#sithboi

What the hell is this outfit Sageboi? What were you thinking????

Formalwear

Formalwear

Later Years Jedi Robes

Later Years Sith Armor

Casualwear 

Casualwear

Um... semi-nekid? 🙈

“Well, if that’s how it is I’m sure his birthday will be extravagant!” Jaesa quipped, to which Riornivo cheerfully agreed.

“Wait, is his birthday soon?”

“Oh, not for another three months. Don’t worry, I’m just joking about the birthday.”

“No it’s alright, we can definitely make his birthday extra special. The ones who have met Rian would definitely agree.”

The boy with such high regards entered Rionnic's office with a somber expression. Rionnic immediately dropped whatever work he was doing and asked about it, while placing a consoling hand on Rian’s back. Before the boy could answer, Jaesa entered the room.

“I… I lost a sparring match today...” revealed the young padawan.

“Are you hurt?” To which the padawan denied. Only his pride was damaged.

“That’s what matters. Nobody loses or wins in a sparring match, good Sir.”

While some might say that Rionnic’s stance on sparring was quite out of character considering his background as a Sith, his sense of fatherhood was stronger than that. His statement however, didn’t quite reassure his son. The mother knelt and offered her own advice. “I agree. What matters is the experience and lesson you gained from it. There’s only improvement moving forward.”

The pouting on the boy’s face decreased. His eyes slowly darted around his smiling parents, which ended up in a dramatic sigh coming out of his mouth. Rionnic smirked at that. “Winning is a little… overdone. Adapting around losses and obstacles is what strong people do.”

Somehow, the last sentence resonated with the padawan. He nodded weakly as Rionnic raked his dark brown hair. “I come bearing great news! We’ll be meeting the big family tomorrow!” as Jaesa clapped her hands gently, successfully stealing Rian’s attention.

The next morning was fair and pleasant. Seeing the camping equipment already packaged quickly excited Rian. After finishing his breakfast, he and Jaesa were met with aunt Ria and uncle Rio as they departed Odessen to their destination planet, Rishi.

"Where's father? Is he coming?"

"Of course he is. He'll meet us there, he just has some work he needs to do real quick!” assured Jaesa as the shuttle jumped to hyperspeed seconds later. It took a few minutes to arrive in Rishi’s orbit. Seeing the waterfalls and rock formations of the planet as they approached the surface made the boy’s eyes sparkle. Imagine the gems or unique rocks he could find! His enthusiasm was reciprocated by the equally energetic aunt as they hyped each other.

As soon as they stepped out of the shuttle, the fresh tropical air calmed the shared excitement between the nephew and aunt a little. Jaesa discussed the coordinates of the camping spot with Riornivo, confirming the route to get there. They chose a small clearing near a waterfall with as little clutter and wildlife as possible. Both for safety and for not disturbing the animals. The pirates were no longer a concern by that time.

While on the journey there on the slower skiff, Rian kept exclaiming about the mineral deposits he would point out, which warmed uncle Rio’s heart for reminding him of his late mother. The archeologist in her was fully alive through the grandson.

Rian couldn’t wait to act out on his burning desire to explore the caves to find those rocks. But seeing the adults set up camp and cleaning around the site made him recall his Jedi training of always offering help. Not long after that, an elderly couple arrived at their coordinates, hugging Jaesa, then eagerly approached him. “Oh my goodness. He’s already so big!”

“Last time I saw him, he was just learning how to walk!” announced the elderly husband.

The lady cupped his little face, eyes misty upon stroking his hair. Jaesa proudly introduced her parents. "This is grandpa Gregor and grandma Parvin! They've been wanting to see you for so long."

Gregor produced a little gift from his pocket: a handheld metal detector. When asked about what he was holding, Gregor gave a chuckling answer. He then happily thanked his grandfather. Parvin brought some homemade cookies to go along with Jaesa's cooking. The grandparents wasted no time getting to know Rian better, despite his awkward responses.

Minutes later, Rionnic finally arrived with his uncle Enzaran and cousin Eniriva. It looked like they had done something laborious as apparent on their faces. Upon seeing his father, Rian's eyes lit up as he dashed towards the Sith for a hug. "Father!! You're here!"

All of the weariness instantly disappeared once Rionnic saw how enthusiastically his precious son greeted him. He buried his head on Rian’s dark brown hair and tentatively kissed his forehead. “I’m sorry I’m late. I promise to do better next time.”

“It’s only been an hour!”

