Mala- Friday

[notconflicted]

If Sia had to go on a goodwill tour of all the places the Sith Empire had ravaged through the years, she really would have rathered skipping the planet where she got stabbed and really should have died. She never addressed it, she played nice, she tried to keep the focus on the battle here instead of on what happened to her personally, partly because she didn't want to be reminded and partly because Atton was dealing with enough and she didn't want to bring this up on top of it.

It was a relief when she was finally able to say her goodbyes and board the transport, heading for her quarters as the crew got them off the ground and on to the next stop.

[For one but open!]

Comments

[suitably_heroic]

"It's been over a week," Atton growled from behind her, pacing through the hallway at a greater speed than she was using. "How long is environmental portal disturbance supposed to last?!"

[notconflicted]

"As long as the gnomes say it will last, unfortunately," Sia said calmly. "I'm sure it's fine and this is temporary."

She was also sure that didn't help.

[suitably_heroic]

"Yeah, but how temporary?" Atton snarled. "That whole trial could be going down right now."

[notconflicted]

"That I don't know." She hated saying that. "I can try to add more pressure to them."

If the problem wasn't on this end, though, that didn't do much.

[suitably_heroic]

"You know anyone on the gnome end?" Atton slid harried fingers through his hair.

He knew this wasn't healthy. If he kept getting angry and obsessing about this, it was going to send him off-kilter, and off-kilter was bad.

[notconflicted]

"Not personally, but I'm good at making friends like that," she told him. "What do you need right now?"

Besides the obvious.

[suitably_heroic]

"Something to punch would help," Atton said irritably. Wouldn't be healthy either, but it'd help. "Alternatively, is there anyone on this tug who knows how to make a drink and play a card or two?"

[notconflicted]

"I can pour and I still remember how to play," Sia offered.

[suitably_heroic]

"Is that an invitation, Empress?" Atton said, trying to put a little snark in his voice. He mostly sounded tired.

[notconflicted]

"It is," she nodded. "Do you accept?"

[suitably_heroic]

"I guess," Atton said, like he hadn't suggested it himself and like there was anybody else in the universe right now besides the person he was trying to reach that he wanted to spend even a minute of time with. "Never say no to an Empress or your head'll be rolling in no time."

[notconflicted]

"Yes, that was definitely a concern here," Sia said easily, and slid open the door to her quarters. "Make yourself comfortable."

[suitably_heroic]

"Do you actually have drinks in here?" Atton said. After a moment's pause - and, okay, to give her time to enter - he shuck off his jacket on his way in.

He felt... rattled.

And Sia's quarters were increasingly becoming a place he could at least try to feel unrattled.

[notconflicted]

"I have a bottle, in case it's needed," Sia said, and walked over to a cabinet to retrieve the bottle and a couple of glasses. "If you want the expensive stuff, we'd have to go to the conference room."

[suitably_heroic]

"Nah, I'll bet what you've got is still fancier than anything I've ever served at Caritas," Atton said, and surprised himself by sounding tired.

He sat down on her sofa. Everything in here was fancier than what he was used to.

[notconflicted]

"You might be surprised. You were my education in this field," she pointed out, pouring two glasses and bringing one over to him to take.

[suitably_heroic]

"But I bet you've got people to pick this stuff out for you," Atton said.

Normally, he would've stuck to one drink. Right now, he felt so helpless in the fact of it all that he wasn't sure alcohol would make anything worse.

He took the glass. And then a sip.

[notconflicted]

"I'm not that spoiled," Sia told him, and she took a seat next to him. Not too close to crowd him, but close enough that if he needed physical contact he could have it. "I just can't run my own errands anymore."

[suitably_heroic]

"You ever just want to steal out of here and go shopping like a normal person?" Atton asked.

[notconflicted]

"All the time," she admitted. "There are tunnels in the palace on Coruscant that can get me out without detection, but they lead into the underlevels, which isn't exactly safe."

[suitably_heroic]

"Might be fun, if offensive," Atton said. He took another sip and stretched his legs out. "You know, put on a wig, maybe steal some smuggler's gear and live the undercity life like some kind of tourist."

[notconflicted]

"It could be," Sia agreed. "For as very temporary as it would have to be."

[suitably_heroic]

"Empress slumming it for a day," Atton said. He shot her a wry smile. "Kind of like old times."

[notconflicted]

"Are you saying I've slummed it?" Sia asked, a little teasingly, even if that sounded kind of gross.

[suitably_heroic]

"Don't think I wasn't tempted to do an obnoxious yet strangely charming rendition of 'Common People' for you at Caritas once or twice," Atton said. He hoped it was clear he was teasing. His voice felt kind of flat today.