Private Bother

[Darth Daiara]

Aradia froze like a child caught with their hand in a cookie jar. She knew at once why Kaalia was here. She had been ignoring the warnings that common sense had been screaming at her. She didn't want to listen to that voice, instead she had unconsciously opted to push the limits of Kaalia's patience.

She just didn't feel good. She didn't want to talk. Kaalia was not blind to Aradia's new struggles. The woman knew her better than anyone else. Perhaps that was why she chased Aradia down at the first sign of silence.

Aradia should feel good about a gesture like that. She only felt hallow.

"Zaavrik... meet my master, Master this is--Wait." Her unwilling words quickly turned sharp. She stepped forward, unphased by Zaavik's saber as she looked between the two. "You know each other?"

Master was no longer the appropriate title for Kaalia, but it was a lot easier to say than 'Mom'. Aradia had not adjusted well from apprentice to daughter, but she managed an impressive amount of indignation as she jumped to conclusions.

"Have you been following me?"

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

It was difficult to blame the zeltron for drawing his lightsaber. Kaalia slowly began reaching for one of her own blades in response, though she had no intention of letting things escalate if it wasn't necessary. If things boiled over, it wouldn't be the Kro Varian's doing. This was hardly the first time she had been in a situation like this, and even during her years with the Sith did she prefer to talk things out over resorting to violence like she had to last time. Ending up in a Galactic Alliance cell hadn't been on her agenda.

Aradia attempted to explain at least some part of the story, yet she continued to use the one word Kaalia hated. Even back when it was an accurate way to refer to the woman she hated it, but now that she was trying to be a mother for her it was even worse to hear. For now, though, that was one of the least important things to touch upon. Ignoring Aradia's question for now, she kept her attention on the Jedi.

"I think we all have things to explain here," Kaalia calmly responded, her hand now wrapped around the hilt. It remained there, just in case the blade in front of her got a little too close. "So I suggest you put that saber away, so we can have a talk. I get that our last encounter doesn't inspire much confidence, but I can explain everything. As for you..."

Kaalia turned her attention to Aradia, though as long as the zelton's lightsaber remained ignited she kept it in the corner of her eye. "All of my messages went unanswered," the woman explained as she pointed a finger towards the holocommunicator, the light still blinking red. "The entire family was worried something had happened to you. That is why I tracked you down. I wouldn't have been here otherwise." She didn't track her adoptive daughter at all times, but in moments of danger she'd do everything she could to make sure she was okay.

Darth Daiara | Zaavik Perl ​

 

[Zaavik Perl]

"Zaavik... meet my master-"​

Master? Great. Not exactly the most favorable coincidence he'd experienced. Never in his memory had he been on the verge of a conniption so quickly. It had to be somebody, right? As far as Sith went, Zaavik supposed, it could have been worse. A lot worse, if he was to consider every other Sith he'd met as a baseline. That being said, it still wouldn't make disregard that last meeting.

"You know each other?"​

Zaavik's scowl tightened. For a moment, he bit down on the inside of his cheek as his eyes narrowed. "We've met," he clarified bluntly. And she kicked my ass. He didn't mention that part out loud, but the raised saber probably spelled it out.

"I think we all have things to explain here." ​

A snarl crept across his face, eyes still uncertain on which of the two to rest on. Against his better judgment, and after a long moment of hesitation, the blade slipped back into the hilt. Kaalia's motherly admonition toward Aradia showed intention contrary to his assumption. He crossed his arms, the hilt remaining clenched tightly in his left hand. "I don't have to explain chit," he asserted.

 

[Darth Daiara]

"...Ugh," was Aradia's response to it all, both party's responses less than ideal. Welp, she had wanted to test Kaalia. Now she had her answer.

She really didn't expect the woman to come tracking after her, not when she had children, blood children, to attend to. It just went to show how little she understood about the shift in circumstance she had undergone with the Pavanos family. After all, adopted surely didn't equal love.

