Private Of Pardon & Chance

[Quinn Varanin]

//: Acier Moonbound //:
//: Attire //:

Coruscant had changed… severely.

It had been some time since the Sith had roamed its levels, while the Galactic Empire held it tightly in its grasp — it was not for long. She could still see the residue of the Alliance while roaming the upper levels. She wondered how it was when the Jedi walked the streets — was it as prosperous as people had claimed?

She shook her head and looked up from the datapad in her hand. Quinn had been summoned as a diplomat for the most part. The meeting was long, boring, and full of posturing. She didn't enjoy it, but being able to peel back the fancy words to see what was underneath was a specialty of hers. Despite the warlords' desire to conquer, there was an underlying need for a semblance of order.

It was where she came in, looking down at the datapad, she made a note of another individual she eventually needed to make contact with. A man named Lysander… he was someone attached to her knowledge, Mercy. Her lips pursed as she figured anyone Mercy would put her name to was worth her attention.

The meeting soon concluded, and she stood to shake hands with the others. They congratulated her on her status with Eshan while also trying to broker other deals. Another whom she had seen in several meetings like this casually asked her to dinner. She pulled her hand away and waved carefully in front of her, turning him down as easily as she could. It had become awkward, and Quinn carefully excused herself from the boardroom.

The large building had become something of importance; she could see acolytes and the like wandering the halls. Another level of it had become another academy. Quinn looked around curiously, a warlord state having ordered schools… She shrugged and made another mental note on it.

The Covenant was an interesting place; she could see why people flocked to their way of life.

She continued down the hallway. There were a few more meetings and a lecture she needed to present. Still, she had only been meeting with lower-ranking officials… if they could even be called that. There was curiosity among the others who had joined Mercy at the top. Quinn hadn't fully met them, and while she had an idea, that didn't always mean she was right.

Mercy had and has been the only one she sees regularly. Shaking her head, she sighed and continued to wander the long halls of the recently realized academy.

 

[Acier Moonbound]

Location: Coruscant

Equipment:
Apprentice Attire | Lightsaber | Shoto | Cybernetic Arm

Ace had taken a pillar because it gave him a line of sight down the corridor without putting him in it. He wasn't hiding or lingering, more... out of the way.

The shoto rested in his hand, hilt open in practiced familiarity. His thumb adjusted a micro-alignment along the emitter ring, then paused, then adjusted it again. Small, precise movements. Something to do with his hands while his attention stayed elsewhere.

A favor for Lys. He exhaled lightly through his nose at the thought. Babysitting green acolytes while the Covenant's Emissary played diplomat. The session had ended minutes ago, and now the halls had settled back into their usual rhythm.

Then, the Force shifted before the space did. It was subtle, muted, wrong and yet... familiar. His hand stilled on the hilt. He didn't look up immediately, he already knew who it was before his eyes ever found her.

Varanin.

That same quiet hollow where there should've been weight. And yet, his gaze lifted as she came into view, he'd seen what that hollow could do. The memory stirred. The Siege. The sky tearing open. Pressure building until it snapped into something violent and alive. A storm that didn't behave like weather… more like intent.

Another memory flickered.

"I'm pretty sure the force storm that ripped over the planet was fed by a phobis device or something similar."

Lily's voice, months old now, but he didn't forget. His thumb resumed its movement along the emitter, slower this time. Thoughtful. So that was the question, then. Did she own a Phobis device? And how dangerous was she if she did?

She drew closer and Ace let her pass him by a step.

"Once, a coincidence." His voice cut in clean and measured. "Twice, a pattern. Three times…"

The shoto clicked softly as he adjusted the casing back into place, but he didn't look down at it again. His dark eyes were on her now, sharp in that quiet way of his, not searching her face so much as reading the space around her.

"…starting to feel deliberate."

The corner of the hilt settled into his palm as he rolled his wrist once, testing the balance out of habit.

"Some storm you left behind." He added with that characteristic dry delivery, but there was weight under it. "Back during the Siege."

This wasn't accusation or praise. It was observation. Curiosity, sharpened just enough to cut.

His head tilted slightly, just a fraction.

"Never took you for subtle."

