#war for iokath

[christinethalassinou]

Well, my Inky went through a minor redesign (Sith eyes and the beard), and now he's hotter than ever. Theron loves the new beard, it's easier to play with ;P

Oh, and Ahiyah hates Iokath. With all of his heart. It was his 'I-don't-care-to-count-anymore-how-many' near-death experience in his life, and he's just so fucking done. He needs a break.

[selfpossesedghost]

Boo! - Vienna and Theron

Transcript:

Theron: ...Is that what I think it is?

Vienna: One of Iokath's original creators. Looks like it's been dead for centuries.

Theron: Let's hope it stays that way.

Vienna: [Brief pause] Bah!

Theron: Ahh!

Vienna: Whatever happens here, it was all worth it just to see that look on your face.

Theron: Very funny. Now unless you've got another joke up your sleeve, I'm going to get to work.

SWTOR

[the-tomato-patch]

Iokath~

[fallen-in-faith]

Replaying the Iokath arc and I’m still mad that we have to choose between the Republic or Empire.

[tiredassmage]

OBJECTIVE: Jump scare your boyfriend!

C O M P L E T E

Theron’s straight up lying if he’s gonna say he’s staying mad at this dumbass face.

[galacticalamari]

Very mild Ahsoka spoilers but:

The way they talked about the hyperspace ring as being beyond their tech and the way that it is white and gold.

Am I the only Old Republic person that raised an eyebrow at it?

[and-the-paradime-shifts]

Commander: tonight, one of you will betray us.

Lana: is it me, Commander?

Commander: no, it’s not you.

Arcann: is it me, Commander?

Commander: no, it’s not you.

Theron: is it me, commander?

Commander:

Commander, mockingly: Is IT mE CoMmAnDeR?

[jeswii]

So I saw the latest episode of Bad Batch and any other swtor players getting Iokath vibes from the massive droid? Like a dead world and an ancient super weapon droid sounds familair. I know its unlikely but it would be a cool way to make the games officially cannon.

[queen-scribbles]

26-30 from the otp asks for whoever strikes your fancy :3

Gonna dredge up the Spy Nerds for this one (Jaaide/Theron) bc that seems fun. Also I miss them

26. What are their vices?

Both are workaholics. Theron has trust issues and a caf addiction and Jaaide has trouble letting people help her. She thinks she has to solve everything herself, but then will get grumpy when no one helps her. (She's working on that, she's been called out by a couple different people)

27. Who is the light weight that needs to be taken care of after a party?

Jaaide. She doesn't tend to drink much, and when she does it's things with low alcohol content, so if she loses track or tries something new that's stronger than usual, Theron will be giving her a piggyback ride out of the club. xD

28. What are there thoughts on pet names? Do they have any?

They like them, but tend to stick to standard things; love, dear etc. Theron uses "sweetheart" a lot, and Jaaide's most common one for him is "darling". They don't have anything that's strongly personal that's turned into a nickname/endearment. that I can remember.

29. Who is more likely to jump in an elevator? Who freaks out?

I was gonna say neither, but then I remembered Jaaide 100% took the "Boo!" option during War for Iokath to see him jump. Sooo I guess she'd be more likely to jump, but I dunno if Theron would freak out. Maybe get a little on edge and ask her to stop, but I don't think he'd freak out.

30. Your OTP gets to pick out each other’s outfits; what is each wearing?

Theron's pick for Jaaide is the Jarael's armor top in green with leggings and comfy boots. (He likes her arms and green goes with her eyes.) Or his jacket and nothing else if they're staying in. Jaaide's pick for Theron is EITHER a shirt with the sleeves rolled up under a vest(think Impulsive Adventurer set) with his regular pants and boots or *cough* the Bold Hellion set, just with a tank top underneath. (he looks good in a leather jacket, but she doesn't need other people ogling her man, thanks.)

OTP Asks

[jjjwhovian]

Vowrawn !

Thanks for another ask @swtorpadawan! Honestly things for good ol’ Vowrawn isn’t too different from the game but let’s talk about his journey to Emperor anyways.

Darth Vowrawn is one lucky bastard now that I think about it, as Anri once said Sith don’t usually live as long as him without knowing a thing or two.

