Ask Coping Mechanisms

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc had taken a ‘leave of absence’ from his duties for his ‘health’. No one batted an eye because he left his very capable Executive Council in charge. Even so, he couldn’t exactly venture off back to that village when he had been blind. He was still reachable by comms when ISC contacted him. He ignored his Sith duties entirely for a few weeks, no doubt expecting some griping from Renfry. He had a million missed calls and he ignored them all unless they came from a specific ISC aide that had been instructed to bring critical escalations to him.

The half Sephi wasn’t the type to externally throw a fit or lash out when he was in pain. This was a pain he didn’t know how to cope with, and it was territory he never ventured into. He heard Morgan’s sing song voice wherever he went. He smelled the citrus and spice everywhere. He saw the golden eyes whenever he closed his own. He felt the soft brush of fangs across his skin. It was all the ghost of a touch, vivid enough to feel as if it were there, only for reality to kick him in the guts over and over again till he wanted to vomit.

Emryc didn’t shed tears, but he felt torn open all the same. He felt layers of himself peel away, he attempted to piece them back, only for them to peel back away again. It felt like knives scraping into his psyche, digging open the raw wound he tried so desperately to close. It was a wound that bled profusely no matter how much he tried to pretend it wasn’t there.

The half Sephi avoided all public contact. He was holed up in an apartment he sometimes used as a business stop as President. Except instead of his suits, he was adorned in a baggy sweatshirt and sweatpants and glasses framing silver eyes streaked with yellow. He lounged lazily on a sofa as he had for days. He had a bowl of crispy, oily snacks on his stomach. He didn’t even care that he got grease on his fingers as he popped them in his mouth. His hair was disheveled and slightly long, he had a short beard from lack of maintenance, and bags under his eyes from not sleeping. He hadn’t trained a single day since arriving here, and he even skipped a few showers before finally at least doing that again.

Emryc’s comlink was dead in the other room as he licked the grease off his fingers, an action he normally found beyond disgusting and wouldn’t be caught dead doing. He vacantly stared at the Holo that was showing old reruns of Huttball games he had seen a thousand times.

The apartment was full of leftover takeout boxes and half full glasses of water, a crazy 180 from his insanely neatfreak habits. The room was a mess with clothes strewn all over and unhealthy snack boxes stashed everywhere. This was a routine he had been repeating for days on end - plopping down on the sofa, eating snacks, watching the reruns, falling asleep there and repeating the next day. He expected exactly the same today as well.

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Emryc’s absence was clearly noted, not only was his presence nonexistent since he slagged Firrerre, but there was a noted absence from his role as the ISC president. Rumors and reports stated he was on extended leave and the cause of it ran from every cancer in the galaxy to conspiracies of job abandonment. Tiamat knew Emryc fairly well compared to most and there was something about his change on Tatooine and the Firrerre razing that told her there was more to this situation.

Knowing she would probably never get any direct truth, she thought checking in on him would be wise. She had gotten a wild thought of what if he were on the verge of selling Ship and so, Tiamat tracked him down. She noted the weak firewalls and was able to find the apartment location, entering through the back way, avoiding holo-cams and quickly finding his apartment. The redhead knocked, calling out his name; while she gave pause for a response she jiggled the handle, finding it unlocked.

Tia opened the door just a crack, “Emryc?” she called out again, immediately taking note of the disarray she saw before fully stepping inside. At first she thought she had entered the wrong place. Trash was everywhere, it was dingy, dark, smelled of old food and musty. It was enough for her to lift the collar of her shirt to her nose. Nearly convinced it was another person’s home, Tia turned to leave when she spotted Emryc’s lazy form on the couch.

“By the Force, what happened to you?” Tiamat gasped.

@Sreeya

 

[Renfry]

Renfry had heard the stories about Emryc's absence from the galaxy. The only other time that something comparable had happened, he had lost a piece of himself and disappeared to a village for an extended period. She had shown up in that village and not been an entirely pleasant appearance for him. For better or worse, she had always been there when he was at his lowest, and she would be now.

She had heard the details of what the backstory of Firrerre from Tia, and she was the only other person she knew who cared about and knew Emryc as well as she did. Instead of showing up alone this time, she was just behind Tia as the redhead pushed into the room.