Quinn Varanin ​

 

[Quinn Varanin]

//: Acier Moonbound //:

That voice, she easily recognized. Of course, this was the last place she figured to hear it. Quinn paused for a moment, letting the words sink in. There was something odd in the way he spoke to her, like he knew a secret that she hadn't decided to share with him. It was the only reason she stopped mid-stride. Her feet came together, and she thought quietly about all of it. He seemed down, with his vague, blanket statements.

It could be about anything… but they both knew.

Her hand tightened around the folder she held, then relaxed. A small exhale followed, and the mask she always wore promptly found its place on her face. The soft and gentle smile crossed her lips as she turned to face Acier.

"I am quite sure you're the one following me," she gave him a little wink and stuck just the tip of her tongue out playfully — hoping to tease, hoping to stray his thought elsewhere.

"Obsessed much?" Her little cheeky smile returned as she backtracked a few steps towards him. Quinn wasn't fond of the accusations that he had so openly expressed to the halls. How many of the faceless were actually Jedi shadow? Imperial Agents? Spies? They had no way of telling, and that was enough for Quinn to stop and let her bubbly smile fade slightly.

"I'm unsure of what you mean by that?" She raised a brow slightly, "What storm are you speaking of? The one that terrorized Coruscant on the day the Galactic Empire fell?" She shrugged.

"There were more Sith there than just me, could have been any one of them, but me? No, impossible." Quinn knew he could sense her; she knew he could see how she was just there in the force, nothing extraordinary, almost as if she was a whisper in the vast space of it all.

"I do thank you, though," she laughed, "to think someone like me could manifest something as powerful as that." Quinn shook her head and held the folder she had with her close. Something plagued her mind, and she tilted her head curiously towards Acier.

"It's funny seeing you here of all places… you're different." She watched him, let everything around her settle.

"Why are you here?"

 

[Acier Moonbound]

Location: Coruscant

Equipment:
Apprentice Attire | Lightsaber | Shoto | Cybernetic Arm

The corner of Ace's mouth pulled into something that almost passed for a smirk at her shift in tone. Almost. It didn't reach his eyes.

He'd seen that version of her before. The lightness. The teasing edge. The way she tilted conversations just enough to keep them from settling anywhere real. Whether it was genuine or something she put on the way others wore armor… he hadn't decided yet.

He pushed off the pillar, closing the space between them by a few steps. Not enough to crowd her, just enough to step fully into the conversation.

She downplayed what he'd said. Deflected. Minimized. His gaze tracked it all, not just the words, but the rhythm behind them. The way her hand held the folder. The slight shift in her expression. The careful framing of uncertainty where there wasn't any.

He knew what he'd seen and what he'd been told. So did she. Which meant this wasn't confusion, it was concealment. Ace decided not to press it, not here, Quinn obviously had her reasons for wanting to keep this hush-hush. He respected it.

"My bad." He said, tone even, unbothered. "Must've been thinking of someone else." The lie slid out as easily as hers had.

His hand dropped, clipping the shoto back into place at the small of his back with a soft, practiced motion. Then, without breaking stride, he tilted his head slightly in the direction she'd been heading. An unspoken suggestion more than an instruction.

Is she moved, he fell into step beside her.

"Different..." He echoed after a moment, voice dry. "Heard that one before."

When she asked why he was here, his dark eyes shifted toward her.

"Call it a change in perspective." He said, the words carrying that same measured weight as before, purposefully vague.

His eyes dipped briefly, not lingering, just passing, over the folder in her hand, then the way she carried herself, the deliberate presentation of it all, before settling forward again.

"Could ask you the same thing. What's Eshan's Queen doing here?"

She was still Queen, right? Either way, the title came without ceremony. No reverence, but no bite either. He already had his answer before he even asked. It was likely a similar reason she'd been there during the Siege. Like Srina and Carnifex.

This part? More than likely an unspoken game of indirect engagement.

Quinn Varanin​

 

[Quinn Varanin]

//: Acier Moonbound //:

Emerald eyes flickered only momentarily to his face, he knew. There wasn't going to be much she could hide from him. Somehow, someway, her secret was out. Her jaw tightened, trying not to let the panic settle in.

If too many knew, she would be in danger. The thought of being used as she was, to lose the autonomy she had — it would be the end for her.

Though his words settled her, her eyes lowered, turning to pay attention to the way she was headed. She didn't assume he'd follow; part of her wondered if he was trying to find something to pin on her. He was, before now, bathed in what felt like the light.

