Private From Caves to Forests

[Seren Gwyn]

Seren heard the distinct, honest rumble of his hunger before she even caught the sheepish look on Kallous' face, and the corner of her mouth lifted in a quiet, dancing amusement. She didn't let out a laugh, but the shimmering warmth in her amber eyes made it clear that she found his body's lack of pretense more endearing than any formal compliment he could have offered.

"That is perhaps the most honest review of my cooking I have ever received," she said gently, her voice rippling with a soft, melodic humor.

She returned her attention to the stove, her hand moving in a slow, meditative circle as she stirred the thick stew. The broth bubbled in a steady, rhythmic pulse around the softening potatoes and fragrant herbs, releasing a deepening scent that seemed to weave through the cave like a physical embrace, pushing back the ancient chill of the planet outside.

"Just a little while longer, and the wait will be over," she promised, her gaze fixed on the steam rising from the pot.

Reaching for the kettle that had been resting at the edge of the heat, she watched as the first whispers of steam began to curl from the spout like silver ribbon. With practiced, graceful movements, she poured the scalding water into two simple ceramic cups and added a careful pinch of dried, fragrant leaves from a glass jar, the scent of the tea blooming instantly in the air.

"This is a mild, grounding blend," she explained as she worked, her fingers brushing the ceramic. "A recipe I put together after spending far too many restless nights listening to the silence of this world."

She stepped closer to hand one of the cups to him, the gentle heat of the tea radiating between their palms as their fingers nearly brushed in the exchange.

"It should help settle that honest stomach of yours while the stew finishes its work."

Seren took her own cup and leaned her weight lightly against the stone counter, allowing the quiet symphony of the simmering broth and the faint, rhythmic crackle of the cooking fire to fill the comfortable space between them. Her gaze drifted briefly across the home she had carved from the rock before settling back on him with an intensity that felt like a quiet, steady anchor.

"You truly do not have to worry about making a mess or disturbing the order of things here," she added, her voice dropping into a register that was both calm and profoundly genuine. "Homes are meant to be lived in, and stones were meant to be worn down by the presence of others."

She lifted her cup slightly, letting the steam warm her face before taking a slow, thoughtful sip.

"Besides…the silence here is quite vast, and I find that it is remarkably nice to finally have someone here to share the waiting with."

Kallous

 

[Kallous]

His embarrassment at his stomach's refusal to remain silent was made only worse by her teasing jibes at him. Reassurances that the wait wouldn't be long and that his stomach was "honest". He couldn't help but smile, relieved that she took that in good humor. After all if there was one thing he refused to do it was to be rude in the face of her hospitality. He was still trying to will his traitorous gut to be silent when she began to fix the tea for the two of them, making a simple mixture as tea tended to be, and handing him one of the two cups made while they waited for the stew to simmer.

He took the cup from her with a grateful nod, and took a sip. He savored the taste for a moment, the hot beverage settling in his mouth a few moments before he swallowed it down. It was a tea he'd never tasted before, though he'd had very few in his life. But it did in fact work as advertised, and his agitated belly became far less insistent. At least for the time being. And on top of that, he felt more of the stress he'd been under melt away. This recipe of hers helping to calm his, admittedly overactive, mind.

"Apologies. I've never truly been a guest in anyone's home prior to now. I suppose I'm not fully acquainted to it. I'm not used to being offered such things so freely." He said absently. "Though I'm glad to be here. How long have you been here for? I take it it's been some years."

Truly he wasn't able to fully banish the worry that he might overstep somehow, but he tried to push that out of his mind. She'd opened her home to him, and he didn't want to depress her by constantly tiptoeing around things that she had already reassured him of.

He placed his back comfortably against the doorframe leading out of the kitchen, unconsciously making sure he could see the doorway leading outside more out of habit than intent. If someone came in with the intent to do harm, he wanted to be able to see them straightaway.

He took another sip of his tea, and let out a content sigh. "It's strange. I've only ever found true stillness in two places before meeting you. When I was meditating, and strangely enough when I was fighting. I don't mean physical stillness mind you, the kind of stillness that brings peace of mind. Absolute certainty and... peace. Yet now I'm here, simply existing in such a mundane way, and... I feel at peace."

It was a statement made almost absentmindedly, as if he weren't entirely aware he was saying it aloud. Like he was parsing through this as he spoke, contemplating, thinking with his words. He didn't fully understand why being in this place, doing such simple things as enjoying a cup of tea with a treasured friend in her home, gave him that feeling. All he knew at this point was that it did, and he was pondering this.