Her reaction was only a step away from Tiamat's. She frowned as she walked into the room. Not a scent of that cologne she loved but a smell of week old... was that pizza? Had he eaten pizza!? Where were the celery sticks? Where were the baby carrots? What had happened?

Apparently, Tia thought the same thing because that was the next question out of her mouth. She stifled the "you're not coping well" in her throat and decided she was going to be nicer this time than last.

She moved over and took a seat next to him on the couch, but before she could say anything, the crunching, popping sound of chip bags being crushed under her as she sat rang out. It caused her to jump slightly before shifting forward to pull the bag out from under her.

Oh, I see... saving this for later, she said, looking down and blinking several times before setting the bag aside.

And then she looked at him. Really looked at him, and she couldn't help the pangs of sadness that shot through her. He was thinner than usual, having lost some of his muscle mass just sitting here. He wasn't fully shaven, and those silver eyes... they were different. Hints of yellow and just a touch of emptiness within them behind the glasses he was wearing. She wanted to turn the clock back, stop this from happening, and help him, but she knew she couldn't. There was only forward.

@Sreeya @GABA

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc didn’t even bother moving when his door opened and he heard a familiar voice. He scowled in that general direction as Tia first walked in, followed shortly by Renfry. The half Sephi remained perfectly immobile, appearing as a growth on the couch. He blinked a few times at Tiamat until Renfry walked over to plop down on the couch with a crunch, destroying his snacks. Emryc looked from one woman to the other.

“How the fuck do you guys always find me?” He grumbled. His gaze flicked over to Tiamat, eyes narrowing slightly, “And you didn’t even bring cupcakes,” Emryc stated dryly, irritation lacing into his tone. He used the Force to pull a can of room temperature beer into his hand. The half Sephi looked at the can. He thought about Tiamat’s very blunt question.

“I am sad,” Emryc stated flatly, actually bothering to answer her question, “You two always ask me to show some emotion. Well here I am. Emotioning.”

As a toast to that, he raised and threw back the rest of the beer. He then gave an enormous belch, crushed the can in his hand and tossed it unceremoniously to the ground.

Without another word, he huffed and rolled over on the couch to flop on his belly and bury his face, glasses and all, into a couch pillow. He hoped if he stayed like this and pretended to be invisible, the others would simply get bored and leave.

@GABA @Phoenix

 

[Darth Tiamat]

And Tiamat thought she was dramatic.

She watched as Renfry pulled out a bag of chips from the sofa where she sat and Tiamat picked them up as soon as the dark haired woman set them aside. "I think cupcakes are the last you need right now." she sighed opening the chips and started to snack on them. She walked around, already gathering the dirty glasses to take them into the kitchen as Emryc expressed he was emotioning. The rest of the apartment was not that much of an improvement, and there was definitely a smell. She picked up a takeout box giving it a sniff, deciding that was even too foul for her and tossed it into the garbage.

Arms free from the glasses she returned to the lump on the couch with Renfry with a garbage bag and started dumping old food and trash that had piled up around the couch. "Most guys I know just get shit faced and pick up some rebounds. Did you do that yet?" she asked trying to figure out what stage of the break-up he was experiencing, though glassing your partner's homeworld was a new one in her book. Perhaps an overreaction? Possibly, but Tiamat still didn't have the full details of his relationship with Morgan.

Tiamat picked up another take-out container on the end table, the box still felt warm and she sat down on a chair near the couch, digging into his leftovers.

@Phoenix @Sreeya

 

[Renfry]

Since when do you eat cupcakes? she said to his snarky retort. She didn't actually answer how they found him because they would always find him. It was in their nature.

As he went on that he was "emotioning" she quirked an eyebrow. It was a new look for him. She supposed the negative came with the positive.

Yes, well you're new to emotioning, and we're not... as you are acutely aware. So we're going to help get you through this, she said. She was more than aware that he had seen her at some low points before and she would have bet some of Emryc's face-money that he'd seen Tia in the same state.

She was completely unperturbed by the fact that he had now rolled over and was playing dead like a possum and simply patted his head lightly as she stood up and walked past him, beginning to help Tia clean up the room.

She made her way over to one of the windows to open it up and get some air in here. A salty-fresh sea breeze came rushing in and for a moment she almost forgot she was in a stye. Then she turned around again. Oh, right. She shot a somewhat judgmental look in Tia's direction as she started sitting down with Emryc's leftovers.

