Private Night of Landing

[Darth Metus]

P A L A C E , _R E G N UM
Shortly after Day of Landing

The Festivities carried long into the night.

Though the walls of the Palace were mighty, the din from the city streets yet penetrated. The laughter, shouts, and thunderous music were a sign that the Day of Landing was not done. In fact, some would consider the party to just be getting started. But, for the Dominus, a quiet room was a much more fitting locale for this gathering. The Courtyard had been a lovely opportunity to meet his subjects and to hear their desires - but it was not the proper place for catching up with family. So it was that the Sith Lord invited his kin inside the Palace.

In particular, Darth Metus guided them to a balcony overlooking Regnum. There, they might enjoy the cool breeze of the evening without missing the atmosphere of the holiday. With comfortable seating ever-present, the Sith settled down onto one of the fine sofas and sighed with content. "Please, make yourselves at home." he said, motioning to his extended family. Before them were also light refreshments: local fruits, wine, and a pitcher of water should they so choose.

He then looked past the duo and dismissed the sole attendant droid with a wave of his hand. This gave them the privacy due for discussions of kin.

"My apologies, we did not get to chat much at the Courtyard." said Darth Metus, sitting up slightly. "But, let us make up for lost time! How have you been, oh cousin mine?"​

Talohn Atar | Zlova Rue​

 

[Talohn Atar]

Despite the fact that he could still distantly hear the sounds of celebration outside, the quiet room was a relief. He liked a good party, but his sensitive ears could only take the noise for so long. Not to mention all the smells. Was so much perfume and cologne really necessary? A spritz was fine, but some of those party goers had absolutely drenched themselves in the stuff.

As Talohn and Zlova enter the room, Madlad follows in behind them. The ever eerie droid gives Metus a slight nod before moving to lean against the nearest wall. "How much more of this 'guarding' to I have to take? My circuits crave the thrill of combat." The droid then notices that Metus has gestured away the attendant droid. The lens cap of his single eye closes then opens again to imitate a sarcastic blink. "Am I expected to leave like an obedient hunk of metal as well?" Metus had not gotten the chance to interact with Madlad much, but if he kept an eye on Talohn for even a little bit, he'd have heard stories of the droid.

Talohn doesn't give the droid a response as he takes off his coat, putting it on the nearby rack. Currently, his focus was Metus. "Yeah, the courtyard was a mess. It also....wasn't the place I had in mind for what I have to discuss with you." After putting his coat on the rack, he pulls some scrolls out of it and makes his way over to the coffee table. He places the scrolls down before taking a seat on the nearby couch that's across from Metus. He grins slightly. "Indeed Ina. Let's catch up before going over business." the word 'ina' is said with that distinct catharese accent being stronger than usual, marking it as a word from his native tongue. "I've been great. Monari and Leea are going on their first job without Zlova or I going along. It's got me a bit nervous, but I'm proud. They've become quite the warriors, both of them. Zlova and I are about to hit 8 years of being toge-" It's then that his eyes widen. "....You haven't met Zlova." He states, somehow absolutely blindsided by the fact that his brother had yet to meet his lover of 8 years.

He gestures to the crimson twi'lek in the room, wherever she may be at the moment. "This is Zlova. She's been through thick and thin with me. Even stuck with me during my Enclave days." He grins widely, going silent. He knows Zlova prefers to finish her own introductions, and he'll let her do just that.

Darth Metus Zlova Rue

 

[Zlova Rue]

The Lethan casually strode into the room alongside her Cathar. Zlova's golden eyes slowly slid over the interior as the parties came together in the outer region of Metus' chamber. Soon they passed by the interior for plush accommodations near or about the balcony. A refreshing place to lounge. One with a view, which the Twi'lek was quite familiar with its intent and meaning; even if it had been long since she had one like it.

Zlova tilted her head slightly and gave Madlad a lidded look. Most were surprised by how 'anxious' he was for battle. With a body that could be easily repaired and all the time in the galaxy... but for the difference in how the passage of that time was measured. Not taking into account the reason the droid was as crazed as it was, of course. Well, she wasn't baited into little remarks like that any more. Perhaps Metus would enjoy the opportunity.