He managed to avoid the Emperors Hand hunting for him thanks to his old friend the Wrath, Vanzeth, covering his back. Thank the force the Servants mysteriously disappeared, though it wasn’t long before everyone discovered why.

He was one of the few Dark Councilors, along with Acina, to survive Arcann’s assault on the rest of the Galaxy, not even having to go into hiding and being the one to represent the Empire in their surrender.

Since then he’s being serving on the newly formed Dark Council under Empress Acina, comfortably working as the Head of Civil Administration all while him and Xarion, Head of Galactic influence, was secretly aiding an unknown assailant (more on that later) striking against both the Republic and the Eternal Empire.

Then after Acina’s death on Iokath Vowrawn wasted no time in claiming the throne as Emperor and though he was met with some resistance he was able to squash the opposition.

Now he leads the Empire in their renewed War against the Republic, Malgus or anyone else who’s a threat to them, his secret ally now properly in the fold.

[spitzobsessed]

Found an alternate route I wrote for the choosing sides scene in War For Iokath. So far it's just dialogue with only Wrath, Occlus, Nox and a few cannon characters. And I think it's incomplete? It's basically Taral(Wrath) saying "F you both, I'm holding all of you hostage until we negotiate this shit". Also gets a bit emotional, sorry it's so long. First drafts that almost get deleted drain energy from me.

Lana: If I had to choose , I would join forces with the Empire.

Theron: The Republic's a safer bet.

Lana: The choice is yours Commander. Who shall we side with?

Taral: I have a better idea...

Taral: Nox, Occlus, you may begin.

Riot: Got it.

Praxy: As you wish.

Aric: Havoc Squad, hands were I can see them!

Praxy: Don't make this difficult, Empress.

Kaylio: Alright, hands up and no one gets electrocuted.

Riot: Oh, and I'll be more than happy to demonstrate, Supreme Commander.

Acina: Well played, Commander... Well played, indeed.

Malcom: What do you think you're doing, Commander?!

Taral: The third option: Reminding all of you who exactly you're dealing with. Noman Carr, Darth Baras, Darth Revan, Darth Malgus, Vitiate, Arcann, Vaylin, Valkrion, scores of Jedi, Sith, and troops - Republic and Imperial. I was once the Emperor's Wrath, destruction and death incarnate. Matched only by the Battlemaster of the Jedi Order.

Taral: Now, I control the Eternal Fleet. However, I did not take the Eternal Throne. This galaxy needs time to recover, time that you've thrown away for this Superweapon. One we know next to nothing about! It could be anything from a single missile to something that could repeat what happened to Ziost!! And then we'd be in the same position we were six years ago!!!

Theron: Commander, that's-

Lana: Not now, Theron.

Taral: *deep sigh* We will open negotiations on what to do with Iokath and it's technology. Republic and Imperial representatives will be allowed to study alongside the Alliance Scientists, but no one goes near any Superweapon until we understand what it can do. The war took its toll on all of us, and if you two want to tear each other apart so soon, go ahead.

Taral: But know this; Trespass on Alliance territory, harm Alliance people, or raise forced against the Alliance... Then I will take the throne and put you in your place. My priorities are with my people, and neither of you have any of them.

Damn right you are, Taral!

Although, it would properly work only if Acina and Malcom were there in person, rather than via hologram. But that's what AUs are for

As someone whose Wrath also lead the Alliance, I share the sentiment to the end - Wrath is supposed to be feared by the Dark Council and Acina rose only in titles, not power (while Outlander became significantly more powerful).

Now, brainstorming:

I could probably send my Knight with Havoc to take over Republic base on Iokath, and former Occlus and Cipher with another unit to take over Imperial one, and synchronize the operation enough so that the Talk goes like this:

(everyone's aware of the plan (alliance side))

Lana: The choice is yours, Commander.

Sav (Wrath): hmmm... *Looks deep in thought, clicks the button on comm to begin the overthrow* I believe we have a different option to consider here.

