Private Convergence

[Taiia Locke]

//: Darth Empyrean //:

The Imperial Residence rose above the rest of Jutrand; there was no grand procession awaiting her arrival, no unnecessary ceremony; those who served there carried themselves with the practiced discipline expected of those entrusted with the heart of the Empire, their professionalism making the journey inward feel almost routine despite the significance of its destination.

Taiia followed the attendant through the final corridors at an unhurried pace, silver robes whispering across polished stone. The architecture reflected the same restrained elegance she had begun to associate with the highest levels of Sith society; ancient influences lingered in the lines of the walls and vaulted ceilings, yet nothing felt excessive. It was a residence first and a seat of power second.

The lightsaber at her side remained little more than part of her attire. She had not crossed the Empire seeking a confrontation, nor had she requested this audience as a representative of any group or faction. Today, she had come simply for her wife.

The attendant came to a stop before a pair of imposing doors. "The Emperor will receive you now." Taiia inclined her head. "My thanks." The doors parted without haste.

She stepped through the threshold with the same measured cadence that had carried her across countless worlds, her green eyes taking in the apartment only long enough to orient herself before settling upon its occupant. She offered a respectful bow of her head. "Your Majesty." The greeting was simple, neither overly familiar nor burdened by excessive formality. "Thank you for agreeing to meet with me."

A brief silence followed before she continued. "When I submitted my request, I described the matter only as personal." A faint smile touched her lips. "I thought it best not to commit more to official channels than was necessary. I hope you will forgive the vagueness." She allowed the explanation to settle naturally. "It concerns my wife. She underwent a ritual within the Sith Order. I have spent the weeks since trying to understand what happened. She will not speak of it, so I decided to come to the source." Her expression remained composed, open without becoming revealing. "I would like to know how what you did may be undone."

 

[Darth Empyrean]

The Emperor, in name alone, was not in a throne. He was not brooding, reading, or doing anything one might expect of a Sith Lord of his reputation and caliber. Rather, he sat on the ground on his balconey, a large floppy sun hat on, gloves and a trowel working in dirt as he gardened in the afternoon sunshine. It wasn't the farm he wanted, but Srina Talon was more important - so he spent his time 'farming' in little plots of dirt on his balconey.​

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When the sound of Taiia Locke reached his ears, he didn't pause. He let her speak. He wasn't threatened by anyone anymore, what could they do to him? Whether she was pointing a gun at him right now or not, it would do little to end his life. Far greater had tried, so a trifle of a matter it was to invite any force user into his home; even a master such as her.​

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Her personal request had interested him, but only vaguely. He knew of her - of her relationship to Allyson Locke , but he didn't often search into the details of these things without serious interest. If Allyson had not brought this woman to him herself, then he didn't deem it necessary to know her. He respected Allyson, cherished her like a daughter - as he had all his apprentices. Until she demanded he care, he wouldn't.​

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So when she spoke, asking to undo what he had done, he had paused for a moment. There was an idle hesitation in his trowel before he set it point down into the dirt. Still facing away from her, he lifted himself and shook the dirt from his clothes, from his gloves, then took them off to set aside. When he finally turned towards her, he was wearing oversized green sunglasses of some cheap variety. On closer inspection, she would even notice both lenses were actually framed by cartoon frogs, where their belly was the lens.​

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He sighed before taking them off, resting them in a shirt pocket. He didn't take off his sun hat.​

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"And why should I tell you? Allyson is not here - so why would I tell you how to undo something that she has not asked me to undo?"​

 

[Taiia Locke]

//: Darth Empyrean //:

The scene before her was not the one she had anticipated. There was no gathering of attendants. No carefully cultivated image of imperial grandeur waiting beyond the doors. Instead, she found the Emperor with his hands in the soil, sunlight falling across a small garden that seemed entirely at odds with the title he carried. Power had many ways of presenting itself.

Taiia met his gaze without hesitation, the silence lingering between them for a few moments before she answered. She had expected the question. Had she been in his position, she suspected she might have asked the very same thing. A small nod followed. "That's a fair question."

