Ask Coruscant Cin Vhetin

[Talak Rand]

It was still coming back to Talak exactly how he had gotten here. Apparently in the aftermath of the attack, medics had found him in the rubble and, after finding the blue lightsaber clutched in the other half of his arm, assumed he was a Jedi and rushed him to the medcenter. He had never been so thankful to be mistaken for a Jedi, and after spending several days in a bacta tank, had been fitted with a new prosthetic.

It was taking some getting used to. The number of Talak's scars was ever growing, it seemed. Now to accompany the blaster scars to his right and left shoulders or the spider web patterns of lightning to his torso he had new streaks of lightning scars to his legs. There was an old scar across the bridge of his nose and his entire lateral right arm had light burn scars as well, and, of course, he was missing the lower half of his right arm. Replaced with a prosthetic or not, it simply wasn't the same. Yet. Not the same yet. You'll get used to it, he told himself.

He was naturally right handed and attempts to do things with his left hadn't gone overly well. Writing was completely out of the question with either hand, but he'd become accustomed to gripping things with the new hand relatively quickly at least. These prosthetics had advanced quickly, but it still wasn't his arm. His first attempt at picking up a cup of caf had ended in a crinkled cup, caf everywhere, and one very angry Talak.

But he'd finally been discharged. For the first time in his life, the lightsaber on his belt wasn't hidden because everyone thought he was a Jedi. He still needed to track down Hannibal to get his proper saber back, but in the meantime this one would do.

He reached up and scratched his head, initially jabbing himself in the head as he misjudged the distance and he rolled his eyes, letting out a sigh of frustration at even a simple action feeling so foreign. Still, he was glad to be making his way through the lobby and out of the hospital. Back to the Nomad and then... well, he didn't know where. He had no idea what the galaxy had in store for him. Jedi? Independent vigilante? He knew he needed to make plans for the Sith to come after him, and the thought made him tense up. The last thing he wanted to think about right now was fighting more Sith. The last fight had been the closest to death he had ever been, and he wasn't eager to revisit it.

 

[Trys Aran]

The events that transpired at the maximum security prison spread like wildfire all throughout the Deep Core, Inner Rim and to some degrees all the way to the Outer Rim. It had taken some time for Trys to get discharged, and even longer to realize everything that had happened. Rangers died, many of them, and Jedi did as well. She was floored to learn that Jedi came to defend Rangers at the cost of their lives. Among the dead was a Jedi that had arrived as a delegate to speak with her, Roland and Duke. Another fallen was the Jedi she had spoken to after the Mimban incident. Both faces were clear in her mind, both tied to memories she recalled.

But most of all.Talak had been there.

The faces of all those pulled from the rubble had been sent to internally to Ranger higher ups. She felt weak when she realized he had truly left to fight his own kin when he left the hospital that day. She remembered his words, the words she had always known but was still jarring to hear said aloud. Trys had come by here several times, and he had been in a bacta tank or going through surgery to be fitted with a prosthetic. Her voice had finally returned in the several days it took for them both to be discharged.

She had arrived again having known that he was being discharged today. Trys made her way into the lobby and spotted him almost at once. He looked thoroughly confused and out of place, and she didn’t miss the saber hilt on his hip. He had several people come by and attempt to shake his hand, gushing about how he was a local hero.

She made her way past a few people, coming to a pause several feet in front of him. Trys’s eyes were wide, and she looked as if she were about to say something. She looked into his eyes for a moment, noting the exhaustion on his face, the stubble on his face from neglecting his usual grooming for a few days, the messier than usual hair. Her gaze flickered to his prosthetic hand and then through all the new injuries and scars he had on him. She had been berating herself endlessly for not having been there to defend her people. However, Talak had been there putting his life on the line. He had almost died himself and permanently lost a part of himself.

In the end, she had no words to say right then. She physically shoved a person out of the way that was going over to thank him. Trys closed the distance between them and embraced him as gently as she could. She buried her face into the crook of his neck, drawing in that familiar feel of him and the smell of him. The minute details were all things she never thought she would feel again.

Trys didn’t care about the busy lobby around them, and she simply held him in silence. She didn’t even care that he could probably sense the overwhelming amount of emotion coursing through her then. Trys closed her eyes and pressed her face into his skin, “What were you thinking?” She murmured softly, holding him a bit tighter, “What were you thinking…” She repeated, thinking about the very real deaths that happened mere feet away from him.

