Ask Picking Up The Pieces

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc laid there and continued to smoke while his eyes vacantly stared towards the ceiling. Comically, it looked no different than when he normally gazed off at nothing - his eyes were just as blank as always. He felt her shift and ease into the ground next to him. He drew from the e-cigarra while she spoke, feeling her touch along his shoulder. He blew out a giant cloud of smoke above them both.

“If you did all those things, you wouldn’t be you,” He drew from the cigarra again, considering how much he liked all the smells she had listed off. He didn’t miss the tone of her voice as she finished speaking, and he knew her mind wandered back to Tatooine. That was perhaps the closest he would get to an apology, the thought bringing another grin to his face.

“You are only a wretch when you refuse to simply accept and own what you feel,” Emryc stated flatly. He had begun to learn the strange concepts of love, and he found things far simpler if he simply shrugged and acknowledged them instead of fighting against them or pretending they weren’t there, “You build up enemies in your head that don’t have to exist.”

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

She grinned when he commented how she would not be herself if she changed how she dressed and took to new grooming habits. He was right, but if she knew he liked something, she felt the motivation to do it more; besides, she was finding some comfort in having some nice things, especially clothing. Clearly this evening she did not chose to do anything fancy, but she could remember how he seemed to enjoy her dolled up back on Tatooine. The thought of it was short lived as she realized reality and he would not be able to see her as such any longer.

Emryc had caught the tone in her voice though, and her gaze dropped toward the floor as he stated what she already knew; the practice of acceptance was turning out to be harder to exercise, perhaps even more so around him. She felt entirely vulnerable when she was with him, and similar feelings reminded her of past consequences for allowing herself to be open and even happy with others she trusted. Unlike her past though, Emryc was always still here and as terrible as she could be to him, he allowed her to come back to him. She didn't want to keep repeating her mistakes to where one day, he turned her away.

"Sometimes those enemies are easier to make than face the real ones that already exist." she spoke quietly, "It just..." Tiamat paused, trying to find the right way to describe her delay, "Just takes more time than I thought to extinguish them." she then smirked at her own thoughts, "Seems rather...irrational, doesn't it? I have plenty of enemies in existence and I just make more."

She laid quietly beside him, her fingers slowly and gently tracing along his shoulder, reflecting on her own words, processing what she spoke as though it was the first time hearing it out loud. Her thoughts would keep returning to what Emryc told her also, feeling growth for her would more than just in power over the next few years.

"When do you think you'll be released?" she asked after a long pause, her eyes brightening with ideas that started to spring to her mind, "You could come with me to Corellia and I'll show you my old summer home on the beach."

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc took another drag, his mind drifting off to other thoughts slightly. He felt the weight of a chrono on his wrist, a habit he still carried despite not being able to see what was on it. He grinned at the thought, drawing in the spiced scent of his cigarra. Emryc found her touch soothing, realizing that perhaps he didn’t despise company as much as he thought.

“Show me?” He scoffed, tilting his head towards her direction where his eyes stared off the mark and failed to meet hers, “I can’t see shit, Tiamat,” He muttered flatly before looking back towards the ceiling, “I’ll be released in a week,” He stated. He left out the part where he had zero intention of being here at that time, but she would find out soon enough.

“Suppose you should have taken me there after Tatooine instead of throwing me through a wall, eh?” He said with a grin. Emryc had no qualms with rubbing this in a little. Being blind suddenly didn’t mean he didn’t have his frosty streak still.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Her gentle tracing stopped as soon as he repeated her words back to him; she was mentally kicking herself for her choice of words as he took it as though she kicked him in the gut. She frowned and it would be eventually turn into a scowl as he turned to look at her, or at least try to look in her direction to remind her of what he couldn't do. Tiamat let out a long heavy sigh, vocalizing her displeasure in his reminder, "I know you can't see...I mean it in a figurative sense..." she huffed, finding some satisfaction in knowing he wouldn't be in this facility for much longer.