Seren Gwyn

 

[Seren Gwyn]

Seren listened quietly as he spoke, her cup cradled lightly between both hands while the steam curled upward in soft spirals, mirroring the quiet thoughts drifting between them. She watched the way he relaxed little by little, the tension in his shoulders easing as the tea settled him; the shift was subtle, a softening of a warrior's edge that she found herself quietly appreciating.

When he apologized, her expression softened with a faint, knowing smile that reached her amber eyes.

"There is truly nothing to apologize for, Kallous," she said gently, her voice like silk over stone. "Everyone remains a stranger to hospitality until they find a place that finally invites them to set their burdens down for the first time."

She took a slow, deliberate sip of her tea before answering his question, her gaze drifting briefly toward the stone walls that felt far less cold now that they weren't alone.

"I have called this silence home for a few years now, though time often feels secondary to the shadows here."

Her fingers brushed the rim of the cup as she spoke, a rhythmic, thoughtful motion.

"I stumbled upon these depths back when Malachor was still held firmly in the grip of the Dark Court, long before I had shaped the darkness here to suit my own needs."

There was a small, flickering hint of amusement in her eyes at the memory.

"It was far less welcoming then, a place of sharp edges and cold echoes. Much like the people who once claimed to rule it."

Her gaze returned to him, studying the way he leaned against the doorway and unconsciously positioned himself to watch the entrance. A habit of vigilance she recognized as a mirror of her own, though she chose to let the observation remain a shared, unspoken secret.

When he spoke about peace, however, her attention sharpened, the atmosphere in the small kitchen shifting from casual to something far more focused. Seren watched him over the rim of her cup as he worked through the thought aloud, the quiet honesty of his admission making the corner of her mouth lift in a genuine, lingering smile.

"That is not strange at all, though it is a rare thing to hear a man like you admit to such a feeling so freely," she replied softly.

She set the cup down beside the stove and gave the stew another slow, rhythmic stir, the broth bubbling steadily now and releasing a rich, grounding scent as the ingredients finally began to thicken together.

"While meditation is designed to quiet the mind through discipline, I've often found that combat simply forces the mind to become quiet through the sheer necessity of survival."

She glanced back at him, her silhouette framed by the warmth of the stove.

"But peace is a fickle thing; it does not belong only to those extremes of silence or violence, no matter how much we are taught to believe otherwise."

The spoon tapped gently against the side of the pot, a sharp, domestic sound in the quiet room, before she continued.

"Sometimes, if you are willing to look for it, peace appears in the most ordinary and unassuming places."

Her gaze lingered on him for a moment longer than necessary, tracing the lines of his face with a bold, quiet curiosity. She lifted her tea again, taking another slow sip before adding with a faint, unmistakable glimmer of teasing warmth in her voice.

"For example…I find it right here, among the kitchens, the tea, and the company of dangerously honest stomachs."

Kallous

 

[Kallous]

"Malachor was even less welcoming was it? If that were the case I imagine it was on par with the welcoming atmosphere of Korriban." He said in quiet jest. He didn't know if Seren had ever been to that red planet. He had however, and he remembered his upbringing in the halls of that forboding academy. Meant to raise generation after generation of the Galaxy's cruellest and most ruthless butchers and torturers. A place that did its utmost to
kill the light in one's soul and leave them little more than a black void that sought only to devour everything put before it.

He found himself hoping she never had to visit that place. Malachor itself was bad enough, even now with its darkness steadily fading away.

"I know they took you in Seren, gave you some measure of belonging and safety. But..." He considered his words carefully, "But I think you are far better without them to pull at you. Even the most resolute people, if surrounded by wickedness for long enough, start to see the logic behind making compromises. I'm glad that you aren't around that anymore."

The suddenly serious subject was something he wasn't sure he should regret or not. He hadn't intended to upset their peaceful moment. Though after a second it didn't seem to him like that peace had been disrupted, rather it had only been acknowledged. Now by both parties. That such a simple thing as a conversation among friends could bring such profound, pleasant stillness.

She began to make her own comments on the nature of peace, and her closing remark was enough to make his head slump as a quiet chuckle split his face with a smile he couldn't keep down.

"I'm never living that down am I?" He asked, before taking another sip of his tea.

Seren Gwyn

 

[Seren Gwyn]

Seren listened as he spoke of Malachor and Korriban, the names carrying their own heavy gravity in the quiet, sheltered space of the cave. At the mention of the Dark Court, her expression grew thoughtful and distant, though her features remained clear of any lingering longing or regret.

