Ask An Unexpected Meeting

[Trael Osso-Drast]

Trael hadn't heard or reached out to Azar since the party. It seemed they were both avoiding each other and Trael was conflicted on this. He wanted to avoid hurting Azar more, yet he couldn't get rid of the pang in his chest when he imagined never seeing him again. Reconciliation was likely an impossibility, one Trael was trying to accept. His mind understood why, but his heart refused to relent the slivers of hope it held.

Today he was in the ballroom. He sat on the edge of the fountain, looking out over the floor. The memories of the night everything change played in his head. How differently things could've played out, how they should've. If only he hadn't been so selfish. He sat there silently playing the night differently in his head. How it could've changed if he never went and had Trodai killed, if he had put Azar's feelings above his own.

He was completely enthralled in playing through the what ifs of the night. He allowed himself to fully escape reality, one that he never wanted or expected to experience. His mind looping the dance he had desired so much, the first he had gotten with Azar, and now it seemed the last. All he wanted was Azar, not the Sith Lord, not the King, and now the one he wanted most was the one he lost.

@Fine Dining Set

 

[Vossari Khaldun]

Voss had hardly marked the passing of days in between their last visit. He had been completely absorbed - with his affair with Lord Arcanos, for one, and with his work as a new Sith Master, for the other. There were so many other paths that Voss could have walked - him and Azar could have shared a storybook romance, save for Trael's actions. Voss knew the blame didn't fall entirely at Trael's feet for the way this party had played out.

But, Trael was made to live, not die. There was a curiosity in that. Azar had said that he wanted Trael to suffer, the way that he had been hurt, but Vossari sensed there was something deeper there. Voss wouldn't be satisfied until he talked to the man of the hour, though. Trael's problems had a way of becoming Vossari's problems - no matter how much the human played the down-to-earth, grounded role. He was a Sith Master, still; a butcher of people and things. One who seemed to always find his way back to jail.

When Vossari appeared in the ballroom, he concealed his presence to just watch Trael for a little while. See how he moved. The man seemed so wrapped up in thought, he was practically on a different planet. It would be so easy to end it, right now, Vossari realized. A lightsaber through the heart. Acid down the lungs. He could almost picture it - him, at his physical prime, versus Trael, who had been languishing in a dungeon for a month. The gap between their powers would have completely closed. Finally.

But to actually assassinate people was not his style. As he had once showed Karys, Vossari preferred a strong warning to outright murder. Eventually, he made his presence known - draped in his suit of sorcery, yet without his helmet on, Trael would notice something curious - the gleaming, green dragon Acridia did not rest on his ear. As his lover had instructed, he had removed it, stashing it safely away in a pocket. If Trael tried anything, he could always put it back on. His own lightsaber rested on his hip, prominently.

Buried beneath Voss's rage and hatred was a pang of...something. Some kind of feeling washed over him as he saw Trael; perhaps nostalgia, for the easygoing adventures that the two of them had shared prior to now. Perhaps sympathy, over making a terrible mistake and not knowing how to fix it. Or perhaps it was sadness, for Trael, for Azar, for himself, that their dynamic was disrupted forever. Trael provided something...unique to Azar that Voss did not. The human's forthright attitude always made him stand out amongst the backstabbing, malicious Sith. Voss saw the way they laughed together, how they danced at the party. While it made him jealous, of course, there was something else mixed in there. Vossari could appreciate the tenderness that Trael showed Azar, in a way that Voss failed to. Trazar enjoyed salsa-filled hikes with hijinks and joviality. Vossari and Azar's moments were deep, intense, loving, but Voss knew that there was a simple happiness that Trael had brought to their king. A simple happiness Vossari could never seem to figure out.

One didn't need to be a genius or a mind reader to tell what Trael was thinking about. He cleared his throat as he approached. "Thinking about suicide?" He pointed off the edge of the balcony. "Jumping will be quick, but I can make it quicker." His tone was cold and flippant, as always. But Trael knew him well enough to realize Voss didn't come here to merely taunt Trael.

