Private From Caves to Forests

[Seren Gwyn]

The wedding had been a tapestry of soft lantern light and quiet, heartfelt vows that lingered in the air long after the ceremony concluded.

Seren remembered Kallous standing slightly apart from the festive celebration, remaining as observant as ever and appearing perfectly content to witness the joy of others rather than occupy the center of it himself. It was a role that had always suited him well, as he carried a kind of thoughtful distance that allowed him to be fully present without ever needing to dominate the physical space around him. In the wake of that night, however, there had been nothing but a growing and persistent silence that eventually became impossible for her to ignore.

There were no more brief exchanges between them, no quiet debates regarding the shifting nature of the Force, and no contemplative musings arriving at those odd hours when the rest of the galaxy seemed to sleep. The lapse in communication had lasted long enough for the absence to become a tangible thing, a missing rhythm in the usual conduct of her days.

The holoprojector in her quarters hummed softly to life as she activated it, allowing the pale blue light to spill outward in gentle, flickering arcs across the darkened room. Seren stood with a composed posture but remained unarmored, her hands loosely clasped before her in a gesture of openness that lacked her typical guarded edge. There were no shadows drawn close to her tonight and no defensive shielding of her presence as the transmission request was finally sent across the stars.

A moment later, his image resolved within the light, showing his long hair tied back and his beard neatly trimmed, while his uniform remained as crisp as the lightsaber resting at his hip as naturally as his own breath.

"Kallous," she began, her voice carrying genuine warmth underpinned by a quiet, focused intention. "It has been quite some time since we last spoke, hasn't it?"

A small, knowing smile touched her lips as she looked at the flickering blue ghost of the man she had once known so well.

"The last time I saw you was during the celebration of Iandre and Rellik's wedding, but almost immediately after that day, you seemed to disappear entirely from my view." Her words were not meant to be accusatory, but were spoken with a simple, grounded factuality that demanded an honest accounting. "I have not heard a single word from you in the time since, and I find that such a prolonged silence is highly unusual for someone of your character."

She studied his features through the soft distortion of the holographic light, her eyes searching for any sign of weariness or hidden burdens.

"So rather than letting my mind wander toward complicated theories, I decided it was better to ask you directly instead of continuing to speculate in the dark."

She allowed a brief, heavy pause to settle between them before she continued, her voice dropping into a more serious register.

"What exactly has been keeping you so occupied that you could not reach out, especially considering the unsettling rumors I have heard regarding Rellik's own disappearance?"

Her expression softened just slightly, the professional mask slipping away to reveal the friend underneath.

"And more importantly, Kallous, are you truly well?"

Kallous

 

[Kallous]

It had been a long couple of weeks since the wedding. It had been such a joyous day too. In the wake of the Sack of Bastion it had been a moment of hope. That in spite of recent setbacks, things were good, they were getting better, and that there was a future for them all that looked bright. But that hope was short lived, as only a few days later an immense tradgedy struck, and a massive shift in power took place quietly and quickly at the same time to keep order and prevent total pandemonium.

Only a few days after the Diarch wedded the woman he loved, he vanished along with his brother. Kallous had been told by his Mentor, the Diarch Rellik, that he and his brother would be attempting a ritual of arcane and uncertain nature. Perhaps in an attempt to quickly rebuild the Diarchy's strength, but ultimately Kallous did not know the details. All he knew, is that when they began the force swirled in a maelstrom, then suddenly stopped, and was disquietingly still. Immediately Kallous had known something was wrong, and discovered along with a few others that the Diarchs were nowhere to be found. Both brothers gone, and Rellik's newlywed wife Iandre was left without her husband.

Things had been chaotic since then. Laphisto of the Lilaste Order had stepped in to keep the Diarchy from falling apart altogether, several people left however. And Iandre was one of them. As the wife to his late Mentor and also a friend of his Kallous took it upon himself to escort the grieving widow to Veradune, where a friend of hers could give her shelter while she grieved.