Unlike the Cathar, the red woman didn't have a coat to set aside. For the day's affair she'd taken to a very snug, black outfit that secured her upper body and legs, but left plenty of flesh and black tattoos for the eye to see. This wasn't a battlefield, after all. And despite her time among Mandalorian and Talohn, Zlova still preferred agility to weathering endless blows by an adversary. The trick to surviving: don't be where the enemy's weapon was aiming.

A slight roll of the eyes and shake of the head accompanied a smirk with Talohn confessing his apprehensions. How many years of near-death experiences did it take before he didn't need to worry about them holding their own? Zlova hadn't gone full Sith Lord on Monari given her lack of Force ability, but the Twi'lek hadn't coddled the catfish either.

"Eight years," Zlova echoed. "In all that time, did my Cat tell you all about me?" If he had, no one had told him dating or being in love with a Sith was a bad idea? "My name is Zlova Rue, dancer, killer, scholar, and Sith Lord of the old Sith Empire. I once moonlighted as a Knight Obsidian in the Confederacy, and then taught Mandalorians about fighting their blood enemy -- the Sith." She paused to smile and didn't hesitate to meet Metus' eyes. "Pleasure to meet you."

Talohn Atar | Darth Metus

 

[Darth Metus]

As the Dominus' words were meant for his own personal attendants, he paid no mind to the entity called Madlad's thoughts on the matter. Instead, his amber gaze was focused upon the Cathar and the Lethan as they settled. Talohn took a moment longer in making himself comfortable, as he deposited the duster that hung upon his shoulders. He then produced something intriguing, placing scrolls on the table between them. This caused the Sith to perk up in his seat ever so slightly.

Indeed Ina. Let's catch up before going over business.

Ina. Vod. Though the native tongues of the two men were different, the meaning was very much understood. Brother. Darth Metus reached for a goblet of water whilst the Cathar caught him up. Lee and Monari were getting their feet wet in the big ol'Galaxy, a fact which caused the Sith to grin. "It seems the next generation is off to a great start then. You've nothing to fear, I'm sure you've taught them well."

He admonished the Cathar before turning his attention to the Lethan at the man's side. She was not a foreign entity to the Dominus in the slightest, as her name had appeared on quite a number of Obsidian reports years ago. However, at least as far as Darth Metus could recall, this was the first time they had the pleasure of speaking face-to-face. Thus, he spoke first to Zlova, answering her own thorough introduction.

"Yours is a name I am familiar with." he began, raising his goblet as if to toast. "I must thank you for all the aide you rendered to the Confederacy years ago. It is a pleasure to meet you." He then leaned forward and gingerly slapped the Cathar on his knee. "I see the Verd taste has made its way to Cathar too, eh? We all become weak in the knees in the presence of mighty women."

Darth Metus chuckled aloud, clearly amused at his own thoughts. "In any case, Talohn has spoken...very little of his personal life. Save that he was very happy. And I can clearly see why. A lovely partner. Leea and Monari branching out. Life seems to be treating you quite well, vod." The Sith then motioned with his offhand towards the room about them. "And as you can see, things are going well for me as well. The Ascendancy has grown, despite the Expanse trying very hard to kill us every other day."

That wasn't an exaggeration.

Zlova Rue | Talohn Atar​

 

[Talohn Atar]

"Monari's got...a logical yet fiery temperament to her. Always has. I'm hoping Leea's calmness will keep her out of too much trouble." As things stood, Leea was definitely the more experienced out of the two, having been a veteran of combat from a young age. Monari? She had yet to actually take a life. While she had been trained in how, actually doing it was a completely different matter. Though, if she found herself unable to kill, he wouldn't think less of her for it. He knew killing was a hard thing for some people, and valuing life was never a bad thing.

He grins slightly as Zlova and Metus change words, his gaze drifting from the twi'lek to his brother as he's slapped on the knee. His words draw a chuckle out of the cathar. "A taste for strength was imbued in me before I even knew what a Verd was, ina. In the world I come from, a partner who rivals you in strength, who you can depend upon, is the greatest gift life can give." He looks at Zlova briefly as he says his, then back to Metus. "I remember my first...uh...crush is it called? Yes, that. Back on Cathar. Eleasi. She was like...twenty. I was only 15 at the time. So that was quite dead in the water from the start. But I remember when I saw her rip the pincers off of a kiltik and use them like dual wielded daggers to kill six more." He states, making a ripping motion with his hands. "Though..." He laughs a bit. "I'm afraid it was surpassed easily when Zlova used the force to impale a mandalorian death worm." This is where Talohn's culture differed from others. It was one thing to find strong person attractive. It was another thing to see that strong person reveling in the blood of their enemies and still find it attractive.