Titles were just that-- words.

"Alright, enough," she snapped at them both, gesturing for them to stand down. "I'm sorry I didn't get back to you, I was a little busy." An intentional shot was leveled at the jedi as she used him to lie. "I'm fine, and she's fine-" she told Zaavik personally. "There's no need to stab each other, I just washed these floor."

It was only after both their grips showed signs of relaxing that she lowered her hands. A tense silence filled the tight hall, all three left to stare at each other and try to fill in the blanks on their own. Well, all except for Aradia. She knew exactly what was going on. She huffed and walked past them both, continuing on to the sterile central room, full of chairs and that holo projection map.

"You didn't let onto anyone I was here, did you?" She asked Kaalia, a sense of stress to her tone as she picked through her systems. She grimaced internally as she realized she had likely spoiled Zaavik's safe room for him. Even if Kaalia didn't know the number, it was unlikely he'd trust it again.

Or even her for that matter. She tried to keep her energy relaxed, trying to curb the idea that this was some set up.

She needed him.

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

Kaalia was barely able to keep herself from letting out a sigh. She had expected resistance, but for it to come in such a blunt manner was a little disappointing. At least the deactivated lightsaber was a step in the right direction, even if she really didn't like the Jedi's tone. Before she could respond, however, Aradia stepped in.

"I'm sorry I didn't get back to you, I was a little busy."

"We can talk about that later. Now, mister Dagoth," Kaalia calmly said as she removed her hands from the hilts hanging from her belt, "understand that I am trying to ease the tension. My hand was forced last time, but I'm not looking for conflict here." Following her adoptive daughter, the woman began making her way towards the central area. "I was merely checking on my daughter's well-being." Heavy emphasis was put on the word 'daughter' in an attempt to override the term master Aradia had used earlier.

"You didn't let onto anyone I was here, did you?"

As Kaalia entered the central area, she gave Aradia a reassuring look. "No trace is left when it comes to family matters," the woman explained. That extended to Aradia as well, whether she wanted to believe it or not. One didn't serve several years on a Dark Council without knowing how to cover one's tracks. Claiming one of the chairs, Kaalia returned her attention to the zeltron.

"For the sake of transparency, you can ask me anything that's on your mind right now. I promise to answer honestly." There was no deception to be found, though whether he'd believe anything she'd say after last time was up in the air.

"Oh, and I ought to properly introduce myself. My name is Kaalia Pavanos." A name not nearly as well-known as Darth Avacyn, thankfully.

Darth Daiara | Zaavik Perl ​

 

[Zaavik Perl]

"I was merely checking on my daughter's well-being." ​

"You-?" A slow, laborious blink preceded a barrage of quick flutters. He leaned forward, peering over to Aradia at the control panel and then back to Kaalia, jaw half-slacked with words that failed to articulate on his lips. "Huh," he intonated with surprising acceptance. Wouldn't have guessed, as it didn't quite add up. Sure, both redheads and both had been on the better side of a fight with him, but that was about the extent of the similarities he'd observed.

Zaavik squinted slightly. They didn't look alike, and the woman in front of him seemed a lot more measured and possibly less abrasive. Clearly, Aradia's attitude wasn't hereditary. The revelation was far from reassuring, however. Not that he'd ever experienced it, but he knew Mothers were generally the first to get fighty when their children were concerned, and he was still the enemy. The grip on his saber grew tighter.

"For the sake of transparency, you can ask me anything that's on your mind right now. I promise to answer honestly."
"Oh, and I ought to properly introduce myself. My name is Kaalia Pavanos."​

A sneer born of sharp contempt curled around his face. "Yeah, a pleasure," he replied with venomous condescent. A brief flicker of a snarl killed the sneer into a blank expression. A pointed exhaled blew violent strands out of his face while his arms remained crossed. "We're not exactly killing eachother if you haven't noticed," he mentioned in regards to Aradia. "So there, concerns quashed," he added with a dismissive farewellish wave of his free hand from under his tucked arm.