And Kallous had remained there ever since, mostly spending his time meditating, and contemplating what the future held. He was no augur, he couldn't see the future the way some powerful Jedi could. And frustratingly the force was incredibly still, he couldn't extract answers or direction from his meditations the way he used to. Where normally he would find a strong current to carry him somewhere all he found was water that was utterly still. Eerily still.

His communicator beeped, something that caught him by surprise. But when he answered it and saw who it was, the surprise melted away into relief. He could tell by her tone and expression that she was irked with him, but at the moment he was simply too pleased to see her to think about that. He truly regretted not calling her sooner.

"Hello Seren." He said quietly, his usual demeanor giving way to composed uncertainty. "I'm sorry, truly. It wasn't my intention to neglect you, things have simply been... complicated."

He took a second to consider what he should tell her, then after that moment passed he began to explain. "Well... to start those unsettling rumors you've been hearing are true, at least in large part. The Diarchs are both gone. Vanished. They attempted some sort of ritual, I don't know the nature of it, and midway through the force just became still, and when I went to see what had happened there was nothing to be found. Laphisto has had to take over in their stead, I've had to purge a few bad actors to nip any Sepratist movements in the bud. And I've escorted Rellik's widow, Iandre, to Veradune. She has a friend here who's willing to shelter her. Needless to say it has been a long couple of weeks."

He paused again, thinking about how to answer her final question. "I'm unharmed, I'm safe and I don't think anyone except me, Iandre and now you knows where I am. Apart from that... I really couldn't tell you. The force has been... frustratingly silent with me these past few days. I've received no guidance on how to proceed. So... there's that."

He was pausing a lot more in his sentences than he usually did. Picking his words carefully in an effort to both be honest with Seren and also not to worry her too much. He despised lying more than just about anything else, so he absolutely refused to tell her an untruth. But he also didn't like it when he couldn't handle his own problems, and was loathe to rely on other people for anything. And worst of all he hated it when he made people who cared about him worry.

Though he supposed it was a little too late for that.

Seren Gwyn

 

[Seren Gwyn]

The cave held the echo of his silence long after he finished speaking.

Seren did not rush to fill it. Instead, she studied him through the holographic flicker. Noticing the way his composure held, yet lacked its usual iron. She saw the carefulness in his posture and the fatigue tucked between his words.

When she finally spoke, her tone was a low, steady anchor.

"That is not a small thing to carry," she murmured, her gaze unwavering. "The Diarchs vanishing, the Force going still, a widow sent into exile...you seem to find yourself where the weight is heaviest."

There was no criticism in her voice, only a quiet recognition of his nature. She stepped closer to the projector, her silhouette dim against the cave light as she bridged the distance between them.

"You do not have to explain your absence to me, Kallous. But you also do not have to carry the aftermath alone."

She paused, her expression shifting from distant scholar to something gently resolute.

"If you must remain in Veradune, then remain. But if you would rather not sit in still water by yourself… come here."

The words were simple, offered without the tang of politics or expectation.

"Stay for a time. No obligations, no pressure. Just space to think. Or," she added, her voice softening further, "I can come to you, if the journey is a burden you'd rather not take."

She let the offer hang in the quiet air between them.

"Tell me what you need."

It wasn't a command, and it wasn't mere comfort. It was a doorway.

Kallous

 

[Kallous]

Kallous allowed Seren's offer to remain in the air for a few moments as he considered it. He wanted to, the offer was attractive, to be sure. But on the other hand he wasn't sure if he should. Iandre was safe now, and she was able to process things, but he also didn't want to abandon her when she might still need someone close. At the same time he had nothing to offer Seren as gratitude for her help. He knew at his core that she wouldn't expect anything, and was making an offer out of kindness and concern for her friend. However there was little that stung Kallous quite like pity, especially if it was pity for his perceived helplessness.

