Ask Coruscant Cin Vhetin

[Talak Rand]

He found himself wanting to dote on her all the time, which was just so... unusual. He wanted to sit here and kiss her and cuddle with her and do... other things to her, and he was completely satisfied.

He rose to follow her through the home, looking at the kitchen, study, and dining room. They went upstairs to the rooms and he watched with amusement and adoration at how excited she was about the extra room. He was happy because she was happy. He looked into Crix's room, which had clearly not yet been unpacked before they finally came to Trys's room.

He spotted their painting against the far wall and he thought he caught perhaps a bit of blushing from her. He turned to her and smiled.

I like it, he told her, excitedly. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her up against him.

And I like that painting. You really should go out to dinner with that artist as soon as possible, he said with a smirk.

I'm not going to say that I asked for a tour just so I could get you to your bedroom because that's not true, but... he said jokingly, leaning in to give her a kiss.

In all seriousness, though, I'm hungry... hospital food is terrible, he said, taking a step back. I want to take you to a nice restaurant, he said.

Whatever your favorite place is, he said. Or maybe somewhere you've always wanted to go. What's the nicest spicy noodles in town? he asked. Her eating habits in his mind would always be linked to spicy noodles. There was simply no way around it at this point. It would probably have to be where they broached the topic that he didn't want to, but... maybe after the dinner was done. Probably another terrible way to part... oh, he hoped not.

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys rolled her eyes as he quipped about dinner with the artist. Her gaze continued to linger on the painting, thinking about that night. It had to be the first time she truly began to acknowledge that there was something between them, and it wasn’t just from his side. She was distracted when Talak spoke again, grinning before she kissed him back.

“Aren’t you recently unemployed?” She eyed him suspiciously. He always insisted on taking her somewhere and doing the ‘traditional’ date, but she figured it would be impossible without him using his powers. Trys began to make her way downstairs, shaking her head, “You’re not taking me anywhere till you can afford it with honest credits, you hobo.”

Trys plopped back down on the couch and switched on the Holonet, “We’re going to watch some shitty movies and order shitty takeout,” She leaned back into her seat, getting nice and comfortable. They had both been through a lot, and he had recently lost a hand. She couldn’t imagine the sensations he was feeling from his recovery.

“I met a Jedi that evidently hadn’t seen any Holo flicks before,” Trys thought of how entertaining Oren had been when he thought all the cheesy special effects were hyperrealistic. She quirked an eyebrow at Talak, “....Have you?”

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak scoffed as she called him a hobo. He still had some money that he'd taken from... pirates and spice dealers and other unsavory sorts. But who was he kidding, his full intention was to hand wave his way to a "compensated" dinner.

I'm not a hobo! he objected, following her back downstairs where she plopped down on the couch. He shrugged as she mentioned terrible takeout, and didn't seem bothered by it. He was sure he had had much worse before.

Uh... I've seen a couple, he said. His experience with holomovies was not diverse and apart from a couple he'd caught pieces of on holonet, he hadn't seen much.

He pulled out his datapad and started poking as he sat down next to her.


Okay... spicy noodles, he muttered, finding a location and showing it to her. Surely, she had eaten at all the noodle places before.

How's this place? he asked before turning his attention back toward the holonet. A gunfighting movie was on the holo. It showed a group of Mandos gunslinging against a group of Trandoshans at something called the CO Hangar.

Oooh, what's that? he asked, head snapping back to the action. He was almost like a school boy excited about watching some action movie, and it was quite humorous to watch.

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys nabbed the datapad from his hand, not trusting him to make any decisions on food. She began to swipe through it, looking for something that wouldn’t send him away crying. He had been a trooper about the street food she made him eat before, but she knew he suffered for it later. She ignored his food suggestions, finding a nice local spot that had something they could both like - spicy for her and bland for him.

She glanced up when he was fixated on what was on Holonet, “This...is called a Holo show,” Trys slowly explained with a grin as she typed in a food order, “Seriously, what do you Force user people do for fun?” Between Oren and now Talak, she was mortified to learn that watching Holo was such a rare occurrence.

She scooted close to him, surprised at herself for being cuddly, and focused on the Holo after the food was ordered. Trys had seen this particular episode before thanks to her son, but Talak was far too entertained to change it. Watching his reactions to the Holo was actually more amusing than the show itself.