Yet, like she said, he was different.

He fell into step with her, and almost on queue, she waited half a step to let him be unnoticeably ahead of her. It was a habit. It meant she would be able to anticipate if something changed. Something small like this allowed the young Echani to find comfort in her company, even if it was subconscious. She let him speak, answering her question about him being different.

A change in perspective, he called it. She mused over the concept — it seemed he wasn't the only one dealing with something like that. They continued down the hallway, and for every step she took, she took a smaller one, keeping pace for the most part. He never got ahead of her too far, but he also never fell behind her.

She tilted her head back and forth as she feigned amusement over his own question. The Red Crown of Eshan wore many hats, and Acier would soon learn that today. Quinn looked at him for just a breath from the corner of her eye and then back to the hallway ahead of them.

"I'm not here as the Queen of Eshan." Her words sounded simple, as if he should know of such things.

"The Sith Covenant, despite being considerably a warband, still has to maintain a semblance of order…" she waved her hand, "even if it's meant to be loose."

A soft smile returned to her face as they paused to let a gaggle of bustling students walk past them. Her steps continued as they finished crossing, and when they were far enough, she continued to speak.

"I'm here as a representative of the Sith Order. We are, for the most part, allies. From my understanding of Mercy, there's nothing official to call someone like me, so I just do as I'm asked."

There was a softness in her voice when she mentioned the Empress of the Core. Despite her own struggles with her feelings, she would always remain fond of the woman.

She was her oldest friend, after all, and someone she felt safe surrendering to.

"It's the least I could do, Mercy and I have known each other for quite some time." She exhaled with a smile.

"She's my mother… not the Sith Empress… but another's apprentice."

Quinn let that information settle in as she adjusted the choker around her neck for a moment. It felt as if Mercy herself knew when the Echani was peaking about her.

"So tell me a little about this change in perspective… You walk like a man who is prepared to fight the galaxy..." Quinn tilted her head as she weighed her next words with a hint of amusement.

"And probably lose."

 

[Acier Moonbound]

Location: Coruscant

Equipment:
Apprentice Attire | Lightsaber | Shoto | Cybernetic Arm

Ace noticed the shift in her pace without really registering it. It was subtle enough to pass as nothing and to him, it was. His attention stayed forward, on the corridor, on the rhythm of movement around them rather than the intent behind hers. Students filtered past in clusters, voices overlapping in low chatter, the hum of activity settling back into the academy's usual cadence.

When Quinn spoke, he glanced at her from the corner of his eye. There was something familiar in the way she carried herself. Each word placed where she wanted it to land. It reminded him of A'Mia, that same calculated composure, that same awareness of how to occupy a space.

But Quinn wasn't as distant. There was warmth there or at least… the shape of it. Something human where A'Mia felt untouchable. And yet... something was missing.

He listened as she explained, her role, her presence, the Covenant, the Order. The structure behind it all. It tracked. But then she said Mercy's name and something shifted. It was subtle, but it was there. Ace didn't react outwardly, but something in his focus sharpened just slightly.

That was unexpected. Mercy, of all people. She was violence and instability incarnate, and Quinn spoke of her… softly, with a smile.

"Hmm." It was quiet. Thoughtful. More to himself than to her.

The fact that they went that far back, the familiarity that came with it, it pulled something new into focus. If Quinn was cozy with someone like Mercy... it said much about her. Nothing reassuring.

"You and Mercy." He said after a moment. "Two names I wouldn't put in the same sentence."

There was another detail. Mercy was her mother's apprentice but she wasn't Srina's apprentice. Ace didn't look at her when he caught it, but he'd made a mental note.

Quinn shifted the focus again, turning it back on him. He adjusted the sleeve of his coat before letting his arm fall back to his side.

"I've always been prepared to fight the galaxy." He said simply. "That part's not new."

His voice didn't change when he continued.

"You're not wrong, either. I'll lose. One day. It's just math."

A pair of acolytes hurried past, one nearly clipping his shoulder before catching themselves at the last second. Ace didn't even look at them.

"But it won't be anytime soon."

That was the only part he seemed certain about.

"As for the change in perspective…"

He let the words hang for a moment, his gaze drifting - not unfocused, but not fixed on anything in particular either.

