Legacies

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

Vrak returned a few hours later, having conducted a series of Council meetings.

Despite his own melancholy about the current situation the Rest of The Council was ecstatic. They knew nothing of Vraks plight and none of them suspected anything was wrong. To them Kaas was the grand victory that they had been waiting for. They had won, they had taken back their home, and now the future always bright than ever. They saw this as an opportunity for something more, for further conquest.

Vrak disagreed, but he kept himself quiet. Instead of his usual arguing and and pushing of an agenda he had stayed quiet during the sessions. None of the other four Councilors had noticed of course, all of them too consumed with their own agendas. Eventually the meetings had ended, and Vrak returned to his penthouse.

The door sealed shut behind him, his gaze drifting over the empty space. He spotted Sera’s shoes in the corner of the room, indicating that she had at least arrived back.

He frowned for a moment, then slowly began to wander through the apartment.

The Pureblood poked his head through each room, peeking in just for a moment to see if his Twi’lek was hiding there. Eventually he found her within the bedroom, buried beneath bedding and pillows.

He watched her for half a moment, then slowly moved over towards the bed.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

She knew he was there long before he entered the room. She sensed him. The rings on each of her lek made sure of that. She'd grown accustomed to the pattern of his footsteps, the vibrations that he alone made when he approached. She was hardly asleep, though she pretended to be. Her eyes remained closed, even as he made his way towards her. No movement came from beneath the blankets. No mumble, or groan. Just silence.

A decision hadn't yet been fully made as to what her plan would be to explain away her sickness.

Perhaps the droid was wrong, though she knew the likelihood was minuscule. Still, she needed a reason to explain her ailment. If he had been frustrated and angry before, having discovered the holocron he had kept contained nothing more than a history of the Sith, her imagination of what he would feel should she decided to reveal her sickness ran wild.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

The Pureblood said nothing as he slowly lowered himself onto the bed.

A sigh escaped his lips, his eyes slowly passing over Seraphina's supposedly slumbering form. He watched her for a few moments, not moving. He wasn't entirely sure whether she was actually asleep, and in truth he didn't really care. She had claimed she'd only needed rest, and perhaps her trip to the doctor had confirmed as much.

A moment more passed, and then he slowly reached out.

His finger gently passed over one of her Lekku, a very gentle trace that passed along the length of her tattoos.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

The instant his hand ran over her skin her eyes opened. She turned halfway, her hands taking hold of her lekku and pulling them beneath the pillow and away from him. From beneath the fabric her muffled voice came through, though it may have been a bit difficult to hear, but she didn't want him staring at her with the same judgemental glare he'd given her earlier.

"Report said I need rest. Said this is normal. Don't need medication. I'm not dying."

All true. And circumvented the probable questions that would follow, perhaps allowing her some time to consider further her options.

"No need to worry."

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

”I see.” Vrak stated flatly.

There was no accusation in his tone, though neither was there concern.

She was sick enough that he had noticed it, and that was enough to have warranted a check up. Apparently nothing had been found, and Vrak believed her, but by his nature the Sith Lord was always suspicious.

”What is it?” Again there was no accusation in his tone. ”The illness?

As he spoke his hand reached up and attempted to pull the pillow from her face.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Why couldn't he just leave it be?

What was she to say now? She wasn't a doctor, and only knew of so many common illnesses, none of which generally lasted as long as she'd been symptomatic for. Perhaps she could just make something up that sounded medical based and he would take her word for it. Or maybe she could simply coin a term with a double meaning and be done with it.

The latter option sounded the best in her head.

"It's Enceinte Sickness." She said just as Vrak pulled the pillow from her head.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

Vrak glanced down at Seraphina. His lips thinned for a moment but again his lack of knowledge on the medical came back to bite him.

The Sith stayed quiet for a moment.

”I see.” He repeated himself once more, looking down at her. She had gone pale, more so than before.

Vrak frowned.

”How long until you are well?” That was the important question. ”Days? Weeks?”

He could deal with the former, the latter? Not so much.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

He doesn't understand. Good.

When she finally looked over at him it was obvious to her that he hadn't understood what she had said. That was at least a momentary relief, though in retrospect if he decided to ask anyone with a bit more knowledge it would likely come back to bite her, even though she technically spoke the truth. She hadn't lied, he just didn't understand what the full extent was.

"Uncertain. Could be tomorrow, could be next week, could be three months."

Though that was still the case, she didn't know when she would feel normal again, but she had an entirely new set of problems at hand now that she knew what was wrong with her. Not the least of which was being able to do most of the jobs he asked of her. But that was a problem for later. Right now, the ability to keep her composure was the most pressing.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

The news was not welcome. Seraphina was useful to him because she acted as an assassin, a versatile tool that could kill at command and do things his other agents could not. If she was sick her jobs were compromised for half a dozen different reasons. It was more bad news on top of what he had already received on that day.

Unwelcome and unwanted.

For a moment more Vrak lingered, his gaze locked on her features. She did appear sickly, there was no doubt in his mind about that, but it was simply inconvenient. A sigh escaped his lips and slowly his hand settled on her cheek.

He felt the heat of her skin, then slowly allowed his finger to travel down.

His palm traced gently around her neck, almost as if in study.

The Sith Lord seemed to explore, almost as if in question of something. He believed her, at least in part, but there was still a lingering thought. Perhaps not of deception, but something unsaid.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

The woman's eye twitched as Vrak dragged his finger, then hand, around her neck. Behind closed lips her teeth pressed together tightly, as if she half expected him to choke her back to sleep in a fit of anger. Green orbs watched his finger for a long minute, before shifting upwards towards the Sith. No words came, just silent observance. There was little she could do or say in the moment. In the state she was in, she was without purpose to him, lesser even than the common slaves that worked to bring Kaas back to its' former glory.