"Korriban is… harsher," she admitted softly, her voice barely rising above the crackle of the fire. "Malachor can be cruel in its own right, but it also possesses a certain capacity for silence that the sands of Korriban lack."

Her gaze drifted briefly toward the uneven stone of the cave walls as if she were vividly remembering the years she had spent sequestered there, then returned to him with a deepening warmth when he spoke of her decision to leave the Court behind.

"You are not wrong in that assessment," she said, lifting her cup once more as the aromatic steam rose in a delicate veil between them. "It is dangerously easy to start believing a life is normal simply because you have lived inside it for so long."

Her voice remained characteristic of her usual calm, yet a layer of quiet gratitude sat just beneath the surface of her words.

"Leaving that life gave me the rare chance to decide exactly who I was meant to be, without the influence of others constantly defining the edges of my existence."

When his sudden chuckle broke the weight of the moment, Seren's lips curved again with that same gentle amusement, her eyes sparkling as he asked if he would ever truly live down his stomach's ill-timed betrayal. She considered him over the rim of her cup for a lingering moment, letting the silence stretch just long enough to be playful.

"Eventually, I suppose," she finally answered, her tone carrying a soft note of mercy that suggested she was enjoying the teasing far too much to stop just yet. "Though I wouldn't count on that happening tonight."

Setting her cup down, she leaned slightly against the counter, noting how the scent of the stew had grown richer and more savory as it thickened over the heat.

"After all," she added with a light tilt of her head, "it is exceedingly rare that a guest offers such an enthusiastic, unsolicited review before they have even had the chance to taste the food."

Her gaze lingered on him for a moment longer, appearing genuinely warm and welcoming as she gave him a small, knowing look.

"I might have to hold onto that compliment and enjoy it for a little while longer."

Kallous

 

[Kallous]

Her admission that she intended to tease him a little more about the honesty of his stomach earned a sigh of bemusement. The truth was he hadn't eaten in some time, with the chaos of his mission immediately following the disappearance of the diarchs, then his escorting Iandre Athlea to safety afterwards, followed then by his fruitless meditations had taken his attention away from such basic needs. It had been some days since his last meal, and his stomach decided it had had enough, and demanded it be fed. Especially now that such a heavenly scent was in the air that promised a feast unlike any he'd ever had previously.

He supposed a little teasing was warranted.

"I am pleased that you took it that way." He told her with a chuckle. "I won't lie it smells heavenly. I imagine it will settle my rebellious body down quite nicely once it's ready."

He too finished off his tea, letting out a contented sigh once it was done, and setting his own cup aside and letting his head rest against the wall behind him. It was perhaps the most relaxed he had ever been in his life. He'd been calm to be sure, but calm wasn't the same. Whenever he pondered or meditated or studied, he was calm. But his long years of struggle had ingrained in him a perpetual alertness that had never left him alone, not until now. Right now he had allowed his guard to drop altogether, simply enjoying the time he was spending here with her.

It was a strange feeling, but a good one, to be so lax.

Seren Gwyn

 

[Seren Gwyn]

Seren watched him settle against the uneven stone of the wall, noting with a quiet sort of satisfaction how the rigid tension finally began to drain from his posture in a way that felt almost tangible. It was a subtle, incremental change, but her eyes were trained to catch the shifting of shadows and the release of breath; for someone who usually carried the weight of constant vigilance like a second skin, seeing him finally surrender to the stillness of the cave felt like witnessing something rare and precious.

She lingered over the last sip of her tea, the warmth of the ceramic bowl seeping into her palms, before setting it aside to turn her full attention back to the heavy iron pot. The stew had transformed in the time they had spent talking, the broth thickening into a dark, rich velvet as the wild herbs and tender meat finally surrendered their individual essences to the heat.

"Your rebellious body is not entirely wrong to demand its due," she said, her voice light and melodic as she stirred the pot with a slow, rhythmic motion that seemed to mimic the slow pulse of the earth. "It has been remarkably patient through all our talk, but even the strongest will eventually have to answer to its own nature."

A small, fragrant curl of steam rose from the surface to brush against her cheek as she lifted the spoon, tasting the broth with a thoughtful expression before giving a small, satisfied nod.

"The wait is nearly over, I promise; it will not have to endure much longer before it is satisfied."

She reached for two simple, hand-turned bowls and set them on the counter beside the stove, her movements possessing an easy, unhurried grace that made the act of serving food feel like a continuation of a ritual. The quiet, steady rhythm of the cave, the crackle of the fire, and the drip of distant water seemed to harmonize perfectly with the peaceful pace of her cooking.

