight of everything around him as he stepped off the ramp.

Whispers erupted all around him as the tribes recognized him as the voice of the Fanged One. Emryc paid none of it any heed, purposeful steps taking him the length of the path towards the temple that served as the Queen’s quarters.

He was likely the only one that didn’t need to explain himself to visit. Even then, a woman rushed over to Renfry to give her warning about his arrival. Emryc was adorned in his usual Raze armor, but he had his helmet off and under an arm.

He never slowed his pace, ducking beneath the doorways that no longer supported his taller and bigger frame. Emryc kept walking till he would be led to Renfry directly.

 

[Renfry]

Andruil was poring over troop movements and reports in her room when Emryc arrived. Síle knocked frantically on the door before stepping inside and telling her who had arrived. In all the years since they met, he had never once paid her a social visit, so she assumed this was business, and if it was business... well, that made her tense up.

Thanks Síle, I'd like to speak with him alone, she said before taking in a deep breath.

Síle left, passing Emryc in the hall and trying (and failing) not to let her eyes linger on him as she passed. Lingering for so many reasons: because of who he was to the Nightsister people as a part of their religion, because of what she had been told by Renfry, and because... well, look at him.

Neither Sheehan nor Taureen who were standing guard at Andruil's door spoke a word as he passed, normally stopping every visitor.

Inside, of course, was the Queen. She couldn't or didn't conceal the surprise on her face at seeing him without his helmet. Maybe not a work visit then? But was it wise for him to show his face here? Though, who of her Nightsisters would spread the word and no other Sith at present were in or near the palace.

My lord, she said, inclining her head in something between a bow and a nod. What can I do for you? she asked, genuinely curious. She was the same woman he had always known, but he knew her well enough to tell that her soul was cold. Something had changed about her since last they met, not toward him specifically, but toward the world.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

He wasn’t used to her addressing him as such. While Emryc was surprised, Raze emerged right to the surface. There was a brief glint of gold in his eyes, finding her behavior exceptionally pleasing. Emryc closed his eyes and opened them again.

Emryc hadn’t gone out to actively seek anyone out since the prison break out. He hadn’t gone simply to see someone, and yet he found himself crossing the galaxy to be here in Renfry’s presence. He almost looked as if he were going to say something, but he didn't.

Emryc gazed off to the side for a moment, contemplating the slight shift he noted in her. He exhaled as he turned to stare at a nearby statue, silently contemplating it for a moment. While Raze had a very strong and pleased reaction to her, Emryc calculated that Renfry wanted nothing to do with him.

He reached into something that had been stashed inside his helmet. Emryc walked over and placed a holocron on her desk. Silver gaze flicked up towards her, meeting her own directly. They were just as piercing as she remembered, frosty daggers that cut through any layers and barriers in the way.

The gaze lingered only for a moment before he spun on his heel and began to leave.

 

[Renfry]

He said nothing as he walked over to the desk and she frowned silently in confusion. She didn't launch into one of her normal barrages of questions as she watched him. When she saw the holocron set on the table, her gut flipped and her eyes went wide. She was truly shocked. The holocron had been on her mind ever since she had recovered information on abominations. Well, and even long before that. She hadn't expected this.

She wanted to ask "why" but didn't for the life of her dare mess this moment up. Was this a dream? No, no it wasn't.

He looked at a statue for a moment and she reached out, letting a single finger brush along the uneven side of the holocron. She could feel the power clinging to it. The residual power of Darth Kravos tugging even from beyond the Veil.

And then Raze spun to leave. She was frozen in place for a moment and everything slowed down. In fact, time almost stopped as her mind raced through the moment. She still wanted to ask him why. She... she didn't know what she wanted.

That was when it clicked. He had looked at her. Looked right at her. This wasn't the sight through the Force that the Miraluka knew or him faking vision. She knew his eyes well, and they were looking at her.

