Ask Dathomir Shattered Pieces

[Renfry]

The trip from Junction to Dathomir had been swift, but she had put in urgent orders before their arrival. While Emryc had spent most of the trip in a bacta tank, Renfry had sent forward orders to be carried out urgently. In only the course of a few hours, Cuga Fortress had been cleared out of the few Nightsisters who worked as security there and a bacta tank had been transferred into the room that had been previously converted to a medical bay.

He had quickly transferred from the bacta tank aboard her ship to the tank within the outpost. The outpost had been cleared of everyone else with rooms made available. It was at this point that Renfry had reached out to Jaikus.

Truthfully, she had never seen Jaikus when he was upset bout something, but she couldn't imagine it was going to be good. She had warned him that Emryc had been injured and he should pack up some things and head to Dathomir. The coordinates were wired along and he was cleared for landing in the fort's hangar.

For her part, she had spent her hours with her arm in a full set of bacta wraps. Appearing much like a cast, she could already feel the pin of the burns subsiding.

And then all she had had time to do was sit and think. Just her and her thoughts. The memories of what had happened came flooding back over and over and she was fairly sure that in the isolation of her room, she had spent most of the day crying for a million different reasons. As she heard the alert that a ship was landing, she had finally reached the point where she felt she had cried herself out, so she went out to greet Jaikus, though the greeting wouldn't be a particularly joyous one for anyone.

@Sreeya @Altaris

 

[Jaikus Thorne]

Emryc.

The entire flight from Dromund Kaas to Dathomir, that single thought was the only thing that repeated in Jaikus mind. It pounded over and over again, overwhelming in its intensity and drowning out everything else going through his head.

The Axxilan had been in the middle of routine ISB operations when he received word from Renfry, and he had dropped everything he was doing to rush to Dathomir at the revelation that Emryc had been injured. He hadn’t said so much as a word to anyone since he received that message, moving with the same single-minded focus that he did back on Telos when he had felt that Emryc was injured.

Even as the shuttle cut through the cloudbank of Dathomir and dipped towards the surface, Jaikus was still grappling with the emotions that raged and boiled over within him - a distinct sense of dread and panic long-since settling into the pits of his stomach and twisting into painful, agonizing knots.

It was a pain that pierced into his chest like a dagger and twisted bitterly, and waves of nausea that accompanied. It was a sensation that threatened to overwhelm him, even as he sat within the confines of his shuttle - and it was a sensation that was all too familiar. Familiar because he had been here before. Because he had lost those he loved and cared about, and was entirely helpless - worthless, weak - to protect those that mattered most to him.

The loss of his family. The loss of those he loved. It was the Axxilan’s worst nightmare made a reality - and now he feared it was happening all over again. Happening to the one person that Jaikus cherished more than any other in the galaxy, and hoped to spend the rest of his days with.

And no matter how hard he tried to calm himself, to convince himself that the worst had yet to pass, Jaikus couldn’t shake the fear that washed over him and that caused his hands to tremble no matter how tightly he gripped the sides of his seat.

Minutes passed, and the shuttle began to approach the landing pad of Cuga Fortress. Just as it began to dip less than fifty feet above the ground, the durasteel ramp hissed open and began to extend towards the open air - revealing Jaikus standing at the very edge. Nothing was going to stand between him and reaching Emryc, and the Axxilan wasn’t going to bother waiting for his shuttle to come down for a landing.

Without a word, Jaikus took a few steps across the ramp before launching himself off of it - dropping down through the air and towards the ground. The Force coiled around his body and broke his impact as he landed onto the stones below, dropping down into a crouch before rapidly springing back to his feet and continuing forward, not so much as missing a beat.

The Axxilan hadn’t bothered to change from what he had previously been wearing, and strode across the landing platform wearing his signature armor. The ensemble of black armorweave and cloth hugged his figure snuggly, while his features were shrouded behind the wraith-like visage of his mask. It was armor that the Axxilan never wore outside of his work with the Empire, and for her part, it was armor that Renfry had only seen Jaikus don once back on Telos.

There was a clear sense of urgency as the Axxilan strode across the landing platform, making a beeline for the entrance to the fortress where he knew that Emryc was being cared for. Jaikus didn’t so much as acknowledge the presence of the Empress of the Sith - the hollowed sockets of his mask and the emerald eyes beneath fixated straight ahead and nowhere else.

Assuming she didn’t move out of the way, the Axxilan would simply veer ever-so-slightly to the side to avoid impacting a very pregnant woman before continuing right on ahead.

While Jaikus didn’t say a single word to Renfry, the Dathomirian woman would be able to feel each and every emotion that radiated off of the Axxilan - his presence within the Force palpable and radiating out like heat off of sunbaked stone. She would feel the intensity of his fears and anguish, even if she couldn’t see the tears that welled within his eyes. And so too would she feel the anger that boiled within him - directed towards all those who had contributed to his partner being in the condition that he was.

Jaikus didn’t make a single sound as he strode through the entrance of Cuga Fortress - carving a warpath through the structure and towards the medbay. He didn’t need to know his way around the building to know where he was going - following his own connection through the Force with Emryc to guide him forward. His hands remained tense at his sides, fists clenched together tightly until his knuckles turned white beneath the gloves he was wearing, and gripping tightly onto a familiar golden chain.

The moment he reached the doors of the medbay, Jaikus pushed them open with a shove.

@Sreeya @Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

Jaikus didn't even slow his pace, and she couldn't really blame him. If she didn't know his status, she'd have been worried about that too. He was on a mission, and she didn't stop him as he all but tore past to make his way to the medical bay. She let out a heavy breath before turning and heading back in that direction as well. She already knew what he would find, and she also knew there wasn't anything he was going to be able to do about it. That was the whole problem: that feeling of helplessness that was insufferable.

He would see Emryc floating in the tank, the damage to him severe. She could feel the waves of emotion flowing off of him, washing over her. And for a moment, she was simply silent. She let him wrestle with the emotions he felt before she finally spoke up again.

He's stable, she said. It was the most important piece of the puzzle before anything else came. There would likely be questions and probably anger, but her own emotions were still too frayed to be the one upon which he hoisted that anger.

I think we can recover his arm. Get it mostly back to normal. At least 90%, she said. A combination of cloning, alchemy, and technomancy. Skills she had or resources she had access to. It was what she had been keeping her mind occupied with, or at least trying to.