"Nice meeting you," he bid with sarcasm.

 

[Darth Daiara]

"Huh," he intoned.

Aradia shoot him a look over her shoulder, sensing his comparison and silencing them with a glare. Shuddup.

She turned back to the console, combing through her systems to confirm what Kaalia had promised was true. They had drawn no new attention to them. Aradia's shoulders relaxed, her breath coming easier as she turned back to the jedi that spat vehemency like it was air.

"He's always like this," she dismissed to Kaalia, making it a point to not mentioned that he had been the one responsible for the shoulder injury... and the saber burn to her side... and...

She flicked on the messages and finally read through them. Her cheeks went red. She glanced up, almost abashed as Kaalia had guessed what mess she had gotten into, yet again.

"How'd you know?"

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

"I see." A response as non-committal as they came.

Kaalia wasn't going to keep pushing on easing the tension if it wasn't clearly a fruitless endeavor. As long as Dagoth was on-edge, Kaalia would have to keep an eye on him. Regardless, the woman made herself comfortable in the chair. She had a feeling they'd be here for a little while until the most pressing questions were cleared up.

"If you change your mind and need me to clear the air on anything, feel free to ask," Kaalia concluded, leaving the topic there. Until the zeltron decided he wanted to know more himself, she wouldn't speak on their previous encounter or their current situation any further. Aradia's comment went ignored; Kaalia found no reason to join whatever squabble the two had gotten tangled up into. She had come here to make sure her daughter was okay, not to figure out what was going on between two dramatic young adults. The four other kids at home were more than enough of a headache.

With her head turning towards Aradia as she saw her moving in the corner of her eye, Kaalia watched her reading the messages she had been sending her before coming here. The pieces finally seemed to fall in place for the girl now.

"I still keep up with galactic events and I know you better than you think." It was incredibly easy to put one and one together from there. "We were worried sick, you know?"

Darth Daiara | Zaavik Perl ​

 

[Zaavik Perl]

"He's always like this."

Zaavik rolled his eyes— nearly saw his own brain. The Zeltron allowed himself to slump backward, leaning a half-sit on a diagnostic terminal that jutted from the wall. Hairs fell over his face again, provoking an agitated exhale again as a hole in pursed lips pointed a current toward it.

A flick of his head for good measure and he settled the best he could to his commandeered spot. He twitched an exaggerated, unfriendly smile at Kaalia when she placed the open offer of clearing the air before him. Insistent belligerence may not have been called for, but it felt, at least to Zaavik, rather provoked.

No verbal response offered. What was there to say? If he thought of anything, spite kept it trapped behind his lips.

 

[Darth Daiara]

Aradia grumbled, turning the comms device off and tucking it away. If only Kaalia knew how close Aradia had come to giving her a reason to mourn. The girl shot the boy another sharp look, warning him off of filling her in.

"I didn't really think about it," she admitted, crossing her arms as she sunk against the table. All three sat perched in various levels of comfort. It was no surprise to her to find Kaalia to be the most confident and relaxed of them all. Aradia watched her for a moment, struck by the same small wonder she had felt that first day she had met the woman.

The sensation of wanting to be her had grown muddled as of late. What was there to want to be? The list of things Kaalia was doing with herself had grown smaller--more precise. There was only one title the woman held to herself now, and it left Aradia all sorts of uncomfortable. Mom.

Aradia shifted, looking purposefully away.

"We're going to be leaving for a bit. Undercover. I won't be able to reach out at all."

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

Kaalia could do little but empathize. Aradia had been thrust from one life to another constantly, but none of them involved being part of a family. Things that seemed so simple and normal to most had turned out to be completely new concepts to her. There was hope that the realization she seemed to have made would stick by her. The fact that there were people back home who cared about her and her well-being had hopefully been proven to her now. Day by day, lesson by lesson- that's how things had been going so far.