Wait! she said. Her eyes were wide again. Which thing to ask about? What to say? How did he always do this to her? Was it all to keep her on a hook? To keep her loyal? It was working. Was she being manipulated? Kriff, this was always difficult. No more overthinking.

Your eyes. What happened? she asked. Her mind was being torn in at least four different directions, but she forced it onto a single track. A Queen shouldn't be flustered.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc paused when Renfry called out to him. He remained facing away from her for a few seconds, standing as still as one of the statues. He cut an imposing figure, tall, broad shouldered and with a helmet at his side under his arm. It was always difficult to tell what he was thinking even before the Kravos teachings.

He tilted his head just enough to where she could see the side of his face angled above his shoulder.

“Do you recall when I told you never to underestimate a Jedi’s abilities?” He asked quietly after a long moment, gaze on an opposite wall. Emryc stared ahead of himself again, squinting slightly to make out the shapes of the trees outside of the palace. His vision was still poor, but he could certainly see enough to get by.

Emryc thought to keep walking and simply leave, but his boots felt like lead. The half Sephi slowly turned around to face her again.

“I wished to see you,” He stated flatly, face as neutral as always, “In case that was your next question.”

 

[Renfry]

I do, she replied, her mind twirling through that statement. He had convinced a Jedi to heal him?! It was... well, it was incredibly impressive. But the more she thought on it, the less it surprised her. Emryc was powerful with the Force, there was no question of that, but arguably his greatest power was his influence on people. He had created his own government, conquered a massive swath of the galaxy while barely firing a shot, and gained the loyalty and affection of how many powerful Sith? Now a Jedi had healed him of an injury he'd obtained while killing a Jedi.

It was amazing.

His next statement caused her to pause a moment as well. It... was or wasn't? She didn't even know. It was the question she had wanted to ask, but wasn't going to.

She didn't finish the sentence.

I told you once that you were welcome on Dathomir if you ever wanted to get away, she said. That still stands. I'll have a room prepared for you, she said.

You should stay, she said.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc stared at her as she fumbled and pondered through her words. As always, he was calm and patient whenever people stumbled through their thoughts around him. When she finally spoke again, Emryc considered the words, thinking back to the ship he had been living out of so happily.

“I suppose I did come all this way,” He muttered after a while, giving a vague shrug. Emryc was surprised to see her leave the holocron on the table and focus on him instead. His gaze flicked from her to the holocron and then back to her. There was curiosity in his eyes, and then the faintest tug towards a smile. He looked lost in thought for that instant, glancing back at her amber hues.

“How are your minions?” He asked casually, breaking out of the thoughts that swirled in his mind. Emryc turned away and began to walk towards a newly built part of the palace that he didn’t recall being there before, "Sacrifice a few goats to bring the tribe some more daughters?"

 

[Renfry]

She nodded as he said that he'd come all this way. Her finger was still close to the holocron and brushed against it. Still, it remained on her desk as she left her room.

Have a room prepared, she said to Sheehan and then turned to Taureen. Remain here on guard. Keeping the holocron protected was more important to her than having a proper guard for herself right now. She didn't really need guards anyway and less so with Emryc here.

They headed through the palace as he started to speak. My sisters are doing well, she said. Technically, she was probably the Queen Mother, which meant that she probably should have called them "daughters" but at her age, that just felt a little too weird to her.

Outside of that, things are going smoothly and expanding, she said. Despite her focus on the Nightsisters, she had many other holdings that she had to maintain as well.

No, she said, shooting a sideways glance at him at his goat question. Though if you're interested in rituals, I have a head I need to reanimate and extract information from, she said.

The path he had chosen was greatly refurbished from before and had modern features. It was a portion of area she used for communication and management of off-world assignments. Data readouts, holodisplays, and even a few amenities were within the area.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc took in sight of the different rooms, noting that Renfry had moved away from the traditional aesthetics. He eyed the modern comms systems she had set up. He was quiet for a moment, pondering the implication of Nightsisters venturing out in droves to the greater galaxy. It was a very dangerous path to walk and it could potentially come back to bite Renfry. Emryc said nothing about it. She was Queen, she would live with her decisions.