She mouthed a get up in Tia's direction, motioning for her to stand up and start helping rather than adding to the number of people eating trash.

She moved over and set something on the end table next to Emryc so he would see the tiny bobblehead bopping along happily when he looked up eventually.

Step 1 is to get out and do something else to occupy your mind, she said. Yes, she was an expert on heartbreak at this point. This was what she had trained for! Oh the irony.

@Sreeya @GABA

 

[Jaikus Thorne]

Jaikus hadn’t the slightly clue what had happened after the glassing of Firrerre or the underlying drama that had occurred, but it nevertheless didn’t take him long to notice Emryc’s strange absence from.. Well, everything. Weeks had passed, and no one had heard from either the Sith Lord or the ISC President, and rumors had started to spread because of it. To top it all off, their personal communications had come to a halt as well. While the half-Sephi wasn’t known for being particularly conversational, the two of them had consistently kept in touch with each other over the weeks - typically in the form exchanging memes to poke fun at one another rather than actually talking. For days, such messages had gone unopened.

Taken all together, it was nothing short of bizarre, and it enough of a reason for Jaikus to leave his home and track Emryc down wherever he was.

While finding Emryc wasn’t particularly difficult in the past, the Axxilan had usually relied upon the fact that his movements as ISC president were well-known and easy to follow. Tracking him down this time proved to be significantly more time-consuming, but Jaikus was eventually successful in locating the apartment were the half-Sephi had taken to hiding out. His attention was almost immediately drawn to the half-open door, and he picked up on the familiar voice of the half-Sephi distantly coming from within. Without considering who Emryc was talking to, Jaikus approached and rounded through the door without hesitation, only to stop dead in his tracks at the sight laid out before him.

..Oh, what in the hell?

Not only was the apartment a complete wreck, but the Axxilan was greeted by the sight of the other two women who’d made the decision to track down the half-Sephi as well, quickly realizing who Emryc had been talking to. While he was mildly intrigued, Jaikus quickly determined that their individual reasons for coming were none of his business, and so he didn't ask. Citrine eyes first fell upon Renfry and the little figurine she had set down onto the end-table, blinking a few times before flicking over to Tiamat. This was, conveniently, just as the woman had plopped down in a chair and started eating.. Trash? Leftovers? A brief glance at the date on a nearby takeout box revealed there might not have been much of a difference. Jaikus couldn’t help but stare for a few seconds, briefly allowing his internal confusion and disgust to play about across his features.

Despite the exceptionally peculiar sight, under normal circumstances, Jaikus would’ve nevertheless greeted the two women with all the formalities that their respective positions demanded. But of course, these weren’t particularly normal circumstances, were they? Instead of bowing, Jaikus gave each woman a brief nod of his head, citrine eyes moving from Tiamat to settle upon the disheveled figure laying face-down on the couch.

A mixture of confusion and concern played out across the man’s face as he slowly walked over to the couch, squatting down so that he was level with what he presumed was the man he'd traveled to find. Cautiously, he tapped Emryc on the shoulder with the tip of his index finger.

“Emryc?”

@Sreeya @GABA @Phoenix

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc grumbled unintelligibly into the pillow as Renfry energetically suggested they would help him. He remained a lump in the couch as she set down the bobblehead, not even bothering to look yet. He could hear the women shuffling around and organizing things. He heard Tia speak up and it drew out a muffled groan in response.

“I don’t even want to think about picking anyone up,” He tilted his head slightly to talk, “And I’m too sad for my dick to function anytime soon,” He grumbled icily before shoving his face back into the pillow. However, he quickly looked over again, doing a double take.

“HEY!” He called out, “Lay off my zoodles!” Emryc used the Force to lazily launch a flip flop on the ground at her head in retaliation. He was entirely too mopey to get off the couch and that seemed like an appropriate response. Emryc exhaled and plopped right back down, deciding that he would just continue to be a blob.

He was withdrawing into his mind when he heard another voice call his name. For a moment he briefly wondered whether Renfry became a smoker to have such a dramatic shift in voice- wait. That voice sounded familiar. He whipped his head around to look, his eyes suddenly widening when he saw Jaikus.