“You really are something else…” She muttered quietly, unable to hide the smile as she shook her head.

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak watched the holo as the gunfight unfolded. It was all very exciting, and he watched with surprising interest. He had expected that it was going to be something he wasn't interested in at all, but now that he was watching, he was hooked.

Oh please, that's not how that works, he pointed at the holo as he saw one of the heroes get blown up, fall 3 stories down, and land casually on a pile of garbage before getting up as though nothing were wrong. Still, he didn't stop watching, continuing to critique all the things he found to be "wrong" with it, but still watching with rapt attention.

Hey, what's that supposed to mean? he asked, frowning at her as she said he was something else.

I never had much time to watch holomovies, and... well, I don't know about the Jedi, but they're probably not all that different, he said. I read a lot in whatever spare time I had. We didn't have holo out there, he said. Ah yes, the Unknown Region wasn't renowned for its holonet.

You don't seem like you have a lot of spare time either, he said, poking her in the side and suddenly wondering if she was ticklish. The idea of her being ticklish somehow struck him as hysterical. As fearsome as she was the idea of her giggling like a school girl was hilarious.

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys scowled as Talak pointed out how the Holo logic wouldn’t work, “Really? I saw you jump out of a three story window when we were about to be caught by my son,” She couldn’t help but grin, “And then I’ve seen you get fried by lightning and then walk it off the next day. I’m pretty sure these Holo shows are less ridiculous than what Force users can pull.”

She chuckled softly as he looked overly concerned about her mentioning he was something else. She leaned over and playfully kissed him on the cheek, “It means you have some...charms,” Trys leaned back and looked at the Holo again. This time it was showing the hero overcoming more action shots and going over to rescue a very pretty, but helpless girl. She was immediately smitten with him.

When Talak poked her in the side, Trys involuntarily yelped a little. She grabbed onto his hand and glared at him, “No kriffing way,” She said with a scowl, “You’ll need a new prosthetic hand if you try to tickle me,” It was obvious she was not a fan and, in fact, exceedingly ticklish and would murder someone if they tried.

“So uh…” She said after a moment, running her fingers through her hair, “Why don’t you stay here for a few days...at least until my son comes back?” Trys grinned then, "If Artee would be okay with it, that is."

 

[Talak Rand]

Ugh, but he isn't a Force user! he objected with a shake of his head. Of course she was right. He had jumped out of a window for something far less intense than an explosion, and the mention of it once again made him wonder if and when he would meet the son that they'd worked so hard to evade thus far with their... whatever this was.

He smiled as she said he had his charms, and accepted the kiss to his cheek as a placating gesture. He couldn't help but smile almost dreamily in a way that felt odd even to him.

Yeah, it's not that easy to win the girl over, he pointed at the holo as the girl was embracing the hero in her arms and showering him with kisses.

Her response to his poke was even more exciting than he had hoped for, and he immediately began plotting how to use this to torment her to no end. The look of devious mischief on his face probably said as much.

He was caught off guard, though, by Trys asking if he'd stay with her for a few days. For a moment he looked surprised, and it might even catch Trys off guard by his momentary silence before he smiled broadly.

He pushed her back on the couch and climbed atop her to kiss her. I'd love to. And Artee will just have to manage without me, he said, leaning in to kiss her again.

But! he said as he pulled back and stuck a finger up. If your son comes back, I'm not jumping out the window again! he objected with a laugh and promptly poked her side again juuust for a second.

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys audibly laughed when Talak grumbled about how it wasn’t easy to win the girl over. She couldn’t help but think how difficult it had been to get to….whatever it was that they were now. Could she even really deny that it was some strange sort of..’dating’? There was still a mental barrier there that stopped her from saying it out loud, but she couldn’t imagine what else it could be.

She didn’t protest as he nudged her back and leaned in to kiss her. Trys returned it, forgetting about the Holo show for just a moment. When he pulled back and mentioned not jumping out a window, Trys scowled and caught his hand before he could go to poke her again, “You damn well are! Can you imagine the first time introducing someone to him is a guy that’s casually been staying in our house for a few days?” She paused, her expression more serious now. She released his hand and brought her own up to cup the side of his face, “When it happens, I want it to be done right. It’s something I need to ease him into,” Trys looked away for a moment, “He’s used to being the only man in my life, you know,” She couldn’t help but smile sadly.