After a moment of quiet preparation, she glanced back at him over her shoulder, her amber eyes catching the firelight.

"Though I feel I should offer you a fair warning," she added, a faint glimmer of playful mischief dancing in her gaze. "If your stomach decides to make another announcement quite as honest as the last one, I may find myself forced to take it as a formal compliment to my culinary skills."

She began to ladle the stew into the first bowl, the rich, savory scent blooming in the air and filling every corner of the cave with a sense of home and safety.

"And compliments given with such unfiltered honesty are quite difficult for a host to ignore, no matter how humble the meal."

Setting the first steaming bowl aside for him, Seren leaned back against the counter, her posture relaxed as she watched him with a soft, welcoming smile that reached far deeper than mere politeness.

"Besides," she added gently, her tone dropping into a warmer, more intimate register, "it is truly a pleasant thing to see you relax your guard, if only for a few moments. You look far more comfortable here in the heart of the shadows than you did when you first arrived at my threshold."

She tilted her head just a fraction, the teasing warmth returning to her expression like the sun peeking through the clouds.

"Though I suspect the tangible promise of a hot meal may be doing quite a bit of the heavy lifting in that regard."

She reached into one of the lower cabinets and pulled out two spoons and the second bowl, setting them beside the one already filled before glancing back toward him.

"Would you mind setting these on the table for us?"

Kallous

 

[Kallous]

She was as merciless and pitiless as they came.

Spending the better part of a minute to playfully mock his rumbling stomach, and its insistence on being fed sooner rather than later. Her mockery landing like blows one after another while he could muster no defense. She even made the effort to be a little eloquent about it. Her lighthearted jesting forced a smile on his face that he couldn't suppress if he tried to, and whatever remnants of stress remained melted away.

And much to his chagrin, and likely her delight, when she began serving up the bowls for them so they might finally sit down to eat, his stomach once again decided to make its impatience known. This time a longer rumble that might shake the floor beneath him and was clearly audible in the quiet kitchen. Kallous in his embarrassment wouldn't be surprised if the sound had echoed all the way outside Seren's home.

He pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation that he was unable to prevent his body from betraying him again.

He didn't even acknowledge that it happened beyond that, wordlessly moving to take the bowls and silverware to set them on the table for the pair of them. When Seren came out he would pull her chair out for her, ever striving to be a gentleman despite his core's recent vulgarities.

"Thank you for cooking Seren." He would tell her as he likewise took his seat.

Seren Gwyn

 

[Seren Gwyn]

Seren did not comment on the second rumble, though the faint curve at the corner of her lips suggested she had heard it perfectly well. Instead, she finished filling the bowls and moved with the same unhurried grace that had defined her movements all evening.

Before joining him at the table, she reached for two simple glasses and filled them from a tall ceramic pitcher resting on the counter. The cool water caught the firelight as she carried them over, setting one beside his bowl and the other near the seat he had drawn out for her.

"You are very welcome, Kallous," she said warmly.

She slipped into the chair he had pulled out for her with a small, appreciative nod, the gesture of courtesy not going unnoticed. Once seated, she folded her hands loosely for a moment beside her bowl, taking in the quiet scene across from her.

The soft glow of the firelight, the steam rising from the stew, and the simple table between them made the cave feel smaller somehow, more intimate than it had been earlier.

"It has been a long time since I have had someone to cook for," she continued gently, her tone relaxed and sincere. "Sharing a meal always seems to make a place feel more alive."

She lifted her spoon, the faintest glimmer of playful warmth returning to her eyes as she glanced toward him.

"Please…eat before your poor body decides to stage another protest."

Then she dipped her spoon into the stew, finally beginning her own meal as the quiet comfort of the cave settled around them.

Kallous

 

[Kallous]

His grave had be dug, it was only a matter of time before he was buried.

Though he couldn't do much to save face anymore so he simply sat down across from his host to enjoy the meal she'd prepared for him. And at her prodding he did indeed begin to eat before something else happened to further destroy whatever semblance of pride he had remaining.

He took up his spoon, took a scoop of the stew she'd prepared for them, and lifted it to his mouth. The taste was, in a word, immaculate, and he took a second or two to truly appreciate the flavor before swallowing it down to take in another mouthful. He was too busy enjoying the food she'd prepared to make conversation, he'd verbally thanked her for cooking but his appreciation for her skill in meal preparation went well beyond mere "thank yous". He tried not to hurry, but it wasn't long before he was done with his bowl, and sighing with total contentment, his stomach satisfied.

"Seren... that was easily the best meal I think I've ever had." He told her earnestly. "No flattery or exaggeration, I do not think I've ever had anything quite this good before."