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak had no idea that Trys had been by even once or that she had any idea that he had actually gone to the prison to fight. He half-expected he wouldn't ever see her again even if he had survived.

The people coming up to him in the lobby had taken him off guard. He tried to shake their hands as gently as he could without crushing anyone with a new prosthetic. Please let me go, he thought to himself, trying to force a smile. Was this what it was like to be a Jedi? It was like having Fancy and the girls dote on him, except much worse because he didn't know these people.

But everything straightened up and his head started to swivel as he sensed a familiar presence. He spotted Trys only as she bodily shoved someone aside and threw her arms around him. He wasn't expecting this reaction, but he wasn't complaining.

His left arm wrapped up around her and pulled her tightly against him, almost clutching onto her, while the right held her more gingerly, afraid of accidentally crushing her with the new arm.

He just held her, not pulling away and certainly not bothering with who was looking. He wanted nothing in the galaxy more than to kiss her right then and there, but he knew that doing so was probably some risk to her career. Instead, he savored her smell and the feel of her against him.

There were no words to answer her question. He was who and what he was. She would write it off as being impulsive, but in his shoes she would have done the same.

Somebody needed to do it, didn't they? he murmured. I'm so glad to see you. I didn't think I'd ever see you again, he said quietly. He didn't think he'd make it back, and even if he did he expected her to hold a grudge.

You seem to be doing better, he said with a quiet chuckle. She could talk and she was up walking around. Those were both huge steps in the right direction.

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys barely heard him, pulling back at last to gaze at him once more. She noticed that the gold in his eyes were far less pronounced this time to where they could pass as natural light eyes. Trys didn’t even let him finish speaking before she leaned in to kiss him mid-sentence. She didn’t care about who saw or what any of it meant. Trys pressed close against him, savoring the warmth of his lips and forgetting for a moment where they were standing.

She took her time before finally pulling back from him, shaking her head, “You look terrible,” Trys said, unable to keep the faint grin off her face. She ignored the glances a few passing people shot them, her focus on Talak alone. Trys looked down at the saberhilt on his hip, noting how no one batted an eye.

“What does...this all mean?” She asked quietly. Had he truly turned his back on the red sabers? Would he have retaliation to deal with? Trys hadn’t really prepared for anything beyond just finding him at the hospital. Now that they were here, she felt lost and sheepish. Trys ran a hand through her hair, eyeing him for a moment.

“Uhh….would you like to come back to my place?” Trys blurted out, thinking about the new townhome she had moved into that wasn't cramped like her apartment. She didn’t even know if she could ask him that after all the chaos they had been through. They parted ways quite angrily last time, and the most recent time she hadn’t even acknowledged him as he went off to risk his life. Trys cleared her throat and looked down, “Never mind, of course you don’t...I um….just wanted to come see you…” It was incredibly strange for her to be so damn tongue tied.

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak wasn't expecting her to suddenly lean in and kiss him, but he leaned into it as well, letting the moment linger. He didn't care who saw them either, it was exactly what he had been wanting.

He laughed when she said he looked terrible. Wow, thanks! he said. Apparently she wasn't mad at him, and that was all that mattered to him right now. He didn't release his grip on her and didn't care about the people judging their public displays of affection.

He caught her glance down at the saber and asked what this all meant and he didn't have a great answer, and he wasn't sure where things would go from here.

I don't know. But that's an answer for tomorrow, he said, not wanting to think about anything but them right now.

When she blurted out if he wanted to come to her place for a moment he had a deer in headlights look, not because he didn't want to but simply because he'd not been expecting it. She began to stutter awkwardly, and it was absolutely adorable. He smiled before leaning in to kiss her and cut off her flustering.

I would love to go to your place, he said. He released his grip on her and moved to her other side so that his prosthetic was away from her and he could snake down his left hand to grab hers. He knew she probably wasn't the handholding type, but he felt like perhaps he could sneak a liberty that she wouldn't mind.

 

[Trys Aran]

The townhome was in a nicer part of Coruscant, and it was far from the lower districts. She was stretching things financially to move into it, but she knew it was time to leave the two bedroom apartment behind. As they arrived in front of it, Talak would notice the perfectly manicured lawns and children playing in the yards. It was a sharp contrast to the underbelly districts. Even the air here seemed cleaner.