She rolled onto her back, scooting slight closer and angling herself to gently press her cheek against his shoulder, her eyes closing. He of course could not stop himself as he turned the blade into her guilt, suggesting she should have taken him instead of her showing him to the next room over on Tatooine. Her cheeks flushed red from her guilt, embarrassment and annoyance at the jab, and Emryc would no doubt feel the spike of emotion from her. Generally it would have been followed by her shutting down, but a coy grin crossed her lips and hear it in her tone, "Suppose next time I should just throw you hard enough that you land there." she sighed, her grin slowly faded as she relaxed again, "But if you want to go...just, just let me know."

Tiamat reminded him softly as her thoughts moved back to Tatooine again to all the missed opportunities and trouble she had caused him. A dulling pain grew in her chest, a heartache of remorse. They could have gone to Corellia together instead if she truly believed she had accepted him and her feelings for what it was she loved about him.

"I'm sorry, Emryc." she would whisper to him, feeling her eyes burn with her tears as she looked up at the smoke the billowed overhead.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc had to try not to grin when she specified her word choice, his jab at her entirely for entertainment purposes. He drew in one last hit from the cigarra before exhaling and finishing it up. Emryc heard her out, feeling her shift slightly away from him. He was thoroughly comfortable on this floor and he imagined getting up would be quite a feat.

Her words brought a grin when she referred to throwing him across to Corellia. He had been there several times for ISC. His mind vaguely drifted over to the body of government and all the preparations he had to make to keep that running while he was away. Despite his decisions to get away, ISC was something he firmly believed in and would ensure continued with his absence.

“I do want to go,” He said quietly after a moment. He thoroughly enjoyed the beach and would take any excuse to lounge around in a private villa. He only despised that he wouldn’t be able to see the waves. Seeing nothing but black was getting old already.

Emryc heard her whisper an apology and he didn’t react immediately. He brought his wrist over and awkwardly adjusted a dial on it so a robotic voice announced the time. He had more leeway with visiting hours than others and today was thankfully a weekend.

“Do you have that pouty expression on your face you get when you’re emotional but still want to kiss me but would rather stew in denial instead?” Emryc pondered aloud, “I can’t see it so can’t tell,” He said flatly, “I taste like cigarra but won’t stop you,” Blunt, to the point Emryc was never going anywhere.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

He was silent and Tiamat expected as much, but she knew he heard her and that seemed to be the most important for now. His silence told her just as much as his words; but she of course just needed to be more mindful in projecting her own emotions to fill in her doubts she had. Using a portion of her sleeve (obviously clean from frosting), Tiamat dried her eyes before any of the tears escaped down her cheeks. Emryc finally spoke, describing how she looked currently and a smirk broke through, "No!" she clearly denied what was true, affirming his observation, "I'm not pouting...entirely." the pout was clear in her voice as she inhaled, finding her calm and acceptance that everything would be ok.

He informed he tasted of cigarra but she was certain that had not stopped her in the past. Tiamat rolled over onto her stomach, propping herself up with her elbows as she looked down at him, "That is a very roundabout way of telling me to just stop it and kiss you." she informed, glancing into his silver eyes and before he could say another word, she made sure to kiss him. She could taste the cigarra, but by now, she welcomed it as her lips pressed against his. She took in the brief solace from the galaxy as everything just seemed to melt away; it was her peace, shared with another.

"I think I like the other cigarras better." she whispered and her hand reached over to run her fingers through his hair. She leaned down to gently kiss him again being reminded how much she missed him when they were apart.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc couldn’t help but grin as he could practically hear how flustered she was. He didn’t need sight to know her face was likely as red as her hair, though it was something he would certainly miss seeing. He didn’t refute her observation, laying there in silence as he heard her shift. When she pressed her lips against his, he didn’t resist, easing into the kiss. Normally he let her kiss him and left it at that, but he returned it this time with fervor as if he wouldn’t get another chance.

She pulled away to remark about the cigarra flavor and he simply murmured in return, “Shut up,” Before tugging her back. His uninjured hand traveled down the side of her body before sliding around her back and continuing down.