"I used to think there was a right way to go about life. Something solid enough to hold. There isn't." He shrugged. "So you adapt. Or you get buried by the ones who already have."

That was as far as he took it. Enough to be believable, but not enough to be completely true. He let the silence sit for a second before shifting again, turning the conversation back without making it feel like a redirect.

"How does someone like you end up close with someone like Mercy?"

This time, his eyes moved to her properly.

"She was apprenticed to one of your mothers. Okay. But even then… I don't see it."

Quinn Varanin​

 

[Quinn Varanin]

//: Acier Moonbound //:

Quinn listened to his words; he was a man who wanted to walk against the wind. Men like that didn't last long; they often fell the moment they stumbled. Her face softened for just a moment as she thought about it. Acier had been growing on her since she had first met him. He was family, but she didn't fully trust him. If he was destined to fall, it would only be a matter of time.

Maybe that's what he meant by perspective.

She didn't continue on the topic. She hated conversations like that — it always felt like people needed something significant to cling to. The understanding of life's ebb and flow wasn't good enough for them. Quinn wondered if she really understood her own line of thought. She had only known one way of life.

Alone, even in a room full of people.

No one could understand, but she knew she would never let anyone have a chance to. She kept a tight smile on her face, not betraying anything that her mind was thinking.

She could tell he agreed with her, though; he didn't want to speak further on 'perspectives'. Her eyes flickered for just a moment towards his face, glancing only long enough to measure him and his question. It was curious that he was fixated on it.

Still, she figured he was just a boy curious about the nature of women. Sighing softly, she brushed back her blonde hair behind her ears as she tried to figure out how to word things. While she and Mercy were involved, it wasn't something Quinn enjoyed putting on display. The Warlord was someone she cared for, her longest friend, but how could she explain this?

"Why is it hard to believe?" she huffed, "I've known Mercy since I was younger, she came to study under my mother — Ashin Varanin." Quinn figured that was a name he would probably recognize from his little textbooks on the Jedi. She paused and wondered about his focus on the Empress of the Core.

"I was eleven? I can't remember, but I've always been enamored of her. She was older, stronger…"

And held my mother's attention better than I ever could…

Quinn thought quietly to herself, remembering when she had first seen Mercy. What drew her attention instantly to the older woman was her fiery red hair.

They stopped walking for a moment, and Quinn's eyebrow twitched slightly with annoyance. Why was it impossible to see someone like her involved with someone like Mercy?

"What do you mean when you say… You can't see it?" Quinn pouted as she continued to avoid Acier's eye contact.

 

[Acier Moonbound]

Location: Coruscant

Equipment:
Apprentice Attire | Lightsaber | Shoto | Cybernetic Arm

While Quinn spoke, Ace kept his gaze forward, posture unchanged as they walked. Listening. Not reacting. Just… taking it in. There was something in her tone. Subtle. Tight around the edges. Not quite irritation, not quite defensiveness... but close enough that he clocked it and filed it away without interrupting.

He noted everything. The timeline, the way she spoke about Mercy, and the name... Ashin Varanin. Ace didn't show it, but it lingered in the back of his mind longer than the rest. Not because it meant anything to him, but because it clearly meant something.

"Hmm."

That was all he gave her at first. Because the truth was, most of it didn't land the way it was supposed to. Ace hadn't grown up with archives. Or temples. Or lessons wrapped in history and names that carried weight. Everything he knew, about the Force, about Jedi, about Sith, he'd learned out there. Piece by piece, from scraps, and from people who didn't stick around long enough.

So a name like Ashin Varanin? It meant about as much to him as any passing acolyte he'd never meet. He didn't say that out loud, he just… adjusted.

Then she said it. Enamored. That word shifted something, not in the way most people would take it... but in the way Ace understood things. He didn't reach for anything romantic. That wasn't where his mind went. Not instinctively. Respect made more sense.

Admiration. Strength. Presence. Something to measure against. His head tilted slightly, just enough.

"So you respect power?"

It came out somewhere between a question and a statement. Like he'd already half decided the answer but was giving her room to correct it.

When she stopped, he noticed immediately. Ace took two more steps before it registered fully, then slowed, turning back over his shoulder. Not rushed or confused, just recalibrating.

His dark eyes landed on her. On the pout. The lack of eye contact. He didn't read it perfectly, but he read something. Shyness? Maybe. Embarrassment? Insecurity?