It had just been her and Crix for so many years. She had dated here and there, but she had always had a strict divide when it came to introducing people to Crix. There had been a couple occasions, but they had always been oddly judgmental about his half Zabrak origin or how moody he seemed. She knew she would have to tread carefully to ensure that Crix didn’t have a suspicious image of Talak going in. Being a Force user didn’t help matters either.

Trys focused back on Talak for now, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing him tight. She completely forgot he had burns and other injuries all over his body...

 

[Talak Rand]

Fine, I'll go out the window again, he grumbled, though it was clear he wasn't actually all that upset about it. She was, of course, correct about his first meeting with Crix. He wanted to make a better first impression than that.

It was a bit hard to imagine that they had actually managed to get here. A Sith and a Sector Ranger of all things. He looked down at her and thought about how his life would have been different if he hadn't met her. He had always struggled with being a Sith, but if he hadn't fallen for her, would he have had the courage to take the leap to leave? Not just so that he could be with her, but because it showed him how appalling the murders of the Rangers had been and the potential that the Jedi had for good. More than just as his love, she had become a catalyst to him changing for the better.

He realized he'd almost become lost in his own thoughts, and he saw the sad smile on her face. He winced slightly as she pulled him into herself, but didn't say anything.

I'm glad I get to be a part of your life, he said. It had been a long time since he really had anyone, and everyone who had been in his life and played a major role... well, they were murderous terrorists.

My life is better with you in it, he said quietly after a moment. He kissed her neck as he said it and rested his head against hers. He could have sat here and held her forever and been content.

Tell me about your son, he said curiously after a moment. Despite knowing she had one, he knew very little about him. If she didn't want to talk about him, of course, he wouldn't pry, but it was a very important part of her life, and he could tell she was different with him than in many other scenarios. It was quite adorable in its own way.

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys closed her eyes as she leaned in to kiss along her skin, the sound of the show slowly fading into the background. His weight felt comfortable and familiar against her, and it had begun to be a safe place for her. It took her away from all the trials and tribulations of the galaxy and everything she had to carry on her shoulders. It took her away from the anxieties of having a target on her back at all times.

His words caused her to smile faintly, and she couldn’t help but chuckle, “You live in your ship and were part of a terrorist group,” Trys tilted her head to kiss near his ear, “I think your life can only go up from there,” Even so, she didn’t brush aside what he had said. In several ways, he had done the same for her. She hated to admit that he even found ways to genuinely make her happy.

“My son…” Trys exhaled quietly, opening her eyes as she gazed up at the ceiling, “He’s fourteen years old and thinks he’s got everything figured out. Boy’s a genius - I think he wants to become a politician one day. At the same time, he wants to get tattoos and I’ve caught him with spice a few times,” She scowled at those memories, “Popular at school, goes through girlfriends every week already,” Trys rolled her eyes, “But we have an understanding just between the two of us. It’s been just us since I was sixteen and his dad bailed on us,” She didn’t even know where the man was, and she didn’t bother asking. His mother was exceptionally kind and still checked up on Crix now and then, "So his perception of male figures in his life is...less than ideal. If I introduce him to someone, I want to make sure it's someone that'll stick around."

“You never told me about your true origins, you know,” Trys said after a moment, “I’m beginning to think that farmboy story is a bunch of bantha shit.”

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak snorted as she once again mentioned his ship. He wouldn't ever quite understand her obsession with him living out of a ship, but now he was beginning to consider that it may have been reasonable for him to actually get a real home. Perhaps something not far from her. He also knew he was going to have to find a way to make some money. The leftovers from the Sith and what he'd stolen from the criminals wouldn't last forever.

He listened as she talked about her son. He sounded like quite a handful, but also like he would become quite the impressive man someday. He could see why she had so much trouble steering him in the right direction. He nodded as she said that she wanted to make sure whoever she introduced him to would stick around.

He sounds like he's turning into quite the formidable young man, he said with a smile. He didn't need to tell her that she should be proud. He could tell that she was, and she should have been.

He leaned back to sit again on the couch and cleared his throat as she asked about his origins in the Sith and the farmboy story. It had... elements of truth, but no, not true, he said with a closed-eyed shake of his head.