Emryc thought of his time away and how that absence could extend into years. He thought of how angry she would be, how she had no idea. He thought all this as he broke from the kiss only to continue along her jawline and the side of her neck, tasting her as if he never would again.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Tiamat was taken by surprise from the passion she had felt, her cheeks growing warmer and smirk crossed her face when he told her to shut-up and pulled her back down. She felt his hand travel down along her side before it found its way down her back; she was drawn into the moment and never realizing Emryc's intentions until it would happen later; ignorance was certainly blissful for Tiamat. The woman hummed with approval as he kissed along her jaw and neck, her head turning slightly for him to ensure he hit her favorite spots.

As much as she had kept telling herself her love for him was just a child's crush, the more pronounced and stronger it became. Reaching for his hand, she sat up slightly, bringing his palm to her lips to trace along the inside of his wrist before setting his palm on her thigh.

Carefully she straddled him beneath her, never fully setting her weight on him or to bump his injured arm in hesitancy to cause him any additional discomfort. She rolled forward, her red hair falling along her face as she placed her hands on either side of his head pressing herself up to only lean in to find his lips with her own and down to his chin and then his neck. She freed one hand to find the lip of his shirt and sat up slightly to roll it up, pausing to see the grotesque bruising across his body. However, she didn't stop and leaned down, her red hair brushing against his body as she moved down his body, her lips meeting each injury with attention and care as though there was some hope they would heal from just that alone.

Inch by inch, she moved from his chest to his abdomen, and then down to his hips; a hand finding the crease of his pants to allow herself to continue without delay.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

There was a sharp intake of breath as she moved to straddle him, but she thankfully didn’t apply her full weight on his very injured body. His hand slid down to lazily rest against a hip as he felt her hair fall around him like a veil. Emryc didn’t need eyes to vividly recall her face and the blue eyes that would gaze into his. He returned the tender kiss before he felt her trace kisses down his face and neck.

The more of his shirt she took away, the more she would see the extent of his injuries. His chest had a patterned scar across the entirety of it from lightning from the king of Korriban. His ribs and sides were badly bruised and hideous in appearance. He focused his attention on her kisses, feeling her soft lips barely graze over places she knew would hurt. Even with his high pain tolerance and the bacta, he had barely come out of Denon alive.

Emryc exhaled softly as she kept going, traveling down his abdomen and towards his hips. He felt that familiar tug of his pants, feeling some of her hair fall along his bare skin. Emryc’s hand reached down to curl into her hair, his body betraying itself in spite of all the pain he experienced, “Be...gentle around my thigh…” He muttered quietly about his most severe abrasion. He had almost lost the leg from having an active vibroknife cut through flesh and almost into bone. His mind immediately began to wonder how he could effectively go through with this with his plethora of injuries. He was going to get a lecture about this from the nurse later...

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

She paused hearing him mutter something about his thigh and she spent extra care not to allow the pant leg brush against the wound and the stitches that held it together. Slowly she removed one leg and then the other, feeling an unintentional tug on her hair as he had his hand intertwined with her red locks. Gently, her hand ran down his uninjured leg and then back up, finding out of all his injuries, this one took her aback the most. Between his arm and this laceration, she could recall feeling the amount of pain he was in on Denon and knew the discomfort would be there longer than his discharge from the facility.

Tiamat started from his knee, kissing along the inside of his thigh. Her hair fanned out along his hips as she delicately brushed her lips against his skin the closer she reached his hip, feeling the subtle shifts in his body, the tensing and relaxing of his muscles to tell her what he was enjoy and what was not, or possibly causing him unease from his injuries.

She paused, "I'm disappointed," she said out of the blue, but continued to read his body's responses, "I think I would have looked cute in a nurses outfit and you could have been my patient." she explained, pausing to look up to gauge his response with a coy grin before giving her hair a flip, letting it fall over his abdomen. The woman felt her own cheeks redden from such a suggestion, but it was not often one found themselves in the moment of a hospital setting! "Or, Dr. Tiamat, galactic renowned surgeon, who is just smitten with her most complicated of patients, Emryc Thorne."

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc couldn’t watch what she was doing, but there was a different level of exhilaration from not knowing where she would kiss next. He was eased out of his clothing with some effort, his face scrunching up here and there to convey when it hurt. Strands of her hair was silk against his skin, and he felt her soft lips continue down their path.