So he took a second to consider it, to think it over. But what ultimately made up his mind was that he felt a pull. After several days of silence, he felt that current in the Force that had been still for some time. And it told him to go. Ian was in good hands. She was in the care of a friend who would protect her. And Kallous himself was of no further use, if anything with the Diarchy gone it was entirely possible that some of the enemies he'd made would come looking for him, and Ian could get caught up in it all while she was grieving. And he couldn't allow that.

Seren, however, was in territory not easily reached by his enemies, and was not burdened like Ian was. If trouble came he'd certainly fight to keep her out of it, but he also knew that she'd have an easier time escaping harm's way than Ian would. So it seemed like the wisest course of action.

After a few moments he finally spoke. "I will take you up on that." He finally said, swallowing his pride to do so. "Thank you Seren, for checking on me. It's deeply appreciated."

He went silent for another few moments, thinking further on what he should say next. Soon enough he began to speak again. "I'll make my way to Malachor. I'm not sure exactly when I will get there, but it shouldn't be too long. And I promise I'll keep in touch better too."

Seren Gwyn

 

[Seren Gwyn]

For a long moment after he agreed, Seren simply looked at him, her expression devoid of triumph but softened by a quiet, steadying presence. The tension she had been holding behind her eyes finally began to ebb, replaced by a look that was more than just relief.

"Good," she said, the single word carrying a resonant warmth that felt like a bridge crossing the distance between them. "Malachor is far from a retreat world, but it offers a particular kind of silence. One that I think you'll find remarkably useful."

She shifted slightly within the dim mouth of the cave, her silhouette framed by the faint, melodic echo of the wind threading through the ancient stone behind her.

"You aren't abandoning Iandre by choosing to breathe for a moment, Kallous. Grief doesn't ease simply because a shadow stands nearby in silence, and you cannot anchor your own spirit in someone else's sorrow indefinitely without losing yourself to the tide."

Her tone remained gentle, yet it was laced with a clear-eyed steel that sought to protect him from his own sense of duty.

"If your enemies are truly looking for you, I would much rather they look toward the edges of the galaxy, far away from her—and further still from where you are most vulnerable."

She paused, her voice dropping into a register that felt almost like a secret shared in the dark.

"Beyond that…I simply find that I would rather you didn't have to face whatever comes next alone."

She tilted her head, her amber eyes studying his features through the blue flicker of the holoprojection with an intensity that bordered on a caress.

"There is a space waiting for you here where you will never be an obligation or a burden, but a choice."

She let that thought linger, ensuring the weight of it reached him before she continued.

"Travel carefully and send word the moment you depart so that I can be waiting for you at the landing shelf when you arrive."

A faint, genuine curve touched her lips. It was a rare display of softness that transformed her entire composure.

"And Kallous…please do not think you owe me gratitude for this. Friendship is too small a word for what this is, and debt has no place in the way I feel for you."

Her gaze held his for a heartbeat longer, as if she were trying to reach through the light to touch him.

"I will be counting the hours until I see you."

Kallous

 

[Kallous]

Kallous couldn't stop a smile from coming to his face at what Seren was telling him. Both of them were quite reserved people most often. They made themselves known to one another sure, but it was always mild, always reserved and always cordial. Neither of them seemed to care much for grand declarations made loudly for all to hear. But in a way that added a sincerity and understanding between them that felt good to have. When she said something, he knew she meant it.

And as such, coming from her, a declaration such as "Counting the Hours until I see you" was very grand indeed.

He couldn't help but smile at that, a moment later he even let out a soft chuckle. "You're going to make me blush, saying things like that."

A moment more of silence and he nodded. "Very well. I'll go make the arrangements straightaway. I'll try not to keep you counting for too long."