However, his smile quickly dissipated once he realized that Jaesa’s parents were in attendance. Reluctantly, he approached them as Enzaran and Eniriva introduced themselves to his son. “Woah, there’s a third twin! Hello there, young Knight!” saluted Enzaran. Rian immediately took a liking to the old spacer.

“Gregor. Parvin.”

The elder couple’s expressions were unreadable, but Gregor held out a hand to his son-in-law. Nervously, Rionnic shook his hand. It was awkward–in the back of his mind he wondered if his in-laws knew the truth behind Jaesa’s disappearance all along. Twice he asked them about her in all those years, receiving vague answers. But there's no time for those thoughts; that day was supposed to be relaxing and fun for Rian's sake. Then another thing caught him off-guard in a glimpse.

The redness of her lips. Jaesa was always barefaced, being the natural beauty she was. But a simple change of color made him weak. Those walls were crumbling faster than he could fix them. He finally shook away his stare, hoping that his wife didn't notice.

As the morning progressed, the lack of interaction between Rionnic and Jaesa was apparent. None of them dared to bring attention to it but their son. The boy sheepishly stood between his parents and proceeded to hold both of their arms, asking sweetly: "Can we go to the caves? I want to see those rocks."

Such a strange request if it were any other child. Both parents wanted to agree but what about the rest of the guests? "Don't worry, we'll be fine here," stated Riornivo while stirring his stew. "Be careful out there."

"Well good Sir, we can go but we should be back before lunch. Is that reasonable?" Rionnic bargained, which was accepted.

And off the little family go to explore the few nearest caves. There were not many gems to be found unlike the caves in Odessen and Ossus. However, the little geologist managed to identify some mineral deposits and even found some exonium--a nice souvenir from Rishi. In one particularly large cave, a sudden whiff of hot but foul air caught the family off guard. Then it blew again.

"F-Father?"

"Shhh… let's lay low and stay quiet," as Rionnic identified the source of the hot air: a sleeping krayt dragon. Jaesa's hand was hovering above her lightsaber as the three of them hid behind a large boulder. Dust began to fly around as the dragon shifted in her sleep.

"Wh-what is it? Father?"

"It's uh… a krayt dragon."

"I wanna see it!" whispered Rian excitedly.

Rionnic shook his head, but was defeated by Rian's pout. He agreed to a quick peek as he lifted his son up. The padawan marveled at the sight of the humongous creature, barred by just enough distance to fully observe and escape. The father fastened his grip on his son, then began to step away as lightly as possible with the mother closely behind. They made it out safely without stirring the sleeping dragon.

"Phew… we should head back to camp, it's time for lunch."

No contest from either father nor son to that. The spelunking had left them quite hungry. Once they arrived, Rian excitedly blabbered about his discoveries. The rest of the family were baffled when the boy got to the dragon encounter, but they were glad the little family escaped unscathed. Jaesa shifted the scene towards lunch as the food invited their appetite through the aroma.

After they were done eating, it was back to awkward socializing mainly from Rionnic's perspective. Everyone else seemed cordial and relaxed around each other. He knew that they noticed the coldness towards his wife, but he was not about to cave into the societal pressure of a make-believe romance. An hour passed with minimal activity.

Until Rian suggested a game of hide and seek.

"Whoever wants to participate, raise your hands!" exclaimed the little padawan. Some of them did, while the elders stayed behind with Eniriva guarding the camp. Whoever was up first was determined by a makeshift draw using fallen twigs. It was aunt Vyria.

Using a blindfold on Vyria to secure the no-peeking rule, every participant hid and did their best to remain silent. Vyria took a good while to find everyone, the last being Enzaran. The old captain remarked how his line of work made him an expert in hiding. Next up was Rian, and he took even longer to find everyone. Rionnic’s bias led him to make a mistake on purpose by cracking a few branches to make it easier for his son. It was finally his turn to don the blindfold.

Except he never took it off.

Vyria, who was hiding nearby, asked why didn’t her brother take the blindfold off. It was a simple yet predictable mistake. Rionnic didn’t let this blunder go to waste and quickly grabbed her. “To make it easier for me,” gloated the Sith.

“This is unfair. It’s outrageous! Why did you have to make me the FIRST to–ugh, whatever!” Vyria sulked, realizing that it was her own fault that led to this outcome. Rionnic then continued to wander around aimlessly, becoming an amusing sight for the rest of his family. He then nonchalantly bluffed; “Hmm. This is harder than I expected.” He was sure he heard a faint giggling nearby as his head whipped towards the direction it came from. It spooked his son, but what happened next changed everyone’s mood from amused to tense.