"I am not here to make choices on Allyson's behalf." Her voice remained even; she was neither unsure nor conflicted. "Those are hers alone, and they always will be." Her eyes drifted briefly toward the small garden before returning to him. "I came because I wish to understand what was done." She had learned long ago that understanding was rarely found by refusing to ask difficult questions."Not because I expect her to undo it." A faint shake of her head accompanied the thought. "Might I wish it? Yes, but I would never ask it of her."

Another brief silence settled naturally between them. "When Allyson made her decision..." Her expression softened almost imperceptibly. "She did so with conviction. I respect that." A faint smile touched the corner of her lips. "I love many things about my wife. Her willingness to commit herself fully to the path she believes is right has always been one of them." The smile faded as naturally as it had come. "Whatever answer I leave here with today... that will not change."

Only then did she return to the reason she had come. "But lives are rarely measured only by the choices we make today." Her voice remained quiet, thoughtful. "Years pass. We change. Our understanding of ourselves changes with us. Sometimes the questions we ask today are not the ones we ask twenty years from now." She let that thought linger for a moment before continuing. "If, one day, Allyson were ever to ask whether another path remained..." Her green eyes met his once more. "...I would rather know whether an answer exists than discover I had never thought to ask." She drew a slow breath. "I do not seek that answer because I believe she will ask it, or because I want her to..." A slight shake of her head. "I seek it because if she ever does... I would rather stand beside her with the truth than with uncertainty."

 

[Darth Empyrean]

"How very noble.", Empyrean said with little fanfare.​

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"So I will tell you plainly - it can not be undone. The Light was bled from her, and it will stay bled from her. Could I undo it? Most likely - but it is a long and tedious affair. The most simple way? Cut it from her directly." - he seemed unbothered by the declaration, and his voice nor face quivered as he continued.​

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"You would need to flay the skin of your wife, cut her down to muscle - and deeper if the marks go further. Flay the skin from her bones and hope she survives. It is not a kind thing, nor is it something either of you would much like to participate in, I imagine. But that is the plain truth - you have two avenues, and neither are good."​

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"Either she asks me to remove it, and I shall - or you cut it from her flesh and hope she survives."​

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Slowly, he pulled the froggy glasses back from his pocket and put them on. He almost turned away from her before stopping himself. He snapped his fingers, and spoke as he walked off;​

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"And one more thing..."​

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When he returned only a moment later, it was with a box.​

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"This is a gift for her. Tell her it is from Rhysion, if you would - I'd like her to know it was from me. You will be unable to open it - but she will. If your curiosity drives you to question what it is inside, I will tell you plainly; it is my eyes. They are hers. Do you have any other questions for me? It isn't everyday someone gets to ask the Emperor questions."​

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Taiia Locke​

 

[Taiia Locke]

//: Darth Empyrean //:
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The words settled over the room, and for a time Taiia simply listened. There was no flinching at the description he offered, no visible discomfort as he spoke of skin, muscle, and bone. She had lived long enough to know that truth was not always gentle; sometimes it arrived stripped of compassion, leaving only reality behind. When he finished, she inclined her head. "I understand." It was not the answer she had hoped to hear, but it was the one she had come seeking.

As he turned away, Taiia remained where she was. For a moment she believed the audience had reached its conclusion. Then came the sharp snap of his fingers. She watched him disappear back inside before her attention drifted briefly across the small garden. It was remarkably well kept.

When he returned carrying the small box, her gaze settled upon it. She listened quietly to the request that it be given to Allyson, the insistence that it came from Rhysion, and the simple declaration of what rested within. His eyes. Taiia did not reach for the box immediately, as if she was silently considering. Whatever significance it carried belonged first to Allyson, not to her. Only then did she step forward, accepting it carefully with both hands. "I'll make certain she receives it."

When he asked if she had any further questions, she considered the offer for a moment before giving a small shake of her head. "No." A faint smile touched her lips. "You've answered the question I came here to ask." Her eyes wandered once more toward the balcony garden. "You seem to have a talent for gardening." The observation was offered simply as something she had noticed. "And... if you would, please extend my regards to the Empress." She looked back to him, offering one final respectful inclination of her head. "Thank you for receiving me, Your Majesty." Unless he had anything further to say, Taiia turned to take her leave, the small box resting securely in her hands.