She began to speak and he was about to remind her to shut it when he focused on the words. Without sight, his mind was in overdrive and going to the places she described, “Hair down. White stockings, short skirt, first three buttons of the top undone,” He could picture her vividly and his body was very much encouraged by this. His fingers grasped a hold of her hair more firmly.

“I may have just been sent to the emergency,” He all but growled as he played along, tugging at her hair urgently as his desire made itself very well known. He was normally purely physically inclined, but without his sight the words and descriptions added a whole new dimension to teasing he hadn't been expecting.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

There was enough of a pause that Tiamat thought he was just going to tell her to stop talking, but instead he begun to describe what she could have been wearing and she grinned with an accompanied giggle, "I just got some new white heels too." she hummed as she felt him grasp at her hair.

"This is certainly an emergency, a rather hard one to control." she gasped, feeling him tugging harder at her hair, driving goosebumps down her back and arms. She felt her body respond with obedience, but yet with hunger as she continued to provoke him. As his grip tightened on her hair, the harder it was to control how vocal she became; she would feel her cheeks flush as she was trying to be more mindful of who could hear, but with each passing moment, that concern seemed to be drowned out by the other thoughts that preoccupied her mind.

"I think this good treatment for your condition." she murmured, pulling away just teasingly enough as she felt her own body crave more of him. The idea that she would have to wait just a little longer pushed her own senses, a free hand climbed along his hip, her fingernails pressing into his flesh as she avoided the ache and desire of her own body. Her lips trailed along his skin, "Tell me if I am caring for all your needs, Mr. Thorne..." Tiamat purred as she pulled herself closer and pushed Emryc to his limits.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc was generally the one that did all the teasing, and having the tables flipped threw him off. He shifted slightly under her touch, though his body made no efforts to hide how he felt. His fingers curled into her soft hair, gripping firmly and with a sense of urgency.

However, when she made suggestive comment about a hard emergency, Emryc couldn’t help but crack a grin. That grin widened into a smile and he found himself chuckling while vacantly staring at the ceiling. A laugh from him was exceedingly rare, almost nonexistent. It was a warm and inviting sound, and it suited him in its own strange way to light up his handsome features.

He laughed softly, tightening his grip on her almost affectionately, “My condition is pretty terrible,” Emryc said almost cheerfully, “I may need a few treatments,” Maybe it was the concussion, maybe it was the drugs. Maybe it was simply the fact that she had been the only thing to even temporarily tug him back from the very, very dark place he had been in. Whatever it was, there was that very rare glimpse into Emryc as someone that could be more human. Someone almost carefree and without strict discipline. It was the first hint that he was even capable of it.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

He was laughing...

After all these years, Tiamat was certain that he was not capable of some emotions; he had his smirks, his smiles, an ornery grin, but this was entirely different. It was warm as it complemented his features, not forced generally seen with his impish Sith nature, this was something one took and it was cherished for its warmth. She doubted he would remember this moment, but for Tiamat it struck her and suddenly everything she felt was ever wrong, now seemed right. Her fingers started to gently run up and down his leg as she took in his smile and chuckle, a moment too endearing to just let it fall away.

She had forgotten where she was as she had felt Emryc tug gently at her hair in response to her cheesy quips. "Heh...hmm..." she hummed, carefully pulling her hair from his grasp, "A few treatments?" Tiamat sat up and pulled her shirt overhead and dropped it beside him, sighing as though she were relieved to get it off. Carefully she made her way back up his body, her lips soon finding his, "Good news, Doctor's orders call for several treatments." she murmured in his ear, "Just..." she leaned up to look down at his expressionless gaze, "Just tell me if it becomes too much." Tiamat bowed her head, gently peppering his face.