The Sith suddenly changed direction and sprinted towards a tree, delivering a semi-flying kick to it. Like a fallen fruit, Enzaran was knocked off balance and fell from his hiding place, cushioned by the bushes below. “But how?!”

“Are you hurt?”

“Naahh… I guess it’s one of your powers… thingy… isn’t it?” as Enzaran folded his arms, wishing he had embraced his own Force sensitivity instead of turning away from it. The rest who were still hiding grimaced, knowing it was just time until they lost to Rionnic’s psychometric proficiency. They unanimously agreed that he did not need the blindfold at all. The Sith then walked towards the middle of a small glade, ducking down to search for a stone.

Then he threw it at his twin.

“Ow! Wh-that’s not-” blabbered Riornivo, rubbing the back of his shoulder. “Oh well. Guess he found me,” as the Jedi moved away from his hiding place, defeated.

The last one left was his precious son. He already knew where the padawan was hiding, approaching him with a smile and a greeting. But Rian darted away, shouting for his father to catch him. Rionnic gleefully gave chase. He made another show of running off-track thanks to the lack of vision, which made Rian laugh. It was the happiest Rionnic had ever been. Eventually he caught his son with an exuberant lift to the air, with their laughs echoing around. Catching his breath, Rionnic finally removed the blindfold.

“What? You still have to find mother. Did you forget?”

Somehow, Rian’s statement planted a little doubt in him for reasons unknown. Regardless of how he felt, his son’s wishes were his command. Blindfolded again, he continued the search albeit nervously. His senses led him towards a riverbank. His wandering hands accidentally landed on Jaesa’s hair as his wife was crouching down, fetching some water. It surprised them both–Rionnic quickly removed his blindfold while Jaesa stood up but the rock decided to be slippery, causing her to stumble back. Her husband swiftly caught and pulled her close.

With barely any distance between them, it took Rionnic everything to not run his fingers on those red lips like he did all those years ago.

He abashedly released her, flustered and anxious. Jaesa only smiled while asking; “What is it? Need help?”

“It’s-it’s Rian’s order… of me, um, finding you. H-hide and seek?” blabbered Rionnic, just like his twin before. He glanced to his left and saw Rian and Vyria giggling to each other while pointing at him, then both shared a high-five. “Oh, but I didn’t participate. I had to clean the camp with Eni.”

The Sith frowned, realizing that he just got pranked by his sister and son.

“I’m glad you’re having fun. I hope this helps you relax a little.” added Jaesa as she carried the water bucket back to camp. He stood there still, mulling about what just happened and the parting remark from his wife.

The shuttle landed but Rian was puzzled as to why his parents didn't immediately disembark. When they finally did, the shuttle door opened to lines of Zakuulan Knights as welcoming attendants. Even though it wasn't an official occasion, it was just standard security protocol for the Emperor. It was the reason the shuttle took an hour to prepare when they could just instantly fly anywhere.

Naturally, the stationary but organized Knights fascinated the little padawan. Using a little bit of Force Speed, he ran over to each of them and knocked on their armors. Both parents were shocked and embarrassed! Rionnic caught his son, stopping his movement by a hug, resulting in Rian's laugh. "Having fun aren't you? How about those cool ships--they're waiting for us!" blabbered the flustered father, rather uncharacteristically.

"Oh yeah! Let's gooooo!"

Jaesa sheepishly apologized to the Knights as the father and son hurriedly entered the ground level building of the Spire. The little family then took the elevator to the throne room. "This is going to be a long ride… if you feel nauseous or anything, I can hold you. If you want,” to which Rian responded with acceptance. Rionnic secured his son in his strong grasp, patting his back tentatively. The mother was feeling like the third wheel between the two as she was met with Rian’s peaceful gaze peeking over Rionnic’s shoulder.

The elevator finally opened to the throne room. Rian's mouth was agape upon stepping into the Spire. His amazement became audible through a long but hushed, "Wooooooooowww…"

The cool ships amongst the stars surrounding the sphere, as well as the odd but cool-looking chair in the middle were amazing. Rian rushed ahead of his parents, ecstatic for being that close to those cool ships. "Father are these all yours?!"

"Not exactly…"

That seemed to give the boy a pause. "What do you mean? Aren't you the Emperor?"