"Overall, life has been happy." Talohn states, nodding in agreement to Metus's assessment. "Though, without being a full time parent....I find myself craving more adventure. While fatherhood was a joy....I am excited to experience the freedom that I had before fatherhood started. Much of your....expanse. It's unexplored, right? You are still in conflict with the Khanate? I have had a few run ins with them over the past years." Metus would indeed have gotten reports of a House Verd member aiding in combat against the Khanate here and ther, those giving the reports quite confused about the fact that an alien was claiming to be a part of House Verd. It was a source of befuddlement to many that found out due to the Ascendancy's human leaning preferences. Not to mention, while quite skilled, Talohn was one of the lesser known brothers of Metus.

"I believe you have a...sect? No....Division. That's the military term." He snaps his fingers. "The Vulpes. I am pondering...throwing my hat in the ring against the Khanate. I believe my knowledge of guerilla warfare and ambushes would do your Vulpes some good...and give me the adventures on new and exotic worlds that I crave." Zlova would know Talohn had been thinking about this for a long time. They would have likely talked about him joining the Vulpes. Whether Zlova planned to join any of the Ascendancy's ranks, he would let her bring it up to Metus herself.

Zlova Rue Darth Metus

 

[Zlova Rue]

Curious. A Dark Lord with a memory? They were such exotic creatures. Most thought everyone around them was an expendable as tissue paper. Overly expensive tissue paper you had to teach how to wipe your nose, but dispensable all the same. Metus, however, claimed to remember at least in part her 'contribution' to the Confederacy. She wondered if he would be as grateful if she said why she'd been there at all. It had been something of an accident at first; she wondered where that delightfully, large eyed gal was these days.

The Twi'lek smirked as the boys flattered her with talk of her strength. No, by all means, she thought, continue. She might not be a murderous monster that sought to burn the galaxy to the ground, but you didn't become a Sith Lord being meek or humble.

Talohn brought out a curious tale then of a former crush. Zlova's golden eyes shone as she listened attentively to his tale. Eleasi was it? No doubt a furry woman. Fierce from the sound of things, as one would expect of a Cathar perhaps. Good company? Maybe. Not that it mattered. The Lethan had gotten her claws in Talohn first and she wouldn't ever let go until she chose, or she was dead.

Even death might not be enough. Zlova wasn't unambitious either. She didn't let everyone know her bag of tricks, but she'd had a productive and long life to assemble them.

"Toothpicks, really," the red woman remarked as if that little display had been an unremarkable feat. "I merely helped contain the beast." Okay, she might have lifted one of the three skyscraper-like shards of black and used it to stab and beat the worm as well. Just what it deserved touching her Cat. Zlova was possessive even if at the time she was still trying to warn the man from getting involved with a Sith Lord.

Then talk shifted to that of the on-going threat against the Ascendency. Zlova regarded Talohn until he got to the point -- specifically offering to aid Metus by fully joining them in the battle. Her attention fluidly swung over toward Metus curious what his response would be.

"What would life be without something testing your worthiness to survive? Or a little mystery left in the galaxy -- some unknown threat -- to tantalize the mind. As I recall," a lone finger tapped her lips, "the Confederacy was enamored with droids. Useful combating a martial threat, but not at all useful against The Eye and what came after. Have the Ascendency's tactics changed? Are they sufficient?" Direct? Combative? That would depend on one's point of view. If there was something the Twi'lek was, however, it was forthright. If she did contemplate joining them it wouldn't be as a mere footsoldier -- one of a billion others. Her prowess in battle was considerable, but she wondered if that was what they needed most. Not that she would look down upon soldiers; Talohn would be helping on that front after all. Zlova wanted to consider all the angles, however.

Darth Metus | Talohn Atar

 

[Domina Prime]

R E D A C T E D​