“Uh-wha?” He blurted out rather intelligently. For a second or two, he blankly stared at the man. Emryc quickly shot upright to sit on the couch as a delayed reaction, glasses askew on his face. He readjusted the glasses and instinctively moved his fingers through his hair to try and fix it, only to remember he just wiped grease through the strands. His jaw tightened slightly as he cleared his throat. Emryc looked at all three of them, crossing his arms over his chest, eyes narrowed.

“What the hell is this?”

This was an ambush.

@Phoenix @GABA @Altaris

 

[Renfry]

Someone else approached and then appeared in the doorway and Renfry's jaw fell open slightly. Wait, Jaikus was here!? That was unexpected... she wondered who else would be showing up now. Hopefully he wasn't sleeping with some Senators or else they would have some very difficult explaining to do.

Close the door, she said, motioning quickly and dreading the thought that they all might be caught with President Thorne and have to make someone disappear. Particularly someone important.

Well, now it seemed there would be three of them. There was no way he could resist this much power. Raw power!

It seemed like all at once, Emryc came to the same realization and sat upright like a cornered animal.

An apartment, she said, trying not to burst out laughing at the answer to his question. It was very clearly not what he meant, but what answer was he looking for?

We're here to help you, she said, thankfully unfamiliar with the term "intervention" or else it would have been dancing around her mind.

@Altaris @GABA @Sreeya

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Renfry gave her the universal Mom look of needing to get her act together just as Emryc realized she was eating his food. He protested in dismay and flung a flip flop that was easily side stepped. The door opened and another entered the apartment. The zoodles dangled from her mouth as she tried to shove as much as possible before throwing out the container.

Her eyes locked on Jaikus, an even more deathly glare that dared him to say something about her food choices as she dropped the container in the trash.

Emryc now seemed concerned and confused, demanding what was going on now with three others in his apartment. Renfry of course couldn’t help herself and Tia had to side with her with Emryc walking into her cheek response.

The red haired woman quickly scooped an armful of old containers, clarifying for Renfry.

“This is an intervention, buck-o.” She said like it was so clearly obvious, “We are going to help you in the form of going to do something fun, like…uh…” Tia paused, knowing very much what gals enjoyed doing but Emryc, “Quiet things, away from noise and people, perhaps a place to further disconnect from the galaxy.” she suggested as a start.

 

[Jaikus Thorne]

The Axxilan glanced towards Renfry when she spoke, a quick flick of his wrist causing the door to slowly close and latch behind them. When Tiamat glared daggers at him, Jaikus merely shrugged and raised his hands up in front of him. Clearly she was very hungry, and he wasn’t about to vocalize anything about her peculiar food choices. He was here to aid Emryc with whatever he was going through, not get thrown through a wall.

With his attention solidly on the half-Sephi, Jaikus blinked when Emryc immediately sprang up and attempted to repair his disheveled appearance. He didn’t say anything, though his mouth did open at the last second – as if just falling short of warning the half-Sephi not to smear the grease through his dark, longer than usual hair. Despite the dramatic shift in appearance, all other details melted away when Jaikus made contact with the man’s eyes.

Instead of the silvers the Axxilan had expected – a color he had become exceptionally familiar with – he was met by twinges of yellow that streaked the surface. Only this time they did not appear as temporary or fleeting, looking now as if the yellow was permanently etched into place. It was a sight that sent a distinct spike of pain through Jaikus’ chest, the hair on the back of his neck standing on edge.

Balancing on the balls of his feet, it took Jaikus a few minutes to formulate a response. When he finally did, the Axxilan spoke with a faint grin tugging at his lips. “Before you ask, I didn’t actually come with them. Gundark's just aren’t particularly hard to find.”

With that, Jaikus rose up and began to mimic the actions of Renfry and Tiamat – starting off by picking up the crushed beer can that Emryc had previously thrown to the ground, alongside the bowl of oily crisps which was set nearby. Jaikus was depriving the man of his snacks, but unlike Tiamat, clearly had no desire to feast upon them himself.

“An intervention,” Jaikis quipped in Tiamat’s direction, his tone only half-serious in response to the specific terminology the redhead had used. “He isn’t a spice-addict.” Jaikus still didn't actually know what Emryc was going through, but he was beginning to develop theories. He shook his head. “But yes. I-..We, are here to help. Specifically in the form of getting out of here, first and foremost. No need to pick anyone up along the way.” His finally quip was one laced with amusement, making it clear that the Axxilan had heard the commentary from before.

