"
She's been here the whole time, Dag."
"
She has?"
Maybe Jem was learning the disappearance act far better than he'd initially anticipated.
Or maybe he was thirsting for Yula a bit too much.
"
...you can tell me all about how you got them." his cheeks flushed a faint white, no other response followed. There was a lot of explaining to be done later. A lot of old ladies crossing the street and cats stranded on trees.
"
I'd also like to say hello to Val and her baby—and Kahlil, as well."
"
Yeah, good idea." Dag smiled, it had been a while since Valery had left their home on Denon. The apartment felt... empty. No more ancient, tasty recipes from an era long gone past. But it wasn't just that which her presence brought. He realized it, just now, how more adequate both Yula and him behaved around her. Less fighting, less endless arguments into the night.
Valery carried that unequivocal balance with her. Something the two lovers seemed to have been missing. Out of these nine months or so, the two had come to learn a lot about normalizing their relationship. Call it enforced maturity, if you have to.
A long, massive shadow obscured the lights from his side and Dagon turned to see its source. Who else then Master Vanagor? If standing at 6'3, weighing about 210 pounds of pure athleticism felt imposing, then that presence shrunk at the mountain on two feet that the Jedi Master was. Where Dagon would cross obstacles with an envious - and sometimes flaunting - grace, Caltin would just crash his way open leaving no signs of the obstacle in his trail or whatsoever.
The raven-haired Knight knew the man from the Bryn'adul wars and later during the Sacking of Coruscant. He'd saved lives then and offered sage advice to the council at a time when the Jedi were all but shattered.
"
Jedi Master Caltin Vanagor." Dagon added to Yula's introduction, he jerked his head at Jem, oblivious of whatever the two girls by his side were sensing off, "
Say hi."
And then, they chatted on, mostly with his date of the night, they came to learn that Lady Atreides had once been a Dark Jedi. Dagon held his composure. A wary itch in his guts recalled the countless times he'd faced off their fallen 'cousins', but his heart remembered the people they had saved from the clutches of the Dark Side.
"
That's a, one hell of a story, Lady Atre-- Chrysa." he smiled genuinely, "
I'm glad both of you came out of it well and together in the end."
"
Doesn't Romi look gorgeous?"
"
What? Oh, yeah, uh, that's why we're here, right?" he had forgotten about it, lost in the details of Chrysa and Caltin's tale.
"
ROMI! You look ho-- great!" he called out loud, then took a champagne glass from a passing server, raising it in the air for a toast. "
To you! And the unlucky guy!" etiquette wasn't something this rowdy generation of New Jedi had really ever learned.
Yula Perl
Jem Fossk
Caltin Vanagor
Romi Jade