Talking about the Sith wasn't exactly a light topic, but it was such a core piece of who he was that there was no way around it.

True: I was born on a tiny, no-name world, but it was in the Unknown Region instead of the Outer Rim. I was basically born into the Legions, which... didn't used to be Sith, but were absorbed into the Sith shortly before I was born, he said. He tried to keep himself from getting too caught up in the details of the politics of the Sith Eternal.

I didn't know my parents proper - whether they gave me up to the Sith or just had me for the exclusive purpose of making a soldier, I don't know - but I was raised by my master, he said.

My partner was Zatara and we grew very close. A few years ago, my master killed her, and was eventually killed himself. So I just... left. I don't often return back there, and just started doing my own thing in the wider galaxy, he said. His tone had become more somber, and upon realizing it, snapped out of it and looked at her.

And so I kept traveling around and living in the Nomad! he said, once again objecting to her objection to his ship, the good humor once again returning to his tone.

I'm sure you understand how I couldn't exactly tell you that story when we first met, he said with a laugh, still marveling how this had all started with the two of them stumbling across the same crime scene and her assuming that he was the lover of a Bothan caf shop owner.

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys listened to his backstory, not surprised to learn that he fudged a lot of the details at first. She sighed at the end of it, thinking about how she couldn’t fault him for not mentioning it all first. Trys was stubborn and difficult, and she probably wouldn’t have reacted well if he had led with all that.

She didn’t move closer to him since he moved to sit on the couch, and she had risen to sit on it facing him. She hugged her knees to herself as she looked at him, feet up on the couch. Trys’s blue eyes were always piercing, but they were even more so at that moment.

“There were a lot of questions I’ve never asked you,” She said quietly, acknowledging her own lack of prodding, “But if…” Trys looked away slightly, “If we’re going to continue whatever this is that exists between us…” Why the hell did she have such a hard time spitting out that they were dating? That in its own, twisted way, it was ultimately a relationship?

“Then I do want to know,” She turned to look at him again, “I want to know the worst of it. I don’t want to find things out from other sources and be surprised. I want to know from you.”

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak looked into those eyes of hers, and they practically stared right through him. He knew he didn't want to keep his past from her any longer, but he also knew that what he had to tell her wasn't likely to go over well. The past may have been water under the bridge, but... the bridges was only about an inch above the water right now.

He couldn't bear to hold her gaze and looked down at the couch before giving a nod. For a moment, she would have seen a flash of genuine terror in his eyes, and he felt absolutely terrified of what was about to happen. There were evil, evil things he had done. Other things he'd done had been for the right reasons, but still cost lives.

I've done some really horrible things, he said. He didn't want to draw this out any longer than he had to, and decided that just blurting it out would be the best course, but he also gave her a moment to brace for what he might say. He wanted her to prepare for him to say terrible things.

The two worst are that I turned people to the Sith and the dark side. One of them was the man who attacked you. He was a friend... he said ...but I still went to the prison to stop him, he wanted to add, but he wasn't here to try to justify what he'd done. That wasn't a part of repentance.

And the other is that after I killed the slavers on Gamorr, I kept going. Hunting and killing criminals, and I created the persona of the Arcanist to do it. I've killed people who didn't deserve it, and... done things I can't ever undo, he said. Every muscle in his body was tense and his heart was pounding. He felt ill, and he would have rather run into open combat right now than face her.

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys was silent for a very long time after he spoke. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply before slowly exhaling. A flurry of thoughts went through her mind, and each one was more damaging than the last. She didn’t know whether to be angry, upset, depressed or everything in between. She buried her face into her knees, not meeting his gaze.

The show continued to play in the background, but to her there was nothing but silence. He was the Arcanist. He played along all those times she had said she was assigned the Arcanist case. He was responsible for the man that almost killed her. He was responsible for vindictive killings and deaths all over the Outer Rim.

“You can lie to me so easily,” Trys looked at him finally, her expression difficult to read, “It’s not even difficult for you, is it? You stood there and pretended to help me on my cases knowing full well it was you I was chasing. You let your….apprentice massacre my brethren on live Holo and had the gall to tell me you had no responsibility for it.”

She shook her head and rose to stand, running her fingers through her hair. Trys didn’t know what to make of this. Every time she made some headway with him, it was whole new kick to the gut. It was a completely new and fresh wound. It was always something awful and terrible that would have her reeling.