*Acina and Malcom's comms start buzzing with high level alert*

*controlled chaos on their end*

*whatever commanding officers on base they were talking to is gone, instead Malcom gets a holo with Knight and Major Jorgan while Acina has Kallig and Cipher*

*moments later the main holo on Alliance base shows six people - leaders and those four on bases*

Aric: Base secured, Commander. Casualties minimal.

Cipher: Base is secured. Awaiting instructions, Commander. Assessing casual.

Sav (Wrath): *smirks* *turns to Acina and Malcom, who are slightly pale (Acina) and less composed (Malcom)*

Sav (Wrath): You seem to have forgotten that Iokath belongs to the Alliance. And you appear to have dismissed the fact that the only reason your respective governments have the resources to launch this ridiculous operations is victory over Zakuul that My(!) alliance has secured.

Sav (Wrath): *theatrically takes a breath to calm himself* Now let's discuss reparations for invading sovereign territory of the Eternal Alliance.

Malcom: That's ridiculous. Release my base, Sith. With or without your help, the Empire's threat to Republic wil be dealt with.

Acina: Is this how you treat your allies, Commander? I expected better from a Sith Lord from such a respectable family.

Sav (Wrath): If it is war you seek, war is what you'll get. I give you 5 hours to leave Iokath. In five standard hours any Republic or Imperial soldier, Jedi or Sith not part of the alliance will be considered invaders and dealt with accordingly. *In darker tone* You have no idea how dangerous Iokath can be to hostiles.

...

Sorry for mostly stealing your idea.

[dirthara-dalen]

Alliance Alert: meditate in your Alderaan estate gardens

Contact: ??????

Overview: ????

Ligastar was very confused when Theron claimed the alliance alert was not visible on his data pad. Even Lana claimed there was nothing there. How was he the only one seeing it?! 

With great reluctance he traveled to the estate on Alderaan and found a decent spot to meditate. For what felt like hours he meditated yet nothing happened. Just as he was about to give up he suddenly felt his consciousness being pulled. It felt the same as when he had entered Satele’s mind. However, this was different; it felt as if his mind was being pulled into the force.

As the sensation faded he found himself standing in some ruins which he recognized as Alderaanian. What he did not recognize was the figure that stood before him. For a brief moment he thought the Mirialan was Cain. However, unlike Cain the man had dark red hair. Scars that cut through his tattoos riddled his face indicating he had seen quite a bit of combat.

“Who are you?”

“I’m not surprised Jeeta had not spoken about me…I am the black sheep of the family after all.”

That voice, Ligastar recognized it as the voice that spoke to him on Iokath. “I will ask again, who are you?”

“I am Cain Kallig, Jeeta’s younger fraternal twin brother.”

Cain? This was Cain’s namesake? “I think my father named my twin after you.”

“I know…though I did nothing to deserve such an honor. Besides, I used to go by Kai which most of those who knew me came to call me.”

“What do you mean?”

Cain or, as he put it, Kai explained everything to him. Like his brother he was believed to be a model Jedi knight, until Revan went to war. Unlike his brother he struggled greatly, it's the dark side. When Revan returned he joined him in fighting the republic. He had even taught at the academy on Korriban. It was only after Revan’s fall and Malak’s defeat had he realized the true weight of what he had done in the galaxy. He had believed himself beyond redemption thus he attacked Jeeta in hopes his brother would kill him and he did. Before he had died he had sworn an oath to his brother to do his best to protect those he loved from within the force itself.

That was the moment he had been redeemed. Kai revealed that by having Jeeta bound to him, he was able to intervene and shield him. Ligastar asked if this meant he had fulfilled his oath. Kai told him it would take more than saving just Ligastar to fulfill his oath. He had asked him here to thank him for defeating Tenebrae and that he would continue to watch over him.

The moment Ligastar found himself back in reality he set about adding to the archives he had begun working on. With Jeeta’s help, he restored Kai’s story to their family’s archive. Cain needed to know about his namesake.

[a-master-procrastinator]

Which of your SWTOR Companions are NOT with the Alliance?

I was inspired by this post by @swtorpadawan.

It's a good question, and it got me thinking (slowly, as always). For now, I've come up with fates of companions in Lette Legacy (Jett as the Outlander), and will work on others later.