Trys parked in the small driveway and Talak would notice several police cruises nearby. She glanced over to look at them before sighing, “They won’t let me throw off the security detail,” It felt strange to have guards around the clock, and she couldn’t request to have them removed. She got out of the speeder and made her way up the stairs, using a keycard to open the door.

The inside opened up to a large living room that had a disproportionately small couch in it from her last apartment. The rest of the space was mostly empty except for a bunch of boxes. Trys grimaced slightly, “Sorry, I just scrambled to move in here when I left the old place,” She pointed to the stairs that led to the second story, “We now have three bedrooms instead of just two,” She said with a grin, “Though I might need to get bigger furniture.”

Trys motioned for him to take a seat as she went to the fridge. She didn’t have fancy wine, but she got a beer for them both, knowing it probably wasn’t his favorite. She sat down next to him, thinking for a moment about everything that had happened.

“I’m...sorry for having doubted you,” Trys glanced down, “You put your life on the line for my people while I was sitting in a kriffing hospital bed. I can never forgive myself for that.”

 

[Talak Rand]

They pulled up to her new place and his eyes quickly scanned over it. It was much nicer than where she'd moved from, and he smiled when he saw it. His eyes didn't fail to notice the police cruisers, still having a difficult time not classifying them as threats in his mind. She mentioned trying to throw them off and he smirked.

How many times have you tried to throw them off? he joked. He wouldn't have even been surprised to find out she had tried to lose them on multiple occasions. For Talak's part he was glad that there were extra people watching she and her son. After what happened with Ender... no, he didn't want to think about that.

They made their way inside and he saw all the boxes. She had moved quickly, and he wondered if she had moved because she wanted to or because she had been forced to by her bosses.

He took a seat at the couch she suggested and took the offered beer, drinking it. Beers weren't his drink of choice, but he wasn't going to complain.

No, Trys, he said, waving his to dismiss her apology. I deserved that. I'm sorry you got hurt, I... he didn't finish the sentence. He felt responsible for what had happened to her given who had attacked her.

I've done a lot of things worth doubting, but I... want to put it behind me, he said, shifting uncomfortably.

Is your son okay? I didn't hear anything about him on the news? he asked. He assumed she would have been much more distraught if he wasn't okay, but he didn't see him here.

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys could tell he wasn’t in any mood to discuss what happened, and she couldn’t blame him. Normally he prodded her to prod him for information, but this time she could see he was clearly exhausted and going through a million battles in his mind. She took a sip from the beer, glancing away for a moment as she thought about everything that happened.

For how non inquisitive she was, Trys was full of questions. She wanted to know what this meant for him - would he become a Jedi? Would he be hunted by….the Sith? Would he tell the Jedi about the terrorist organization? What would happen to his students? Trys asked none of it, glancing over to look at the bags under his eyes.

She was surprised when he turned the question to her son. Trys nodded in turn, “He’s been staying with a friend,” She knew she owed Duke big time, “But I think it might be okay to bring him back to live with me,” Trys ran a hand through her hair again as she did when she was nervous, “He’s on Naboo. It seems like an entire galaxy away.”

Trys sighed and moved closer to him, leaning against him. She rested her head against his shoulder, pushing her weight into him. She was never the type, but it felt as if everything around the galaxy had been collapsing around them. Trys said nothing for a long moment, simply enjoying the silence.

“I suppose rule 3 can’t apply if you’re not actually a Ranger,” Trys said quietly after a very long moment, almost too quiet to hear. She couldn’t help but chuckle softly after that - as if this had been some great profound loophole that had been hidden the entire time.

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak was, for once, glad that she was so non-inquisitive. He could almost sense that she had more questions, but he felt even more exhausted than he looked. He wanted nothing more than to sit there and enjoy her company.

When she mentioned Naboo, his eyes went wide and his face flushed a bit. He knew that Naboo was a big world and there was little to no chance that he would have bumped into the Sith, but it wasn't the best world for safety. How could he break that to Trys casually?

As he was pondering this, she went on to talk about rule 3. Ah, the infamous rule 3. He was more than thrilled that she was eager to make a loophole for her own rule. He could barely even hear her say it, but he smiled.

I think wherever I end up, we've both agreed that the Rangers aren't for me, he said, though it was more to assure her that they could continue violating rule 3.

