Private Of Legacies & Lost Opportunities

[Quinn Varanin]

//: Aerik Lechner //:
//: Dromond Kaas //:
//: Attire //:

Dromond Kaas had become a temporary home for the Echani. Prazutis had summoned her, and his lessons required her full attention. Being planet side with her tutor meant that she could excel. Despite her focus, Quinn had recently been giving lectures at the academy named after her parents. It was the least she could do in thanks to the Father.

The students at this academy were different; there was less refinement, but they were also hungry to learn. She had noticed they knew more about her life than she had actually let on, but it was to be expected. Both of the young Echani's birth parents were historical legends - to the point Spencer had been hailed as a prophetic chosen one.

It brought pressure to the poor Princess that she had never asked for.

Instead of letting it crush her, the young woman did her best to push back and make a name for herself all her own.

Quinn moved through the streets of Dromond Kaas, heading from the academy back to where she was staying within Prazutis' own home. While she had been waiting, she had caught glimpses of a familiar young man. From his knowledge, he had been removed from Jutrand Academy and brought under the wing of one of the two diarchs.

While she disagreed with the boy being taken out of the academy, he was in his last year. There wasn't much that Aerik could be taught, and in reality, he needed a master. Her lips pressed together as she ascended the steps to Prazutis' home. She had planned on taking the boy under her wing. His Father had been pivotal in molding the young Princess into who she was today.

He also had been instrumental in rescuing her when she floundered on Susevfi. At the very least, she could help Aerik reach his full potential.

Yet, Prazutis, having more sway than her, for now, had beaten her to plucking the boy from the flock. Quinn wasn't going to complain. As annoying as it was, the Force worked in stupidly mysterious ways.

The Princess crossed the threshold, tomes and a soft leather briefcase cradled in her arms.

The usual silence of Prazutis' home was broken by rhythmic noise, sharp and focused, like training. Quinn paused, recognizing the boy's movements from the echo alone. His concentration surpassed that of most of the academy's students.

A familiar flicker of annoyance stirred in her—Praz had beaten her to him. Again.

She lingered for only a moment before turning, her white-blonde hair catching the room's dim light. Her heels clicked sharply across the polished floor, a metronome of quiet frustration as she vanished deeper into the estate.

 

[Aerik Lechner]

WEARING: xxx
TAG: Quinn Varanin

Dromund Kaas was as different from Jutrand in as many ways as it was the same. It seemed no matter where Aerik found himself the forests of Stewjon still called and beckoned for him to come home. He knew that was the wolf, the beast which was something more than his father had ever been. Darth Prazutis was helping to understand that, what it was, how it helped shape who he was. The pup was not a Lupo, but something more, something new.

The Mountain’s estate was massive, larger than the academy on Jutrand. It seemed to be the way with the Zambranos. They were larger than life, and everything they owned seemed to put that on display. Aerik had been raised differently, to downplay and hide his stature. It was not a fear of pride, but rather a tactical decision. His enemies would always underestimate him. That was always a better starting position than being overestimated. Whether it had been a hard learned lesson or something more natural the Lechner’s practiced a humility which diverged from most Sith the boy knew.

Every day was filled with training or education of some kind, and whatever other things the dark mind of Prazutis determined was necessary. His methods seemed more like a baptism into fire than learning. Aerik would succeed or he would fail, and failure was not met with kindness. It was rare that a day was allotted for rest, save the necessary days for change. This had not been one of those days, but due to things which demanded the Mountain, Aerik found himself with an extra day free.

He ran.

The wolf was not at a loss when it came to how it wanted to spend its freedom. There were unexplored jungles which seemed ripe for something fresh and new to hunt. A better part of the day was spent exploring until the beast had been satisfied it learned some of the patterns of the local fauna to determine which was prey and which was not.

His return was unceremonious. The pup had been granted his own exit and entrance to ensure privacy when changing from man to beast. He seemed determined to dress and find his way to whatever food was prepared from him when he caught sight of someone familiar.