She turned around to take a seat on one of the nearby chairs, rubbing her hand over her face as she let him finish processing what was going on. She still felt exhausted, and she really had no idea what to expect of Jaikus in this particularly tense situation.

 

[Jaikus Thorne]

Jaikus only had a single thing on his mind - panicked purpose bleeding into the way he strode forward without missing a beat and seemed to drown out every single detail around him. It may as well have been if Renfry hadn’t even been standing there, and the Axxilan didn’t slow down his pace until he reached the door of the medbay - pushing the doors open with a shove and bursting into the chamber. His eyes rapidly flicked across the room, frantic for but a moment before settling upon Emryc - floating in a bacta tank.

The moment Jaikus laid eyes on his partner and actually processed what he was looking at, an almost inhuman noise escaped from the Axxilan’s lips. Something between a gasp and a wail, passing through the distorting scrambler of his mask and yet somehow conveying just how much pain the sight before him inflicted. It felt in that moment as if a lightsaber had been plunged right into his chest, that intense agony and fear slamming into him and causing his legs to wobble slightly beneath him.

With abject horror, Jaikus stared at Emryc floating within the tank of bacta. He stared at the damage that had been done to the half-Sephi’s chest and jaw, where armorplast shards of his own helmet had tore through flesh. He stared down at the stump of Emryc’s arm, cut at the elbow in a clean line that indicated the injury had been inflicted by a saber. He stared at the peaceful expression etched onto his unconscious partner’s face.

“Emryc..” He said, voice barely above a whisper and cracking weakly as the words passed his lips. He had seen his partner injured before on multiple occasions, from Telos to when he had been shot on Kafrene. He had been there in the hospital after the half-Sephi had returned from Dantooine.

Nothing as bad as this.

With renewed intensity, Jaikus felt that panic and uncertainty crash against him with overwhelming force. The Axxilan knew that his partner was alive, but that was the extent of what he was certain of. He didn’t know what would happen when Emryc woke, or the lingering damage even when he did. He didn’t know if Emryc would wake at all.

Was this how it would end, again? Helpless to change a single thing, arriving just in time to watch the life fade from the man he loved?

“Babe..” Jaikus whispered, his voice weak and pleading as brought in a shaky breath. He reached up, pressing the release on his helmet and tossing the wraith-like visage aside - letting the helmet tumble and roll across the floor. Even now, even in the condition the half-Sephi was in, Jaikus wanted to gaze upon Emryc with his own two eyes.

Jaikus stumbled forward across the room, dashing from the entrance to the bacta tank. “No no no.. Emy..” He brought a hand up to press against the glass surface of the tank, drawing his shaky hand across the smooth surface. He wanted it to be a nightmare. He wanted to simply wake up from a terrible dream and find the half-Sephi laying right there beside him - to feel the familiar warmth of his arms around him and smell the scent of his cologne.

But he knew he wouldn’t. He knew this nightmare was real.

As he took in a breath, Jaikus couldn’t control the way his entire body began to tremble - the anxiety and fear banishing any sense of the Axxilan’s usual courage and unwavering confidence. His breaths became shallow and panicked, only able to take in air in short bursts - as if his lungs were collapsing in his chest. “Emy..” The hot tears built within the Axxilan’s eyes, and he couldn’t control them as they began to roll down his face - streaking down his cheeks and dripping onto the floor below.

The Axxilan didn’t even register when Renfry walked in, and wouldn’t for several minutes after that.

Instead, Jaikus pressed his forehead against the bacta tank - touching his curly hair and bronze skin to the glass as if it were Emryc’s own forehead, just as they had done countless times in the past. Even as Renfry sat there behind him, Jaikus allowed the panic attack and emotions to wash over him. He allowed himself to weep, as the tears fell from his eyes and dotted the floor below. “Emy..”

Minutes passed, and Jaikus stayed exactly as he was - his chest rising and falling with ragged, shaky breaths, forehead still pressed to the glass while his eyes were squeezed shut. It wasn’t until Renfry spoke that the Axxilan was somewhat roused from the confines of his own mind and emotions, brought back to reality.

A few more seconds, and Jaikus finally took a step back from the bacta tank - lifting his head to take another look at his partner - once more feeling that pain that tore in his chest. There was a distinct sense of relief that washed over him when the Empress classified his condition as stable, but there was no celebration and that relief was quickly overshadowed. How could it be otherwise, when Emryc was as he was?

Jaikus took in another shallow, shaky breath before turning back to look at Renfry. His eyes - the color of emerald rather than the citrines she was used to - turned to fixate onto her, red and puffy and with tears still staining his cheeks. “I..” It took the Axxilan a moment to process what she had said, let alone gather the strength in his voice to formulate a response.

“Tell me how to help.” He said quietly after a moment, inhaling a sniffle through his nose. Whatever it took, whatever magic or sacrifice it meant to heal the man he loved, Jaikus was prepared to contribute.

The Axxilan turned back ahead, staring up at Emryc floating peacefully within the bacta tank. He couldn’t help the emotions that washed over him, and nestled amongst all of them was that profound anger. Anger towards whoever had done the damage to the one he loved, or stood aside and allowed it to happen. And in his emotional state, he couldn’t deny some anger that he felt towards Renfry herself in that moment. She had pushed Emryc to take up the position of Dark Lord on multiple occasions, and she had asked him to be there during the council meeting.

As he stared up at his partner, Jaikus reached out - once more pressing a hand to the glass. He took in a breath, steadying himself and attempting to calm the shakiness in his voice and hands. “How?”

@Sreeya @Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

She took no joy in watching the pain that tore at Jaikus's soul. She had seen enough pain today, and she would not have been surprised to find that Jaikus had never wanted him to take the Dark Lord position to begin with. The Champion had made a concerted effort to avoid moving up the ranks himself. The damage that had been done to Emryc... it ultimately fell back on her. It all did.

She didn't interrupt him as he cried and when he was finally ready to speak, she was there. There was a chair available to him, but she didn't offer it simply because she doubted he felt like sitting. And yet, she needed to have a direct conversation with him. There were many things moving now that involved not only the both of them, but every corner of the galaxy. ISC president missing. Imperial Council dead. Either of those alone would be a headline, but she had to remind herself that she had already had at least some time to process what had happened. Jaikus had had minutes.

On... Exegol she almost said, but the words stuck in her throat and with the mention of that world, all the emotions came flooding back in a terrible spike of pain. It felt wrong to use the resources that Artorigas had collected after what had happened, but she forced that thought aside. She could still help the living who she cared about. There was no helping the dead.

