Private Reunion for two

[Solan Charr]

Tahv - Capital City of Kesh
Royal Palace - Eternal Gardens
Jairdain Ismet-Thio
​

---

Solan remained within the Gardens today, no one would see him and he would take no visitors. It had been a long last few years, the removal of the final remains of the old enemy having been completed. Even though there was still much to do, more that he wanted to achieve and more he wanted to fix, he could finally start to rebuild the gardens, the very ones that held his Eternal Mourners. An expanse of bright blue flowers that spread out in all directions, maintained and brought to life by the Force itself.

Even now he sat on his legs, leaned over growing yet another seed and smiling to himself as he did. The touch of the dark was still heavy in the air, the simple fact of his nature in how he had died and his revival. He wondered if this peace he had finally found was what brought on this change in him, uncertain if this was what had changed in him slightly.

He would pause though, sitting up straight with his senses coming to life. He could feel the familiar sensation of a presence that he had always been calmer around. The thought making him smile and as he worked to grow the next flower he would wait patiently. He could tell even now that she was not far from him, that she would arrive soon enough and he did not need to let those nearby know to let her through.

If anything, it should be good to see her again.

His eyes closed, wondering if there was a reason she was here though, wondering if something had happened or if he was needed now? He would have to wait to be sure.

 

[Jairdain Ismet-Thio]

It had been quite a while since Jairdain had walked the quiet comforts of Kesh. Before Solan had given his life to try to hold off the Bryn'Adul. She had helped bring him back and then never saw him again. They had been lovers, and she loved him. Then he died, and she moved on with her life. She had gotten married, had a family, became a widow, and gotten married again. Now her second husband was getting older and still marching off to war. Who better to turn to than a man who had seen her at her worst and still loved her? A man who had helped piece her broken mind back together, and then she had helped him. They were connected, and she wasn't going to deny this. Some scars and connections, she cherished. Solan was one of them.

At the same time, he smiled; she did too, even if they didn't realize they had. The beauty of the garden and his work wasn't entirely lost on the blind woman. She knew how much love and care he put into each and every one of the flowers. He had shown her at one time. Shared his secret during the time they had been together.

The gates opened as she approached, and she walked over the threshold. They closed behind her, and she continued. Following her instincts, she wasn't sure where this meeting was headed. The way she was feeling, it was as if she were a teenager again. Being far from that age, she paused in her step as those silly nerves subsided, and she could continue with her walk.

He would know she was coming; the connection went both ways. Turning a corner, she knew she was close. Focusing on him through the Force, she closed the distance between them.

"I'm happy to see you again. Solan."

His name was a whisper on her tongue. She had looked forward to spending time with him, and now that time had arrived.

Solan Charr

 

[Solan Charr]

What she found waiting for her was the same man who had known her before. Though thanks to the new body of his own, and the nature of her own body, it was more like them revisiting a scene from so long ago. Perhaps not the same faces this time, or perfectly mirroring their state of minds from back then, but the smile on his lips remained the same one that was there so long ago. His eyes coming up and looking towards her with a quick and warm chuckle.

"As am I, dear stranger. Though I hope that you will not take so long to come and sit with me as you did in coming to see me once more." He knew he was just as much at fault for such a thing. Infact he was likely even more at fault but he did not seek to dwell on that.

Instead he shifted, leaving her room to come sit beside him as his hand worked to nurture and pull another of the bright flowers from its seed and into the light of the moon as it fell on them in the Garden. The shadow cast by the tree that stood in the center of the garden shifting when the cool wind pushed past them and left them both alone with only their thoughts.

The glasses that sat on the bridge of Solan's nose, an annoying result of his body's poor eyesight catching that glint from the moon while he sat there before he continued.

"So, getting used to the features that being one of mister Foxman's family grants you?" He would crack a smirk, the mischievous kind from when he was far younger than now. The new body making him far more happy to fall back into that nature of his.