You should definitely bring him back. Naboo is a hotbed of Sith activity. There aren't a lot there, but more than other places, he said after a moment more. He didn't know how else to address the issue except head-on. If she flew into a mama bear panic, he would do his best to calm her down, but if not then at least it was out there.

 

[Trys Aran]

Surprisingly, Trys didn’t jerk up at the mention of Sith activity on Naboo. She took a drink from her beer and remained quiet for a moment. In the end, she smiled sadly, “Evidently Coruscant is a hotbed of Sith activity too,” Trys tilted her head to look up at him, “I simply need to accept that my boy and I will always be in danger no matter what. Nowhere is safe anymore. And he’d never, ever let me run and hide. He’s been dying to come back knowing full well that there are people dying,” Trys laughed quietly, “He’s probably more difficult than I am, if you can believe that."

It was clear she missed him, and his life had been disrupted by all this. He had to resort to taking all his classes from Naboo and being far away from his friends. There were many times she blamed herself for putting him through this, but would he want her to do anything else? Trys took another sip from her beer, thinking back to more recent events.

“I’m feeling more confident in things with the Jedi standing by us,” She paused then again, “With you standing by us,” She added as she looked at him again. The enemy was daunting and more powerful than anything the Rangers alone could handle. They needed every last bit of help they could get.

 

[Talak Rand]

He was glad to see that she didn't immediately panic. She wasn't the panicking type, but when it came to her son he knew she was different. He'd overheard her conversation with him all those months ago on board his ship.

With the realization that she didn't want to immediately run off, he wrapped his arm around her and settled into the couch, happily embracing the feeling of her pressed up against his chest. He leaned his head forward and placed a kiss on the top of her head, taking a deep breath and smelling the familiar scent of her hair.

He smiled sadly as she said she felt better with him standing by her. He didn't know where he would end up, but he felt regret for not having stood by her earlier.

I'm glad to be with you, he said and stopped himself from apologizing for not having been with her before. He had been... sort of, but more than that, there was no point in moping about the past. Embrace now.

The Jedi... he muttered quietly. He didn't know how reasonable the thought of him as a Jedi was. Even if he ended up there eventually, he wasn't sure it was wise for him to rush into something like that. What he did know was that he needed to begin to understand what the Light really was.

What do you think of the Jedi? he asked her. It probably wasn't much of a cuddling question, but he couldn't deny that after the prison, it was difficult to say that the Jedi didn't do anything anymore. Perhaps they weren't as complacent as he had first thought.

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys relished the warmth between them and the feeling of him pulling her close. He managed to make her feel like a teenager giddy about her feelings all over again. His words at the hospital lingered on her mind, and she hadn’t said anything back. He hadn’t pressed her on it either, and she knew he wouldn’t. When he mentioned being glad to be with her, her mind went elsewhere. Was he with her? Was she with him? Was she indirectly wanting to find a label after swearing to herself she wouldn’t?

He distracted her by asking about the Jedi, and she thought back to all the ones she had met personally. She thought about how Oren pushed her up into the vents as the zombies rushed in just so she could get away. She thought about how Oren and Nash both barged into the prison without a second thought and Nash defended Rangers with her life.

“The Jedi have been our strongest allies in this fight against the...Sith,” She was still getting used to saying that. It was such an ugly, terrifying word, “They died at that prison next to Rangers. They could have stayed back and had no skin in the game, but they responded and fought back. Many lives were saved because of their efforts and the Sith took a critical blow to their ranks."

Trys thought for a long moment, “I think….you should give them a chance,” She looked at him again, “The ones I’ve met truly believe in guiding people towards becoming better instead of punishing or casting anyone out. You may find a new place to belong with them,” Would that mean she wouldn’t see him again? Jedi had mysterious lives she couldn’t entirely understand, and they always had their temples and sanctuaries they disappeared into for a long time.

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak could feel happiness emanating from her, and it only increased his own joy. His life had been an odd series of twists and turns, and while he didn't think it would be simplified after this, he knew that he was happy as long as she was with him. Whatever they might or might not be, she made him feel warm inside. He didn't like being apart from her.

He thought about what she said about the Jedi. It was clear she thought highly of them, which made him pause. She had always been skeptical of Force users, and the fact that the Jedi seemed to have won her over made him take note.

Maybe I will, he said thoughtfully as she mentioned him giving them a chance. He couldn't help years' worth of ingrained skepticism of the Jedi, but he'd always been more open to them than most of his brethren. He had a long way to go before being a "Jedi" though. The thought felt... a bit wrong and definitely unusual.