She cleared her throat and took a deep breath. ...there are cloning vats where we can regrow an arm for him, she said. How to reattach it would be the more difficult part, but surgery and sorcery could do some things considered to be unnatural.

I'll need to go there and get the supplies along with a DNA sample from him, she said.

Now it came to the "how." The "what had happened" that led to injuries this grievous. No one knew yet what had occurred only hours ago in the Council Chambers.

Emryc and I purged the entire Council. He was injured like that when he killed Stolas, she said. She let the meaning behind that sink in. He knew about Emryc and Morgan, and she let him make the connections.

He doesn't need you for the physical damage, she finally admitted. She could cover most of that on her own. He needs you because you're the only person that can settle and center him, she said, thinking back to all those years ago when he had vanished to that village. She imagined that Emryc had told Jaikus about that before, though she couldn't be certain.

I'm fairly certain that when he heals - maybe even before - he's going to detach from everything. Try to escape everything in the galaxy. I cleared this place so that the two of you could have it to be alone. So that you can help him get through this, ...because I can't.

She let it all sink in. There was an incredible amount of gravity behind what she said, and some would have said it wasn't fair to lay it at his feet, but she couldn't deny that he cared about Emryc.

 

[Jaikus Thorne]

Even as the worst of the panic attack subsided, it was abundantly clear that Jaikus had not even begun to successfully grappling with his own emotions - hitting him in waves that never seemed to cease. The raw anguish and pain that tore at his chest at the mere sight of the person he loved - the one who Jaikus would give up everything for - grievously wounded. The unwavering fear that wretched itself into the Axxilan’s very core - a sensation that was all too familiar and unwittingly drug Jaikus’ mind towards the worst possible outcomes. Outcomes he had suffered before. And lingering there, beneath the pain and the fear and the tears, was the anger that ran through his veins with molten intensity.

And as he wrestled with it all, Jaikus couldn’t help the way his mind started to race at a million miles an hour - immediately jumping to what would occur in the aftermath of everything that had happened. What came next, and what he had to do.

Because Jaikus knew that his partner wasn’t just his partner. Emryc was a galactic leader, and his disappearance would send shockwaves through the media - a fire storm of panicked breaking new announcements, rumors and tabloids within minutes of each other. It would’ve been a disaster, and it was imperative to act first - to create a story to justify his partner’s disappearance and whatever lingering damage he would sustain.

The plan immediately began to materialize within his mind. Reaching out to Aila, forging the story of a freak speeder crash, and that Emryc was receiving care privately as to cause a media storm. He knew that she would take the necessary steps after that, and that the ISC executive council would step up in the half-Sephi’s absence.

It was heart wrenching to even think about, and it was overwhelming. It was a position that Jaikus hoped and prayed a thousand times he would never find himself in. All Jaikus had ever handed was to be with the man he loved, to hold him close and cherish him as long as he could. And none of that changed the reality laid at his feet in that moment.

The shakiness in his breath and hands hadn’t quite settled when Renfry began to speak again, and his attention once more shifted back in her direction - though his body remained facing the half-Sephi and his hand lingered on the glass that separated them.

He nodded back to Renfry when she mentioned cloning a new arm for Emryc, even if the process of doing so and attaching it wasn’t something he entirely understood. Nevertheless, he didn’t question it. He knew that Renfry’s knowledge of the arcane vastly surpassed his own and stretched the limits of what was possible.

And, more importantly, Jaikus wanted to believe it would work. That everything would go off without a hitch, his partner would heal, and things would be alright in the end. More than anything right then, he needed to believe that.

Jaikus kept his eyes on the bacta tank, watching as his partner gently floated and bobbed within the healing solution. When finally Renfry answered his question - when she finally filled in the dots of what had happened, there was a clear way that Jaikus’ body tensed. Though she couldn’t see it, a bit of the color drained from his expression and his mouth hung slightly open for a moment.

“..What?” He muttered barely above a whisper, the shock clear in his voice.
For several long seconds, Jaikus was silent as a crypt - slowly processing the information. The entire council - Artorigas and Morgan - were dead, and Raze and Renfry were the ones who had seen the job through. Raze had fought, and killed, Morgan - and the Firrerreo was responsible for the injuries that his partner was now suffering.

Once more, Jaikus felt a wave of emotions crash against him all at once - each one battling for dominance as they washed over him in their intensity. He felt a distinct sickening in his stomach - that profound dread radiating through his very being. Whatever his own feelings about Morgan, Jaikus the relationship that had once existed between Emryc and the Firrerreo. He knew the ways that they had loved each other fiercely, and helped Emryc evolve into the person that he was today.

Even if that chapter had closed - even if that relationship had ended, Jaikus knew that the gravity of what had happened - what Raze had done - would crush his partner. He felt that nauseating sense of dread, and could only imagine the suffering and pain that the man he loved was feeling.

And beneath that dread, Jaikus felt that same anger boiling over - finally rising to the surface and manifesting on the exterior. Molten rage directed at Morgan most of all - towards the Firrerreo who had fought the man he loved and left him on the brink of death. The Axxilan knew was well aware of Morgan’s violent history, and he couldn’t help but see the damage done to Emryc as one last of spiteful aggression.

And beneath the anger he felt towards Morgan, Jaikus couldn’t dent the fury directed towards Renfry. Because she was, in the end, the source of all of this.

He didn’t turned to face her, though she would clearly see the way his hand squeezed and tightened into a fist - his fingers digging into the beds of his palms. “You purged the Council,” He repeated, his voice frigid as a glacier - the anger seething with every word. “And you ordered Raze to kill Stolas as your Dark Lord. As a weapon. Knowing what might happen.”

“Knowing what it would do to him.”

He never looked back or screamed out. Never lashed out directly. But she would feel the distinct anger from him all the same and the Empress couldn’t fault him for it. Not with Emryc floating as he was. It was seething, silent anger that was palpable in the Force all around him, radiating off of the emotionally charged Axxilan.

For several long moments, Jaikus kept his eyes straight ahead - emerald eyes fixated onto the glass bacta tank before him. More than once, Jaikus had seen the ways that his partner drew into himself in the worst of times - closed out the rest of the Galaxy and retreated into the confines of his own mind and meditation. Knowing what had occurred in that Council chamber, Jaikus knew that was likely now.