Warning - Mentions of established character deaths below. And lots of spoilers for KotFE and everything after it.

In my headcanon the events of KotFE and onwards are different from in-game version, which impacts the fate of some companions. The most relevant differences are the fates of class characters (Bounty Hunter, Jedi Consular, Smuggler and Agent are in the Alliance; Jedi Knight, Sith Warrior, Sith Inquisitor and Trooper are not with the Alliance for different reasons) and the fact that the Alliance does not participate in the renewed war between the Republic and Sith Empire, choosing to stay neutral.

Also, the state of companions changes with time, so this is for the time around the events of 7.0 in SWTOR.

Jedi Knight crew:

Fideltin Rusk - continues his military service in the Republic.

Doc - after Ossus stays to help the Jedi in the renewed war.

Jedi Consular crew:

Zenith - continues anti-Imperial activities.

Tharan Cedrax - survives the Imperial attack on Meridian Complex and continues to work for the Republic.

Nadia Grell - after Ossus stays with the Jedi.

Trooper crew:

Elara Dorne - continues her military service in the Republic as a part of the Havoc Squad, takes Jorgan's place as second in command after he joined the Alliance.

M1-4X - stays with the Republic as part of the Havoc Squad.

Tanno Vik - does whatever he was doing in chapter 6.

Sith Warrior crew:

Malavai Quinn - stays with the Empire as one of Acina's officers.

Major Pierce - continues his military service in the Empire.

Jaesa Wilsaam - disappears after Emperor's Wrath's death, current whereabouts unknown.

Broonmark - killed while trying to assassinate a Wookiee senator on Alderaan.

Vette - killed by Vaylin on Odessen.

Sith Inquisitor crew:

Khem Val, Andronikos Revel, Talos Drellik and Xalek - all stay in the Sith Empire and work for Darth Nox.

Ashara Zavros - killed by apprentices of Darth Nox.

Bounty Hunter crew:

Skadge - just does his thing, if nobody shot him yet. (I don't even count him as companion, but since he is a companion in the game, I guess I had to add him). Jett never met him again after dropping him somewhere shortly after Belsavis.

Imperial Agent crew:

Vector Hyllus - continues his duties as Dawn Herald.

SCORPIO - merged with Iokath.

Kaliyo - dropped out of the Alliance after Vaylin is dealt with. I just don't think she would stick for much of what comes next.

So 22 out of 40 companions from class stories are not with the Alliance (obviously Kaliyo, SCORPIO and Vette were a part of the Alliance).

Honorable mention: Raina Temple - officially is not with the Alliance, but working with them to maintain communication between the Alliance and the Chiss Ascendancy.

[sealeneee]

Katona's saber progression

achtung: pretty sure this either uses disney crystal lore or a mix of both disney and legends. for a game that came out before disney even bought star wars yeah. as i said in the hair post, i don't really care that it makes no sense

anyway

1. exquisite champion's lightsaber, sea green color crystal

these are her basic jedi sabers which she's content with up until KOTFE, when she loses them due to being put in carbonite

2. unrelenting aggressor's saber, red color crystal

these are the KOTFE/ET/Iokath lightsabers. she constructs them from pieces taken from dead zakuul knights' pikes. the crystals are from the same source -- she bleeds them, turning them to a bright red, enraged at herself for being captured and at the entire world for being Arcann's pawns

3. unstable peacemaker's lightsaber, white color crystal (optiontal indigo fog tuning)

these are the endgame lightsabers, constructed somewhere before Jedi Under Siege. the crystals are the same ones she used in the previous sabers, but purified, cleansed of the dark side corruption as a representation of her somewhat calming down, no longer being haunted by Valkorion or being in mortal danger from his children. but she never goes to the light side, and her mental state overall is still far from stable, so the crystals crack, creating the unstable effect.

bonus: tarnux's pike, white color crystal (optional indigo fog tuning)

[defira85]

What would you recommend to someone thinking about starting with swtor in this day and age?