To think that something so simple as a bunch of hearty ingredients thrown into water and boiled for a little while could be so filling. He needed to study this too. He doubted he'd reach such culinary excellence as she clearly had, but he definitely wanted to make food approaching this caliber once he had something figured out and could actually settle down himself.

Seren Gwyn

 

[Seren Gwyn]

Seren ate at a slow, unhurried pace, her attention drifting peacefully between the simple, grounding comfort of the meal and the way Kallous seemed to be rediscovering the primitive joy of eating with every spoonful. She remained a quiet, companionable presence while he focused entirely on his bowl, consciously allowing him the necessary space to savor the food without the intrusion of idle conversation. The interior of the cave held a heavy, tranquil silence, broken only by the soft, rhythmic clink of spoons against ceramic and the intermittent, comforting crackle of the dying fire.

When he finally finished and leaned back with a deep, bone-weary sigh of satisfaction, her amber eyes lifted to meet his, sparkling with a touch of quiet, observant curiosity.

She waited a heartbeat after he spoke, simply watching the firelight play across his features as she weighed the unmistakable sincerity in his voice. There had been no hint of exaggeration in his tone, nor was there any sense of polite courtesy offered merely for the sake of manners; it was a compliment that felt entirely, refreshingly genuine.

A small, genuine smile slowly found its way across her face, softening the usual sharp lines of her composure.

"That is truly very kind of you to say, and I appreciate the sentiment more than I can likely express," she replied, her voice carrying a resonant warmth that seemed to fill the small space between them. "But I suspect that a long day and a persistent hunger may have done more to improve my reputation as a cook than the actual ingredients in the pot."

She lifted another spoonful from her own bowl, though her eyes never quite left him, maintaining a steady and welcoming connection.

"Stew has always been the quintessential traveler's meal, hasn't it?" she continued gently, the steam from her bowl curling upward like a living thing. "It is simple by design, almost humble in its nature, because the true trick isn't found in making the recipe complicated or using rare spices. The real magic lies in having the stillness to let the ingredients take their time to blend together properly."

Her gaze drifted briefly toward the heavy iron pot still resting near the edge of the fire, where the last of the embers cast a dull, orange glow against the metal.

"In the end, I find that patience usually does the vast majority of the work for me."

Then she looked back at him, the soft warmth returning to her expression with an even greater intensity than before.

"Though regardless of the reason, I am truly glad that you found some enjoyment in it tonight."

There was a quiet, unmistakable softness in her voice now, one that spoke of a deep appreciation for the company.

"A meal always seems to taste better when it is shared with someone else, rather than eaten in the lonely quiet of one's own thoughts."

After a moment of comfortable silence, she gestured lightly with a slender hand toward his empty bowl, an unspoken invitation to stay a while longer.

"If you find that you are still hungry, please know that there is plenty more waiting for you in the pot."

The faintest trace of playful, teasing warmth touched her eyes as she settled back against her seat.

"After all, your stomach has already made its very vocal position on the matter quite clear, and I would hate to be the one to argue with such a persuasive advocate."

Kallous

 

[Kallous]

The meal was eaten in comfortable silence, Kallous making an effort to keep his manners. Though this didn't seem to slow him down in the slightest.

Seren expressed her appreciation for his praise, and suggested that it was his hunger that made the meal she'd made taste as good as it had. And he shook his head gently. "I must disagree. I have been hungry many times before. In truth I think it tastes as good as it does because it's you who made it."

This was said in the same manner Kallous usually spoke, no tiptoeing and no deception. He made efforts to have tact when it was needed, but at the end of the day Kallous was perhaps one of the most earnest and straightforward people in the galaxy. And he was likewise expressive, a true open book. Seren would be able to read him like one even without trying. He meant what he said.

"Oh is there?" He asked, already getting up to get a second helping. "Well then I'd hate to let it go to waste. The old grumbler of mine might require an excess of force to keep it subdued."

He would depart for the kitchen, fill his bowl again, and then sit back down across from her to continue eating.

Seren Gwyn

 

[Seren Gwyn]

Seren watched him rise and head back toward the kitchen with a quiet, lingering sort of amusement that had begun to settle naturally into her expression over the course of the evening, marking a rare departure from her usual guarded composure. She made no move to stop him or offer a protest against the second helping, choosing instead to rest her elbow lightly against the table while her fingers folded loosely together, her gaze following his movements with a sense of calm, genuine interest.

When he finally returned to the table with his refilled bowl and settled back into his seat, the faintest, most translucent smile touched her lips once again, catching the light of the hearth.