Jairdain Ismet-Thio

 

[Jairdain Ismet-Thio]

Once he shifted, she accepted the invitation to sit next to him. Even though they were next to each other and she didn't use her eyes to look at him, she turned her face away from him slightly.

"I should have stayed all those years ago."

The time couldn't be brought back, but this conversation could help clear some air at least, for Jairdain.

"Like before, I can't stay this time. I can't even return to my home on Commenor. If I did, I would be facing certain death. I've gotten used to them really well."

Wrapping her tail around him, she moved in a little closer and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Have you adjusted to yours as well? It's not like this."

Solan Charr

 

[Solan Charr]

Solan did not interrupt her, instead he let her mind go through the entirety of what she needed to say, for her to get comfortable and rest easily beside him. He did not intend on pushing her to answer any questions or to dwell on the past and instead simply continued to grow the flowers. His thoughts focusing on the task all while he listened to her and let her speak on the things that had been consuming her while she had traveled to here.

It was only when she finished talking that he would pause and look her way. With a smile on his lips and watching as she rested her head against his shoulder. He reached up with one of his hands and placed it on the top of her head while she rested there beside him.

"I cant say I would have been upset with such a choice. If anything I would say that it is a shame I never got to have you by my side if that was the path things could have taken." He answered in kind, welcoming the idea of her having been at his side all this time instead of being away from him.

He would return his hand to the ground though, growing another but instead this time he lifted it from the earth and carefully moved it to sit infront of her, resting in his hand now.

"Of course, that is why making up for lost time is important." He would state, just smiling to her now.

Jairdain Ismet-Thio

 

[Jairdain Ismet-Thio]

Considering her words might have surprised Solan, his action did precisely that to her. Feeling the pat on her head, she let out a sigh.

"I had my life on Commenor to return to. Now that life is dead and gone. It could have been so very different. Why didn't you come and take me away?"

Both were to blame for losing contact. Right now, the normally taciturn Jairdain was actually feeling some more profound emotions. The kind she usually kept buried for a reason. These were the primal kind, those that ran deep in every living thing.

Lifting a hand to itch her nose, she was trying to push them down again. To the person she should be. Maybe she came to Solan because she felt like her life was falling apart again.

"My husband is going off to war again. I'm afraid he won't come back. I lost my first husband to war. I think if that happened a second time, I would break again. So here I am. If that does happen, will you help me once again?"

Lowering her hand to his, holding the flower, she gently caressed both of them.

Solan Charr

 

[Solan Charr]

"If I had come and taken you away, I would have gotten on the bad side of quite a few people now don't you think. I was already a pirate back then and me coming in to steal away someone like you. Well it would certainly make my reputation all the worse for going and taking anyone I so wished to take, don't you think?" He would give another smirk to her, another teasing smile before looking at her as she sat there beside him. Her hand touching his and his eyes watching her closely.

"As for your fears, I wish to give you a bit of advice I am certain you have given others. Letting your fear control you, rob you of who you are, will only turn you into someone like me. I would be deeply saddened to see you go down that path, so do try and keep smile on your lips. Think of only the best case scenario rather something so terrible." He would continue to smile softly to her before looking forward over his garden.

"Did I ever explain to you about these flowers?" He would ask, letting her answer him, continuing to look at them for a few moments more.

It was all quite a bit now that he thought about it. He really had let fear rule him in his first life, in his first attempt to have everything without paying for it. Even now he knew the cost that eventually was taken from him was likely a just recompense for what he had taken from others.

Jairdain Ismet-Thio

 

[Jairdain Ismet-Thio]

"Who doesn't like a little bit of rouge in their lives?"

Laughing a little, the heaviness she had been feeling was lifted, just by getting a few thoughts and feelings off her chest. She no longer needed to carry that burden alone and could share it with her friend even if he was a former lover.

"You were also gardening with the Jedi when we met originally."

Smiling at that memory, it really was a whole lifetime ago when she had been a bubbly teen, before she had caught the attention of the Sith, maybe even before she had met her first husband.