Through all the anger that boiled within him, Jaikus couldn’t help but listen as she continued on - and he couldn’t deny the way that the words caught him off guard.

It was the admission that she couldn’t help Emryc, despite it being abundantly clear by her voice that she wanted to. That she had cleared out the entire fortress so that the two of them could be alone, with the hope that Jaikus would help the half-Sephi through this storm.

It spoke to just how much Renfry wanted to see the half-Sephi recover above all else, and Jaikus for the first time up close, could clearly see just how much the Dathomirian truly loved him.

Whatever anger he felt and might linger over the situation, despite blame he wanted to point, Jaikus knew that none of that mattered at this point. Because the most important thing was right in front of them.

There was a very long moment of pause that followed, and the Axxilan kept his eyes straight ahead the entire time - staring up at Emryc. Slowly but surely, his balled fist finally eased back open. Jaikus finally inhaled, once more pressing his forehead against the glass of the bacta tank. As if that gesture - that little bit of closeness to his incapacitated partner - would soothe the pain that tore into his very soul.

“He is everything to me..” He finally spoke, the shakiness finally having left his voice, replaced with that same unwavering resolve that the Axxilan was known for. Jaikus drew his hand across the bacta take, taking in another deep breath.

“I will be with him. I will stand by his side, and I will help him through this in every way that I can.” He had to believe that he could.

He understood exactly the gravity of everything she had said, and didn’t matter whether it was fair to lay it all down at his feet. Emryc was the one thing that mattered the most to Jaikus in the entire Galaxy, and he would be by his partner's side. Just as he always would be.

He finally glanced back at Renfry, the anger having left his expression. “Thank you, for giving me the chance to be with him.” Whatever else Jaikus might’ve felt, Renfry had called him here and given him the opportunity to be at his partners side. It wasn’t something he would soon forget.

@Sreeya @Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

She could feel his anger burning, but he kept himself in check, not lashing out or bursting over in irrationality. A balanced anger as ironic as that may sound. And yet she could still hear the accusation in his tone and in the words that he said.

I did what I had to, she stated coldly, her tone very much conveying that she had no interest in discussing it with him. She would have plenty of time to mull over the wisdom or foolishness of her actions at a later time, and she had no doubt she would spend hours on end thinking about it.

Thankfully, they didn't linger on it for long. She liked Jaikus, but there was no question that the thing they had most in common at the moment was Emryc, and that was what the topic returned to moments later.

Good, she said when Jaikus mentioned that he would stay with him and help him through this.

She didn't expect him to say thank you, and he would likely be able to tell that for a moment she was caught off guard by it.

Yeah... she said. It was a thoroughly uninspiring response, but it was came to mind in the moment... not everyone could be articulate all the time.

I - or we - need to go to Exegol, she said, pushing her mind on to the next topic. She knew herself well enough to know that she was trying to keep herself busy to avoid thinking about what was going on. She also knew that sooner or later she would crash.

She pushed herself up and made her way over to the bacta tank, preparing to extract a blood sample for the cloning process.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

It wasn’t until the next day that Emryc was finally awake and moved out of the tank. He was in a medical bay, recently fitted with a temporary prosthetic arm. The half Sephi already despised it, glowering at the droid doctors. He recognized them as Thyferra droids, realizing that Renfry spared no expense in getting the best medical technologies out here. He felt the phantom pain of his arm, and the digits of his hand twitched without his control. It would take a while to adjust to this, and he was beyond enraged.

Emryc was shirtless and in some casual slacks, his chest still bandaged. His jaw had been stitched up and had cosmetic surgery done to minimize scars. Clearly Renfry knew his face was one made for Holonet and couldn’t afford to be wrecked. The half Sephi exhaled as he looked around himself, already beginning to glance for any exits or quick ways out.

Meanwhile, both Jaikus and Renfry would be informed that Emryc was finally awake. For now, he didn’t reflect on what happened. His first thoughts were what they had been right after he lost his sight - running away. He wanted nothing more than to escape. Emryc looked down at the IV, reaching over to yank it out so he could book it. Unfortunately, his new prosthetic wasn’t cooperating and he was awkwardly struggling with it. But as usual, he was patient and relentless. He was too drugged to use the Force, but he would keep trying to yank the needle out.

@Phoenix @Altaris

 

[Jaikus Thorne]

He’s awake

The medics droid attendant had barely finished speaking before Jaikus was back on his feet, pushing part the droid and briskly exiting from the room where he has been staying for the past few hours. There was that renewed sense of urgency in the way he moved - carving a path through the halls of Cuga Fortress and back towards the medbay. Back towards the sole thing that had occupied Jaikus’ mind the entire time since he received that message from Renfry.

Even if Emryc was completely unaware of it in his unconscious state, hours had been spent hovering at the side of his Bacta tank - watching the man he loved as he floated in the healing solution.

Even when Jaikus has finally left his side in the early hours of the morning, sleep had not come for the Axxilan. Not when that lingering anxiety and uncertainty clouded his mind and settled into the pits of his stomach. Fear of what might happen when he finally allowed himself to slip into blissful slumber.

Fear that he would awake to the news that his partners condition had rapidly deteriorated while he slept. Or news that the half-Sephi had vanished in the middle of the night. Every off chance and possibility dance within Jaikus mind in those hours. This tendency for spiraling, analytical trains of thought worked entirely against him then - as he couldn’t help but spiral down into the ‘what if’s’ no matter how much he tried to reassure himself.

Nevertheless, all the exhaustion and drowsyness had completely vanished when Jaikus heard that his partner was conscious again. It was as if a second wind had kicked on, and the Axxilan could feel his heart pounding against the confines of his chest as he damn-near booked it through the halls.

When he finally reached the medbay doors, Jaikus placed a band against them - pausing for the briefest moment in place. He knew, now that his partner was awake, what would likely be going through the half-Sephi’s head. He knew the pain and suffering the man was almost certainly experiencing, and he knew that there was a good possibility that his partner would withdrawal into himself. Withdrawal even from Jaikus.

It was a possibility that Jaikus braced himself for. And very fiber of his being beckoned him forward. To be there for the man he loved and cherished and to help him through this storm, the best that he could, in any way that he could.

With an exhale Jaikus finally pushed past the doors of the medbay, stepping back into the sterile room for the first time in but a few hours. Eyes the color of emeralds immediately drifted to focus onto Emryc, that bit of warmth and affection - in addition to the pain he felt seeing his partner’s condition - bleeding right into his expression.