"If that old grumbler of a stomach requires a second helping of stew simply to remain peaceful and content, then I suppose it would be incredibly poor hospitality of me to offer even the slightest objection," she said, her voice dropping into a gentle, melodic register.

Her amber eyes lingered on his face for a long moment as he resumed eating, noting how he seemed to be enjoying the meal without any lingering attempt to hide his satisfaction, and she found there was something strangely, unexpectedly pleasant about witnessing that kind of simple, unvarnished honesty.

"Besides," she continued, her tone shifting into something significantly warmer and more lightly teasing, "there is a certain quiet satisfaction in being the one behind the stove, as watching someone truly enjoy a meal this much is often its own greatest reward for the cook."

She took another slow, deliberate spoonful from her own bowl, watching the steam curl lazily in the air between them like a fading ghost before it vanished into the shadows of the cave.

When he had spoken earlier about the stew tasting better simply because she had been the one to prepare it, Seren had not found the words to answer him immediately; now, in the comfortable lull of the meal, she finally did, her voice growing noticeably softer and more intimate.

"That is an incredibly generous explanation for you to offer me," she said, glancing up to meet his eyes with a look that suggested she was seeing further than the surface. "Though I suspect, if we are being honest, that the truth behind the flavor is likely much simpler than any secret ingredient of mine."

The faint, unmistakable glimmer of playful warmth returned to the depths of her eyes, dancing there like a spark in the dark.

"A hungry man, a quiet home, and a hot meal shared in good company tend to make even the most simple of foods feel like something entirely extraordinary."

She rested her spoon lightly against the rim of her bowl for a moment, letting the silence of the room wrap around them both like a blanket.

"Still…regardless of the reason, I am truly glad to see that you are enjoying it as much as you are."

Her smile softened even further, losing the last of its playful edge to become something deeply sincere.

"You look like someone who needed the comfort of a proper, hot meal far more than you were ever going to be willing to admit to me or perhaps even to yourself."

Kallous

 

[Kallous]

With his seconds secured he settled back into his chair and scooted in. Though with his first round of food settling in his stomach, he found himself able to slow down a little and properly savor the delicious food she had prepared. He'd take another bite and let out a happy sigh as the taste saturated his mouth and gave him a memory that would never leave him. All the while she made an effort to downplay the specialness of the food she'd prepared, and again he had to gently disagree with her.

"You're overthinking it Seren." he told her gently. "There are plenty of places I could have gotten a hot meal from, I could have hunted something and cooked its meat over an open fire. I've gotten pretty decent at that. I've never known a quiet home and find comfort in places out in the wilds. And I'm new to the concept of good company. No... I think this meal is especially good for an entirely different, far simpler reason. I think the simple fact that you're the one who made it was enough, no secret ingredients required."

"I will however agree with this point of yours. I definitely needed this, and definitely more than I would have admitted to." He said afterward, taking another spoonful of Seren's soup. "I think I've needed something like this for a while now."

He took in breath, "Now. Let's lean off of such heavy topics. It's occurred to me that I've never actually asked what it is you do. Up until recently I was... an officer of sorts. Though I don't think you've ever shared your profession with me. If you're a spy and you'll have to kill me if you tell then no need to feel pressured, but I'd like to know you more personally if I'm permitted such a privilege. Not just philosophical debates or conversations on the nature of the universe. What can you tell me about you?"

Seren Gwyn

 

[Seren Gwyn]

Seren listened quietly as he spoke, her spoon pausing halfway to the bowl as she let the weight of his words settle. The firelight flickered softly across her face, casting dancing shadows that seemed to lean in with her as she studied him, weighing the quiet sincerity in his voice. Kallous had a way of speaking that left very little room for doubt; there was no artifice behind his presence, no practiced attempt to impress or flatter, only the steady, unvarnished truth of a man who had seen too much to bother with lies.

For a long moment, she said nothing, allowing his explanation to drift between them like the fragrant steam rising from the stew, warming the space that usually sat empty in her home.

Then, a faint, genuine smile pulled at the corner of her mouth.

"You give the cook a great deal of credit for such a simple recipe," she said gently, her voice like velvet in the quiet of the cave. "Perhaps more than she truly deserves, though I suspect the hunger of a long journey is the finest seasoning any meal could ask for."

She lifted her spoon again, stirring the rich broth absently, though her focus remained entirely on him. She thought of his admission of the need for this stillness.