@Sreeya @GABA @Phoenix

 

[Emryc Thorne]

When Renfry came back with what she thought was a hilarious joke, Emryc’s jaw tightened. The subtle muscles on his face twitched the slightest bit as he gave her a severe look, briefly considering flinging another object at her face instead. Emryc was distracted when Tiamat spoke, helpfully suggesting that he get away from all the noise and the galaxy to somewhere quiet. Now this got an even more severe, silent reaction. The half Sephi glared at her, considering the suggestions of disconnecting from it all.

“What,” His voice rumbled in a low growl as he spoke through gritted teeth, “Do you think I have been doing here until it turned into the fucking Imperial march in my living room?” Venom dripped from his tone.

Emryc next glanced at Jaikus, noting how the man stared at his eyes and looked visibly uncomfortable for just a moment. Jaikus, out of the others, perhaps appreciated the significance of this change the most from his near death brush with Raze. While this greatly bothered the half Sephi and he normally would have looked away, Raze was a permanent presence now. As a result, those yellow mottled eyes gazed unflinchingly at Jaikus, fully embracing what he had become now. His features, however, softened slightly at the word gundark, ears twitching in a subtle betrayal of emotions. This was made worse by the fact that Jaikus had definitely heard his earlier quip about not picking anyone up and having nether regions that didn’t function. Emryc coughed quietly and abruptly rose to stand, suddenly feeling rather embarrassed.

“Whatever,” He stated flatly before walking away from the living room to change. He was normally very unsocial during these situations, but even he didn’t have the guts to square off against three of the most stubborn people in the galaxy at once. They wouldn’t budge and it was easier to simply let them have their way.

The sound of running water could be heard as Emryc washed his hair quickly in the sink, disgusted at getting grease in it. The temporary lapse of time would give the three a chance to interact.

The half Sephi emerged a while later, adorned in a simple button up and shorts. This was a hot, humid planet that prided itself for its beaches and he dressed appropriately. A pair of custom made sunglasses hung from his collar. He didn’t bother accessorizing beyond a beaded leather bracelet on his left wrist. Funnily enough, it was a habit he liked on Jaikus and unwittingly picked up without realizing. Though he was dressed casual, the same grumpy look remained on his face.

“All right I’m presentable,” He grumbled, “Where am I being dragged?” Emryc exhaled in exasperation, clearly having no desire to do this.

@Phoenix @GABA @Altaris

 

[Renfry]

Renfry was unperturbed with how much he disliked her joke. She was thoroughly enjoying it and running over it again in her mind as Emryc turned his attention to Tia, seemingly even more annoyed with her.

It seemed that he finally gave in to the combined pressure of the three of them and disappeared to put himself into a more presentable state. As he disappeared, Renfry's gaze flicked over to Jaikus.

I didn't expect to see you here, she said. It wasn't said in a hostile tone, but there was certainly a hint of surprise. From what she'd seen, their relationship had begun and ended on Serenno. But then, there was a great deal about Emryc's personal life that she neither knew nor pried into.

Welcome to Team Emryc, she said nonchalantly. Her days of being angry and jealous had passed some time ago, and while it wasn't quite a joke, it was a lighthearted way to address it than some brooding or drama, right?

She continued picking up the random trash in the apartment until it was looking almost respectable again.

Does anyone have an actual plan for where we're going? she asked, hoping that one of the other two had a better plan than she did. She had no plan. Don't judge.

A podrace? They have those here. He likes those, she suggested. She knew absolutely nothing about podracing, but that wasn't really saying much.

@Sreeya @Altaris @GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

It took a lot of willpower not to smirk at his grumpy response to explaining what has been occupying him until they had arrived. Tiamat, of course, wanted to counter, given he seemed more occupied with the loafing around on the sofa, but kept to herself. With Jaikus' arrival, Emryc seemed to be convinced they were serious on helping him over this hump of his turmoil, shuffling off to shower the grime and be at least a step closer to being presentable. While Emryc was away, Renfry welcomed Jaikus, seeming surprised of his presence, Tiamat was a bit indifferent as she continued to clean, pausing to look out the window that over looked the city.