Listening as Solan gave her advice, which she had given to many others before, it was odd to hear it. Now taking the chance to rub at her eyes, there were tears she hadn't known she was shedding. Lowering her head for a few minutes, she just allowed them to flow. There would be no judgment from him. She wouldn't be surprised if he offered her a hanky.

"How can I not? Yuroic died in a war. Jax has lost pieces of himself to war. There will come a day when he doesn't come back.

"Tell me again. It has been a very long time."

Solan Charr

 

[Solan Charr]

Solan just laughed a bit as she responded to him, talked of their first meeting and playing off his own mention. He always felt good to see his friends resting their minds and enjoying the night. It was far better than the sadness and sorrow that he had seen over the years that he had ruled and the period of when he had been dead. All of it was better when there was smiles on the faces of the ones he would see protected.

No matter what measures he needs take to ensure those smiles.

Soon though he heard her fears and watched as the tears fell. He did not comment on them, and while he did not offer a hanky as he lacked such, he would carefully pull her close so that her tears may be caught on his shoulder or his sleeve instead.

"It is ok to feel them, to let them run through you, but it is the control I caution you on. After all, fear leads to the dark side doesn't it. And those who follow the darkside are all rather evil and despicable people. I hear some even go and take over whole planets, can you imagine that?" He would give her another smirk, something to bring her smile back before thinking on the flowers again.

"They were a gift, atleast, the genetic code was. My alterations were something all my own. Something passed on by loved ones who... well their faces are gone now from my mind. A sad fact of the process that revived me. Even now, the mother I cared for, and the first woman I loved, both of them are grey and featureless in my mind." He started, his thoughts going over it all. It would be different from the last time Jairdain had heard him speak on them, to be unable to describe a single trait about them anymore.

It was a part of what he had lost in being returned.

"But, the reason I still plant them is very similar to why I owe you my new life Jair. Each flower represents a life lost. Taken by my hands, or those who fell beside me, it does not matter. They will exist until the Force itself dies out, as that is the only thing they need to sustain themselves." He smiled as he looked at them all.

"A living memory of them all, even if I one day forget each of their faces myself."

Jairdain Ismet-Thio

 

[Jairdain Ismet-Thio]

The best thing to come of this reunion was her healing tears. Of course, she had told her husband of her fear. It hadn't stopped him from leaving again. Instead, all she could do was cherish the last several years they'd had together. She also hoped her fears were unfounded and wouldn't happen. Knowing someday they probably would.

Eventually, after a few minutes, her tears tapered off, and she leaned against her old friend. Just taking solace from him. Both of them had been through more loss than many did in a single lifetime. There would only be more for Jairdain. Part of her wished she could return to being human and having that short life. Then she wouldn't face the loss of another husband.

Sighing more to herself, hearing his answer brought those memories back. Holding out her hand to take the flower he offered. Letting it rest on her palm, she breathed calmly in through her nose and let the sigh out through her mouth.

"We shared those memories before, and I remember them. If you wanted them back, you could have their faces and voices. What you had shouldn't just fade away."

Not yet moving away entirely, she did sit up and placed the flower in her hair.

"You should remember them."

Solan Charr

 

[Solan Charr]

Jair would find him remaining with his eyes forward, looking over the flowers and waiting for her to finish her own thoughts on the matter. The flower in her hand now and him able to simply rest his mind while he sat beside her. It was only when she offered to share with him those memories again that he seemed to be uncertain. A sadness on his face as he considered if before shaking his head, not explaining at first.

"No, I think it would be best that they remain gone." He spoke, there being a clear sadness on his voice, a simple tired look that he carried before explaining his thoughts.

"When I had died, I had robbed the planet of the Force itself. I had taken many with me and cursed my existence to continue without having truly died. I defied that Will of the Force that the Jedi always bugged me about when I visited their temple. The loss reminds me that my actions do have consequence to them. That the lands where I had died will remain forever barren of the Force and forgotten in it, a hole that cant be mended. My Memories should remain the atonement and price I paid for existing far longer than I should have." He paused for a moment more and gave a small smile to her.