His eyes gradually worked this way to the prosthetic arm that had been granted to the half-Sephi - a temporary yet necessary thing while the cloned appendage was being crafted. He clearly noted the distaste in his partner’s expression, and the way the limb flexed and struggled to respond. And he noticed the way his partner struggled to remove the needle in his arm.

Without a word, Jaikus pushed off from the entrance of the medbay and walked towards his partner’s bed - closing the bit of distance between them. He kept his eyes on Emryc the entire time, watching every way the half-Sephi’s face changed in response to the Axxilan’s presence.

Only once he was by the half-Sephi’s bedside did Jaikus finally reach out. His hand lifted from his side and gingerly rested over the top of his partner’s organic forearm - squeezing it tightly. “Babe..” He muttered softly. If Emryc persisted then in trying to remove the IV, the Axxilan’s other hand would lift to place over the prosthetic, a gentle attempt to get his partner to stop what he was doing.

Jaikus stared directly up at the man he loved, taking on the familiar sight of those silver eyes he loved and adored. “I’m here, babe.. I’ll always be here.”

 

[Renfry]

It had been a dark night for Renfry. She had worked the last several hours since the fight to keep her mind busy, pushing onward to the point of exhaustion. With no further work, she had decided that she would occupy her time by going outside.

With Jaikus on hour 4 of staring at Emryc's tank, Renfry fell back on what she had always done when she was upset and lived on Dathomir. She went out to walk and run and climb. Unfortunately, 66% of those things were very difficult to do while pregnant so it mostly turned into going for a walk through the murderous jungle.

Steps ticked by as she made her way through the darkness, guiding herself more by instinct than sight. And as the darkness consumed her, everything came flooding back. First it was the look in Artorigas's face and the grip she held on her saber as she struck him through. She had never wanted to fight him in the first place, let alone kill him. Her thoughts turned back to those first times she had met him and the doubts he had on Makem Te. She thought of how hesitant he was to embrace the Dark Side and how she had pushed him into it, helping him embrace Caelestis.

Caelestis. The name made her burn with anger, the very thing that had brought about his destruction. He had always been a Sith, but she thought of the kindness he had shown her over the years, and it wasn't just because of her rank and position. There was genuine affection. And now he was gone. She had killed him, which made it all the worse... a festering, open wound.

That would have been bad enough, but it wasn't even close to everything. Emryc had been grievously wounded and it was because of the order she had given. The injuries weren't just physical either. He had lost his arm and could have easily been killed, but she had also had him kill Morgan. Would he even ever forgive her? How long would it be until he recovered? Until he was whole again?

Morgan's death would have a lasting impact on him, she knew. And she also knew it would leave a mark on her as well. Certainly not to the extent, but the two had once been friends or at the least allies. They had worked side by side on more than one occasion, and while she had chosen to side with Emryc when the two broke paths, it stung to think that he was now gone too.

And all of this for what? To keep her weak grip on a failing Empire? Raze had pointed out how pathetic her leadership was. Caelestis had chosen to try to kill her rather than submit. She may have overthrown the Eternal, but she realized too late that she was no leader. The Empire was barely better now than when she had taken over.

Everywhere she went, she brought destruction and pain to those she cared about. How many more friends and loved ones would she say goodbye to before this was all over? Even if she wanted to resign, wouldn't that invalidate all the deaths she had caused? Did she care any longer?

She didn't know at what point the tears had begun to flow, but they were coming down freely now. Frustration, rage, and grief were building up inside of her, boiling over until she threw her head back and screamed. It was a wild and primal cry of pain and despair. The Force flashed out around her, slamming down trees in every direction and creating a new, unnatural clearing. It could be felt like a wave in the Force to anyone nearby, and as it ended, she fell to her knees.

And there, alone in the dark, at the center of a crater of destruction, she wept bitterly.

Minutes ticked by into hours as she knelt there. Sleep took her only for her to be jolted awake by the sights and sounds of what had happened. The picture of Emryc's bleeding arm on the floor. Art's face smiling at her. Emryc clutching to Morgan's body, throat mangled and eyes fixed ahead deathless. All of them lingered in her dreams whenever she closed her eyes.

As the red sun began to make the horizon glow, she returned to the fortress, looking less like a Queen or Empress and more like death warmed over. Her eyes were bloodshot, her hair a mess, and her clothes covered in dirt.

She arrived back just in time to see that Emryc had awoken and Jaikus rushed to his side. She made her way over to the door of the infirmary and just stood there. Jaikus attempted to comfort Emryc, and for yet another time, she felt like she had no idea what to say.

And then that feeling of not knowing what to say was replaced by a feeling of intruding. She was an outsider here as well, a feeling she had never really felt around Emryc before. It cut as well. She knew she should reach out and try to help him, but she felt as lost as he did.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc stopped what he was doing as he looked up at his partner. For a moment, very briefly, it was a face Jaikus wouldn’t recognize. There was a cold, steely mask where there was usually fondness. However, that melted slightly as he processed who was standing before him. Emryc remained silent, not looking where Jaikus had moved his prosthetic hand away from the IV. He felt the reassuring squeeze on his organic arm, but he stared at Jaikus in silence. He considered the words as he looked at his partner.

“I’ll always be here.”

Could Emryc promise the same? He couldn’t help but think back to when he woke up after being blind. He had a lover back then - Morgan. Morgan, who told him he didn’t have time to see him because he was a Councilor. Despite a million apologies, Emryc never forgot those words. Did he expect the same from Jaikus? In the end, the Axxilan was here and refused to budge. Just as he was since the first day they met.

“You fear I will not be?” He asked calmly, his tone icy. He was back to himself...to a degree, not the emotional mess he had been back in the council chambers. Emryc despised that man, despised what he had revealed before Renfry. It disgusted him and it disgusted Raze. Raze, who during his entire sleep in the tank, spoke a thousand words. Raze, who reminded him of what Emryc’s strength had been all along. Raze, who had been Emryc’s ally since he had been a child. Raze, who had pulled Emryc up every time he had been weak. Raze, who had been there when no one else was. Raze, who was now looking directly at perhaps the greatest weakness Emryc ever had. The emerald eyes that had his heart and soul at their mercy.

