Private Remember Tomorrow

[Arcturus Dinn]

Thessalia​

The Lakonia System​

I shall return... From out of the fire​

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It was still a strange experience.​

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To once more walk and exist among the realm of the living.​

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He had not long been within the Nether, and prior to that he'd been lost within the very fringes of the Galaxy, upon worlds where time was meaningless. Both had left their impact, and though he had come to adjust since his return to the known universe there was still much in the back of his mind remaining to contend with. That unease which kept him awake at night, refused to allow him to drift off for long in fear that he might once more find himself trapped within the dreaming dark. The soulless whispers which now accompanied the symphony in his mind wherever the Force was active. Yes, it had left its mark upon the boy.​

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He had not expected to hear from any of those who had been part of the expedition, barring those belonging to the Academy of course such as Lord Arthos Vynea who had joined up after escaping that sickly void. It was a one and done in his mind, in fact not everyone had even been spat out the other end in the same time or place. Imagine his surprise then when he'd received a call from none other than Noelle Varanin - child of the one they'd gone to save.​

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Their interactions had been brief, yet he'd felt an immediate drive to ensure that she escaped alive all the same. Mayhaps it was the way in which her mothers had been so preoccupied that they hadn't noticed her lagging behind, Thesh knew all too well how it was to be placed in such a helpless position. And in a place like that it was all the worse for it. Mayhaps it was simply who he was, certainly Quintus Varro believed him a better man than most who lurked within the shadows of the Sith.​

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Either way it mattered not. It was over now, he had ensured she got out of there alive, and that was that until it wasn't. They had agreed to meet up in neutral territory, and so it was that he had come to Thessalia with curiosity and uncertainty paramount in his mind. He did not know why she had chosen to reach out to him, if their meeting had been through any other circumstance he might have believed it a trap. But when you experienced what they had, such dire circumstances, you often found yourselves of kindred spirit.​

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It was hard to put such aside, even for the sake of ideals.​

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So he stepped from the shuttle he'd boarded to get there, and glanced around for any sign of the snow-white locks of Eshan's Princess.​

 

[Noelle Varanin]

Noelle couldn't identify what drove her to reach out.

He had been one face among the many-- just another sack of flesh that had served as a distraction for her Mother's lethal objective. Would she be meeting the rest for lunch as well?

No.


She patted the make up under her eyes, the dark circles hidden from the world as she waited, rather publicly, at the agreed upon restaurant. She was early, dressed in the same silk skirts that had emerged from the Netherworld as nothing more than scraps. It was amazing what not being in hell could do for one's complexion, but even she seemed to have that same weighty draw in the corners of her eyes. She was too young for lines, but they were there none the less.


She felt him before she saw him, his energy burning brightly against the mundane backdrop of the busy world. " Arcturus Dinn ," she greeted, offering him a tight smile and the subtle wave of her hand. His chair pulled out for him ever so slightly, earning the confused tick of the attending server's head. They were dressed rather smartly. It was that kind of place.

"It's nice to finally know the name." Because truth was she had barely paid him any mind on their journey down the river together. He might as well had been no one, a shade, and yet he had stop for her when it mattered most. She unfolded and refolded her napkin over her lap.

"... Thank you for agreeing to meet with me. I hope you're well?" Pleasantries.

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

The restaurant was not too difficult to find.​

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Just a stone's throw from the spaceport, it was an obvious choice. Busy, they would be in the public eye for the entirety of their meeting. It made sense given who she was, and how fleeting their companionship had been in truth. She knew little of him, and he of her. Though they had each agreed to this meeting, there could always be ulterior motives at play. The decision was smart.​

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He saw her there, having no real difficulty in differentiating her from the locals. Stark white hair would do that, to be sure, provided they were not among other Echani, Arkanian, Umbaran... Okay so perhaps the list went on, but not here. She stood out among the rest.​

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And she saw him too, calling out his name; he lowered himself into a very slight bow at that, an unexpected smile working its way upon his lips as though he felt some small measure of humour at it. There were few who called him by his full name, it was strange to hear it said. He slid up to the table and pulled the chair further out before seating himself, paying no heed to the curious prying eyes of the staff.​

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"Thank you for the invitation," he said with another dip of his head, "I do hope you're well, Miss Varanin?" He didn't exactly know the proper way to address her. He knew she was someone of importance, that she held titles and the like, but some didn't like to be reminded of such. Better safe than sorry he reckoned.​

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Noelle Varanin ​

 

[Noelle Varanin]

"I'm alive," she answered, wry amusement to the statement. She smoothed back down her napkin and let the server pour out their drinks in fluted wine glasses. She studied him from across the table, taking in the cut of his jaw and the darkness seeping out of his core. She really hadn't paid mind to anything, that day.

It was foolish of her.

She snapped her menu shut, straightening in her chair. "I wanted to thank you for your part in my mother's resurrection. She's doing well, by the way. Most certainly not dead."

Her lips twitched at a thought, a ginger sip taken of her drink.

"I noticed, though, that you were already in the Netherworld when I found you. ...It's really none of my business, but I have been thinking about that day a lot since it occurred and I've wondered-- were you lost?"