He quirked an eyebrow as she mentioned reanimating a head, “I will borrow it after you are done. Always wanted to try something,” Emryc said casually, not elaborating beyond that. He would pointedly look the other direction if Renfry gagged as a result.

Emryc strode over towards the data readouts, glancing over it but not touching anything. He always displayed a tremendous amount of respect for others' spaces even if they didn’t do the same to him.

“Well, can you ask one of your sisters to cook us a meal?” He glanced over at her, “Where’s my elaborate feast and nightsisters bathing me?” Emryc crossed his arms over his chest, amusement clearly glinting in his eyes, “The courtesy of your hall is somewhat lessened of late, Queen Andruil."

 

[Renfry]

She glanced over at him as he finished saying that he wanted the head. His implication was lost on her, but she shrugged. I suppose, she said. If he wanted the Swokes Swokes head after she was done, then she didn't have any use for it.

She walked over to look at the data readouts that he was peering at. They were primarily intended for her, but he was welcome to do with them whatever he liked. Though, she noted he didn't actually poke at any of them.

I don't have your hand for politics, but most of the world stay in line without a heavy hand, she said, looking at the readout showing the various territories she was responsible for. Managing the problems associated with them wasn't her favorite task, but she had found planning and coordinating their defenses to be both interesting and enlightening.

She cast a sideways glance at him regarding his final comment.

Yes, well, the amenities are specially laid out for you normally. In this case, you didn't warn me you were coming. But you're welcome to head to the Nydak mud pits for a quick wash if you'd like, she retorted almost without missing a beat. She could see the humor in his eye, and opted not to hold back with her own.

Alternatively, I'm sure the village girls would be happy to give you a bath, she said. Did you ever pick one?

 

[Emryc Thorne]

“Yeah, is Alina free?” Emryc quipped right back, bringing up the same name he had back at the village.

It wasn’t long until he found himself in said bath, though it was a bit small for his tall frame. Nevertheless, he leaned his head back against the edge of it, closing his eyes. There were two women tending to him, one washing his hair and the other scrubbing one of his arms. The scratching against his scalp made him melt into the water.

“Now this is more like it,” His voice rumbled in satisfaction as his eyes remained closed. He wasn’t sure if Renfry was around or not, but he was certainly relaxed.

 

[Renfry]

She rolled her eyes at his request. Alina is back in her village, she replied flatly. She was sure he did that just to aggravate her, but she offered no further quip of her own. On the one hand, she figured it was just to annoy her, but on the other, she sometimes wondered if he cared enough to try to annoy her. That... was actually a good question.

In short order, though, his bath was drawn up for him and two of the women had leapt at the opportunity to help with washing him up. After all, with his position any attention they could receive from him was something they wanted. A part of her wondered if it would end up being more than just a bath. She was fairly sure it could be very easily if he wanted that, but she pushed the thought aside.

You look like you have things covered here, she said, pointedly and shamelessly looking at him after he'd stripped off all of his clothes and climbed into the bath.

I'll be in my room when you're finished here, she said. She knew he'd be able to find it and the food would likely be ready after that. Rather than watch him with two other women, she'd much prefer to begin interrogating the holocron.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc was more relaxed than he had been in a while as he soaked in that tub. To the disappointment of both women, he really only was there to be scrubbed and washed. One of them even took her clothing off to ‘avoid getting everything wet’ and that only got a casual glance from Emryc before he closed his eyes again.

Eventually he stepped out of the tub and was dried. They brought him a loose, white tunic to wear and some pants. He had to roll up the sleeves as they didn’t quite reach, but the pants surprisingly fit him. Emryc ran his fingers through his damp hair as he was led to Renfry’s quarters.