So... he began, kissing along her cheek. If I become a Jedi, do I get to help you solve crimes again? he asked. The idea of being able to help without having to deny who who was seemed nice. Between words he started kissing along her cheek and down her neck, letting his lips run across her smooth skin. His arms wrapped around her he simply wanted to hold her there forever. His eyes closed as he focused on her feel and smell and the heat between them.

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys was surprised when he actually appeared to entertain the idea of Jedi. She knew he had been on the polar opposite side, and he probably disagreed with them on a fundamental level. They appeared to walk entirely different paths and had different codes. Trys was deep in thought about the Jedi when he leaned in to kiss along her cheek, murmuring about solving crimes.

“You’re too impulsive to be helpful in solving crimes,” Trys smiled, tilting her head slightly to enjoy the feathery soft kisses he placed along her skin in between speaking, “And….you’re far too distracting..” She spoke softly, sinking into his arms and the warmth. Trys never knew how she arrived at these moments with him. It always began like this and always ended poorly. She desperately wanted this to linger, and she didn’t even know it was something she craved so much.

As he continued to kiss along her skin, she tilted her head to gently capture his lips with her own. She brought her hand up to curl into his hair, quietly enjoying simply being with him. Despite everything that happened recently and all the danger they were in, this felt perfectly at ease and just right. For a moment it was as if she were back in that resort on Mon Cala. Time had been turned back to before there were so many deaths and so much chaos and before she had stormed out on him.

She felt those familiar desires roil within her, and she pulled back from him, grinning at him, “I hope you’re not trying to get frisky. You just got out of the hospital today,” And with a prosthetic arm to boot. Trys felt a pang of guilt recalling it, knowing it was a permanent price to pay for choosing a side. She hoped he hadn’t only done it for her….

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak scoffed as she mentioned he was too impulsive to help solve crimes. My record begs to differ, he murmured. They'd busted up slaver rings, brought in a murderer, and... almost caught the flower killer. At last drove them underground.

He continued kissing along her neck before she leaned back to capture his lips. He returned the kiss. Guilty... he said quietly as she said he was distracting. That was one area that he could certainly agree with, and that wasn't likely to change.

He could feel the same desires building within him, and he wanted to whisk her away to Mon Cala again and have her all to himself.

Frisky?! he said with a gasp. I promise I'd never get frisky with you. Although, it is what the doctor ordered, he obviously lied on both counts.

If we go back, I promise I could make him say it for you, he smirked before pausing. the mention of the hospital got him thinking again, and he looked down at his hand. The majority of it was covered in synth flesh and was almost indistinguishable from a normal hand at first glance. He had relatively good sensation in it, but it wasn't his.

Is it weird? he asked, holding it out, palm up. It's taking some adjustment, he said before shrugging. It dawned on him that there wasn't anything he could do about it now, and although he hoped she didn't somehow find it off putting, there wasn't much he could do about it if she did.

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys couldn’t help but laugh as he mentioned he could get the doctor to agree. She shook her head, thinking back to one of the earlier times she had been in the hospital, “I would have tricked a nurse to bring me some damn ice cream,” Trys thought wistfully, still clueless about the fact that he had done just that for her but ended up angrily eating it instead.

She glanced down at his prosthetic and could sense the discomfort in his voice, “It looks like your regular hand,” Trys reached her own hand out and gently slid her fingers in between his, knowing he couldn’t really feel it. It would be on him to see if he could grasp her hand back without exerting too much pressure.

“This was your saber hand…” Trys said quietly, realizing that as she looked down. She couldn’t imagine how the battle may have played out or what he went through. Even now she could see there were entirely new scars and wounds on him, and that was without seeing what the rest of his body looked like.

“What will you do now?” Trys asked quietly, thinking about what his plans would be and what his life entailed going forward. He never seemed the type to have a plan laid out, but that was even more up in the air now.

 

[Talak Rand]

Yeah, I know... that ice cream I was angrily eating that day in the hospital was supposed to be for you, he revealed with a roll of his eyes and a scoffing snort. It hadn't turned out so well.

Talak could see her fingers within his and he could feel the sensation of her fingers there, but it didn't feel quite the same as it had before.

Yeah, that's why it became the target. I'll have to... readjust, he said as he looked at the hand. He knew he would adjust to swinging a blade with the new prosthetic, but it would take time and practice.