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

"Good," he remarked, watching as their server poured a liquid he was unfamiliar with into the glasses upon their table. He hadn't really given the place much thought or observation upon entering, she'd consumed his attention right away without even meaning to. For a moment he gave it a once over, it was a finer establishment than he'd expected all things considered, but then he supposed she was a finer companion than most he associated with.​

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"I am glad that your mother has been returned to you." He had some thoughts on the matter, namely the way in which their daughter had been overlooked during those events. At the time he had chalked it down to tension, and an innate drive to secure the safety of one who had been gone for so long, but reflecting on it brought a certain bitter edge he tried to push away. It wasn't his business, he knew, and bringing it to further light would do no good, so he kept such thoughts to himself.​

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They were together again, and Noelle had in fact escaped the grips of the Dreaming Dark. Surely that was all that mattered in the end.​

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As she turned the question toward him he pondered it rather solemnly for a moment. Lightly turned the wine glass in his left hand, idly. He did not sip from it though, not yet, as though he was anticipating the act of speaking. It took him some time to do so all the same.​

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"Lost? I wouldn't say lost... Foolish, perhaps, in my endeavors. Led on by some unknown voice. I entered on Korriban, the same path your mother took if my sources are correct. I think it was her voice, Spencer. Then again it could simply have been a trick of the Force, a way to lure the unsuspecting into the void. Regardless, I'm glad I succumbed to it, I'm glad I could be of what little help I was there. That you were able to get out in the end."​

He didn't know why. He didn't claim to have all the answers. All he had known in the moment was that no expedition was worth the loss of one so young and full of potential.​

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"Why were you there?" It was perhaps a loaded question, he knew the reason why: it was her mother they were rescuing. But he couldn't help but ask it all the same. "Your other mother, Ashin, she sent for some of the finest minds she could conjure up, went in there with countless bodies, most of whom I feel certain she never expected to leave again. Did she know you would follow her in?"​

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He tried to keep the judgement from his voice, to remain calm and agreeable, but this was the Netherworld they were speaking of. There had been severe dangers involved at every step of that journey...​

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Noelle Varanin ​

 

[Noelle Varanin]

A delicate brow rose, taking in several possible intonations of his words. Some were more flattering than others. She responded to none of it, a heavy breath leaving her as she took another intentional sip.

"Yes. She did." Her eyes traveled the span of the table, thoughts brewing behind the unreadable planes of her face. "I was there because I demanded it. I was worried that she would trade her life for Spencer's. I believed I could prevent that," she admitted, her tone simple and matter of fact. Her embarrassment did not find it's way to her colorless cheeks; the reality had been anything but.

"She humored me."

She rubbed her thumb along the neck of the glass, reading the displeasure tucked into the lines of Arcturus Dinn 's face. In many ways it was validating. She also struggled with what had occurred that day, but she tucked the betrayal neatly away, into a compartment where it couldn't reach her.

This was simply how life was.

She offered a tight smile, breaking the tension with dry humor. "I assure you, I begged. Tears. On my knees. It was practically blackmail, you should have seen Ashin Cardé Varanin squirm."

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

The boy tilted his head to the left as she explained how she had begged to be part of the expedition, more or less forced the woman's hand, one brow raising in speculation before he finally lifted the glass and took a sip or two in ponderous thought.​

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"You know, I can't imagine you begging."​

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But then what claim could he have over knowing her life, even remotely? None. That's what. The Nether was not the realm of reality, what he saw of her in there was not who she was in full. This was the first time they had looked one another in the eye, the first time they'd had an actual conversation. What he'd seen in there meant little.​

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So he shrugged.​

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"Are we here to discuss such, though?" he inquired, settling the stemmed glass back to the tabletop, "I do not doubt I'd have done the same in your position, this is not judgement... Merely curiosity, I assure you."​

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Well there was a little judgement, but certainly not directed at the girl herself. ​

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He slid one of the flimsiplast menus across the table toward himself and began to peruse, though in that moment he didn't feel quite so hungry as he had when stepping from that shuttle. Still it paid well to keep up appearances. This was a restaurant after all.​

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"Do you sleep much, since?"​

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He didn't look up as he asked it, in fact his tone took on much more of a hushed edge than he'd afforded it prior. Almost as though he was a child trying to keep a secret.​

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Noelle Varanin ​

 

[Noelle Varanin]

"You know, I can't imagine you begging."

A rare, Cheshire grin spread across her lips. It was possibly the first time in her life she ever had, but she it did not bother her. Having a former sith empress as a mother wasn't all cost and no gain. Ashin had taught Noelle invaluable skills, like how to utilize what you had to make either bend. Of course there had been no formal lesson in that. Children were observant creatures.

She didn't know why she compelled to be so loose with this stranger. That was, in part, half the appeal of this meeting. She leaned back, shaking her head in wordless dismissal of his apology.

"I think we are both curious. That is why we are here."

"Do you sleep much, since?"

Her expression tightened, his question highlighting her point. There were not many others who would understand what they had experienced. There was comradery in that. Even if they barely knew one and other.

"No," she admitted, looking down to her hands. Darkness whispered through her at the acknowledgement, wisps of corruption drifting out of the cracks the dreaming dark had left inside her.

"I was warned it would come at a cost. ... And you?" She glanced up, hope hidden beneath her lashes.

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

Curiosity was certainly a fickle beast.​

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For some it would be their undoing, for others it opened doors they'd never known existed. This... Well, who knew what this was. Perhaps the closing of a chapter, a way to move on from what they had experienced and process it in a somewhat healthy manner. Or it could have been a new page, a fresh leaf so to speak. Thesh wasn't the type to try and force such things, he would let things play out around him without much interference. The only thing he took an active role in was his studies, his projects.​

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She was neither. And that was a nice change.​

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Her answer was wholly expected. He nodded understandingly, and then slowly shook his own head.​

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"I have found ways to pass the time, and when I'm exhausted sleep comes of its own volition. But I wake just as tired, more often than not. Training helps, anything strenuous..."​

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It wasn't ideal, though. Waiting to be so tired that he all but fell asleep where he stood.​

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"What about your mother? Spencer... How does she seem? After so long in such a place..."​

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Noelle Varanin ​