"I am glad you allowed yourself to accept the invitation, Kallous," she added, her tone dropping into something much softer, more personal. "Men who carry the weight of the galaxy on their shoulders rarely permit themselves the luxury of a simple comfort, but that is exactly why I asked you here. Every fire needs a hearth to return to, even if only for a night, to think about what comes after the smoke clears."

His next question drew a quiet, rhythmic breath from her, and the light in her amber eyes shifted from simple warmth into a deep, scholarly thoughtfulness.

"My profession," she echoed, the word tasting of a thousand different lives. She leaned back slightly in her chair, folding one arm across her middle while the other rested near her bowl, her posture relaxing as the barriers of host and guest began to dissolve into something more substantial.

"The answer to that usually depends entirely on who is asking and what day of the week it happens to be," she said, a faint spark of playful amusement returning to her gaze. "To the archivists, I am merely a persistent scholar. To the disgruntled, I am a mediator who steps in when conflicts grow a bit too…philosophical for their own good."

Her fingers lightly brushed the rim of her bowl, tracing the ancient patterns there before she looked back up, her expression turning open and unashamed.

"But if we are sitting here in the honesty of the firelight, the truest description would be that I am a sorcerer and an alchemist of the old ways. I spend my days studying the Force in the corners of the universe most people prefer to leave in the dark, investigating old disciplines and reviving knowledge that the rest of the galaxy has long since forgotten."

She said it plainly, without the theatrical weight or the looming darkness often associated with her craft.

"I have learned to shape the shadows into something tangible, to weave raw energy into cold objects and imbue them with a sense of purpose or a layer of protection. Some would call it magic, or perhaps something more sinister," she tilted her head slightly, the warmth returning to her tone as she watched him. "But in truth, it is simply a matter of patience, a great deal of focus, and a willingness to listen to the Force in those quiet, lonely places where others are far too afraid to look."

She paused, her eyes glimmering with a quiet, infectious humor that reached across the table.

"And, on the rare occasion that a weary traveler actually heeds my call, I use those same hands to cook stew for a friend who needs a place to finally unwind and remember who he is outside of his uniform."

She took a slow sip of her own meal, her gaze remaining fixed on his. "It is not the most glamorous profession in the galaxy, I suppose, but it keeps my life interesting, and it allows me to recognize when someone else is in need of a little bit of alchemy themselves."

Kallous

 

[Kallous]

The conversation went from the previous subjects to something that he found personally far more interesting than Seren's dismissal of her skills in the kitchen. She told him what it was she did, and he listened with rapt attention. Because he truly found the woman sitting across from him to be an interesting individual, one he sincerely wanted to know better. And as she went on telling him he found his interest growing, there was one particular point that made him pause for a moment to think, it sounded familiar in some manner, though he didn't spend a lot of time trying to remember, there were more important things to focus on at the moment.

Magics of various kinds, Alchemy and all other kinds of forgotten arts of the force. A subject that fascinated him on its own. She described what it was capable of, what she could do with these powers she studied. And he found himself thoroughly interested. Then she punctuated her explanation with another tease, making his smile grow just a tad bit.

"Weirdly enough... it feels like I've been repeating history in a way. When I slew my Master in the Sith I fled their space seeking answers to a question I'd never been faced with before. Then I didn't find peace or calm until the Diarchy took me in and gave me another uniform to wear. I don't think I've ever been without a uniform properly until now." He mused aloud. "Though this time I suppose I'm fortunate to have friends willing to help me up now that I've fallen down."

"So you study old Force Alchemy? As in the Imbuement of the Force into an object?" He asked curiously, leaning in, his curiosity piqued. "What does that process look like? What kind of objects do you produce and what kind of affects can you give them through the Force? I've never studied these things, so I'd like to hear from an expert."

Seren Gwyn

 

[Seren Gwyn]

Seren listened as he spoke about uniforms and the strange rhythm of his life repeating itself, her gaze softening slightly. There was no judgment in her expression, only the quiet understanding of someone who had seen many people stand at that same crossroads between who they were and who they might become.

She let him finish before answering, turning her spoon slowly through the last of the broth in her bowl.

"Sometimes history repeats because we are still trying to understand the lesson it was meant to teach us," she said gently. "But the fact that you see the pattern this time means you are not walking it blindly."

Her amber eyes lifted to his when he leaned forward with that sudden curiosity.

The shift in the conversation clearly amused her.

"Yes," she replied simply. "The imbuement of the Force into objects is one of the oldest branches of alchemy."

She rested her forearms lightly against the table now, the quiet scholar in her emerging.

"An object can be imbued to do almost anything if the one shaping it understands the Force well enough."