Trys looked away for a while, “You only told me all that bullshit about loving me because you wanted me to think better of you before you risked your life,” She turned to look at him finally, scoffing, “Just more lying to cover yourself and paint yourself in a positive light. So you’d feel better about dying knowing that I got the warm and fuzzies about you. You probably wanted to use the prison as an excuse to kill your competition and also try and look like a hero at the same time. How low can you get, Talak?”

 

[Talak Rand]

This was going about as poorly as it had in his nightmares. And there had been nightmares and sweats about this. There were few things he was more terrified of than this moment.

She was silent for so long, and he could feel all the emotions in the Force. None of them were good, and he wished he could shut them out or alleviate them, but it was him that had caused them.

She got up and began to pace around and tore into him with her words as deeply as the blade that had taken his arm off. His whole chest felt tight and he wanted to vomit, but he didn't say anything at first. The two of them had had it out before. She had seen him fly into a rage, scream at her, grow furious, but none of that came now. Because the reality was that she deserved to feel betrayed. Somehow he managed to continually let down every person in his life. He'd tried to live a double life and failed everyone on both sides.

He was silent for a long moment as well, trying to take slow breaths to steady his nerves.

I didn't lie to you when I told you I love you, he began. Whether she believed that or not, it was perhaps the most important thing that needed to be addressed, and the fact that it was the first thing he felt the need to state indicated that.

And I went to that prison to keep him there. To stop the killing, he said. It was her final words that cut the deepest, though. Did she really think he was still a Sith? That he was that low? Perhaps she should think that. He was a terrible person, and it was never more clear to him than it was in this moment. There was a small part of him that now wished Sol had simply finished the job at that prison.

I'm not a Sith anymore, and if I were and I wanted to lie to you, why would I ever tell you any of this? he asked. I want to make a fresh, clean slate. And... he fought with the next words, trying to force them out of his throat. ...if you can't forgive me, then you're probably not wrong. I don't deserve it, but I'm asking anyway, he said.

He wanted to right the wrongs he had done. He had always wanted to help protect the galaxy, and he had failed so miserably at that in so many ways. He wasn't even sure he could begin to do so now, but he had to try. And he knew - right as she may be - it would shatter him if whatever they had ended like this.

 

[Trys Aran]

“And did you?” Trys asked, venom spitting from her words, “Did you keep him there? Because last I heard he’s on the loose. The only thing you managed to do was pretend to be a good guy while actual heroes like the Jedi died around you. You went in there just for a tiny moment of glory and nothing more,” She could feel her voice rising and she lowered it after a moment. She paused and exhaled slowly again.

“You’re just going to casually sit here and watch movies with me while people you’re responsible for go out and kill innocents? What about that little minion of yours that was caught on footage? You’re going to sit here while she goes out and kills more diplomats and officials?” Trys didn’t even know what to think. She kept wanting things to work, and she had turned a blind eye to so many things, “Why didn’t you start with stopping your own creations? Why didn’t you start there before ever having the kriffing guts to show up to my door?”

He always talked about correcting his mistakes, but what had he actually corrected? Trys didn’t know what to make of this. They had arrived at this point several times before, but this time was different. This time she had become far more invested. This time she didn’t feel betrayed as much as she felt anger at herself. He had always fooled her, but she had always allowed it and let her own feelings blind her. She couldn’t pin this on him and him alone.

“What do you expect me to do, Talak?” She asked quietly, “Do you expect me to tell you I love you and forget everything? Do you expect to just pick up being a Jedi starting tomorrow while the criminals you’ve influenced go about wreaking havoc and you do nothing to stop them? Because they’re your weakness? You’ll stand there watching as they come after me? As they murder my son? Then you’ll come tell me ‘Trys I had no idea...I had nothing to do with it’? Is that how you see this playing out?”

 

[Talak Rand]

For a moment, he didn't say anything. There were many things she had a right to be angry and betrayed about, but there was a great many thing she also wasn't being fair to him about.

Nothing to stop them? he repeated her words with a hint of frustration in his voice.

Is that a joke? I just lost an arm and came within an inch of dying to try to stop them! Days in a bacta tank and scars covering my whole body. Is my death really the only thing you'll accept to show my sincerity to this? he asked. If her words were anything to go by, then that certainly was the only currency she would accept.