The two women with him were elated they got to give him a path, but visibly disappointed that it was only that. Evidently he had a reputation for being promiscuous and had to wonder where that originated.

Emryc was glancing down and picking at his slightly itchy tunic while he entered the room with the others. He was freshly groomed and his skin and hair looked radiant after the ladies worked their magic. Of course, his face still looked slightly grumpy.

 

[Renfry]

Andruil arrived at her room and picked up the holocron. It was alive with power and she started to reach out to touch it in the Shadow. She examined it through the Shadow, her eyes glowing bright green. Here, she could see the pieces of the Dark Lord's spirit clinging to the device. Even now it carried a weight to it, and she wondered silently how the Sight might be different with Kravos or Andraste leading the Order in place of the Eternal.

The points of the holocron began to twist to open before she stopped. She resisted the urge to continue opening it and set it back down. This was something to be done in the Vault, not around others. She nodded to herself and set it down, simply looking at it for a moment before Emryc appeared in the doorway.

Her gaze flicked up to him once again. His hair was still slightly wet and he looked just a tiny bit grumpy as he itched at himself. She tried to suppress the smile threatening to tug at her lips as she saw him standing there.

Feel better now? she asked, not entirely clear if she was teasing. She knew his penchant for cleanliness, though after having spent so much time in the village, she wondered if that had been chased away. Even having left the village, the muscles he had built there still remained.

Dinner's ready, she said, motioning toward the door with one hand and letting her other hand rest momentarily on his arm to "usher" him toward the door along with her. Her heart sped for just a moment. As she passed him, she paused a moment and looked straight up into his silver eyes. She had spent a long time looking into those eyes over the years. She had wanted them so badly, but had never had them. Not really.

Thank you, Emryc, she said. They had been through so much together. All the fighting, all the drama, all the ups and downs, but they had seen so much over their years. From the days when he refused to even ask her name to when she had shown up unbidden in that village. And now here they were all those years later. Strange and twisted paths they had taken.

She waited only a beat before continuing on into the hall and down to the dining room. The table was set with wine and several types of meat. This was the typical food of the Dathomirians, but Renfry had also ordered several types of fruits - both sweet and sour - and steamed vegetables prepared as well.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc attempted to fix up his hair as he looked up when Renfry spoke. He didn’t answer immediately, quietly observing her as she closed the distance and brushed his arm. There was something very different about her and even someone as emotionally oblivious as him could pick up on it.

Her gratitude earned her a slight look of surprise in the frosty gaze. She had been one of the most consistent people in his life for almost a decade now. She had seen him back when he had been a nosy and scrawny 18 year old. She had seen his rise from a nobody to now a well known Sith Lord and the leader of a body of government. He had seen the same in her but it was different. She grew from the curious and almost naive girl to a fierce woman that gave no quarters. Parts of her had died and been rebuilt as was the way of the Sith, but what parts had she kept?

Emryc grabbed a hold of her forearm as she began to pass, stopping her from walking past him. His gaze remained trained ahead at the opposite wall.

“You are not telling me something,” He stated flatly. He paused for a moment before turning to regard her, “Yes, I do wish to know what it is.”

 

[Renfry]

Andruil was surprised when he grabbed her wrist as she passed by and even more surprised when he asked her what she wasn't telling him. Many things had changed since he had gone into isolation, but there was one that prevailed over all of them.

I spoke with Morgan. It was an enlightening conversation, she said. The truth was, she wasn't here to throw a fit or cause more drama. It simply was what it was. There was a quiet resignation in her as she spoke.

She paused a moment as she looked up at him, her golden eyes staring straight into his. How many hours had she spent looking at those eyes over the years?

I don't fault you, of course, she said, a pain rising in her throat even as she said it, but her voice remained steady. For all the years they had known each other, he had told her at that first day that he could never give her what she wanted. She'd finally accepted that truth.

Anyway, I'm not going to start any more drama for you, she said, smiling sadly. It wasn't an accident that she hadn't brought it up or gone out of her way to make an event out of it, but it still led to only one logical conclusion.

