Put Your Mind At Ease

[Jairus Starvald]

BASTION​

​

[member="Dante Sotari"]​

The hospital was a dime in a dozen. Clinical, smelling of anti-septic, dozens of assistants milling about together with nurses and overseen by handfuls of doctors. In this it reminded him of a different hospital... one located on Coruscant. The one where he had met with [member="Ember Farseer"] and [member="Anais Auraeli"]. That had been a fun one.

For him anyway.

If this was a different world he might have meddled a bit.

Applied some pressure to see what would happen. But he was a guest on Bastion and a guest behaved, no? Except when they didn't .[member="Dr. Vain Jar'He"] had learned that lesson the hard way.

He had been made aware of Dante's fate when he had requested her presence.

The sergeant-on-duty had been quite apologetic. Jairus decided to give her a week, which turned into two once some business in the Outer Rim had requested his attention. But here he was. Two weeks later. By now Dante was most likely starving for a drink and then some, it would be interesting to see how she held up.

A knock would either bring her attention to the door or wake her up.

But before she could give permission Jairus Starvald already stepped on through. He had to duck a bit, but that was something he had grown used to already.

"Lieutenant Sotari, you really have done a number on yourself, haven't you." Jai murmured with a smile as he settled down. "How will I ever make ample use of your skills if you insist on blowing your limbs of?"

 

[Dante Sotari]

Two weeks. Dante was getting restless.

Apparently however one didn't just walk right back out of getting hit with a thermal detonator, who knew?

Okay yeah, she knew, but she didn't have to like it.

There had been damage that went beyond simply replacing the limb. Physical therapy to restore full range of movement. Time and rest, she'd been chided, were what she needed. The fact that she'd survived hadn't been a miracle, but it hadn't been a sure thing either. [member="Morgan Vance"]'s swift actions had kept her from bleeding out.

And his (and her friend Rishi's) continued actions were keeping her from going entirely crazy in here.

Gods she wanted a drink.

Not the small amounts she'd convinced them both to smuggle in (not knowing the other one was doing it) but a full, solid drink and then a couple more. A solid drunk to shake off the weeks on Rimcee station and then the weeks here. She was tired despite all of the rest, restless, and a little irritable.

While she didn't say it out loud, the expression on her face said clearly oh no not you again when he entered the room.

"Just have to find another lowly Legion Lieutenant to harass," she responded immediately and without hesitation.

"What are you doing here?"

It wasn't rude perse, but it was blunt and to the point.

[member="Jairus Starvald"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Dante Sotari"]

One leg crossed the other and he shifted slightly.

Hm.

Not very comfortable... ugh.

He stood back up again and something was pulled from behind his robes. It was a bottle with brilliant amber liquid, the light even reflected against the glass as he put it on the table juuuuust outside of Dante's reach. Instead he plopped onto the edge of her bed. His attention wasn't on her reaction -- or maybe it was and it just seemed as he was staring out the window for a brief moment -- before returning to glance over at her. "Checking up on my investment, Lieutenant Sotari."

A bright smile there.

"I could go, if you prefer I invest somewhere... else." The fingers already curled around the bottle and lifted it from the table. "I can simply let the Emperor know that you weren't interested in assisting one of his allies."

They both knew that she was rightfully forked.

First- he could feel the thirst inside of her, pupils widened by just the shimmer of amber and the saliva already starting to work. Second- one didn't deny the Dark Lord of the Sith. Oh, maybe Carnifex wouldn't care and let her off easy.

Or maybe it was the end of her career (or her life).

Dante wouldn't know until she tried.

"Hm?"

 

[Dante Sotari]

Her eyes went immediately to the bottle. Fingers twitched, as if she was about to reach for it but her hand stayed on top of the sheet. She was still looking at it when he glanced back at her- if he hadn't been paying attention at first, it wasn't something he could have missed then.

"I feel like I'm missing the part where you decided to 'invest'," she said, a little dryly. "All I noticed so far was you being a right pain in the arse on Ession."

Hazel gaze followed again as he picked it back up, and she didn't realize it, but she licked her lips then before breathing in deeply and fixing her attention back on him with a particular deliberation of intent.

"N-no. Didn't say that," she replied, a little too fast. She realized it, biting that off, bringing her attention back to his face.

In that moment, the prospect of him leaving with that bottle eclipsed the implied threat of the rest. The second part registered a little more solidly a moment later, and internally, she groaned.

"What do you want," she said finally. "And why me? There's thousands of Lieutenants in the Legion. Most of them having passed over a promotion. I'm not interested in doing or being more than this, so if you're looking for someone like that you're barking up the wrong tree."

Her eyes didn't leave the bottle.

[member="Jairus Starvald"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Dante Sotari"]

The thirst, the need was there and she couldn't hide it.

No matter how much she wanted to.

"No?" He plopped himself back down on the side of her bed and glanced over to her. His thumb rubbing the top of the bottle. It promised things, offered, all she needed to do was.... what? What did Jairus want in that moment or any moment besides this one? Oh, he had mentioned wanting to loan and borrow her from the Dark Lord. And the Dark Lord had agreed rather easily.