@Javier esschoolbus

 

[Trael Osso-Drast]

Trael was completely out of everything. Though his body was here his mind was on an entirely separate plane of existence. He didn’t sense Voss approach, didn’t recognize him as he hid himself and watched. If Voss chose to assassinate him he would’ve succeeded fully, but he didn’t. Trael stayed in his separate world until Voss made his presence known. He came back to reality in what felt like a snap to himself, his head slowly turning to catch Vossari approaching.

He immediately noticed a couple things, Voss was without a helmet, Acridia was oddly absent and he had his lightsaber. Trael worked extensively with Vossari, since the first time he saw Voss with Acridia on he’s never seen him without it. Trael wasn’t sure if he should feel relieved or not but the absence of the earring made him oddly cautious. Odd because you’d think knowing someone could turn the thing you were sitting on into a vat of acid would be what made you uneasy, not the absence of what allowed such abilities. They hadn’t seen each other since the party, Voss was someone Trael could arguably say was a friend. Even still the Wreans unpredictable nature kept Trael aware of Voss when they were together.

Trael chuckled slightly when Voss opened up offering making suicide easier for him, “Not since the weddings.” He answered the first question, “I’ve already got that part figured out. A wave of my hand and a guard just so happens to be under the balcony a drunk Sith Master falls from. His spear in the perfect position to catch him as he falls.” He explained, “The only issue is that I don’t know how it would affect Azar.” He said softly, “I’ve acted without that knowledge before and don’t want to again.” He said to himself as much as Voss.

He sat there silent for a few moments, “I was imagining what could’ve been if I didn’t work to kill Trodai. Everything would’ve gone so much better.” He mused, “It might’ve even been us that played the wives at the dual marriage. Me and you in Korribani dresses would’ve been a sight.” He said with a chuckle imagining the sight. Vossari would know Trael wouldn’t be caught dead in a dress. He would also know that Trael was trying to deflect how he was hurting with humor. “I’m sorry my actions took your dream from you as well.” He told Vossari truthfully, Trael knew that like him Voss probably dreamed of a life with Azar. His actions could’ve taken that from them both.

He stood up and stretched his back. “Alright, if you were here to kill me, I’d be dead. If you were here to see Azar, you wouldn’t be talking to me.” He said listing off the reasons Voss might be here, “If you simply wanted to taunt me, you wouldn’t have waited this long. That would’ve happened while I was still chained up. You either need me for something or want to have a serious talk.” He said having narrowed down what he thought were the only two options.

@Fine Dining Set

 

[Vossari Khaldun]

Vossari chuckled mirthlessly at the thought of Trael impaling himself on a guardsman's spike. What an end to a Sith Master that would be. His chuckling ceased when Trael started making jokes about the wedding. "I would have looked beautiful beside him. And you ruined that for me." He waved his hand as Trael apologized. They were just words. Trael was always genuine, of course, but did he really understand how much of Vossari's life he had fucked up? It would take more than a one sentence apology for this pain to subside.

"Now, because of you, Azar has decided to focus on the politics of his realm. Have some pureblood babies with these charming women." Voss had never met them and never wanted to meet them. In his mind, he just pretended they didn't exist. He realized this wasn't a viable long term plan, but if Voss couldn't stew in his bitterness, then who was he?

"What I need is for you to wake up, Trael. Stop moping around. The past is unchangeable. The future, though, is malleable." Vossari put his face into his hand. Was he going to have to play therapist for this? For Trael? Was this a chance that Vossari could stop being an angry crab? "Azar never wanted you dead. He wanted loyalty. Now, he wants effort." Voss's hands slipped into his pockets as he thought about the party. Azar had called them both boulders - things that kept him grounded, but that limited his aspirations because they had no drive of their own. Voss was insistent to change that for himself. But Trael was like his boulder - every failure that another one of Azar's lovers made ultimately fell on him. Trael's betrayal ruined him and Azar's relationship, forcing it into the shadows instead of out in the open where it belonged. So, if he had to baby step Trael towards competence for the sake of his relationship with Azar, he would.

"He really loved you." Voss suspected the sentiment remained, but he wouldn't speculate on Azar's mental state. That was between the two of them. "You give him such peace. He feels so at ease around you." It was a feeling Vossari couldn't evoke easily - simple comforts, simple joys, simple pleasures. Nothing was ever simple with Voss. "I...I gave you the green light, dude. I played the song for you. I've fought against attempts to backstab you." Voss said, thinking back to Karys's final plan with Vossari, creating a sex-alliance against Trael. "I need you to stop undermining us." Azar needed a peaceful place to lay his head at night, and while Voss could be many things, he would never be cute and peaceful. "You will show Azar your loyalty. You will beg him for forgiveness. And you will prove your worth."