He took a second before answering and actually thought about it.

"Star-Arm's… Star-Arm."

That was as far as he went with that. He didn't need to spell it out. Not her reputation or what she was. All of it was implied enough. His gaze stayed on Quinn now, steady but not pressing.

"You… I guess I just figured you'd associate with people more on your level." He shifted his weight slightly, casually. Then continued. "Nobles. Politicians. Maybe a Sith Lord who's got a semblance of a stable mental state."

Then, he paused. His thoughts drifting to his brother. Mand'alor. Someone powerful. Respected. But also loved his people.

"Or… someone like Aether."

He let that sit for a moment. Then, after a second, he added, a little more direct this time:

"I wasn't saying you're lesser than Mercy." He said with a slight shake of his head. "If anything…"

His gaze held hers now. Sharp, but certain.

"It's the other way around."

Quinn Varanin ​

 

[Quinn Varanin]

//: Acier Moonbound //:

His question was a curious one; she hadn't expected that kind of response to her mentioning of Mercy. She tilted her head and thought about it.

Power wasn't a concept she often measured someone by. Power was never something she even fathomed. But that's what happened when you had a wellspring shoved into you at birth. Quinn was never left wanting for power; in reality, she was often suppressing it — trying to keep it at bay.

She created a dam to stop the flow of her power; it was the only way to keep those around her.

"No, I think power is a pathetic way of measuring people's worth. Power never tells the truth; it's opportunistic, but never consistent." It's how she felt, despite their culture, a Sith having power meant you were important.

Quinn hated it.

Another thing she hated was that nickname. Star-arm. It was stupid, her arm was weird, sure, but Star-Arm? Quinn huffed at the comment about the woman's nickname. It was now very obvious how she felt about it. Though her mind wandered for just a moment as to which was Mercy's dominant hand. Concern suddenly furrowed at Quinn's brow as she racked her brain for a few memories that weren't hazy or filled with other emotions.

Thankfully, Acier didn't seem skilled enough to navigate through the web of the young Echani Queen's mind. The images that flashed behind her eyes were secure and safe — no explaining was going to be necessary.

"My level?" Quinn asked, confused. Her attention was now grounded in the way he seemed to elevate her to a station she wasn't aware she belonged in.

Quinn was confident enough to stand where she stood, handle whatever was thrown at her — but to be considered in a different league than Mercy? That didn't make sense to her. She would have never placed Mercy under her in any shape or form. Yet, Acier did… did that mean others did as well?

But again, power… she wasn't aware that he knew what lay beneath the ethereal look of the Eshan Sovereign. Her mind trailed back to what he said to catch her attention in the first place. Her eyes, for just a moment, blinked in his direction, trying to uncover what he knew, what he was hiding…

She looked away and continued.

"Don't let Mercy hear that." She joked; it was true — despite the titan's unwillingness to lead, she was put in that position and reveled in it. Followers, sycophants, all of them worshiping this 'Star-Arm'.

"I don't think she's below me; she never has been. Don't let her appearance cause you to think otherwise. She's brilliant, but seems to not like to show it." Quinn wrinkled her nose slightly. Maybe it was her affections for the woman bleeding into her opinion, but it was also a warning.

It was safer for Acier to respect the power that came with that woman's aura.

Quinn groaned. She was falling right into the predictable.

"Also, a sane Sith Lord is like wanting a Jedi who understands etiquette." She chuckled lightly at her own joke.

"Why are you so curious anyway? I know you've always been one to ask questions — but it seems like you're digging for something specific."

 

[Acier Moonbound]

Location: Coruscant

Equipment:
Apprentice Attire | Lightsaber | Shoto | Cybernetic Arm

Quinn's words settled in a way that shifted his initial read of her. What she said about power reframed things more clearly than anything else had. It wasn't something she chased or measured. For someone aligned with the Sith, that ran against the grain, and he found that contrast worth noting.

He didn't disagree with her either. Power, to him, had never been a measure of worth. It was just part of how he read people. Presence, pressure, capability. One piece among many.

What stood out more was her reaction to what he'd said earlier. The confusion hadn't felt forced. She hadn't been deflecting or downplaying it. She simply didn't see herself in the way he had framed her.

"I'm not scared of her."