Swallowing the knot in the center of her throat was difficult, all the while her eyes strained not to blink.

"You asked."

She had protested seeing a medical droid, but he had essentially demanded that she do so. The news wasn't what he wanted to hear, but it was what it was.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

The Pureblood looked down at the woman, his gaze settling on her. Their eyes met, the Sith watching Sera.

”I did.” Vrak admitted.

He had wanted her to go to the med droid and he didn't regret the decision either. It was better to know than to be left guessing. The Sith frowned for a few moments more before continuing on however.

His palm slowly slid lower, away from her neck and slowly down her body until it eventually settled upon her stomach.

”Are you concerned? He queried. ”Worried i'll toss you aside?

There was no mocking in his tone, his question was genuine.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

"No."

She was only nervous of that hand that was uncomfortably close to her throat. The hand that could very easily prevent her from breathing should he have chosen to do so. Being fatigued as she was, fending him off in this state would be a challenging prospect. Would he do it? Simply to test her resolve? Maybe. He was often times unpredictable with his rage. Assuming that he would never direct that towards her would be a mistake.

"You need me, even now, like this."

An awfully assertive statement, but she was still as bold as she had been before, unwilling to admit vulnerability or weakness.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

He couldn't help but chuckle at her words, a laugh forced from his lips for the first time in what seemed like days.

”Do I?” Amusement was not kept from his voice. ”And what…”

He trailed off for a moment as his finger traced over her skin. ”Do you suppose I need you for now?”

He glanced down at her.

”Bedridden and in need of rest?” The smiled still lingered on his face.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

For half a moment she pondered whether or not he did in fact understand the words she'd muttered just moments ago, and was testing to see whether or not he could rile her up enough to simply state what it was that she truly meant by those words. Still, she stuck to her resistance.

Her hand swatted away his from her. Eyes glaring up at his.

"Because you still need a voice of reason."

Slowly she pushed herself up a bit, her back against the headboard of the bed.

"You need council, advice. And I'm the one you come to for it."

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

His hand was swatted away, though he did not retract it entirely. Instead he allowed his palm to rest upon her leg, watching as she scooted herself up in the bed.

She was right in a way. Sera was more than just an assassin, she was a counter measure. Vrak was well aware of his rages, and he was well aware that at times he simply lacked the full picture of things around him. Seraphina helped provide that full picture. More importantly however she did it from a stand point that was...mostly, independant. She had no stake in the Empire one way or another and was simply interested in what was best for Herself, and thus by extension Vrak.

"Ah." He countered. "I see."

Vrak slowly leaned closer to her. "So you imagine yourself at my side, even now."

There was no amusement in his tone now. They had once held this discussion before, where her place was. They both knew her words were technically correct, and they both knew she wasn't going anywhere, but that wasn't why he steered this conversation the way it was going.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

The air of the conversation was mildly uncomfortable. The way he questioned her and the statements he made were alluding to something else, or so it seemed. Perhaps he was trying to unravel the meaning of her sickness by further prodding her. Yes, surely that was what he was after. His own lack of understanding was the driving force behind digging deeper with more questions.

She knew he didn't understand what she had said, otherwise his reaction would have been far more surprised than the complete lack of emotion he had given to her when she told him. That to her meant that he was searching for clues,

"I imagine that even as I am, you can't afford to lose me."

Nor would she admit that she needed him for anything.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

The amusement returned.

"I see." Vrak stated, his hand still lingering. "So you imagine it's me who can't do without you."

The idea had some merit. Without Seraphina he would certainly be far more brash and perhaps his rise to power would have been slower, but he hardly needed her. That was his opinion on the subject matter anyway. His eyes scanned her one more time.

"You don't think it's the other way around?" He was well aware that she could live on her own wealth and means, that she could have a dozen palaces, but by now he had noticed that she stuck around for more than just that. Perhaps it was because she sought purpose, though Vrak suspected other reasons.

He slowly leaned closer to her.

"That perhaps." He smiled as he nearly brushed her lips with his own. "You stay because you want to?"

He mused. "Because you cant stand the thought of someone else at my side."

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

"Because anyone else is incompetent. Otherwise, you'd not have me here in the first place. I'm here because you don't want anyone else here."

Now that she understood her ailment however, she had to consider the words each of them were saying. What he had said back in the chamber beneath the citadel was that all that he was building within the empire now, it was all that would be of his legacy. In his head, that was true. In hers, a turbulent ocean of thoughts were pouring over her. Would he reject her? Deny the truth of it outright? She was not Sith, any more than he was Twi'lek. She hadn't quite considered the possibility, as low as it were, that this would be the situation she found herself in.

Did she want to stay? Would it even be safe? Vrak wasn't exactly the shining light of example, and the Sith had their culture, one she hardly agreed with.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

She was right of course, but the chances of him ever admitting that were low.

”That doesn’t answer my question, dear.” She had always attempted to keep the balance of power in their relationship firmly on her side. It had worked until now because of the difference in their strength. Until recently she had been more powerful, but now? Now things had shifted.

She was still strong of course, more than his match, but unlike she he had an Empire to back him up.

”You stay.” He moved closer to her. ”Because you want to.”

She could have disappeared a thousand times by now. She had no slave collar, no tracking chip, and she was more than skill enough to avoid anyone he sent after her.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

"I stay because it is convenient."

Pulling back her legs Sera pushed Vrak with one foot away from her. She wanted time to think about the news she'd been given. Needed time to consider whether or not telling him was the right decision, whether or not keeping it was the right decision. If not, she would need to find a way to hide her state from him somehow. That would prove far more difficult if she stuck around through to term.

"Don't think you own me like property."

[member="Vrak Nashar"]