Hoth: Blood and Ice

[Zeno Thul]

Zeno approaches the Nighthawk, he reaches out with his senses to try to feel for the woman he expects may be inside. It's been so long, and so many things have changed, but he is still looking forward to seeing Luth again.

[Luth Khalan]

The hatch opens for him before he fully reaches it. If nothing else, her senses seem to have expanded in the time since he's seen her last. She standing at the top of the gangplank, smiling down toward in and waving him in. "Zeno! Come in. I'm so glad to see you!" She radiated emotional warmth at his arrival. Some things really didn't change about her.

[Zeno Thul]

Zeno enters with a confident and pleasant smile returned to her warmth. "Good to see you again Luth. It's been too long since we have seen each other. I hope you are doing well, taking what you want, and accepting nothing less."

He walks past and takes in the other sensory reminders of the woman he'd felt such... raw feelings for in the past. Her scent, the sight of her features, the timbre of her voice. He allowed the force to suffuse his physical senses as he did so, multiplying the sensations.

"I think we both feel like different people, but still so familiar."

He turns back to face her and holds a hand out. Not for some standard shake, but more in line with asking for her hand to kiss it as one might a noble or royalty.

[Luth Khalan]

The hatch closed behind him. Far too cols to leave it open for long.

"It has been." She took her gloves off and took his hand, warm and a little callussed like the warrior she was, the back of it sprinkled with freckles. "I accomplished what I set out to do, so I suppose that counts as taking what I want. I hopethat for you, too." With his heightened senses, he could smell the differences that made and more, see how it has changed her body a little from the one he knew, along with the march of years.

"I suppose we are different people, in a way. But that just gives a new opportunity to got to know each other."

[Zeno Thul]

"I am glad you were able to do so. I didn't doubt you would, but I didn't know when it would happen."

He takes her hand and kisses the back of it.

"Is there somewhere we can sit to catch up?"

[Luth Khalan]

"I'm happy to tell you more once we're settled in," she replied. Rather than let go, she simply held on gently and led him to the sitting area of the ship. It was nice, understated elegance rather than stripped down and spartan. Finally she let go and stepped over to a cabinet. "Tea?"

[Zeno Thul]

"That would be good," he says as she guides him to a seat. He watches her go about the task as he continues.

"When is the last time you took a break?"

He relaxes in the seat, his eyes continuing to track everything she does. Not out of distrust, but out of focus. He was obviously older as well, but seems to have aged slightly slower, a result of the Sith blood, no doubt.

[Luth Khalan]

Slightly slower, but perhaps not as much slower as he might have expected. Nothing that couldn't be explained by normal human variances perhaps.

She moved around, preparing the tea efficiently before settling down next to him. The question took her by surprise, and she considered. "... I get regular leave to see my kids. So shortly before this expedition, I suppose." Though that was still work in a sense.

[Zeno Thul]

"I spend a great deal of time with my twins," he says with a knowing nod. "They are showing talent with the force. I was worried they might not since their mother doesn't have it, but a couple years ago they started showing."

He tilts his head. "The world waits for nobody."

[Luth Khalan]

"Congratulations, then on both of them showingfacilityfor it. How old are they now?" She smiled at hearing about his twins. "That's true. I was just about to ask how Alderaan was treating you. I've heard the politics are almost as cut-throat as the Empire's."

[Zeno Thul]

"A little less cut throat since they illegalized murder a few years ago," he says, chuckling at the idea of that. "Used to be a whole legal industry there."

He smiles when thinking about his daughters. "They're eleven now and encouraged trouble-makers. And they are my primary motivation for most of my activities these days. How about your kids?"

[Luth Khalan]

"I mean, I'm pretty sure murder is technically illegal in the Republic, but that didn't stop them from training and employing me," she observed with a smirk. "You do have to be a touch more circumspect, though"

"They're my primary motivation, as well. 9 and 7 now. One's far to serious and the other not enough," she chuckled, thinking back on her last time home. "Both are sensitive, but they're showing it in different ways."

[Zeno Thul]

"Glad to hear they are doing well. It's been so long and you do everything covertly, I have no idea what you have been up to. I imagine picking fights with Republic forces."

[Luth Khalan]

"Picking fights makes it sound like they know they're in one before they die," she replied with a small smirk. She took pride in her work. "Republic or whoever needs to be removed. At least with me there's no drawn out suffering. "

[Zeno Thul]

"I get too much of a thrill out of a fight to want to take someone out like that. I'll do it if the plan calls for it, but I do like to fight," he says with a chuckle.

"But that's why others tend to be more effective than me. I waste too much time having fun."

[Luth Khalan]

She chuckled at that, looking fully toward him with a smile. "It seems you haven't changed that much, then. It's not for me, but the thrill of a fight can be an excellent drive up close. It's almost a type of hedonism."

[Zeno Thul]

"It is a type of hedonism for me, but one that I have not been able to partake in recently. I'm not happy about the losses, but I am somewhat glad they just didn't give us a choice either. Now people will let go of some of their pacifism to defend themselves."

His mind was definitely being drawn to the prospect of a fight.

[Luth Khalan]

She couldn't help the smile that crossed her face. There might've been a time when Luth would have been disturbed by bloodthirst. She'd had ten years now, though, to associate little more than the satisfaction of a job well done with her more grisly work. He could only sense her pleasure at seeing him pleased with the idea. "This isn't the place for pacifism. I'm glad we're not fighting each other, but I also think you're right."

[Zeno Thul]

"Well, I imagine we'd just kill everyone until its just me and you, then we can solve the winner with a coinflip," he jokes. "The Rimma made it back, so we didn't lose the kolto tank. That's helpful for us to heal up after the epic battle."

[Luth Khalan]

"The ultimate showdown of ultimate destiny, decided by a coin flip. Could do rock-paper-scissors, too," she replied with a soft laugh.

"Honestly, that kolto tank will be helpful in general."

[Zeno Thul]

"Of course we could always come up with more inventive competitions. Doesn't have to be something simple," he returns.

[Luth Khalan]

"Holo games? Two man huttball?" She suggested with a grin. "I'd suggest something else, but I hear you're married these days."

[Zeno Thul]

"I am quite married, that is true..." he says, ambiguously. "Have been for quite a while. The mother of my daughters. And she's a lot smarter than I am."

He says with a bit of playful self-depreciation.

"And you? What has the exciting life of being a Sith been like for you? Lots of dashing rogue smugglers and charming ne'er-do-wells?"

[Luth Khalan]

"That part of my life was more active when I was younger." She replied with a shake of her head and her own self-depricating laugh. "Not so much with the dashing rogue smugglers or charming ne'er-do-wells."

[Zeno Thul]

"So then, who's the lucky father? Got something a bit more stable going on? Or is that to be a mystery?" he asks, smiling. He was apparently good with not knowing.