"Hmm, how do I explain it…" as Rionnic approached his son standing near the throne. "Ownership of this fleet is… fleeting. Volatile. I think it's not nice to own so much of something, it always leads to greed and uselessness. But yes, the ships you see here, I guess I own them." Rionnic shrugged.

"Did you just--was that a pun?"

But before the Sith could reply, his wife spoke for the first time in a while, jabbing him. "Does that mean you don't like collections?"

Flustered, he immediately realized the meaning behind her quip. His head whipped back and forth between Rian and Jaesa, which the latter found quite funny. “It’s um, uh…” as the Emperor stammered, but quickly regained his composure because he had embarrassed himself enough. “If it’s a collection of something small, a hobby--wouldn’t hurt anyone, fair enough. After all, who am I to say what people can or cannot do?”

“You being the Emperor?”

Both parents chuckled at Rian’s witticism. After reminding his son to never abuse one's power, Rionnic ushered him towards the front of the throne, asking him to stand straight. He then initiated a scanning process of his son’s biological makeup and identification. “What’s that for, father?”

“Just a… safety measure.”

What Rionnic did was inputting Rian into the list of the fleet’s priority protection programming and also to the rest of the skytroopers and Knights. The padawan then sat on the throne, his fingers flying above the buttons on the armrest, but Jaesa stopped him before he could do anything. Naturally, the child protested, but the father attempted to distract the child by mentioning the Palace, which seemed to work.

But Rian had a surprise for them.

He sprinted towards the narrow supporting beam with Force Speed, laughing as he reached the end of the sphere while the parents were frantically chanting his name, telling him to either stop or come back. But he simply wanted to get a closer look at those massive ships! Rionnic’s face changed into a more determined look as he held out a hand, pulling his son gently towards him with the Force. As he landed in his father’s arms, Rian noticed his mother’s contorted face.

“Do Not. Ever. Do That. Again! Do you hear me?” scolded the mother.

Rian nodded with his eyes still on the floor, standing still. Rionnic felt bad for him and chimed in by noting that their son was only being a child, but Jaesa disagreed. His tongue almost retorted by saying that the usual Jedi training involved padawans doing exactly what Rian just did, but refrained from it. Instead, he knelt down to his son’s eye level and offered to continue the tour towards the Palace. Rian meekly agreed.

During their way to the shuttle pad, Rionnic noticed Jaesa’s lagging pace, sensing the change from agitation to remorse. The Sith heavily disapproved of how his wife seemingly took out her frustration on their son, but the fact that he was absent throughout his early growth barred him from saying anything.

Once again, the short journey was quietly awkward.

But when Rian saw the grand Palace of the Dragon, he was again in awe. This time, there were fewer Knights welcoming them, but he giggled all the same. The padawan ran ahead towards the entrance excitedly. Both parents occasionally had to jog to keep up with his energy, and Jaesa did not stop him.

At first the padawan was alarmed when visiting the beast pens, but quickly discovered a friend in Lil' Jwizzix and Bergola. The tour continued to the gardens and kitchen, ending with him crashing on one of the comfiest beds he had ever laid on. Jaesa turned towards Rionnic after putting their son to bed, asking for conversation. The quiet but breezy evening by the balcony made the break from child care more relaxing.

“First, I never put Rian up or influenced him in any way about the kiss. I’m sorry if you were forced to do it. I… I hope you understand.”

“Perfectly.”

Somehow, his precise answer made her speechless, even though she still had more to say. Rionnic finished the cup of tea in one go, being quite drained after the new phase of fatherhood. The sky became a screen that flashed the fond memories of his bright and lively son today, so much that he barely noticed his wife sitting next to him. A smile slowly formed, the first in years. It was a smile that she didn't earn, however.

But his reverie soon ended by remembering the duties on hold. Glancing towards the datapad on the table showed about twenty unread  matters to attend. Such a bleak tomorrow.

"I want to... apologize for being emotional towards Rian just then," pleaded Jaesa towards a seemingly peaceful Rionnic.

"Why me? You do know who should be the one receiving this apology."

"He's asleep. I just never saw him behave like that growing up. He used to be more… passive, quiet. I guess the sudden change caught me guardless. But I might know why."

"Why indeed…" mocked Rionnic, still bitter after all. "You should get some rest, we'll be returning to Odessen after he wakes up," as he left the conversation with his datapad.

The talk wasn't entirely productive, but it was considered progress for her. She decided to take his suggestion, but overslept as she was gently woken up by muffled discussion between her husband and son. Many eavesdropping opportunities presented themselves to her and she had not missed a single one.