_____​

There was a relief from the redheaded Sith that no real nurse interrupted. She had forgotten nurses did things called rounds and they were done with pants returned by the time one had checked in on Emryc. There was a look disapproval that he was on the floor with his visitor, but left it be after she collected what she needed. Tiamat was too exhausted to care either way by now, floating on a glow; she nuzzled his shoulder, feeling it was too much effort to move now that she was comfortable. "Can we stay like this until visiting hours are done?" she asked, sleepiness hung heavy in her words as she fell into stillness and silence.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc had his electric cigarra out again, blowing a cloud of smoke into the air. His gestures were lazy, a clearly satisfied look on his face. This had done the trick after days of being angry and tense, even though his mind would likely go back to that dark place the next day. He was deep in thought, not moving much even as Tiamat nuzzled against him. Emryc’s face remained facing the ceiling as he pulled from the cigarra and exhaled.

“No,” He stated flatly, “Because I want to eat another cupcake,” He said, thinking back to how delicious the last one was. Emryc laid there for a few more minutes while he finished his cigarra before slowly sitting up with some difficulty. He knew the nurse that came in would complain to the other staff and he would get a talking to.

Emryc’s entire body hurt, and having Tiamat on him certainly didn’t help things. As the immediate aftermath of being intimate faded, the pain returned. The wound on his leg couldn’t entirely be avoided, and it began to ache once more. He pointed Tiamat towards some painkillers to give him.

“Where will you go after this?” He asked, hoping to have another cupcake brought over so he could eat it with a fork.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Tiamat started to groan in protest when he denied her request to go to sleep, though his reasoning made her abruptly stop and lift her head. Eyes widened with surprise, she could not recall ever knowing him to just indulge in treats; eating the whole cupcake earlier was shocking enough, but asking for another, well...Tiamat decided she wouldn't complain and instead oblige to his request for another. Besides, she was starting to think if she were to leave them here, the nurses might throw them away or eat them for themselves.

She sat up with Emryc, rubbing the inside of her thigh to relieve a dull ache that was growing to be a bother; she glanced down and then back at Emryc's lap and frowned. Thoughts started connecting to ideas in her mind and she begun to say something when Emryc directed her to the general location of the pain medicine. She regretted trying to stand, feeling her legs were made of jelly as she felt herself suddenly trying to overcompensate her steps to keep balance until she pulled the Force to her. It kept her more steady on her feet to at least grab the things she needed and sat back down next to Emryc without stumbling across the room like a drunk person.

"Where am I going?" she repeated the question, sounding uncertain herself even though she knew he would ask that question, it happened anytime she visited. She paused in her thoughts to read the label and took out a pill for him.

"Here," she said as she took his right hand and placed the pill and then would take his other hand to give him the glass of water, "I guess no where for the next couple weeks, but then I have something to do." Tiamat explained, taking out the fork to place in his free hand , "There's this race I'm going to, but its an odd one because no one uses hyperspace, just sublight engines, and yet, when they cross this barrier, they're shot lightyears away." Tiamat continued while unpeeling the paper from the cupcake and directing his fork to its location so he could find it.

"I think its a hypergate, one that's large enough to fit ships."

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc heard her stumble about, musing about how some of it was likely from her overabundance of caution in avoiding injuring him. He dwelled on the thought for a moment as Tiamat gave him his pill. He tossed it back, listening to her explanation. Emryc had a fair amount of questions, but he would internally dissect what he knew so far first.

“Where is it?” He asked as he took a bite of the cupcake. Emryc’s face was normally devoid of expression, but right now there was genuine contentment, “I probably would have gone easier on your training if you made me these all the time.”

That was until he got a slight bit of frosting on his lips and vigorously wiped it off, only making it worse. Emryc grimaced as he attempted to feel around for a napkin or anything to get the frosting off, making a mess and having his OCD kick into overdrive.

Emryc would relax only after there was no frosting anywhere on his face or person, deciding that cupcakes were dangerous foods. He finished it anyway before he paused and considered the discussion they were having, “The moment you tell the Eternal is the moment this stops being yours,” He stated flatly. He looked towards her general direction, almost as if he had more to say. Ermyc’s jaw twitched just a little bit, and it was clear several things ran through his mind.

He exhaled slowly, his mind drifting back to his ship, “Hold on to what is yours.”