Her fingers traced the rim of the bowl again, thoughtful.

"Some are simple. A charm that sharpens the mind or steadies the emotions. Others might strengthen the bond between two people, or help a warrior focus their instincts in battle."

She glanced at him briefly, the faintest glimmer of playful warmth returning.

"There are also subtler effects. You cannot truly give someone a skill they have never practiced, but you can encourage their aptitude. A tool might guide a hand toward better precision. A ring might help someone feel the currents of the Force more clearly."

Seren leaned back slightly again.

"Protection, clarity, endurance, perception. The possibilities are…extensive."

A quiet smile tugged at her lips.

"Though the more powerful the effect, the more discipline and balance it requires from the one creating it."

She studied him for a moment, clearly enjoying the curiosity in his expression.

"If you are truly interested," she added lightly, "I could show you sometime."

The hint of mischief returned to her eyes.

"Alchemy is far easier to understand when you can see the process rather than hear someone lecture about it over stew."

Kallous

 

[Kallous]

He hadn't intended to be self-pitying, it was simply a thought back to what he used to be. A confused boy who had no idea what he was doing or where he was going. Someone who thought strength and dominance was all that mattered, but found that truth to be lacking and began blindly searching for something more than that. It almost made him laugh, how different he was now from what he was then. Almost unrecognizable.

Already the possibilities were going through his head, wondering just what he could do if he knew how to do this kind of thing. Though the practical were also mixed with the more experimental. From making an armor that was strong and lightweight to simply seeing how big he could make a sword that was still usable if forcibly lightened by force imbuement. He was sure that his limited imagination was only scratching the surface, but he could definitely see the use case of such a skill.

It was an absolute travesty that it had been forgotten by most, and an admirable thing to see someone keeping that practice alive and rediscovering its secrets.

Then she offered to show him, and he utterly missed the wicked glint in her expression. "I'd love to! If you're willing to show me I'd be delighted to learn."

That was one thing he certainly wouldn't miss the chance to witness. Especially with everything she was describing, he found such things positively enthralling.

Seren Gwyn

 

[Seren Gwyn]

Seren watched the quiet storm of curiosity move behind his eyes, fascinated by the way his thoughts seemed to race ahead into endless possibilities before he even had the chance to voice them aloud. It was not difficult for her to perceive the familiar path his mind was taking, for she had long observed that warriors instinctively imagined new weapons first, while builders sought stronger walls and scholars looked only for the comfort of final answers.

She did not interrupt the silence of the moment, preferring instead to rest her chin lightly against her knuckles while she studied him with an expression that held both a genuine warmth and a soft, quiet amusement.

When he accepted her offer with such unbridled eagerness, a faint hint of genuine laughter shimmered in her amber eyes, reflecting the pleasure she took in his company.

"Careful now, Kallous," she said gently, her voice like velvet in the quiet of the room. "You sound remarkably certain that you wish to step into the chaotic heart of a sorcerer's workshop, where the line between discovery and danger often thins to a whisper."

There was no real warning to be found in her tone, which carried only the light, melodic weight of playful curiosity and a growing fondness for the man before her.

"Alchemy has a particular way of turning a simple spark of curiosity into long, sleepless nights of experimentation and far too many complex questions for any truly sane person to answer," she added, her gaze never wavering from his.

She leaned back slightly in her chair, the flickering firelight catching in the molten amber of her eyes and casting long, dancing shadows across her features.

"Still…I find that I would truly enjoy showing you the things I have hidden away, for the secrets of my craft are far more vibrant when seen through your eyes."

Her voice softened a touch further as she continued, the intimacy of the space between them growing more palpable with every passing second.

"It is not something that was ever meant to remain locked away in dusty, forgotten archives forever, as knowledge of that magnitude only truly survives by being shared with those who possess the soul to respect it."

She paused, letting her gaze linger on his face for a long moment longer than was strictly necessary, silently acknowledging the bond that was deepening between them.

"And you, more than anyone I have met, strike me as someone who would ask the kind of very interesting questions that make the work worthwhile."

A small, knowing smile appeared on her lips again, one that suggested she was seeing much more than just a companion across the table.

"Besides…if I am going to invite a friend as dear as you into my sanctuary and provide for them, it seems only fair that I give you something far more memorable than a simple bowl of stew and a place by the fire."

Her tone warmed significantly as she spoke, the words now carrying a soft, unmistakable thread of teasing that spoke of her desire for him to stay.

"Though I must warn you, if you begin forging impossibly large and legendary swords with my humble assistance, I fully reserve the right to take at least partial credit for the magnificent results."

Kallous