He closed his fingers around her hand, trying to be light and gentle. It was a slow process before he stopped and ran his finger along hers.

I need to... find a place. Maybe with the Jedi or maybe on my own. Helping people, he said. There were a lot of loose ends that needed closing. There was the Arcanist, and he didn't know if or how he could tell her about that. If he joined the Jedi, enough of them knew the truth that it would eventually come out. But he didn't want to ruin their moment right now with the truth.

I've done a lot of things... his voice trailed off. He was terrified that if she knew the truth about him she would leave. That would be the last she ever saw of him.

Do you think I can ever do enough good to make up for... everything, he said, guilt and grief beginning to weigh on him yet again.

Never mind, he said shaking his head and taking a long drink of beer. He didn't want to put this on her. It wasn't fair to... whatever they might have been. He would speak to some of the Jedi about it. She had enough of her own problems to worry about right now.

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys could tell he had a lot of internal conflict. She heard him out as she always did, watching the way his prosthetic curled against her fingers. It wasn’t warm like his skin, and it felt off. However, she had to remind herself it was still him. Trys had grown attached to so many sides of him, and this was just another one to add to the list.

She had to smile at his words after he finished, glancing up at him, “There’s no one out there measuring the good and bad you do on a scale,” Trys reached over to gently brush his hair away from his forehead, gently cupping the side of his face, “Focus on doing good one day and a time and don’t look back. You are, after all, who you are today from all the good and bad in your past. They belong there and you take the good from it and keep walking.”

Trys articulated how she had turned over a new leaf in her own life. She wasn’t convinced she had done enough good to make up for the bad, but focusing on just the positive helped her stay on track. She leaned in to hold him tightly, closing her eyes as she pressed her face against his chest, “I think I can finally be there with you through it all. I couldn’t before.”

 

[Talak Rand]

He listened intently to what she said. He could tell that there was deep emotion tied to her words, and he wondered what she had overcome in her past. He knew she had been in crime before becoming a Ranger, and he realized that the two of them were even more alike.

He felt her hands against his face as she spoke and his hands came up to layer over hers.

I don't deserve you, he said with a smile, turning his face into her palm and kissing it.

He wrapped his arms around her as she leaned into his chest. I want you to be with me, he whispered. He didn't want to push her, and his goal wasn't ever to rush her, but it excited him that they might be able to be together.

If I pursue the path of a Jedi... he paused. She would be able to feel his heart beating faster. ...there are some things that will come out that I'd rather you heard about from me. But I don't want to ruin this moment, he said.

He knew that she would find out he was the Arcanist eventually, and it terrified him. He had nearly hurt her once, and even as he started thinking about it, the weight of his past started to press down on him again. But he started thinking about what she said. Minute by minute. He couldn't look at the past anymore.

Minute by minute, right? he asked her quietly. You want to show me around the place, then? I probably shouldn't mope, he said with a chuckle, knowing how he was being.

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys grinned when he mentioned he didn’t deserve her, “Nope, you don’t,” She watched him tenderly kiss her hand, noting how surprisingly gentle he was with her. She still had a hard time believing this man could be a ruthless killer and face off against terrifying ‘Sith’. He was being regarded as a hero by anyone that witnessed him cut down a prominent figure within the Sith.

She thought for a moment when he mentioned that things would come out if he pursued being a Jedi. Trys frowned slightly, wondering what else he could be hiding. It dawned on her that she actually hadn’t asked him questions and he could have entire sides to him she didn’t know about. Trys wasn’t sure how much she wanted to know, and she also preferred not to ruin the moment.

“It’s not that big a place, you know,” Trys said as she pulled back from him and stood up to give a tour. She walked around and pointed out things in the main floor - a kitchen, a study area and a small section for the dining table. She led him upstairs to show the three rooms, pausing to marvel about how exciting it was to have a third room.

Crix’s room still was full of boxes, and it was clear he hadn’t stopped by here. All his trophies were wrapped up and waiting to be put up. Lastly, she stopped at her own bedroom, the largest room of the three which had very sparse things in it. There was an air mattress in the middle until her bed was delivered, and Talak would also spot his painting propped against a wall and waiting to be hung up. Trys had forgotten she had put that there and she smiled sheepishly at it, running her fingers through her hair.

“Well….told you, short tour.”