For a split second, he wondered if he had made a mistake leaving the Sith, but then he realized something. All those years he had said the Jedi lacked the resolve to do the difficult things, but if he turned away from this now just because it was uncomfortable, what kind of scum would that make him? No, this path - whether she ever wanted to see him again or not - was undeniably the right one and the only one he wanted to walk, no matter how difficult it was. When he spoke again, his voice was calmer again.

I tried to straddle the fence for a long time, but I'm not doing that anymore. It's why I've hurt you so much, and it's what I'm trying to change now. If I weren't serious about this then why would have blatantly thrown in with the Rangers and Jedi against the Sith? What kind of mark do you think that puts on my back? he asked.

If they come for you, I would fight for you or your son, and if killing them was the only way to protect you, then that's what I'd do, he said. He wanted to just get up and leave. To run away from his problems, but that probably wasn't the mature way to handle this, as attractive as it might have been.

I can't change the past now no matter how much I wish I could, but they're not my people anymore. My war with them has already begun, and it's not going to stop no matter what, he said. With or without her beside him, he was going to do what he had to to fight the Sith. If she couldn't stomach him until he'd proven that he was going to stand by this or if she never managed to overcome this at all, it didn't matter. His path was set in the stone.

 

[Trys Aran]

“What do you want me to do?!” She all but screamed at him by the time he was finished. Trys couldn’t remember the last time she had lost her cool and raised her voice like that. He would feel a flurry of emotions swirling within her, and they were so much more explosive than her voice. They were fighting again, and she knew she wouldn’t fight him if she weren’t vested into this.

“I don’t kriffing know what to do with you,” She threw her hands up in defeat, pacing again. Trys always prided herself in always having everything figured out, always having her shit together. Talak always managed to get under her skin and always make things fall apart. She despised herself for even being like this.

Trys walked back towards the couch and plopped down, burying her face in her hands. She sighed and closed her eyes, sitting in silence for a long moment. She didn’t tell him to get lost, and she didn’t walk away from him. This part of their disagreements was new, and she wasn’t sure how to work through this development.

“I can’t turn a blind eye to things anymore,” She said quietly, gazing down at the floor, “I need to know you’ve truly come over. That means logging every last bit of information you have on the Sith with authorities and informing the Jedi as well,” Trys looked over at him, “That includes your students.”

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak wasn't sure he'd ever seen her actually yell before, and as bad as it was, it also seemed to be a better sign in that she didn't leave or tell him to leave. He could feel the emotions within her, and it was more than he'd often felt from her.

He put his own face into his hands as she moved around the room and felt her plop down to do the same, which prompted him to look up.

When she finally spoke again, she didn't look at him. She made her request - or demand perhaps - and he didn't say anything for a moment.

I wasn't kidding when I told you on Mon Cala that I'd tell you whatever you wanted to know, he said. He knew he had a terrible and blood-stained past, and there probably wouldn't be a comeback from it. All he could do was focus on making the moments going forward better.

I wish I could fix my mistakes, Trys. More than anything, I do, he said, and there was pain in his voice. This was what he had agonized over for years and regretted.

All I can do is do better going forward, he said. He stood and walked over to the window and looked out. It served no real purpose, but he simply couldn't sit still anymore. His whole body was antsy and twitchy. He needed to... go for a walk or fight something.

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys said nothing as he spoke, and she continued to remain silent as he rose to his feet. For a moment she was convinced that he was getting up to leave, but he only walked over to a window. She knew this was the part where one of them left or stormed out. However, neither of them budged this time, and she knew it was a struggle for them both.

She almost jumped when the doorbell rang. Always suspicious, she quickly pulled up her datapad and looked through the camera feed in front of her door. It revealed a teen boy in a hat picking his nose waiting for her to answer the door. Trys rolled her eyes and rose to her feet, walking over to open the door. She grabbed the food from his hands, coming back to set it down on the table in front of the couch.

“Well I already paid for all this food,” Trys said quietly as she opened the plastic bags and took the food out, “So we might need to put our drama on hold for a bit,” She glanced up to look at Talak, managing a faint smile. Their dynamic was completely inexplicable, and she didn’t even bother trying anymore.