Renfry asked if anyone had a plan, eventually suggesting podracing and Tiamat shrugged, "What about that?" she gestured with a nod of her head, awfully vague, but her eyes were set on the sails on the ocean. She turned to look at the group.

"Do you think he would like to go out on the water?" she asked looking between Jaikus and Renfry, "Podrace, rent a boat for the evening?" she suggested, picking up some more paper wrappers off the floor and throwing them in the trash bag. She grabbed a glass off a shelf as she passed it by, returning it to the sink.

@Altaris @Sreeya @Phoenix

 

[Jaikus Thorne]

Despite the discomfort that had momentarily swelled within, Jaikus stared back at those molted eyes unwaveringly. Something had clearly changed, and Raze was now more present than he had been in the past, but there was still silver that clashed against the yellow. Silver that the Axxilan tried to focus upon above all else.

He didn’t actually respond to Emryc’s venom-laced words about how they had collectively barged into his living room, almost as if he didn’t even register what was said at first. However, just as the man started to walk away to freshen up, the Axxilan began to whistle a very familiar tune – loud enough for Emryc to hear as he stomped towards the other room. Only once the man had disappeared into the bathroom did Jaikus turn to look at Renfry, nodding towards the woman. “I can say the same for you both,” He responded. While he was certainly surprised, his words equally were not at all hostile or bellicose in their nature, and he even went so far as to smile towards them. It faded in response to what Renfry said next.

“Team Emryc?” There was a bit of confusion lacing his tone now, a dark brow arching as his eyes flicked between Renfry and Tiamat – lingering on the latter for a bit longer than usual. His thoughts were inadvertently drawn back to Serenno, and the two women could likely see the cogs behind Jaikus’ eyes turning, slowly beginning to connect a few dots in his mind. When he finally arrived at the realization of what Renfry meant, the Marauder blinked a few times. "I believe you may be misunderstanding." He cleared his throat. Either Renfry had entirely misinterpreted the relationship that had developed, or Jaikus was attempting to play it down significantly in front of others. His words and demeanor alone indicated towards the former.

He clearly had no intention of lingering on that topic, quickly moving on to their plans. Or lack thereof. “..You don’t have a plan?” Jaikus blinked. As he often did whenever he tracked down Emryc, the Axxilan had an entire afternoon of activities planned to keep them occupied. However, any such plans were completely thrown off by the appearance of Renfry and Tiamat. Not that he was displeased, but he simply wasn’t expecting two other people to account for. Forced to improvise, he considered both options that the women had laid out. “Depending on who wins, going to a Podrace might very well make it worse.” His thoughts briefly were drawn back to the tournament on Tattooine not long ago, and just how frustrated Emryc was seeing his contestant lose. While it was hilarious for Jaikus, such an upset today might just make the half-Sephi’s mood worse. “Sailing could be nice, though.”

He nodded. “Some fresh air, a boat, and an abundance of drinks.”

@Sreeya @GABA @Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

Jaikus denied that his relationship with Emryc was what Renfry had implied, but all it earned him was a face that did two things: showed excessive amounts of doubt and a hint of humor.

Mmmhm, she said with a nod and a smirk. Perhaps he really wasn't yet, but she was suspicious. Oh, so suspicious. But he moved on so she moved on as well.

He seemed to be shocked that they didn't have a plan, but she just shrugged. She hadn't come here to facilitate an ambush despite what Emryc thought.

Sailing and drinks it is, she said with a nod, pulling out her datapad and beginning to look up where they could rent a boat for the day. As soon as she did, she began to have horrible flashbacks to the last time she had gone drinking and boating. She had an almost violent reaction for a moment before she moved on from that unpleasant thought. This was not going to go that poorly. She'd grown a lot.

@Altaris @Sreeya @GABA

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc’s sensitive ears only heard the tail end of the conversation. Normally he would have ignored all of it, but there was a bit he couldn’t ignore since it made him cringe internally. The half Sephi was back in the room by then, catching Renfry teasing Jaikus and picking on him. Emryc glanced over at Renfry, his face back to its usual blank.