With a few more exchanged pleasantries the two would bid farewell for now. And Kallous would make his way to the spaceport to arrange for the trip. And the following morning he was on a transport ship. He called Seren again over the holo to tell her he was on his way, and give her his estimated time of arrival. Clad in common clothes to hide who he was, including a poncho so he could carry his lightsaber with him without it being easily seen, he would board the transport and be off. A long trip was ahead of him, and a little over a day and a half later he would land on Malachor.

It had been some time since last he'd been on such a dark planet. It wasn't unfamiliar, but it always put him on his guard. Such places didn't usually lend themselves well to peaceful existence. He was no stranger to excessive violence of course, but he didn't want to see things get ugly when he was trying to lay low.

He would step off the ramp of the transport and onto the landing platform, before pulling out his holocommunicator to tell Seren he had arrived.

Seren Gwyn

 

[Seren Gwyn]

The holocomm flickered to life, the blue-tinted light of the projection struggling against a backdrop of oppressive dark stone and a sky stained the color of bruised plums and ash.

Seren answered almost immediately, as if she had been standing by, waiting for the signal to catch.

The biting wind of Malachor swept around her, tugging at her dark robes and whipping a few stray strands of hair across her face, but she didn't seem to notice. Her posture was relaxed, her shoulders dropped, a rare, unguarded ease that felt like a quiet defiance against the jagged world behind her.

"You made good time," she said. The distortion of the comm-link couldn't mask the sudden, genuine warmth in her voice.

She stepped slightly to the side, adjusting the projector with a steady hand so he could see her surroundings. Behind her lay the landing shelf, a massive tongue of blackened rock reaching out over a canyon. In the distance, the horizon was a serrated edge of obsidian, lit from below by the rhythmic, arterial glow of volcanic fissures pulsing deep within.

"I am glad you are here."

The words were simple, unadorned by the usual riddles of the Sith, carrying a weight of sincerity that felt almost heavy in the air between them. Her amber eyes searched the projection, finding his, and the corner of her mouth curved into a soft, private smile.

"Welcome to Malachor, Kallous."

There was a lingering softness to the way she spoke his name, not as a title or a tool, but as a destination. She watched him for a beat longer than necessary, as if making sure he was truly there.

"You do not need to be on guard here," she added, her voice dropping a fraction in pitch, turning intimate. "Not with me."

The wind howled through the canyon behind her, a lonely, mourning sound, but Seren didn't flinch. She turned her head slightly, her gaze drifting toward the path he would soon take, already anticipating the moment the projection would be replaced by his physical presence.

"I am at the upper landing shelf. Take the eastern stair cut into the rock; it looks narrow and less stable than it is, but it will hold you. I've made sure of it."

A faint, amused exhale escaped her, a sound of relief she didn't try to hide.

"And Kallous…I am genuinely happy you came."

The transmission held for a second longer, a quiet, shared heartbeat of light and shadow, before the flicker of her smile vanished into the dark.

Kallous

 

[Kallous]

Kallous didn't have to wait long for Seren to answer. And soon enough she was showing him where she was, though that was hardly necessary. By then he'd been familiarized with her presence in the force enough to identify her. He knew where she was and began making his way there, even as the two of them spoke on the holo. And she expressed that she was glad he was there, and reassured him of the structural integrity of the stairway, earning an amused chuckle from the man, her concern for him was amusing because it seemed almost out of character for her to worry so much, and likewise amusing that she felt the need to reassure him about a staircase of all things. She knew he'd probably be able to jump from where he was up to where she waited with relative ease.

Though strangely that just made her concern all the more heartwarming.

"I'm glad to be here Seren, I look forward to seeing you again." He told her as he walked, making his way to the staircase she'd indicated for him. "It will be a much needed reprieve from the chaos of the past few weeks."