But it hadn't specified what.

"Some refer to me as the Lord of Hunger, Lieutenant Sotari." Carach murmured softly, informing her while letting the liquid swirl inside the bottle. "You don't know what that means... the history behind it. But you can imagine... that the list of things I want?"

He leaned in just a bit then.

His attention suddenly shifting towards her.

"-is endless."

Then pulling himself back and standing up. Finding his way to the smol table next to her. His fingers shifted- and suddenly two glasses materialized out of nowhere. They had a green, acidic look to them for a fraction of a moment. Then the light moved a bit and it was gone. The quality returning to simple normal glasses. "What I want from you? I need someone to depend on. A steady hand, sharp eyes, a killer instinct." The Sith Lord informed her as he slowly started to pour both of them a glass. Not a simple pour, a regular.

No.

This was bounty to illustrate his hunger.... and perhaps hers.

"If you agree- we can drink to it and seal the deal."

 

[Dante Sotari]

She swallowed, eyes following his thumb where it rubbed along the top of the bottle. As he spoke, that was where at least half of her attention was. It was only when he leaned in that her gaze flickered back to him, and she leaned back slightly, her eyes on his face now.

"Look," she said pointedly, trying not to look back at the bottle. "Lord of Hunger, Lord of Thirst, there's a Lord of Gluttony. Can't keep track of you all and honestly not sure if it would be worth the effort anyway. I'm a simple person. Simple wants. Mostly I just want to be left alone."

The way she licked her lips subconsciously at the sound of the bottle opening betrayed a different want all together.

She was already half nodding by the time he had poured, watching, not even noticing when she'd looked away again.

And then-

"That tells me exactly zero about what you need from me," she said with a frown. She didn't reach out for the glass. Took a conscious effort though. "On the books, just normal legion stuff, support for the Empire, hoo-rah? Cause I'm not looking to go off the line. Empire's taken care of me."

She didn't elaborate, but there was more hanging there in the unspoken.

"I don't make deals with devils. Gonna need more than a 'you scratch my back I scratch yours.' So if that's all you are, you can leave."

That last part was harder to say than she thought possible.

[member="Jairus Starvald"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Dante Sotari"]

"Mm, yes, I can see how well they take care of you, Lieutenant." A smile there as he raised his glass to her and then took a sip. Eyes closing as it burned rather nicely, before swallowing. It ran through his throat and continued the burn along its path. He breathed out and hummed in satisfaction. "Taken care of you enough that it took one request... to ignore your opinion and let me borrow you when I need." A reminder to her that above all else this was a courtesy call.

The Sith Emperor had already given her away.

In some ways.

He was merely offering her the chance to take control, grab the drink and make it her own decision.

Another sip was taken, he smacked his lips a bit and sighed softly. "That's the stuff." A shrug followed after that. "I have no reason to move against the Sith Empire, Lieutenant. My attention is elsewhere." For now. It was not a lie, but it was not the truth. "Accept the drink- I won't ask anything more than the Sith command of you on a daily basis."

Ask and command.

Distinct difference.

The other glass was extended to her.

 

[Dante Sotari]

Holy kark he pissed her off.

Partly because he wasn't wrong. That was the part that rankled. If he had just been completely pulling things out of his arse he'd be easier to ignore. To brush off.

The Empire had taken care of her. She made good money, had great benefits. Hurt in the line of duty and she had access to top of the line treatment. The reputation alone was enough to deter any potential parts of her past from attempting to sneak up on her.

And there was Morgan.

But he was also correct. For a year and a half of service, she had been casually handed to him the moment he'd shown up and asked. He implied she could decline but they both knew that was a lie. All wrapped up and pretty. When the Emperor personally gives permission who is there to appeal to? While as a citizen she was protected from certain things, as a member of the Legion her job was to follow orders.

He knew it.

She knew it.

Her annoyance at him, at his truth, and the need for what was in that glass meant she missed something she would have caught another time.

Dante had not accused him of going against the empire, had mentioned nothing of the sort. His comment was ever so slightly out of line with what she had actually said. Enough so that it should have rung some sort of alarm bell- proclaiming innocence of something not accused of was a red flag in any setting.

But instead her attention was on her irritation. On the glass in his hand. The way his own rose to his lips. Her fingers twitched on top of the sheet again before she stopped it. She sucked on her teeth for a minute and then-

"Kark it."

She reached for the glass.

[member="Jairus Starvald"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Dante Sotari"]

The glass was extended to her in truth and for a moment their knuckles touched in that exchange.

Something passed between the two of them.

More than just the glass.

It was a certain quality of cold rubbing against the thin skin of her knuckle. It came and went quickly, the pace of a breath, but it was understanding. "Now that is the spirit, Lieutenant Sotari." Jairus smiled his warm smile and raised his own glass once more. They drank and the Sith hummed in appreciation of the warm glow slowly spreading from his throat down.

A fine vintage indeed.

"I assume you are satisfied with the care provided by these people? I need you at your optimum. If there is anything you need, you but need to ask." A glance down towards the sheets and the prosthetic underneath.

"I could provide you with something better, for instance."