He said it plainly in response to her remark, without emphasis. He was aware of what Mercy could do. He had seen enough, heard enough, to understand the gap between them. If it came down to it, she would likely win more often than not. That didn't change how he approached it.

As Quinn continued, speaking about Mercy with a kind of familiarity that bordered on reverence, Ace's expression shifted almost imperceptibly. Not enough to be called irritation, but there was something there. A quiet sense of distance from the way she described her.

It wasn't that he doubted she had seen something in Mercy others hadn't. But from what he had witnessed, and from what he had heard, it was difficult for him to reconcile that image with anything beyond what he already understood. Something he hated.

"You sound like a fan." The comment came without sharpness, more observation than challenge.

When she turned the question back on him, asking why he was so curious, he took a moment before answering. Not to avoid it, but to decide how much of it to say.

"Because we're supposed to be family." He let that sit for a moment before continuing. "I don't really care about Mercy. I just want to know more about you."

His tone remained even, but there was a straightforwardness to it that hadn't been there before.

"I'm only really close with Aether. My father, Metus… it's complicated. Civil, for now." He paused briefly. "My other siblings, I either don't know, or I don't like."

He shifted his posture slightly.

"I know we're not blood. But you and your mother, Srina, you're still tied to us. And Aether talks about you like you're important."

His gaze moved briefly across the corridor, taking in the movement around them, before returning to her. It dropped for a moment to the datapad in her hand, then lifted again.

"You wanna go somewhere that doesn't feel like work?"

Quinn Varanin​

 

[Quinn Varanin]

//: Acier Moonbound //:

Quinn rolled her eyes as he mentioned he didn't fear Mercy. To hear that was almost entertaining. Most people she met either avoided the woman out of fear or out of misunderstanding. Mercy was a woman who moved to the beat of her own drum; it was something Quinn admired about her. Perhaps that's what drew her affections beyond their shared history.

A small ache echoed in her chest. She missed the mountain of a woman. Ever since the core had been taken by the Sith Covenant, Mercy had been busier. Not as available as she had been in the past, which only made Quinn miss her. She wrinkled her nose, knowing that it was a topic that she shouldn't ever bring up. It was part of their agreement, their situation.

"She's important to me, so calling me a fan is interesting." Quinn was accustomed to people not fully understanding her and Mercy's relationship. But that was for them, and she's learned to accept that.

Quinn listened to his answer to her inquiry. Acier always had questions, but she assumed he was just inquisitive and wanted to understand the galaxy around him. She was often one to ask questions, but Quinn quickly learned that it drew too much attention to her. More so, she learned answers she didn't want to learn.

As he mentioned Aether and how the King of Mandalore spoke of her, Quinn smirked, and she finally looked at Acier, her eyes meeting his gaze for just that moment.

"And Aether talks about you like you're important."

"Because I am." As quickly as she looked to him, her attention returned to the path in front of them. What she didn't let on was that Aether was her first friend and probably longest. Mercy was a close second, but they both held different places in the young Queen's heart.

"I've known Aether for a long time. To be honest, I feel like he hasn't fully realized I'm a girl." Quinn huffed, a playful laugh as she had seen the man struggle when faced with a woman.

Over the years, Quinn watched women throw themselves at the man. Sometimes, he got himself in too deep not to realize what was happening. Quinn had stepped in, dragging him off more often than not.

Quinn thought carefully over his offer. She had meetings today, as a Dark Councilor, she had people waiting on her. Still, it wasn't often she was able to play hooky. She paused and tried to shake off the uncomfortable feeling that lingered in the back of her mind.

"Depends," She started as the smile on her face spread slightly.

"What do you have in mind? Are you going to interrogate me?" Another chuckle as she sighed softly.

 

[Acier Moonbound]

Location: Coruscant

Equipment:
Apprentice Attire | Lightsaber | Shoto | Cybernetic Arm

Ace glanced at her when she pushed back on the "fan" comment. His eyes held hers for a second, both steady and unreadable, but he didn't respond to it before his gaze shifted forward again. He noted the way she held that line, the way she defended Mercy without calling it that.

When she said she was important, that drew his attention back more fully. This time his head turned, not just his eyes, meeting her properly as she spoke about Aether.

What she said, he couldn't help but find it all... ironic? Aether was blood, but they'd only learned of each other's existence a year ago. Before that, nothing. And then there was Quinn: not blood, but someone he'd grown up with. She spoke about Aether like time had always been there. Like she'd always been part of that space.