He made his way up the staircase as directed until he came to the upper landing shelf where Seren waited for him. And once he spied her he made his way over straightaway. She would see he was in far simpler attire than he normally was, a set of simple, dark robes and a humble sack slung over his shoulder. Black leather boots that reached his knee with loose pants tucked into them that were tied shut at the waist, and an open front shirt that was secured by knots at one side, with his belt overtop to hold his lightsaber. Over that was a hooded poncho, with the hood kept down so his face was visible. If glanced at by anyone who didn't know him, he would appear to be a simple hermit with good hygeine.

When he reached her stopped only a pace or two from her and smiled gently. He gave her a shallow bow at the waist in greeting, "My Lady."

Seren Gwyn

 

[Seren Gwyn]

For a long moment, Seren simply looked at him, her gaze ignoring the traveler's dust on his boots or the anonymous simplicity of his robes to focus entirely on the man beneath. The quiet relief in her expression said more than any words could have, revealing a depth of feeling she usually kept carefully guarded.

When he bowed, the corner of her mouth lifted with a touch of restrained amusement that reached her eyes. "If you continue that, I may begin expecting courtly poetry to follow," she replied softly, her voice filled with a rare, pretense-free warmth.

She stepped closer to close the small space between them, her gaze sweeping over him in an open assessment that felt more like a caress than an inspection. "You look…lighter," she noted, referring not to his physical form but to the invisible burdens he had seemingly left behind on the landing ramp.

Pausing for a more thoughtful moment, she added, "Before we head in, I should ask if there is anything special you would like for your first night here." Her tone became practical yet deeply attentive as she continued, "I cannot offer the decadent luxuries of Coruscant, but I can prepare something proper—perhaps a meal that is familiar to you, or simply something warm to take the chill off the journey."

She hesitated for only a heartbeat before gently slipping her arm through his, the gesture feeling remarkably steady and natural rather than possessive or dramatic. "Come," she murmured, guiding him toward the carved path that wound away from the landing shelf and into the ancient cavern network beyond.

"You have not seen where I truly live yet, and I think you will find my home to be far less severe than the rest of this planet suggests."

As they walked, the howling wind of the canyon dulled into a distant hum within the stone corridor, and she kept her arm lightly threaded with his, grounding them both in the quiet of the moment. She offered him a small, lingering glance, her voice dropping to a near-whisper.

"You are safe here, Kallous...and you are very welcome."

Kallous

 

[Kallous]

"Ask and ye shall receive." He responded in good humor as she stepped closer and began to look him over. He was certainly more humbly clad than the last time he'd seen her, gone were the black boots polished to a mirror shine, gone was a uniform pressed perfectly until it was sharp as a knife's edge. But the one thing that did remain was how he carried himself. He felt relieved of a burden, and that let him stand tall and proud the way he did before the past few weeks' events. In spite of his humble attire, he still had the bearing of a powerful man. She made her comment and he answered, "I feel lighter. I must confess coming here to see you has lifted much from me, someting I am deeply grateful for."

She slipped her arm through his and he gladly opened it up for her. It felt right, to be arm-in-arm with her, it was as grounding as she intended it to be. She became an anchor for him, keeping his mind in the present and off of the past where it had been dwelling. Even in this tumultuous place, where the force was chaotic and violent, she was providing him an island of calm where he could remain entirely untouched by the maelstrom.

Her mention that she couldn't offer the luxuries that the core worlds might offer earned an amused smile from him. "I didn't come here expecting you to coddle me Seren. I need nothing more than a place to sleep for a time. Though since you're offering..." He considered for a moment, her offer of a meal seemed quite good. He wasn't some spoiled nobleman who demanded every privilege be afforded him, but neither was he a Jedi who denied himself all worldly things, and he found himself looking forward to what she had in mind. "Surprise me. I'd like to see what you have in mind, I trust I'll enjoy whatever it is you prepare. And I likewise look forward to seeing your home."

They walked a short ways, and she reassured him of his safety, which again earned a smile from him. Her concern was palpable, which he considered unecessary, but very endearing nevertheless. "Thank you Seren. From the bottom of my heart, thank you."

Seren Gwyn