Hoth: Blood and Ice

Tethys's lips curve in a small soft smile. So that happened, and it might not blow up in her face. It might even work.

"Zeno dotes on those girls. I suspect he would be happy to add to their circle."

She clears her throat . "Of course, none of this leaves this room, as far as I am concerned. But if I can assist... you and I have every reason to continue meeting, anyway. Matters with Zakuul seem likely to develop quickly, and base operations are still evolving..." She opens a hand suggestively.

"Oh, I'm sure. Zeno throws his whole self into whatever he's feeling, " she said. There was a certain amount of affection in her voice, and a small, nostalgic smile. When Tethys speaks again, she nodded, more serious. "We will have to speak more... at least partly because it doesn't change them having to return for Korriban. The Empire itself will be less of a factor in that than... other forces in our lives."

What or who that might be went unstated, but she had left something of a person-shaped hole in how she discussed them.

It was hardly a conversational blank space Tethys could fail to notice, although the Republic is full of a myriad of different parenting arrangements and configurations and it's quite possible the Sith Empire is no different.

"Hm. Every journey is taken one oar-stroke at a time, as my foster-father used to say." Tethys nods. "With each one, you reassess your balance and heading before the next."

"True... I suppose we'll see," she mused softly. "Well, even some time there is better than nothing."

Tethys can hardly disagree with that, so she nods again. "Thank you for trusting me to speak about this, Luth. It's been... unexpected." After a beat, she adds wryly, "Perhaps not much more unexpected than everything else that's happened since we made orbit in this system, but at least differently so."

She couldn't help but laugh a little at that. "This planet is definitely full of surprises, isn't it? I had a good feeling about you, though. I hear you're supposed to trust your instincts."

"Sometimes that depends on the instinct, I find. But it's a good starting point." Tethys chuckles.

After a beat, she explains, "At our best, Jedi exist to... lessen the troubles of others, not add to them. That's not always straightforward. But it's the idea, at least. I try to match it, as I can."

"They seem to, most of the time," she nodded. "Most people are just trying to do their best and get through life. The Jedi Code seems to help some people succeed more often in improving the world a bit as they go."

"Another thing I'd not expect to hear from someone who lives by the Sith ways," Tethys says, mildly. "Aren't we supposed to be filling the galaxy with weakness and wasted potential?"

"I'm not a stickler for philosophy," she replied with a shake of her head. "I'd like to think that these days, I'm mostly level-headed, as far as monsters go. I see the value in the common good."

"In my experience, the darker emotions Sith practices lead through, where Jedi go around the long way, are... somewhat at odds with level-headedness. When push meets shove."

"However, the bare fact that we're having this conversation..." Tethys opens a hand, half-shrugging.

"Well, it definitely hasn't been a great approach as far as mastery of the Dark Side goes," she admitted.

"Hm," is all Tethys can think to say in immediate response to that. You said it, not me, Sith Lord. "Perhaps because you don't want to lose what it would cost you, if you truly let the Dark Side master you. I wouldn't want to either."

"Perhaps," she replied, looking to the side. "It's getting late. I should probably get going. Thank you for the meeting."

She rose from the table. "We can speak again soon."

"Of course." Tethys nods, rising as well. "When next we find time out of our busy schedules on this cosmopolitan hub world."

She chuckles softly as she...

/exits!

/scene