"Promise me you'll remember that from now on, okay?" It was another step forward if Aradia did. It wasn't a conversation she was expecting to have while a relative stranger was around to hear all of it, but it concerned Kaalia little. Anything to prevent having to stop Ishana from getting her scattergun and going out to find the girl.

"We're going to be leaving for a bit. Undercover. I won't be able to reach out at all."

Kaalia nodded despite the fact Aradia was looking away. She got up from her chair and moved towards the table the girl was leaning against before doing the same herself.

"Don't do anything reckless, and the moment you're able to give us a call again, I want to hear from you." Kaalia knew better than to try to stop her. She'd sneak out regardless if the woman did, but more importantly, it would've gone against one of her own core principles. There was virtue in fighting for the beliefs you held.

A look was shot the zeltron's way as well. "Keep my daughter safe." Words that had weight to them, intent on leaving no room to argue.

Darth Daiara | Zaavik Perl ​

 

[Zaavik Perl]

"Keep my daughter safe."

And what am I, her dad? was the retort that he kept stifled behind his teeth. His lips flattened, one cheek flexing up to force his eye into a squint. Concession masked with contempt more than anything. A silent sight wisped out with another rolling of his eyes. "Yeah-" he muttered with eyes turned toward some unimportant detail on a wall. "-whatever."

Kaalia's request, or rather, her demand had left little room to protest. Though he could have possibly found the space if he really wanted to. He didn't, and it wouldn't be worth it anyhow.

A glance drifted up to Aradia, squinting with indignation. Then back to Kaalia, suddenly feeling like everyone in the room was watching him. All two of them. He wasn't aware his arms could fold any tighter until he found himself squeezing anyway. A brow raised, eyes darting between them. "So, we're done here?"

 

[Darth Daiara]

It was one thing for her to be sassy with Kaalia, but Zaavik?

Aradia bristled, two seconds off from chewing the boy out into giving the sith lor-... Aradia let out a sharp breath. That change would clearly take some time to get use to. Though she guessed she shouldn't like it if anyone was rude to her mother either.

She tried to recall if she would have cared if someone had snapped at her real mother all those years ago. It was the first time in recent memory that she had tried to think of the woman. It left her frowning. Truth be told, she was too young to really remember anything.

She didn't suppose her real mother still remembered her either...

She smashed these forbidden thoughts from her mind, blinking fiercely.

"She can stay for dinner if she wants," Aradia snuffed. "She's funding this all, so you might as well say thank you. Or stop hissing at her whenever she looks away-- Master?" She offered, willing to jeopardize her partnership with Zaavik to give the woman a sliver of kindness in return.

It had once been Kaalia accusing Aradia of being too emotional, now the girl had to claw the depths of herself to extend a gesture in return. A part of her hoped she wouldn't regret it. Mainly, that this wouldn't be the thing to finally drive Zaavik off.

Judging by his posture, it was a very real possibility.

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

The Jedi had some nerve, reacting the way he did. Regardless, Kaalia had gotten her point across and knew that he was well aware of what she was able to do to him. He clearly hadn't forgotten their last encounter and the former Sith Lady wasn't going to be as careful as she was then if anything were to happen to Aradia. Following a short yet stern look right into his eyes, she left the message to rest. There wasn't anything else that needed to be said on the matter.

"She can stay for dinner if she wants. She's funding this all, so you might as well say thank you. Or stop hissing at her whenever she looks away-- Master?"

"I don't want to hear that word anymore." The girl knew exactly which one Kaalia meant. She had given her enough time to adjust to the change, but it was beginning to seem like a little more force was needed. It was unfair to expect her to turn to 'mom' or anything of the sort right away, or really ever, but the distance the current word of choice created felt highly uncomfortable.