None of these things guaranteed reconciliation with Azar, of course, but Voss knew that the only way out of their relationship exile was through hard work. No matter what happened with Trael, his efforts could always serve Voss, and their King, in the end. From within his suit, he produced a vial of blood. One that he had acquired on Saleucami, in the interceding moments between the party and today. Cyutadakr's blood. "Our King gave us a mission. Your dereliction of loyalty does not relieve you from this duty." With this blood, and an understanding of Karys's Force Presence, Vossari and Trael could use Blood Sorcery to divine the location of the child. Neviskas herself was completely meaningless - all that mattered was finding the baby. "We have the tools to find the baby. You will ask the king for leave to complete this task."

Or, Voss would just do it alone. That was the original plan, anyways. "Swear it to me."

@Javier esschoolbus

 

[Trael Osso-Drast]

Trael looked forward as Voss mentioned it being his fault that Azar had switched his focus heavily into his political career. “Have you met them yet? I have been avoiding doing so.” He mused slightly apprehensive, he followed the belief of out of sight out of mind. As long as they weren’t in his sight, they weren’t an issue. He had enough to remind him of his failings currently, the wives were one he didn’t need to add.

His gaze went back to Voss as he told him to stop moping, “I don’t just mope you know. I work out, read the books in the library, wander the grounds. But eventually I get lost in thought.” He explained, “Once I can leave it will be easier to stop moping. I already have an idea of what I’m going to do.” He told Voss. He had an excess of time to plan out his future goals and plans. He had come up with a couple paths and how to walk them, he just needed to implement them. Vossari then went on explaining what Azar wanted, what he now wants. “I never really asked Azar what he truly wanted.” Trael told Voss, “It took what I did for me to realize that. But I get what you’re saying, I need to do better, not for myself but for Azar.” Trael said to Voss with regret being evident in his tone. If he wanted any hope of rekindling what he blew out with Azar he needed to be better. He allowed himself to grow complacent and comfortable in his position.

Voss continued giving Trael a talk, something he didn’t expect. “Loved..” Trael repeated to himself quietly. Like Voss he didn’t know Azar’s feelings about him currently. He was hopeful they hadn’t faded, but he didn’t know for sure. Voss continued on describing how Trael gave Azar peace. How Trael made him feel at ease, his mind went to the numerous simple moments. All the times he had Azar in his arms, just the two of them. Those were the moments Trael remembered the most vividly, the ones he could visualize as if they were happening in real time. The ones he missed the most. As Voss detailed the ways he worked to not hinder Trael, the Master had a small smile form. “Thank you Voss. I’ll make sure not to undermine us anymore.” He assured the Wrean, “I will do what is needed to make amends.” He said to Voss after he laid out what Trael will be doing. “You’ve grown much since we first met.” Trael said as he remembered the Acolyte who shit talked him through a telepathic conversation, the same that jumped into a lake to avoid a bill, “Or have you just been hiding this side from me?” He said as he gave Voss a curious look.

He watched as the vial of blood was pulled from Voss’ suit. He eyed it curiously, whose blood was this? Voss began to remind Trael of a mission they were given, that’s when it clicked in his mind, Karys child, this was Neviskas blood. “It seems you’ve gained us what we needed to begin our mission.” He mused as he looked at the blood vial. Voss told him to swear that he would request his freedom to complete the mission, “I’ll contact you once I gain my freedom again. I swear it.” He stated to Voss with a slight bow.

—————

A few days had passed since Trael was released by Azar. He was in a classroom on Umbara with a stack of books, one was open on the desk, he was reading intently. Trael wasn’t a practiced Sorcerer, so he had to take a bit to get an idea of where to look for information on how to use blood to track someone. He notified Voss to meet him here once he found which books could possibly answer the question for them. Trael didn’t know if Voss could utilize Blood Sorcery, he knew that he himself hadn’t ever tried. Even if the two of them had never done so, hopefully together they could figure it out.

@Fine Dining Set