He didn't dwell on it but he noted the difference. His brow lifted slightly at what she said next.

"What do you mean?" He asked, tone completely straight. "Hasn't realized you're a girl?"

There wasn't any humor in it, it was a genuine question, trying to understand where the disconnect came from.

When she turned the offer back on him, asked what he had in mind and the comment about interrogation, he just kept walking. A training group filtered into view further down the hall, instructors calling out corrections, the rhythm of movement and impact echoing faintly through the corridor. Ace's eyes flicked that way for half a second before returning forward.

"I don't know. Anywhere that isn't here. I'll let you decide."

The answer came without much thought. The temple wasn't somewhere he stayed by choice. It was too structured and too visible, with too many people watching, even when they weren't. It was why he preferred the lower levels.

He went on to add: "Wasn't aware I was interrogating you." A small trace of sarcasm in his otherwise dry tone. "Maybe you could teach me how to have a normal conversation then."

Quinn Varanin​

 

[Quinn Varanin]

//: Acier Moonbound //:

Quinn chuckled softly at the comment about Aether. She didn't know how to explain the man's blindness when it came to women. It seemed Ace was also in the same boat as his brother. To think, both boys had a father like Isley Verd. She wrinkled her nose slightly and then glanced at him from the corner of her eye.

"Maybe it's a girl thing to notice." She shrugged and continued on the path they were on.

She thought quietly about what to do next. She had hoped that Ace knew more about Coruscant than she did, since he was here more than she was. But she figured he just didn't know much about her and didn't want to embarrass himself.

It was endearing. He was a good man.

They stopped as they made their way towards the streets of Coruscant. The bustle seemed to never stop, even with the chaos of the Empress of the Core; she'd have to give Mercy some credit. Her old friend seemed to be doing better as a leader than the woman would like to admit. As they stopped, waiting to cross, Quinn lifted her hand and gave her arm a little wiggle. Her sleeve moved enough for her to see her watch. Ace's timing was spot on.

"Well, my other meetings are pointless, so we can go to where I'd rather go. Maybe after we can get dessert or something." She smiled and began to lead the way. Instead of walking a step behind him, she seemingly began to relax. Quinn didn't mind Ace falling behind her; she figured if he was going to try something, he would have already.

And if he tried something, Aether would make sure he'd never try again.

At the end of the day, Ace was family — she needed to treat him as such.

The sound of her heels was drowned out by the crowds. His comment on interrogating her made the Princess laugh out loud.

"You are a literal one, aren't you, Acier?" Shaking her head, she reached and patting him gently on the bicep. Being out of the critical eye of bureaucracy allowed the young woman to lighten up a bit.

"Your conversation skills are fine, you're just very intrigued." She looked both ways as they crossed, heading into a small orphanage. Workers were repairing the building, upgrading places they could while the kids were inside playing.

"You remind me a bit of Aether. When we first met, he wouldn't shut up, asking me odd questions. I think one was after we had spent the day on Eshan at a beach." She laughed, remembering, "He asked why I was red. I, of course, was sunburned, and he wasn’t."

They stopped momentarily at the front desk, and the woman handed Quinn and Acier name tags. She smiled and looked to Ace.

"Your majesty, did you bring along a friend?" The older woman leaned in closer to jest at the young woman, "Boyfriend?"

Quinn, in all her grace, shook her head, "No, just a new friend — someone I think the children will enjoy." Both women nodded and headed into the playroom. She continued her story about the Mandalorian.

"I didn't know how to explain it, so for years we assumed I was just a crustacean that turned red in the sun."

At that moment, the children realized Quinn had arrived. They bombarded her, and she began to pull out small toys from her cloak pockets. They were puzzles and other knick-knacks. Younger children got small stuffed animals that looked homemade. They began to disperse, but others had several questions for the young Princess.

"Who is he?" One girl asked; she looked to be only seven.

"Is he your boyfriend??" Asked a boy, who seemed rather annoyed at the possibility. He was obviously part Echani and was now clinging to Quinn's arm. "We're supposed to get married, remember!" He whined, showing his age, being barely nine or ten.

"He's my new friend, Acier. He's a really good fighter, and he has a lot of stories and knowledge. Maybe he can tell you some stories about where he's from." Quinn smiled.