But I can't keep chasing a shadow and a thought, she said.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc’s eyes visibly widened at her words. He turned to sharply look at her, considering the name she had used. Morgan. She knew him as Morgan? Very few referred to him by name, most often only using the Stolas moniker. The half Sephi’s grip loosened slowly till his hand withdrew to his side.

There was nothing but silence for a few moments. His face eased back into the usual stoic. Emryc may have been oblivious about these topics to a fault, but even he couldn’t miss what had clicked into place. He kept his gaze on her, silvers frosty as always.

“Do you believe I have not been honest with you?” He asked quietly. In his memory, he could recall several times when he had made it clear where she stood. What had changed? What was she chasing, exactly? He had always been there. He had always been himself. He had always been honest, or so he thought.

 

[Renfry]

She could see the surprise on his face and the way he withdrew. Despite her own pain, this wan't what she had wanted. Upsetting him wasn't really her goal, but there was no getting around the conversation at this point.

His question made her let out a small, almost defeated sigh.

No. No, you haven't been dishonest with me, I've been dishonest with myself. I've been wanting something that you told me from year one you couldn't give me, she said.

I always held out a small hope... she said, looking down and away. She was not going to cry. She could already feel the faint stinging at the corner of her eyes. She took a deep breath and let out a sigh. ...but the truth is, what I want you've already given to someone else, she said, looking back up at him a moment later after having blinked it all away. Her eyes were once again steady if only barely.

A part of her wanted to ask why he couldn't love her, but a part of her suspected the very answer to that question was because she wanted to ask that question.

She shook her head. I was trying to avoid stirring up any other issues for you, she said. She was well aware of how dramatic she could get around him. It was something relatively unique to him, and had always made their relationship as thorny as the trees of Dathomir. Despite it all, she wasn't really trying to push him out of her life, and she was still trying to make things at least semi-comfortable for him. Perhaps failing miserably, but trying.

But I can't be some casual side hook-up for you, she said. I don't think I can handle that anymore, she admitted honestly. Perhaps it was foolish, but somehow she didn't feel that it was. A part of her suspected that he had no idea how it tore open old wounds each and every time they were that close. He left and her soul bled anew.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc’s jaw tightened as she finished speaking. Ever since his time at the village, he had less patience than before. His immediate reaction was to be angry, but his older training reminded him that it would be unproductive and no others should be able to have that sway over his emotions. The half Sephi closed his eyes, inhaled and softly exhaled, opening his eyes once more.

“I have given you respect, I have given you knowledge, I have given you power, I have given you comfort, I have given you a home and a place to belong when you didn’t have one,” He rattled off, staring at her with a blank expression, “And yet none of that is satisfactory?”

His eyes narrowed slightly, “You are telling me that everything you’ve ever said or done was always for ulterior motives and nothing more? You are telling me that simply because I do not utter three particular words to you that there is no value in what we have built?”

Emryc’s tone remained flat, no signs of anger or rage in his tone. However, the cold and calculating gaze was always there. He was genuinely asking these questions. He was challenging her to answer them on the spot.

 

[Renfry]

It appeared she had not made her point very well. Or he had misinterpreted it. Or... something. It was somehow very typical of them. Never quite understanding one another.

She could sense the shift in him, and it upset her again. Not because she was angry with him, but because she could tell he was upset by something that wasn't what she had said or meant.

No, that's not what I said, she said. She remained surprisingly calm as she spoke.

Contrary to what you seem to think, I don't want you gone. And I don't want you out of my life, she said. She should have just lied about what had happened. It would have been simpler. Fine, it probably wouldn't have been simpler, but it might have been.

She sighed again. I told you once that if you ever needed to escape you could come here. I also told you I wasn't trying to escape you. Both of those are still true, she said. Was this even remotely what he was getting at? She could never tell. Relationships were not her strong suit.