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

"Mid-rim, near the Hutt territories." she stated, watching him take a bite of his cupcake, seeming content. It wasn't an Emryc she was used to seeing, generally his blank looks told her nothing and she would often fill in the blanks with her own created enemies. This of course lead to unnecessary strife. He quipped about the possibility of her making these during her training to ease his discipline, and instantly Tiamat could not believe that would ever happen.

"If I made them all the time, the only softness I would see would be in your waist." she sighed, watching him as he went to wipe away frosting from his lip, only for it to get progressively worse as he kept thumbing at it. The woman grimaced as she watched, then looked quickly around the room for some sort of napkin. The Force stirred as she called a towel to her palm from the counter while he felt around him for something to clean the spot from his face. After dipping a corner of it in his water glass, Tiamat placed the damp cloth in his hand for him to clean his face.

She thought he would stop eating it after the incident, but instead after ensuring he felt satisfied that there was no more frosting marks, he continued. His tone changed slightly as he spoke about her work and the Eternal, his gaze looking to her direction, a simple statement with anticipation that he had more to say on the issue, but did not. Tiamat frowned, her own gaze leaving him as what he warned was something she feared that would someday happen. The project would be revealed in some way, there were plenty out there who still were loyal to the Dark Lord, plenty who were on Denon when she had arrived.

Her gaze fell back to him, his caution now met with a sorrow and pain that Tiamat felt also. She glanced back down to her palm and started folding the paper from the cupcake, carefully not to spill any of the crumbs. Her thoughts turned in her mind as she thought about her work and the possibility of the Eternal finding out. Life had taken many things away from her, just as it had introduced many who had stripped everything from her including her identity to her dignity. She felt like she was at a point where she had more control and strength. No more were the days that others would use her.

"If the Eternal wants to know, then the Dark Lord will have to accept the consequences of knowing." she heard herself echo her thoughts. However, as quickly as it came, it was gone, the gold in her gaze fading and the coolness of the dark side dissipated into the warmth of the room.

"Emryc," she started, her brow furrowed in sudden thought that struck her, "Where will you go after you're done here? Do you have a place to stay?" she asked, knowing very well his ship was essentially his home.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc scoffed at the casual suggestion that he would gain weight from cupcakes. As if. He prided himself in how extensively he trained and honed his body. In fact… he went to prod himself in the stomach to ensure that his abs were still intact, suddenly a bit concerned since he had been in a bacta tank for a while.

The half Sephi was still musing about himself when Tiamat asked her next question. She prefaced it with his name, so he knew he would have a hard time dodging it. He always knew he was in for difficulties whenever she said his name. For a moment he simply said nothing. He didn’t have the ability to blankly stare at her until she dropped it. There was nothing but pitch darkness and the weight of silence. This whole thing was suddenly excruciating and he realized he had a difficult time avoiding questions without being able to stare people into submission.

“Uh..” He began vaguely, “I’ll figure something out,” Emryc muttered unconvincingly. Without much else to do, he grabbed that glass of water and took a big gulp, hoping she would simply forget the line of questioning.

“Hypergates mean you can visit your summer home whenever you please,” He added quickly.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

His gaze still shot over her head, even while looking in her direction. Tiamat knew what he was trying to do and there was even a part of her that wanted to get to his eye level so his gaze would be more effective, however, the redhead sat in place. She was not convinced he had a plan, or even figured things out that far. In fact, she never though she ever heard Uh... as a response from him in all the years she knew him.

Her face slowly contorted to express her skepticism, even more so when he picked up the glass of water and made sure to take a big enough drink to force a pause between them. Tiamat glanced down to the pain pill bottle, double checking that she did give him the right amount, her attention drawn back to him when he attempted to change the subject.

"What is going on?" she asked now sounding a bit more concerned. She gently placed her palm on top of his water glass to prevent him from taking a drink and avoid answering her questions. However, she shook her head and sighed, feeling like it was stupid question to ask him, "No, don't answer that." she quickly followed up before he said anything; there was plenty happening around them that told her everything she needed to answer her own question. "You said you will be ok."

Tiamat removed her palm, her gaze looking past him as she settled her thoughts, "You're just being so weird about everything." she huffed.

@Sreeya