#ucevi

OK, this is a *very* rough draft of something that may or may not make it into Dance. But definitely will happen (and is one of the reasons Pierce has a serious hangover the next morning, lol.)

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Elation surged through Ucevi as they exited the chambers of the Dark Council. Dead! Baras is dead and I’m finally free from my oath!

The final words of the Sith Code echoed through her thoughts, in Uma’s voice for once, rather than Grandmother’s. Through Victory my chains are Broken. The Force shall free me.

Free! She glanced at Quinn who strode beside her, seeing her relief and elation reflected there, as well as something else. And passion is the font. For both of us.

The enormity of what had just played out washed over her. No more pretending. The Council has openly acknowledged me as the Wrath, and quietly reaffirmed their agreement with Grandmother.

Quinn’s emotions were a reflection of her own---Baras’s face when he saw us was absolutely delicious---feeding that surge within her.

Glancing back as they turned a corner, she saw that they had gained a comfortable distance on the others who were walking slowly, laughing and teasing each other in relief. If memory serves correctly...ah yes!

She seized Quinn by the arm, pushing him into the alcove, unresisting but startled when she pinned him against the wall, her lips brushing his lightly. I could feel his response as I fought Baras, and I’ll be damned if I’ll wait until we’re safely on the ship to at least taste that lust.

However reserved he was normally, apparently relief overrode that reserve because when she began to pull away, he pushed her half-mask up with one hand and curled his other around the back of her head to pull her into a searing kiss. There was definitely nothing tentative or reserved about this kiss, no matter where they were at the moment, and they both moaned as his tongue slipped past her lips, hungrily exploring. Shit, that flight back to the spaceport is going to be far, far too long.

She grabbed him by the hips, pulling them tightly against her. She could feel the line of his arousal, then his thigh slipped between hers, pressing into her at just the right angle, and she growled against his lips, rocking her hips against him. She could feel him smile against her lips, then turn his head just a little to get a better angle, his free hand moving to…

“Ahem.”

I think I was tagged 3 or 4 times yesterday, but work was so hectic that I couldn’t keep up with who, lol. I think it was @kunstpause​ and @sleepswithvillains​ and @curiousartemis​ If I missed someone, I apologize...

I’m not going to tag anyone today because I honestly have no idea who was tagged yesterday.

Have a few lines from the next chapter of Dance in the Shadow of Honor:

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“Well, Khem does rather attract uneasy looks.” Zas chuckled.

“I can’t imagine why a Dashade assassin would make a district filled with the Sith-blooded uneasy.” Ucevi retorted dryly. 

“No doubt. But it is quite a delight to stroll into shops and not have to make certain my lightsaber is visible just to get service.” She smoothed the fabric of her robes with a smirk.

She has the contented look of a well-fed vorn tiger, Ucevi thought in amusement. I wonder how much money she already spent in the shops? 

“Speaking of your guardian assassin, where is Khem?” Ucevi raised a brow stalk questioningly.

“I left him with orders to help Thirteen organize my workroom.” Zas was the picture of innocence as Ucevi began to laugh, shaking her head.

“That must have thrilled them both.”

Ah, thank you so much! I’m really thrilled that someone would feel that way about her! She’s definitely a contradictory character, but surviving as a Sith is, by definition, complicated, lol, and even more so if you aren’t human.

I was tagged by @sleepswithvillains thanks!

I’ll share 7 lines from a WIP.

No pressure tags: @rainofaugustsith @cinlat @actualanxiousswampwitch @curiousartemis @shimmersing

From Dance in the Shadow of Honor (either next chapter or 3 chapters away, lol):

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“May I have a look?”

Ucevi raised a brow stalk in surprise, but silently handed the datapad to the other woman. Zas stared for a moment, frowning, then tapped the screen. “There’s your problem. You’ve got the switches reversed, so there’s not enough room for the thermostatic override. And why are you trying to squeeze in three power cells instead of two?”

I was tagged by @sleepswithvillains  thanks!! (Possibly others, but I have been missing some tags lately because I’m currently editing mostly and not writing, lol.) I have to post the 7 most recently written lines from my WIP.

No pressure tags: @semper-draca @cinlat @rainofaugustsith @curiousartemis and @actualanxiousswampwitch

As I mentioned, I’ve mostly been editing for the past two weeks and only writing a sentence here or there. Well, my daughter did help me draft the explanation of Ucevi’s infamous encounter with the lightsaber design simulator, but I want to hold onto that until someone actually spills the beans on her.

Instead, have something going over Quinn’s head... :D

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They had finished their food and were sipping the last of the tea when a regal, impeccably dressed Twi’leki woman entered their alcove, pausing to bow to Ucevi before nodding politely to him. Hmm, I’m no judge of Twi’lek ages, but...I think she’s older than the other Twi’leks I’ve seen here. Much older. There’s a slight stiffness to her movements and are those laugh lines around her eyes? Odd, I didn’t realize that they developed wrinkles too.

I was tagged by @curiousartemis, thanks!

I have to share the last 7 lines I wrote for my WIP. OK, so this is actually a bit more, but some of the lines are REALLY short, lol, from Chapter 52 of Dance in the Shadow of Honor

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Vette wrinkled her nose. “And I did okay getting you ready for that Thul cocktail party, didn’t I?”