To say she looked familiar was too on point as her Echani features marked her like any other Echani. It was the other details, how she kept her hair, the color on her face, and how her posture demanded she be treated like a princess. A smile pulled at his lips. This was not just any Echani. While he found all Echani beautiful, this particular one seemed to radiate that quality more than most. Quinn Varanin was older than him, but not by so much that he did not try to justify a world where they could potentially be something.

Was it simply a student having a crush on a teacher, perhaps, but Aerik was certainly smitten. He had been for some time.

What was she doing on Dromund Kaas? Aerik had heard something about a new teacher to the academy in the Holy Worlds, but he did not expect it would be his favorite from Jutrand.

He rounded the corner, thinking she may not have seen him just yet. Her dress… was possibly and completely not legal. This was not the image she maintained while among students. In fact, Aerik was certain he had never seen her in a dress before. He was determined that it should not be allowed, not because it did not flatter her, but because it flattered her too much. If Aerik was smitten before, he did not know what he was now, not seeing her in that dress.

Still, he cleared his throat as he approached.

“Lady Varanin,” it sounded a little dray as his throat seemed to still be choking down his reaction to the dress. He coughed once more. “This is a surprise. My master isn’t here, if that is why you came.”

Wow… that was probably a very cheesy greeting.

 

[Quinn Varanin]

//: Aerik Lechner //:
//: Attire //:

She'd heard his footsteps, but chose not to acknowledge them. Quinn figured the boy had far better things to do than chase down an old teacher.

Despite her assumptions, Aerik wandered up to her and called her by her name from Jutrand. Turning towards him, she smiled and flicked her head slightly, letting the stray strands of hair brush away from her face.

"Aerik," she let her smile widen. "I heard you were stolen away from the Academy. You look well."

Quinn adjusted the tomes in her hands to rest against her hip as she looked at the boy, whom she was very much reminded had grown into a man during his time at the Academy.

She raised her brow slightly, wondering if Aerik had always been taller than her. Still, she noticed how much he started to take on his father's presence. The day Aerik became a Sith Lord, he would be one of the strongest.

"Mm, not here for your Master. But like you, he's summoned my presence," she mused as she reached forward after putting her bag down and unfolded the caught lapel.

It had seemingly folded inward on itself somehow as he had made his way over to her. Quinn flattened her hand as she brushed the fabric down gently.

"Better." She grinned playfully, "Also, just call me Quinn, I'm no longer your teacher, so there's no reason for formality."

It was how she preferred things. Despite her standing within the Empire, she just wanted to be Quinn. People shouldn't feel they owed her respect just because of who raised her or who her parents were. Quinn wanted to carve out a place for herself.

"You're strong, here."

Without waiting for a response, she shifted the heavy tomes into his arms with graceful ease. Tilting her head, she let herself admire for just a moment, then turned to grab the bag at her feet. Quinn contemplated offloading that as well, but decided against it.

"Seems we're probably going to be housemates for the foreseeable future," She chuckled softly. "I hope you're okay with that?"

Her tone softened as she winked, lilting with a playful tease—just enough to blur the line between nostalgia and something more. It was a small reminder that they weren't that far in age. Quinn was still a peer of Aerik's, but she had a different trajectory.

If things had been different, she wouldn't be anything more than an upperclassman to the boy.

"Let's get these dropped off in my study, and we can continue to catch up," Quinn began to walk away, pausing as she looked over her shoulder, and with a hint of mischief, she teased the wolf.

"Tell me, Aerik—do you still doodle on your homework, or did you grow out of that adorable habit?"

Another laugh as she began to walk up the long flight of stairs towards her study.

 

[Aerik Lechner]

WEARING: xxx
TAG: Quinn Varanin

“Not stolen," he retorted with no small amount of pride. “I made him leave and come back after graduation.”

He was surprised Quinn had not heard about how Prazutis came into the academy demanding that Aerik be handed over to him, and placed in his custody. Aerik had done his best to negotiate with the Mountain. He knew the man would take what he wanted despite any protest, but the fact he had gotten him to back down until graduation was a small victory on the pup’s part.

Naturally his response was in parts meant to impress. Quinn had said he looked well, but he wanted her to know that he was capable of staring down giants.

Literally.

His fiery eyes moved as her hand adjusted his collar. The small pat was almost… motherly. Aerik wanted to roll his eyes, but he thought better of it.