Silver gaze lingered on Jaikus for a long moment before they flicked to the side to regard Renfry at the door. She was an emotional wreck, and it lingered in the air like a fetid stench. It emanated from Jaikus as well. Emryc’s jaw tightened, the fingers on his left hand flexing slightly towards a fist. He had to close his eyes and exhale. Raze arrived far easier now. Raze lingered far more prominently now. Where Firrerre had merged the two, now Raze crept in just a bit more.

Emryc focused his attention on Renfry when his eyes opened again, “Have you seized control of all Imperial assets belonging to Stolas and Caelestis?”


@Altaris @Phoenix

 

[Jaikus Thorne]

For several long seconds, Jaikus was silent as he sat there - emerald eyes fixated onto his partner and the man he loved. Though the affection and warmth never bled from his affection - never soured or dimmed - the Axxilan clearly noted the frosty, stoic expression etched onto the half-Sephi’s face - lingering for a moment before softening.

After so long together - so much time used to the ear swivels and affectionate looks from the half-Sephi - it was one that he didn’t quite recognize. Even as he looked into those silver eyes, Jaikus knew his partner well enough to know when Raze was more present in that moment than usual.

Jaikus felt a distinct lump in his throat when his partner finally spoke, and he couldn’t help the faintest bits of a frown that tugged at the corners of his lips. It was far more icy than he was used to.
He couldn’t help but consider his partner’s words for several long seconds, allowing them to repeat over and over in his mind. What he feared most. What had kept him up through the night and caused his body to tremble the entire flight to Dathomir.
His eyes briefly flicked towards his prosthetic arm, remembering once more the damage that has been done to his partner back on Junction. The knowledge that Emryc was awake - live and well today - had quelled the worst of the Axxilan’s fears. But the damage would always be a reminder of how close it had been to being so, so much worse.

“I feared that I had lost you.” He said quietly, staring directly at his partner as when he did.

The shakiness that had been present - that Renfry has heard loud and clear the night prior - has done. Instead, there was that clear sense of unwavering resolve that returned to his voice - and it was reflected in the way he stared unflinchingly at his partner.

Since that moment in the basement on Keldooine - as they sat, waiting to know if that had been exposed to AMS - Jaikus had never been awake to embrace exactly how he was feeling, and to speak clearly about his fears. He allowed himself to be afraid, rather than burying those emotions deep.

Jaikus exhaled softly, watching as his partner opened his eyes and trained them on Renfry. It wasn’t until that moment that the Axxilan even noticed the Empress in the doorway. He glanced towards her, though kept his body facing Emryc and his hand still resting gingerly on his organic arm. It was loose enough that the half-Sephi could pull away if he so chose, without moving himself.

Jaikus never moved from where he was, standing by the half-Sephi’s bedside as a constant reminder of where he had always been and Emryc would know it - at the half-Sephi’s side through the worst and best moments. Since his own life has been at risk on Telos. Since the day Emryc had nearly been killed on Kafrene. Since they had committed themselves to each other, high among the clouds on that unnamed planet.

He never budged. Never wavered. Never drew away from his partner - even with the knowledge that Raze was far more present in the immediate aftermath of what has occurred. Jaikus had committed more than once that he would be by Emryc’s side so long as he could tolerate him.

And that would never change.

@Sreeya @Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

Renfry found no comfort as she returned to the room. Jaikus and Emryc exchanged words, but what they didn't say spoke far more. And then he looked at Renfry, and for the briefest moment she was taken back in time. To a time and place when he had been far different than he was today. When he had been cold and unfeeling, even vicious to her. It had been Morgan who had softened that shell, and for the briefest moment, she wondered if killing him had killed the change that he had brought about.

His comment to her was simply one of business, and nothing more. Perhaps she shouldn't have expected anything more, but it was... well, it was what it was.

I'm going to make the journey to Exegol today, she said. The ISB is less centralized. I have one of the Inquisitors in mind to step up as the new Warden. He'll bring the other Directors to heel. News still hasn't gotten out of the deaths. I've spoken to those who did the cleanup, she said. Of course, that being said, she knew they wouldn't have long before people started to wonder where the members of the Council were.

I'm glad you're healing. As promised, I'll let you two have your space, she said, making her way across the medbay and taking hold of the vial of blood she had drawn earlier.

I don't know how long it will take to grow the new arm, but I will let you know the progress, she said. The desire to suddenly remain nothing but business was primarily a defense mechanism. It was easier than continuing to feel everything that she was going through and easier than confronting the way he was looking at her now.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Had Jaikus lost him? Emryc pondered that himself. In many ways, Raze bleeding in meant there was less of Emryc. The half Sephi said nothing, almost avoiding looking at Jaikus. He knew those eyes, he knew that look, and he knew it was something that consistently pushed Raze back. It made it difficult for Raze to find a footing when Jaikus was present. It was the way the Axxilan was unwavering, having more courage than Emryc ever had. He couldn’t help but remember when he had lost control. Raze had been driven away when Jaikus refused to fight back. It was a sequence of events Emryc would never understand.

Emryc looked at Renfry for a while, his expression softening the slightest bit. He knew he was frosty, but the look in her eye reminded him of the girl he had met at the ruins several lifetimes ago. The wild girl that knew the earth and the trees than she ever did grand cities and armies. Would her child ever know who Renfry truly was a lifetime ago? That she once enjoyed flying through the air on the backs of oversized bats and liked venturing out through the forests and mountains barefoot? That she had been a nobody to the galaxy, but a nobody who knew who and what she was? Did the Renfry of today know that?

“You did the right thing,” He told her after a very long moment of silence. They were words no one had told her yet. It was a topic she had been questioning and agonizing over. It was a topic that was shredding her apart from the inside, and he could see it on her face. The weight of the crown was heavy, and this had all been a cruel reminder. Emryc didn’t look at Jaikus as he said those words and he didn’t care if the Axxilan didn’t agree. This was a Dark Lord addressing his Empress. This was the right hand of the Empire validating its Queen. And it was necessary. It was an anchor to remind her that she was not alone. That he wouldn’t leave.

Not this time.

Emryc kept his eyes on hers for a long time, his eyes missing the biting chill they had prior. He watched her for a moment as she prepared to leave with the vial of his blood. There was a look of shock at the mention of Exogol. He had only heard vague rumors, but Renfry confirmed them. He didn't ask about it just yet, “Destroy any remnants of my DNA not used. And wipe the droids that work on this. There can be absolutely no trace of me on Exogol for anyone to track or find.”