 

[Dante Sotari]

She barely noticed in truth. There was a slight tremor in her fingers as they wrapped around the glass. honestly, she'd been half expecting him to keep the glass just out of reach so there was a certain relief when that did not happen.

Dante drank deeply, letting the heat wash over her. Just the taste of it soothed. She finished more than half of that generous pour in one go, forcing herself to stop and slow down. Or at least, to address his question.

"I've gotten excellent care here," she said, brows furrowing slightly. Compared to the Commonwealth, it was night and day. The Empire was well funded, well stocked. Good hospitals, doctors, staff. They had given her the choice of a prosthesis or a clone grown limb. She'd chosen the prosthesis because there was something vaguely unsettling to her about them growing just a leg with cloning technology.

"Going to need some physio, to make sure everything is properly integrated, but they say in another week I'll be back to field ready," she said slowly, eyeing him over the rim of the glass. Just the smell of it. Perfect.

"Better?" She snorted, taking another drink, a little dismayed at how little was left. "This is pretty state of the art. What do you want, my leg making toast?"

[member="Jairus Starvald"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Dante Sotari"]

A slow nod.

He had no doubts about the excellent state of the Sith's healthcare.

After all, you cannot forge an Empire on the backs of maimed soldiers with no use. "Oh, no, I figured you'd want a whiskey dispenser integrated in it." Deadpan, articulate, it was very difficult to determine of Jairus was serious in that moment or not. It was clear to him that he was dealing with an addict. Heavier addiction than he had even assumed during Ession.

The way she gulped down half of that drink in almost one go?

Yeesh.

He might be the Lord of Hunger, but this one was the Lady of Thirst. "I could provide it with hidden counter-measures, additional weaponry, tools that could assist with your work." He could. Jairus had the resources for that- the Emissaries might be a small organization now, but that was because it was new.

Something done to see if he could.

There were so many resources that the Sith Lord could tap into, if he had the need.

 

[Dante Sotari]

"That would be over kill. I don't drink on duty."

Which was true, in its way. Having a drink wasn't the same as drinking to Dante. One was just enough to steady her hand. The other was with the intent of drunkenness. That she only did off the clock.

So far.

The fact that it was slowly taking more and more for her to feel 'normal' was a creeping reality that she hadn't delved deeply into. She had too many other things to worry about. She knew she drank a lot, sure. But in her mind it wasn't a problem. She had it under control.

She sipped far more conservatively now, not sure if he was going to top her off or not, but the way her eyes coasted every now and then to the bottle it was clear she was hoping.

"That might be worth doing," she allowed slowly, hating that the offer was coming from him, but not being stubborn enough to just say no to it.

"I assume it would take time."

[member="Jairus Starvald"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Dante Sotari"]

The glance send towards her was lazy, relaxed and entirely filled with disbelief.

"Oh, that is good then. I was afraid we would have to do The Talk." A shrug there. "As long as you are sober and operate on functional capacity, I don't much care what you do in your off-hours."

He finished his glass with a satisfied sigh and then moved to pour himself another one.

Beat of pause as Jairus noticed her lean in ever so slightly. Their eyes met in that moment, understanding passing between one another. Maybe this was the singular time where one measured the other and... conclusions were drawn. Silence ran for another breath. Then. "You want me to top you off?" If Dante said yes there, he would fill her glass.

The same fill she had received the first time.

"Pace yourself, Lieutenant, I would rather not have to explain to a fretful nurse why her patient is drunk on her floor."

A shrug followed after her question. "Depends on the specifications. Might be anywhere from two weeks to a month."

 

[Dante Sotari]

Dante Sotari didn't decline a drink.

Well, ever.

His disbelief didn't bother her. She'd have to care about his opinion of her and her drinking way more than she actually did. She held out the glass and watched him pour- didn't entirely hate him in that moment either.

Then he opened his mouth again.

Dante snorted into the glass.

"This is hardly enough to get me drunk, buddy," she said over the rim, taking a generous but far more reasonable sip. She sighed, relaxing against the pillows slightly. Not a lie. Dante was on the smaller size but her tolerance was higher than most people would realize looking at her. Of course, that was because she drank often and in quantity.

She nodded, moving a sip of the alcohol around in her mouth for a moment before swallowing.

"Well. In that case. Sure. Why not. If you want me at my best let's make it the best I guess."

[member="Jairus Starvald"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Dante Sotari"]

"That the truth." He murmured back and added another observation to his considerations.

Pushing himself off the bed and onto his feet his fingers curled around the body of the bottle. Letting it slip into the folds of his robe, before putting his own glass on the table next to her. There was still little more than half of it there.

"Either way, I will let you rest up then. One of mine will come by in a day or two, do some tests and go over what sort of things you'd like in your prosthetic." One more glance across her form, settling upon the covered up pieces of her leg area. "Maybe make it from phrik or something." A shrug. "We will see." He turned to leave and was already halfway through the door, before Jairus paused there. The pause stretched on for a little bit before a smirk developed.

She wouldn't see.

His back on her and all that.

"Enjoy the drink, Lieutenant Sotari." And with that the Sith Lord departed the room and left her to her own devices. And his half-full glass.