“First of all, never use the words ‘Team Emryc’ within hearing range of me again,” He stated with quite a bit of distaste. His features softened slightly after that as he strode towards Renfry. He kept walking slowly towards her, the gesture enough to make her take a few steps back with her back pressing into the edge of a counter, “Second, he is not a part of it. Because I am certain he is here since I stopped corresponding, not because he secretly wants me to bend him over the nearest surface and have my way with him,” Emryc stated very flatly by the time Renfry’s back was against the counter which made a fine surface. By now he was closer to her, towering over her. She would see the vibrant streaks of yellow in his eyes that had something raw about them, a dangerous sliver that made the silvers even more piercing. His eyes never left hers as he spoke, making her suddenly feel as if she were the only one in the room.

Emryc’s left hand moved as if to wrap around her waist, fingers just barely tracing the side of her torso as he continued. His gaze remained fixed on hers as his hand traveled beyond the side of her waist and towards her back.

“Pardon me, your highness,” He murmured softly with his body still close to hers. He paused there for a moment before withdrawing the hand back, grabbing the hat that was on the counter behind her.

Emryc drew his hand back, placed the hat on his head and tipped the bill towards her politely before walking right past her without a second thought.

“Sailing it is,” He announced aloud to the others as he opened his door, muttering the rest of his commentary under his breath “Which I doubt any of you know how to do so I'll be a taxi service..."

@GABA @Altaris @Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

Emryc's reappearance received an eyeroll for his first comment, but that was very quickly eclipsed by what came next. He moved up toward her, intensity in his gaze that looked right through her. She took a step back but was quickly pinned between him and the counter. She looked up at him and the other two suddenly became far less relevant.

Of course, she knew this wasn't going to go anywhere, but still she blushed at his words. Her heart pounded and her breath caught in her throat. She twitched slightly as his fingers brushed up against her and he of course pressed right on past her as she knew he would.

He started to walk away as her mind momentarily lingered in fantasies that were entirely inappropriate. If that's what I was here for, I wouldn't have brought Tia, she said, jutting a thumb in the redhead's direction before letting out a slight sigh.

@Altaris @Sreeya @GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Sailing seemed to be the consensuses among the three of them and Tiamat grinned, secretly hoping they would agree to sailing. It had been one of the last things she did before her entire world had changed with the Force. Though, Emryc, seemed rather intense about referencing anything Team Emryc, like did he even know that was a good thing? They could be Team Morgan and be on the opposite end, though after her last meeting with the Firrerreon, she was a bit more hesitant and internally she grimaced at the thought as she watched him confront Renfry.

Eyebrows rising, her grin fading, wondering where this was going to go as she couldn't tear her eyes away from them until Emryc excused himself, grabbing his hat. Renfry of course had her response, mentioning something of not bringing her around.

"Hey!" the redhead gasped, immediately pouted, "I thought you brought me so you had something pretty to look at." she grinned wryly at Renfry as Emryc made his way to the door. Tiamat immediately took to the door, following Emryc with the others.

"Don't have to taxi me, I can sail."

@Altaris @Sreeya @Phoenix

 

[Jaikus Thorne]

Clearly hoping to avoid any more questions about the nature of their relationship, Jaikus was slightly relieved to see the half-Sephi reenter the room. When Emryc fixated his attention upon Renfry, Jaikus could do nothing but stare at the tense exchange alongside Tiamat - not entirely sure where it was going and and yet incredibly amused the entire time.

“Well, what did you expect was going to happen when you stop responding?” He quipped towards Emryc, his lips subtly starting to tug upwards. He purposefully didn’t respond to the second half of what the half-Sephi had said, mostly because the man had been spot on with his first guess. If only Emryc hadn’t left the Axxilan on read, none of this would be happening right now.

When Emryc pinned Renfry against a table, only to pick up the hat from behind her, Jaikus couldn’t help but snort a laugh under his breath - though it was a sound he very quickly tried to stifle, clearing his throat a few times before moving to walk alongside the three of them as they filtered out of the apartment.

He was close enough to hear Emryc muttering under his breath, rolling his eyes in response. “Such assumptions.” He pointed an index finger at the half-Sephi’s chest. “I’ll have you know, I am a fantastic sailor. Just like I am an expert fisherman, as you well know.” Jaikus glanced towards Emryc out of the corner of his eye at that, characteristic shit-eating grin plastered across his face. Neither of the two women would catch the underlying meaning behind his words, but Jaikus knew the Half-Sephi would know exactly what he was talking about.

@Sreeya @GABA @Phoenix