“Yes. Yes, you did.” Ucevi ran a hand over her hair, smoothing invisible flaws away. “I just feel...out of my depth with all this. I suppose my boots won’t work?”

“Nope.” Vette said firmly. “But we’ll look for something you can also wear to that dance. Kill two mynocks with one blaster shot.

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This is a quickly written flashback to Ucevi’s childhood that I will hopefully clean up later for AO3:

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Free! Ucevi dashed out the door, aware of Koto, Jentu, and the others on her heels. But she was oldest, had the longest legs, and maybe, just maybe, was cheating a little by using the Force to run faster. I wonder if the sleen eggs have hatched yet?

Her charge came to an abrupt halt in the doorway, and the boys barrelled into her back, almost shoving her through into the downpour.

Shit. The boys groaned at the sight, but backed up. She felt a surge of rebelliousness, though. We haven’t finished training early enough for me to make it to the nest in three days. She stood, hands on her hips, seriously considering grabbing raingear and going anyway, damn the consequences. Then a huge flash of lightning was followed quickly by a crash of thunder, and her hair stood on end.

Ah, well, with the weather like this, the whole pack would be at the nest and it would be too dangerous for me to get close enough to watch today.

With a sigh, she finally followed the others to the central courtyard, protected from the storm by a forcefield. Jentu, Koto, Koto’s cousin Tan’Leze and the Zabrak girl, Retro, had already begun to play a game involving a large ball and sticks. 

Ucevi kicked at a loose pebble, aware she was sulking. She sighed, straightening her shoulders, before Grandmother wandered in and caught her at it. Dammit, I don’t want to play a game; I wanted to study the sleens’! How will I ever learn their patterns well enough to safely remove one of the hatchlings to tame if I can’t get the free time? I’m so close to finishing this kovothis. But the window of time to get the sleen to imprint on me is only going to be a few days.

Unfortunately, all the wishing in the galaxy wouldn’t change the weather. Especially on Dromund Kaas.

However, that didn’t mean she was going to join the other children’s game. Koto was the only one close to her age---but I’m older by 5 weeks, she reminded herself firmly. Koto’s cousins often came to spend a few weeks at a time, studying and playing with them. 

Retro was the daughter of one of Grandmother’s shadows. Sometimes when their parents were doing something dangerous, children would spend a few weeks or months at the compound. Ucevi and Koto and Jentu had enjoyed the company of a dozen such children over the years.

Trying not to visibly pout, she kicked the little pebble in front of her until she reached the plant beds on the other side of the courtyard. Hmm, maybe if I do some work on these, I can convince Uma to let me out of training early tomorrow. I mean, observing the local wildlife and learning to track them is supposed to be part of my training.

And of all the small jobs that the children were expected to help with, Ucevi had always preferred the plant beds. Plants feel...I dunno. I think of it as “green”, but it’s something much more than color. She shrugged, aware she wondered about that feeling every time.

Some of her disappointment at the weather slipped away as she inspected plants, pinching off a damaged leaf here, tying a plant to a support there. The beds were automatically watered and the mulch kept most weeds out, so the work was a matter of studying the plants for any problems.

She’d begun working on the fragrant Korribani stixberry bushes when she realized that she had company. Liomi stood silently watching, sucking on their forefinger. They smiled shyly when Ucevi looked up from where she knelt.

Liomi was not-quite four, and unlike Ucevi and Jentu, spent most of their time with their mother rather than with Uma and Grandmother. It’s not traditional. No one’s ever explained why to me, though. 

She smiled back at the younger child who rarely seemed to have much to say. They’re going to be a powerful Force user, though. It didn’t occur to Ucevi to wonder how she knew that.

They didn’t seem inclined to ask any questions, though, so she turned back to her work. They’re always so solemn when our mother has to go away.

Ucevi pinched off a needle-leaf from a bush, thinking hard of a way to get a smile from the child. Have they ever been here when the bushes were in bloom?

She chewed on her lip, then reached out into that rich “green” she felt around the bush, feeling clumsy but somehow knowing this would work. She focused all her will on the “green”, losing track of time as she drew on the Force around her and fed it to the bush.

A small gasp brought her back to herself. The bush she had focused on was covered in tiny blue flowers with an intensely spicy fragrance. Liomi was on their knees next to Ucevi, amber eyes round in wonder, one hand hesitantly touching a bloom.

“Sev, how did you do that?”

Ucevi shrugged, but before she could decide whether or not to try to explain, a much deeper voice brought both of them to their feet. “That’s a very good question, child.”

“Grandmother! I, um...” Ucevi bit her lip, wondering if she’d just broken some rule that no one had mentioned. Liomi stared, wide-eyed and silent.

The older woman waved a hand, stepping closer to examine the bush. “Fascinating. That’s a rare talent, child.” Then she waved at the bush on either side of the one that was blooming. While the one she’d focused on was the picture of health, the others were wilting. “But think carefully about how you use it.”

Ucevi swallowed hard, realizing for the first time where that energy she had used had come from. Then she nodded, “Yes, Grandmother.” I never thought...