That quick moment of correction was followed by an appreciative smile, however. "Regardless, I could definitely go for a meal before heading back home." It wasn't like Kaalia was going to be able to be home before dinner, and it would be a good way to uncover what Aradia had gotten herself into that led to Kaalia having to look for her.

Darth Daiara | Zaavik Perl ​

 

[Darth Daiara]

Aradia's expression tightened, the girl looking quickly away. It wasn't fear she felt, but loss.

"You think it's safe?" She asked Zaavik, acting as if Kaalia's words hadn't affected her at all.

 

[Zaavik Perl]

"You think it's safe?"

"Oh, so now you're worried about risk?" Zaavik sneered, then let out a sardonic chuckle. Must have taken a lot of nerve to ask, given the warnings she'd ignored just thirty-something hours ago. Maybe her 'Mom' being around had put a cage around her. It did little to mitigate the vexation regardless.

A hand came over his face, index finger and thumb rubbing over his eyes with a groan. An abrupt motion sent him forward, away from the wall and terminal he'd leaned on. A few steps away, he snatched his bag from the floor. "Probably not," he replied finally.

He moved around a corner into a different part of the ship, looking for somewhere to put his things. "But it's not like you ever let that stop you anyway!" he called sarcastically in the distance.

 

[Darth Daiara]

Aradia, once again, looked between the two as he stormed away. Signs of strain appeared around her eyes, her nose crinkling in building kinetic energy.

"Hold on!" She told Kaalia, the words bursting out of her as she dashed after Zaavik. She skirted into the empty bunk behind him, a bit of frazzled energy about her as she looked over his belongings.

"...Will you be here? When I get back," she finally asked, all that stress pinching into her voice.

 

[Zaavik Perl]

"...Will you be here? When I get back?"

The upheaval of belongings out of his receptacle ceased when Aradia accosted. A narrow-eyed glance shot her way heralded a pointed silence.

Were they not taking this ship? An eyebrow raised inquisitively. He leaned to look out an auxiliary viewport, though he could see no other ship beyond the rain. Kaalia must have been more subtle with where she touched down. That or they'd planned to find a place on foot?

Go figure.

Zaavik sighed, turned, and began stripping the remainder or his belongings out of the bag again. "Yeah," he confirmed absently without granting her another regard. Not that he particularly understood why it mattered suddenly, given that she seemingly had every intention to solo until this point.

 

[Darth Daiara]

It made no sense.

Aradia stared at his careless dismissal, reminded more than subtly of the peers on her past academies. The callous lack of regard one would show their competition, or bully, was demonstrated constantly by the jedi. If he felt so threatened by her, then he should be avoiding. If he thought she was dangerous towards him, he should be attacking. Instead he played the part of a partner. As a rule, you were safer in groups. that was... if you could trust them.

She could understand the disinterest. You didn't have to like each other to work well together.

It was just... everything in between. Logic said he should be walking away.

She huffed and turned, leaving him to unpack as she went back to her mas-... Kaalia's seat.

"He's going to stay. I can give you an hour." She gestured towards the door, calling an umbrella to her.

"There's a noodle shop. Down the street."

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

While Aradia and mister Dagoth were away, Kaalia once again called up Ishana to give her the update she had promised. Explained was that their daughter was okay and that she wasn't coming home quite yet, but also that the message had most definitely come across. With the promise she'd be back before the end of the week, Kaalia was in the process of ending the holocall as Aradia made her way back into the main area.

"He's quite the character," the woman said flatly as she got up from her seat. At the same time, she unclipped the saber hilts from her belt and hid them in the pockets of the inside of her coat before buttoning it back up. There was no need to draw attention. "I'll leave you two to your plans once we've eaten, then," she added as the followed Aradia out.

Once the two had made their way outside, Kaalia turned her head to the side, looking closely at Aradia. "So, what's his story? Isn't he Alliance?" Considering the girl's outspoken dislike for Jedi, and that was putting it mildly, made the fact the two were working together quite surprising. No matter what caused things to be this way, it was a strange partnership.