"I've always heard stories about Alderaan from mother. Are you royalty from there too? What about the cool ships and cool palaces?"

With a bright smile, Rionnic answered every question while mentioning how much he missed the planet. Another promised tour excited Rian, but he quickly glanced over to his mother who was waking up anyways. What came out first from her mouth was an apology to her son, in which the little padawan accepted. The atmosphere seemed to improve, and the parents were a little less reserved around each other.

While their Zakuulan tour had to be cut short, what they gained from their time there was invaluable. Back to work and responsibilities... But Jaesa was feeling optimistic about the future.

Rionnic did not immediately respond to that. He opened the door a few seconds later, with his eyes still glued to the datapad. Upon closer inspection, she noticed a few strands of white hair around his temple. How she wanted so much to touch him, but the silent treatment was discouraging. She poured two cups of mixed blend tea as the mild fragrance put their minds at ease.

"I want to talk… about arrangements."

"What about it?"

Jaesa shifted in her seat. The courage to talk was there, but not enough to make eye contact. "Mainly… where would you have me live. Would you mind if I stay with you? J-just to make it easier for our son," stammered the Jedi.

"Fine. But you will never use my son against me. Are we clear?”

His coldness and detachment was a crushing blow--this would be a treacherous journey to reconciliation. She let out an anxious breath, then sipped the tea to calm her nerves. Although quiet, he hasn’t told her to leave, which she took as a sliver of hope. 

“If we are to co-parent, we should at least be amicable--and yes it will take time, but I hope we can work towards that. I’m not asking for anything more.”

Her statement made him stop fiddling with the datapad. How dare she? He stared at his wife still avoiding his gaze, long enough to unsettle her. "I'd prefer if you keep your distance away from me," as he leaned back on the chair while hurting her with those words. "But it's unavoidable. I don't-"

A few enthusiastic knocks on the door cut him off, followed by a simple question; "Is this father's office?"

Each time he heard the title father brought him that much needed relief and warmth. Rionnic promptly got up and opened the door to his son. "Hello there. Welcome to my office.”

“Hi father. I was told that mother-oh there she is.”

"Rian? What do you need of me?"

"The usual!" as the boy chirped, turning his attention to his father; "Mother listens to what I learned in class every day. Would you like to listen as well, father?"

"Of course, I'd be delighted to!" 

The little family were seated around Rionnic's desk, reminiscent of the olden days--though Rian was still learning to talk back then. Jaesa poured another cup of tea for their son as he began to describe his lesson. 

“In today’s class with Miss Nadia, we learn about tolerance. The Alliance have accomplished so much with having different groups and ideals working together. She said, if different perspectives and intellect harmonize there would be victories and advancement in technologies, society, and soooo much more!” lectured the young padawan while his parents listened obediently, then sipping on his tea. “Also, you two seemed to get along quite well being former enemies who clearly tolerated each other.”

Both parents gawked at the boy’s statement. Jaesa quickly interjected. “Rian! Why’d you say such things?” 

“What? Did I say something wrong?” retorted Rian innocently. “I thought that’s what you told me about how you met father. Is that right, father?”

“More or less. Now, how would you apply the lesson in daily life?”

Rionnic’s attempt on diverting the topic, however, didn’t last. Rian was more interested in the story of his parents, and more importantly, getting to know his amazing father. "Mmm… if there's a bully I wouldn't retaliate because it will heighten emotions and lead to regretful actions. Maybe I can make the bully change his ways. Like the bad bald man. Anyways! How did you two meet? Did you fight? Mother never told me about this."

Seeing her son opening up and becoming increasingly energetic pleased Jaesa, but the continuing embarrassment from each sentence he babbled was getting a little much. 

"Naturally, since we were enemies. My master wanted to find the Jedi with this unique ability of sensing someone's true nature. She's foiling his plans, you see. It's a long story." explained Rionnic.

"Then how did you end up together?" 

The way children so nonchalantly ask those transparent questions with the lack of situational awareness can sometimes be endearing but humiliating. Both parents awkwardly shuffled in their seats, trying to come up with an answer. They ended up speaking at the same time, resulting in further awkwardness and a chuckle from their son. 

“I’ve actually never told your father about how I fell in love with him. Do you want to know?” teased Jaesa, two birds with one stone. Rian gave a beaming nod.