It was risky for his DNA to show up anywhere explicitly Sith. The fact that Renfry carried his child was liability enough, something Raze constantly fought against. Emryc shut off that train of thought, letting Renfry stay or go as she pleased.

It was then that he finally looked at Jaikus, staring at him for a few moments. His organic hand moved very slowly towards his, layering atop his. The silvers remained on emeralds, “Jai..” He said quietly, “What…what I had to do to Morgan..” He exhaled, “I could only think about the scenario of it being you across from me. Raze was fully in control and I didn’t realize till after it was done. I can never face that with you, Jai,” He shook his head, “If I ever had to…then I would cease to exist. It would only be Raze left,” Emryc looked down, “And the longer you stay with me, the more danger you put yourself in. I destroy everyone and everything around me. Telling me yet again that you’re always going to stubbornly be here is not going to help. You need to rationally think about this and the choices you make.”

@Altaris @Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

Renfry was just about to leave when she saw that look in his eyes. It was a long moment before he said something, but it was what she had needed to hear. More than anything right now, she wanted - needed - someone's support, and even in his own dark moment, he did that. He always had.

She nodded quietly, stopping to look at him for a moment. Despite the tension and the darkness that weighed on her, she once again felt like she could bear it. At least for now that she could press on. There were no words said, but she knew that he would know what it meant to her.

I'll make sure nothing remains to connect you, she said as he moved on to the plans for Exegol. She wouldn't do anything to jeopardize his position within the ISC. She appreciated everything that he had done for her and for the Empire. Ruining what he had built for himself after everything he had done was something she would not allow.

With that, she turned to leave. There was a lot to do, but she felt the faintest sliver of hope since this had all begun.

//Exit

 

[Jaikus Thorne]

Jaikus never moved from where he sat, keeping a hand over the top of Emryc’s forearm. His gaze turned to face Renfry when she spoke, listening as she went on about the details of Morgan and Artorigas’ holdings. The news about the ISB wasn’t much of a surprise, and Jaikus had no doubt that he would soon feel the ripples of what had occurred given his line of work.

Even still, it wasn’t something that the Axxilan intended upon addressing at the moment. It was unimportant next to everything else.

He briefly glanced back at Emryc when the half-Sephi told Renfry she had done the right thing. A part of Jaikus wanted to dispute that. A part of him wanted to go off on Renfry for what she had done back on Junction - the damage that her actions had inflicted upon the man he loved.

But he knew that what Emryc said was necessary. It was spoken to quell the doubts and regrets that threatened to crush her, and that could not linger while she wore that crown. As such, Jaikus didn’t dispute his partner or voice his own, personal feelings. Instead, he simply squeezed Emryc’s arm a little bit tighter.

Jaikus waited for Renfry to come and go, his emerald eyes following the Dathomirian until she had collected the blood sample and left the pair in the room alone. Only then did he turn back to meet his partner’s eyes.

The Axxilan felt the hand that came to layer over the top of his own, quiet as Emryc spoke. Even if he already knew what had taken place, Jaikus listened to every word that his partner spoke - and he couldn’t deny how the words shook him.

The knowledge that Emryc had completely lost control - that Raze had taken control and had killed the person Emryc cared about, and his partner wasn’t able to stop it.

Jaikus couldn’t help but think back to his own experiences with Raze back on Telos, but he knew this was different. Back then - back on Telos - Emryc and Jaikus were little more than strangers. There wasn’t the long-build love and affection.

This was Raze killing someone that Emryc once loved, and it was an unsettling reminder that it easily could have been Jaikus in that moment.

He couldn’t help but remember the way his own fight with Raze had ended. He remembered the way he had never fought back - stubbornly refused to be the half-Sephi’s enemy - and had been able to bring Emryc back to the surface. Would the same be true, if he was ever in that scenario now? Would he be different?

It was a reminder of just how broken his partner was, no matter the love and affection that was shared between them. It was a reminder of all the ways that Emryc was a monster, no matter how much Jaikus would burn the entire Galaxy to be by the man’s side. It was a reminder of what a threat Emryc was, even to him.

Jaikus listened when Emryc looked down, keeping those emerald eyes fixated onto the half-Sephi. It wasn’t the first time that Jaikus had heard those words. It was exactly the same thing that Emryc had warned him of back on Keldooine, right at the very beginning. He had warned Jaikus of the ways he destroyed the things around him, and warned him of the consequences of being together.

Everything that had occurred served as a stark reminder of those consequences. And whether Jaikus was willing to face those consequences and take that risk.

Jaikus was silent for a very long moment after Emryc finished speaking. He glanced down, looking at the hand that was layered over his own. Emerald eyes flicked down to the golden chain on his wrist - a trinket that had followed him since Tattooine - a moment which felt like a lifetime ago. His mind wandered, drifting through each and every moment that had been spent between them and now.

Moments that the Axxilan valued more than anything else in this galaxy.

“Emy..” He began after a long while, looking up to meet the half-Sephi’s eyes once again. “..I recognize the risks, of being with you. Of what Raze could do.” Jaikus didn’t need to elaborate beyond that. He knew exactly what his partner was, and what he was capable of. He knew the danger that always existed if Emryc ever lost control. That his fate could very well be the same as Morgan’s if that ever happened. “I recognize and accept those risks.”

He knew exactly what his partner was, and all the ways he was broken. He knew the risks that he put himself in, and could not deny the way that shook him to his core. And yet, he knew that pulling away wasn’t something he could bring himself to do.

Because not having his partner was something far worse.

“You will never face that with me, Emryc.” He said, staring directly into those silver eyes. “I will never allow myself to be in that position, or put myself at odds with Raze.” He said simply, his tone firm. “I have no desire, and will never sit on that Council or strive for any other rank within the Sith or Imperial hierarchy.” The Axxilan never had any desire to advance within the Empire, even before now, and that wouldn’t change. He would never allow a situation that put himself at odds with Raze in his capacity as Dark Lord, just as it had with Morgan.

He took in a breath. Jaikus looked down to the hand that was layered over the top of his own, giving the half-Sephi’s forearm a light squeeze. “I choose this, Emryc. Knowing who you are, and the with every decision I make, I choose to be with you.”

@Sreeya @Phoenix

 

[Emryc Thorne]

They had been through this before. While Emryc normally brushed it off, he couldn’t with Jaikus. Because Jaikus had actually seen Raze. He had seen Raze in the absence of Emryc. Only one other person had seen that and that man was now dead with a collapsed throat. The half Sephi gazed at the Axxilan as he spoke, the emeralds burning as bright as they always did when Jaikus refused to budge on an issue. Emryc did not argue or protest, knowing to do so would be an insult to his conviction. Jaikus had been consistent since the beginning of this journey.