“Thanks.”

The next thing he knew her books were in his hands because he was strong. At that, he did roll his eyes. In some ways he was still just the student on Jutrand, but in other ways he was not. Aerik was pretty sure she had never teased him like she was now, even if there was some effort on her part to remind him that they were far enough apart in age and status that there was still a separation.

He followed her as her next statement landed on his ears. They were going to be housemates for a while, which would be interesting. Aerik wondered why his master had called on her. What was it he wanted with her? It seemed he liked to collect students or others he thought would make him powerful.

Aerik nodded, trying to be cool.

All cool went out the window when Quinn asked if he still doodled on his papers. He could feel the color rise to his cheeks. Talk about embarrassing. He remembered that phase. The pup did still doodle from time to time, but his art was quite improved from those early days.

“I actually draw a lot better than that,” he huffed as they started climbing the stairs.

“Don’t tell me, he gave you a better room than I got…”

 

[Quinn Varanin]

//: Aerik Lechner //:

"Well, aren't you a good boy?" She reached over and ruffled the pup's head as they continued to walk down the long hallway towards her study. She hadn't heard the details of the proposition, only that the boy was going to be claimed as he left the school.

Maybe she had just focused on what she lost and not the details. It didn't matter, Braxus was a good mentor -- she knew it and so did the rest of the Empire. Having the man as his mentor and teacher would and could make Aerik stronger than his father.

A scary reality when she really put any thought into it.

Though when she really thought about it, it was the same case for her.

She had been told by Taeli and others the power potential the union of her parents created.

Perhaps that was why Prazutis was so annoyed with her quiet steps and clipped wings. Quinn liked it, though; it meant no one looked her way, and she could live the life she wanted till she was ready to step forward into the spotlight.

But that's not how the Sith were.

That was enough thought on the Master of the house as she looked at Aerik, who seemed to be blushing harder than he probably realized. The Princess mused, this little game was fun, but she knew she should give him some reprieve.

Next time.

"Ahh, that's good to hear. I was almost ready to scold your father again."

They turned into her study. She did get a better room than the pup. Quinn was a Princess of the Empire and a potential heir to the throne. Also, she needed the closet space.

"Maybe one day I'll let you draw me." She said as she leaned against the wide, ornate wood desk. Her arms folded as she nodded towards it. "You can put those down here."

She waited for him to do as he was told.

"So what does Lord Prazutis have you doing?"

 

[Aerik Lechner]

WEARING: xxx
TAG: Quinn Varanin

Aerik wrinkled his nose at the head pat and comment. A small huffed sigh escaped his mouth at being called a good boy. He was not a pet. Something else, a different emotion overtook him as well. Quinn had actually touched him. Even though he was aware that he likely stood absolutely no chance, it made him feel a little giddy inside. What he was not aware of was the fact she may have been manipulating him a tiny amount, but would he really be offended if he knew?

The thought of Quinn scolding his father brought a smile to his face, along with a memory.

“Even with what happened on Susevfi?”

The Echani would find she was not the only one capable of sparring with her words. Aerik looked at her as they passed into the study with small bit of pride, and then smiled. If Echani were as good at reading body language as he had been taught, she would know he was teasing. The pup was trying not to laugh, and the size and opulence of her room was enough to ensure he succeeded.

It was nothing like his. Prazutis had certainly given Quinn one of the better rooms in the palace. In some ways it felt like Aerik was back in the academy, having to earn everything he gained. At least there had been a place made for him to run when he needed to shift and let the beast free. There were few who had seen it yet. He still remembered the first change, how it happened at a public event. He should not have been embarrassed about it, but he was.

Aerik set the books down where she indicated and gulped at what she said before.

“Draw you?”

His nerves found their place in the center of his gut. It felt like a brick had been dropped down his throat and settled in the pit of his stomach at the idea. He wanted to impress, certainly. Saying he could draw better was a brag, but he had never intentionally drawn anyone.

“I could try…”

Aerik was glad she asked about what he had been assigned.

“Training. All the time. I think he is trying to break me,” he admitted. “But I’m not going to let that happen."