Furthermore, I know that they will stay safely within your own mind. I know I can trust you to keep their memory safe for far longer than I have, and can ensure they live far longer in your mind. We die after all when we are finally forgotten, finally lost to the history of the Galaxy." He would finish the thought and looked at the flower in her hair.

"Looks even better there, it fits that it would look so good."

Jairdain Ismet-Thio

 

[Jairdain Ismet-Thio]

Feeling his sadness almost caused her to cry again. His words floated between them, and she accepted his decision. They were now a part of her long memory and ones she would take to the grave when that happened. They would be lost with her and never remembered again. Truly lost to the ages and dead forever.

"My brother and I have also helped you defy the Whills, so I share in some of that same taint. You punish yourself too much, Solan. If you change your mind before you die, come find me and I'll make you remember."

Turning to face him, their hips touched and she allowed thier warmth to be shared. Lifting one of his hands her face unless he pulled away, she would rest her still damp cheek on it for a moment before letting go. Giving him half a smile, she turned away once more and leaned against him again.

More than anything, she needed a solid friend to support her, and Solan offered exactly that.

"Thank you. What is the color of the flowers?"

Not that telling her the color would matter since she was blind, but she wanted the connection.

Solan Charr

 

[Solan Charr]

"Speaking of which, your brother really does like to remind me of that fact." He would give her a smile, trying to turn the conversation to something a bit more cheerful. He did not wish to let her dwell on the facts of what had happened as a result of their efforts, he would rather she smile about the good things that came from all of it. Even now he knew that she was truly the only reason he still lived given everything that had happened.

"I hate to disappoint him, but there really isnt any ships left that I can offer him so, if you could ease him a bit away from the topic in the future, that would help." He would give her a smirk, a little bit of the mischievous and perhaps not quite honest words coming out but it was clear he was still joking. Though, he would drop the joking tone when she moved closer and took his hand carefully. He let her hold onto it, to pull close and rest her cheek against his hand once more.

All of it ending with her leaning against him and him sighing with a softer smile now.

"Hmm... lets see. The petals are blue, but as it gets closer to the center, the blue turns from a darker color into a bright one. Imagine looking at me, and then yourself through the force, that darker color giving way to a lighter one until at the heart of the flower it is a bright luminescent glow." He hoped this would allow her to visualize what he described, to understand a bit more.

Jairdain Ismet-Thio

 

[Jairdain Ismet-Thio]

"He would like to bring that kind of thing up and probably thinks he's innocent in it all."

That wasn't being entirely fair to Vulps, but she wasn't in that frame of mind. Nor was she trying to assign any blame to him. Each of them walked their paths, and they crossed now and then. Like tonight. Though Jairdain felt their paths were forever intertwined and would continue to cross throughout time until even that faded.

"Ships? I mean, I know you were a pirate, but was that what he was asking for? But I'll see what I can do, Solan."

Her friend asked for so little; it was a simple request, and she would talk to Vulps about giving him some slack. It might not work, but he probably expected that. They had been friends far longer than he and Jairdain had.

Tilting her head upward slightly as he described the flowers, she did imagine them exactly as he worded things. Giving a gentle smile, she breathed in quietly and allowed the peace of everything to start to settle around her. Things would be fine. Jax would return, and her life would return to normal.

"I had to leave Commenor. A new Galactic Empire moved in, and to stay there would have been a death sentence for me. That is one of the factors to me... well, falling apart again. Only this time, it wasn't complete. Not that before, when we met on that ship."

A short month together had changed their lives forever. And she had made a large mistake at the end of it. Then again, if she had stayed then, her life would have been entirely different. Would it have been better? She had no idea, and neither of them would ever know. Sighing, it was another lifetime ago for both of them.

"It's wonderful to know you have accomplished bringing your home back to life."

Solan Charr