Jaikus spelled out his desire to halt his Sith ambitions in hierarchy, the comments causing Emryc’s ears to almost flatten. His jaw tightened as he looked away, gazing at the walls. He thought of Renfry as she had been standing in the doorway. He thought of Tiamat when she came to him so many times. How many times had she asked things he couldn’t hear? How many times had she spoken to him and he couldn’t listen? How many times had Morgan tried?

Emryc exhaled slowly, closing his eyes for a moment. He had to stop the tidal wave of his thoughts, he had to stop the downward spiral that was out of control. He prided himself in control, and it was so fleeting now. It began to slip through his grasp before he could stop it. It was always too late. He always let the damage become too severe. He always withdrew away from it before he got too close. This feeling always won. Raze allowed it to win.

Jaikus’ words echoed within his mind over and over again. They pierced through the walls of ice he began to project. It shattered through the defense mechanisms he set up. He wanted nothing more than to run away after what he had done to Morgan. After he couldn’t help but picture doing that to Jaikus. It made him want to put greater distance between them, just as he had with Morgan. Just as he had when he was blinded. Just as he had when Renfry confessed to being pregnant. It was how he operated his entire life. He removed himself from any situation that pulled him too deep or interjected with his ability for strict control.

Before he realized what was happening, he found himself slowly getting off the bed. The IV was still attached to his arm, and he didn’t care. His wounds were opening up on his chest from his movements, traces of blood leaking through the bandages. No force would be able to stop him, not Jaikus, nor any droid. Nothing would stop him from getting off that bed. Yet Emryc never took his eyes off his partner.

The half Sephi didn’t flinch or wince as he turned to face Jaikus fully. Without a word, he slowly began to descend. He didn’t give a second thought, the monitors beeping and blasting from him removing himself from where he was supposed to be. Emryc gazed up at Jaikus until he knelt down on one knee. Right there next to his hospital bed, right there with all his injuries, right there without any fanfare, right there after he had been torn to shreds, right there when he was reeling both emotionally and physically.

It was because of that tumultuous storm that he could see what remained standing amidst it all. What refused to budge, what refused to waver, what refused to yield. No matter how much the galaxy tore itself apart, it remained there through every cut and tear. And he wouldn't run from it. Not this time.

“Then be with me,” Emryc stated as he looked up at his partner. He was empty handed right then, but he didn’t care, “Be with me till your last days. Be with me so I can love you with every flawed, good and broken part of my being. Be with me so I never let this moment pass. Be with me so I can be forever yours and you mine.”

“Marry me, Jaikus Altaris.”

@Altaris

 

[Jaikus Thorne]

Jaikus kept his eyes on Emryc the entire time - emeralds burning with that same determination and unwavering resolve that the half-Sephi had come to know as a key part of who the Axxilan was. From the very beginning of their journey, Jaikus had remained firmly fixed into place - never budging or wavering from where he stood, no matter what came their way.

He clearly noted the way Emryc’s jaw tightened and the half-Sephi looked away when Jaikus clearly stated he would never ascend higher within the Sith hierarchy. It was someone that most of their order dreamed of - focused every ounce of their effort into achieving - and yet Jaikus never had such desires, and was willing to throw all of that aside for the man in front of him now.

It didn’t matter what came between them. It didn’t matter the doubts or the anxieties. It didn’t matter the sacrifices it took. None of it would keep Jaikus from being beside the man who owned his very heart and soul.

Jaikus was entirely silent as Emryc began to shift around, emerald eyes following the half-Sephi has he tore away the IV and began to remove himself from the hospital bed. There was something about the way the half-Sephi moved that indicated there was absolutely nothing that would stop him, and Jaikus wouldn’t disrespect his partner to try - even as the alarms blared through the medbay.

Instead, the Axxilan kept his eyes on those of his partner - melting into the familiarity of those silvers as Emryc slowly rose out of the bed and came to stand fully in front of him. Jaikus watched, eyes widening significantly, as the half-Sephi slowly began to sink down to one knee - and the realization of what was happening hit him all at once. It was, in truth, something that Jaikus had been thinking about himself as of late, with their relationship advancing and the recent decision to move in together. He knew, after all their time spent together, that Emryc was the man he wished to spend the rest of his life with.

Everything that had occurred with the Council Purge served as a reminder of just how much Emryc truly meant to him, and how he couldn’t bare even the thought of that loss. And it reaffirmed that this was something he truly wanted.

Emerald eyes tilted down to stare at his partner on one knee, and Jaikus couldn’t help the tears that began to well in his eyes at that moment.

As Emryc spoke, the half-Sephi would clearly see the wetness that began to form in the Axxilan’s emerald eyes - and how it rapidly progressed from there. Jaikus couldn’t control as the tears began to fall from his eyes and strain down his cheeks, nor the way his breath turned to shuttered gasps and sniffles. And yet, Emryc would know immediately that there was no pain or sorrow behind tears.

Jaikus took in a shuttered breath and sniffle, and his lips immediately began to twist upwards and into one of those wide-ridiculous smiles - stretching from ear to ear filled with betraying all the giddiness and joy and raw emotions surging through the Axxilan. “Yes,” He said after a long moment, immediately nodding his head in rapid succession. He didn’t remain standing in place after that, and he didn’t wait for Emryc to get up from one knee.

Without a word, Jaikus stepped forward and bent forward - diving down to capture his partner’s lips in that familiar, passionate embrace - exhaling softly against his mouth. His hands rose up to gently cup both sides of Emryc’s face - his touch gentle as he clearly remembered the wounds his partner was still healing him. Moments passed, and Jaikus was in no rush to break away from that embrace. The embrace that he had feared he had lost on Junction, and wouldn’t take for granted for even a second more.

“I will be with you,” Jaikus began, briefly pulling back from the passionate embrace. He pressed his forehead against Emryc’s own, falling into that signature gesture of affection as he whispered to his partner - his every word genuine and an oath he would keep unto death. “For as long as there is breath in my lungs, I will be with you. To love you with everything that I am, and to cherish every flawed and beautiful part of you. To take every door off its hinges and never look back. To be yours, and only yours, and call you mine.”

“I will marry you, Emryc Thorne.”

@Sreeya