All eyes were now on Ace; they were waiting for the tales of this friend of their favorite person.

 

[Acier Moonbound]

Location: Coruscant

Equipment:
Apprentice Attire | Lightsaber | Shoto | Cybernetic Arm

Ace absorbed the comment quietly. Maybe it was a girl thing. A faint thought crossed his mind then, would Fatine understand it immediately The thought lingered only briefly before drifting away again beneath the noise of Coruscant.

As they walked, Ace grew quieter, slipping into the same inward focus he often disappeared into when he wasn't actively speaking. His awareness still tracked movement around them automatically, but his thoughts wandered somewhere deeper while Quinn led the way.

At the crossing, his eyes flicked briefly toward the subtle movement of her arm, immediately recognizing the gesture as she checked the time beneath her sleeve. When Quinn mentioned her other meetings being pointless, Ace simply nodded once.

The mention of dessert caught his attention more than the rest admittedly. His thoughts briefly detoured into wondering whether Scarif Slush counted as dessert.

Ace followed behind Quinn naturally after that, half a step off to the side without consciously deciding to. Protective positioning, it was an instinctive habit, even after everything he'd done and everything he'd allowed himself to become, that reflex still surfaced around the right people without permission.

When Quinn patted his bicep, Ace's eyes flicked briefly toward the contact itself. He wasn't particularly comfortable with casual touch like that. Not anymore. Maybe not ever. Still, he said nothing outwardly about it.

"I can be." He answered simply when she commented on his conversation skills.

The moment the orphanage came into view, Ace noticed immediately what kind of place this was. His gaze shifted across the structure while Quinn continued speaking beside him.

Then came the story about Aether and a faint smirk tugged briefly at the corner of Ace's mouth.

"Aether didn't know what a sunburn was?" Slight amusement colored his tone now. "How old was he? Six? Seven?"

Inside, Ace took a brief moment to quietly scan the interior the same way he scanned every unfamiliar environment. Threat assessment reduced to instinct now more than conscious effort. Only after that did he accept the nametag respectfully with a small nod.

He stayed slightly behind Quinn near the front desk conversation, unconsciously watching her flank while she spoke with the older woman. At the mention of boyfriend, Ace's lip twitched faintly. Mostly because he immediately pictured the level of chaos Fatine would've caused if she'd overheard that sentence.

Then Quinn mentioned him, children, and "enjoy" all in the same sentence. Ace slowly looked at her suspiciously before following her into the playroom anyway, shaking his head lightly at the continuation of the Aether story.

"You can't be serious." The idea of Aether being that oblivious genuinely felt impossible to him somehow.

Then the children noticed Quinn, and Ace paused. It was more mental than physical, like his brain needed a second to recalibrate around the entire situation unfolding in front of him. He stood there quietly while children crowded around Quinn, watching her hand out toys and gifts with an ease that didn't feel rehearsed or performative.

This was... simply who she was here. Strangely, it made Ace respect her more almost immediately.

His eyes drifted slowly across the room afterward. To the workers, the children, the warmth. Was this what orphanages were supposed to feel like? Sector 9G had never looked like this. Bonadan had been overcrowded dorms, survival instincts, and learning early that nobody was coming to save you.

Then Quinn put him on the spot. Ace blinked once as every child in the room suddenly looked at him expectantly. He glanced at Quinn, then back at them.

"There was..." He started slowly. "This kid. From the place where I grew up. Bonadan."

His voice remained calm, quieter now.

"It was a lot worse than this place. He never knew his parents, not until he was older, but he also lived somewhere like this."

Ace rubbed lightly at the back of his neck.

"Eventually, he left Bonadan and made a name for himself. He explored the galaxy and became a great fighter, and then used his skills to fight the Empire. He made a lot of friends on the way too."

Then his voice quieted slightly.

"After that..." Ace looked away for only a second. "I don't know what happened to him. He's been missing for a while."

The room grew quieter around the end of it than Ace had intended. What had started as a story meant to encourage them had somehow drifted into a quiet existential crisis.

Ace exhaled lightly through his nose. Before the silence could settle any further into something existential, Ace shifted the attention away from himself almost immediately, gesturing loosely toward Quinn instead.

"But Quinn's stories are probably better."

Quinn Varanin ​