“It’s because he sings sooooo well,” as the mother spoke with a rare enthusiasm, being quite out of character. “And he’s a handsome Prince. Like the fairytales, you know?”

"He can SING?"

Rionnic could only freeze with widened eyes. He then drank the tea, trying to mitigate the embarrassment.

"I-I don't think I can sing that well?"

"I wanna hear you sing! Can I hear you sing?"

His eyes shifted to his wife smiling sheepishly, reminding him of his twin. How he wished that his brother were here to cause a distraction. "Um, maybe not now? I'm self conscious about it…" he whispered. Rian's expression changed to a more understanding one. "Another time then?" To which Rionnic nodded.

"I promise. A performance just for you."

"Yayyyy!"

Rian hugged his father tight, and in return received a few kisses on his temple. A heartwarming sight for Jaesa. The boy then excused himself to play with the other padawans and apprentices. There was another silence between the parents, Rionnic simmering inside while Jaesa bracing herself for what was to come.

“Haven’t you heard what I just told you? About not using Rian against me?”

Jaesa did not respond. 

“You saw the chance and took it. If you keep this up… I will…” but he sighed wearily, burying his head in his hands. His reaction hurt her; was it that bad and did he hate her that much?

“Sorry for expressing how wonderful you are to me.”

“Nobody asked.” yet another vicious jab to her heart. 

“Your son did. Am I going to ignore his simple questions? Do you want him to feel how hostile you are to me?" stated Jaesa with an escalating volume.

Rionnic did not respond.

"I'm sorry to have put you in that spot. I won't do it again. But...” as she stood up, regaining courage amidst the emotional wound. “At least… lie about this, fake it. You can ignore me once he’s not around. I know this won’t be a good path towards the future but at least until we figure something out. If you can’t bear my presence then I shall have to let you go.”

The last sentence made him flinch a little. When he opened his hands, his wife was already leaving the room. If he could see her face, the tears were already streaming down. She understood that he's had a rough time with too many responsibilities on his shoulders, but she was not going to put up with the verbal bullets and hatred. His twin brother might have more strength to endure all that, but not her.

But she cannot appear tearful in front of Rian again. After wiping her tears, she headed off to move the rest of Rian's belongings to the base. Hers, however, she simply packed them into several boxes, having second thoughts about living with her husband. Her mind and heart were clashing--one still wanted to help him and earn his forgiveness, the other choosing self-preservation and seeking emotional respect.

Ultimately, she still loved him too much to leave.

A light tap on her shoulder startled her out from her melancholy. She turned around to see a familiar face, an old friend. “Hey, you’ve been standing there kinda long… you okay?”

“Vette. It’s good to see you. I… I’m fine. Want to go see Rian with me?”

“Yeah! I haven’t had the chance for a reunion with him. Lead the way.”

The women headed towards the staging area next to the military base. The children were playing with some older students supervising them. Most of them were refugees from Ossus. During the earlier discussion, Rionnic initially objected to bringing children into the base for their safety. After overthrowing the Eternal Empire, there was a time of peace enough that Sana-Rae started accepting younger students. The leaders of the Alliance knew of his final decision though: for the children to eventually return to their homes or learning institutions. Including his own son.

“Heyyy there Red Jr! I mean, Rian. Do you remember me?”

Rian was wide-eyed and scratching his chin, trying to remember the twi’lek woman before him. There was a familiarity when the woman spoke. He knew her name started with a V.

“Velt? Vet? I think I remember you.”

Vette laughed at that, kneeling down to further examine the boy. She remarked on how much he looked like Red, down to the cleft chin and cheekbones. As Rian rejoined his friends, the two ladies sat by the nearby benches to reminisce. The topic eventually leaned towards Red.

“I met him after this Alliance was formed. Y’know, the first thing I noticed is that he’s become more… ruthless. He doesn’t fight to win... He fights to kill now. I mean, not like he’s always gentle or anything--it’s just that he's already made up his mind before swinging.”

“I--I see…”

Immediately Vette sensed the discomfort and apologized, but Jaesa insisted that she was fine with the information. "Did he… mention anything about Rian and me when we were gone?"

"You better believe it. For as long as you two were gone, he never gave up on searching. He really missed you both."

Vette’s remark brought a small relief and got her thinking. From her observations, Rionnic seemed to be more relaxed around his twilek sister. She thought perhaps she shouldn’t be alone in this endeavor, and that asking for help wasn’t such a big deal after all. On the other hand, it would be like dragging other people into their personal affairs which was sort of tactless.