Huh that's actually a really good question, and it probably doesn't help that I've not been active for the last two years (they made some fairly substantial gameplay changes to the combat that I didn't like the sound of on paper, I have no personal experience with how it's played out and whether folks think it worked out well in the long term)

I'll put this under a cut to spare people's dashes, and if any friends have their own recommendations based on current gameplay and gearing PLEASE feel free to chip in:

The game has free to play options, and in theory it's entirely possible to play up to the fourth (fifth?) expansion without paying a cent. I don't necessarily think it's particularly as fun as it could be on F2P, because obviously they make things just that little bit more frustrating to try and coax you into spending money, but it's not bad. Just a little slower to progress. And really, if you're not sure if you want to invest in the game (time or money wise), downloading the F2P is a good trial move, because the base game is hands down superior to most of the expansions

There are 8 possible origin stories to choose from - four Republic aligned, and four Imperial aligned. Despite stylistically being the same 4 classes, the story telling has always been the strength of the game and the 8 original classes are all fantastic in their own ways. Admittedly, ask 8 people what they think the best or worse class story is and you'll get 8 different answers. I personally rank the Smuggler (a Han Solo-esqye self insert) as my least favourite, but I've got plenty of friends who think it's the best story. I would die for my Jedi Knight but I think the writing from the story is pretty outrageously bad in places. The Sith Warrior class story changed my life. So did the Imperial Agent, but again, I know people who think they're overrated. Just go with your heart and see what appeals to you when it introduces the class options

There are nine packs that I would consider expansions (more if you include mini gameplay expacs that introduced things like starfighter combat, they always have little brief story quests to explain their origin):

Rise of the Hutt Cartel (adds planet Makeb)

The Dread War (adds planet Oricon, technically a continuation of RotHC but different enough in scope that I would count it as separate)

Shadow of Revan (adds two planets, Rishi and Yavin 4)

Rise of the Emperor (adds planet Ziost, technically a continuation of SoR like TDW was for RotHC)

Knights of the Fallen Empire

Knights of the Eternal Throne

Fractured Alliances (technically a continuation of the last two, but adds Iokath as a playable area)

Onslaught (adds three planets Ossus, Onderon, Mek'Sha)

Legacy of the Sith (have not played so not sure!)

KotFE and KotET moved away from planetary expansions and did chaptered missions, so you couldn't visit the areas of the story unless you replayed the chapter, which was a pain if you enjoyed just running around exploring. Technically we got new planets Zakuul, Odessen and Iokath in those expansions, and Iokath did eventually introduce daily missions and explorable areas, but it wasn't the most popular addition to the canon

I personally enjoy KotFE and KotET because of the amount of time I invested in telling my character's stories in that time period, but I think that Shadow of Revan/Rise of the Emperor had the more compelling storytelling and gameplay. Rishi is for sure my favourite planet in the game, although Onderon comes close and I'm sure Zakuul would've won if we got more ability to just run around and explore

Basic gameplay is pretty straight forward if you've ever played an RPG or MMO before. It's entirely possible to play the vanilla stories without ever needing to play any group content, and you can just treat it like a solo player game with some extra fidgety NPCs in the background of your scenes and pretend they aren't other players. The group content - flashpoints (4 players) and operations (8 or 16 players)- are for the most part pretty great, and a lot of their stories bring more clarity to the main game. As the game gets into the expansions, they start introducing solo player flashpoints which then become the chaptered mission when you get to KotFE.

You also get access to companions right from your first planet, which is great! Every class starts with 5 companions, and that number grows as you get into the expansions. Some of the companions can be romanced, although unfortunately everyone was straight-gated up until Shadow of Revan. After that, earlier companions have occasionally been rewritten to be available to all genders, but not all of them which is frustrating at times. The relationships you build with the companions - whether it's romance or friendship or intense loathing - is genuinely such a great feature of the game, and it's something the later expansions have suffered from, not having your core team around you anymore.

SPEAKING OF, I WILL WARN YOU UP FRONT, SHAE IS NOT A ROMANCE OPTION :P I just don't happen to believe in being restricted to canon when it comes to these sorts of things. She's an NPC, and you can flirt with her now and then in the later expacs, but she's not smoochable.

I can't comment on the current combat system, or the current gearing system, as I've been out of active play for the last few years (ESO got me good) but I hear they've worked out some of the kinks from the revamp. I wasn't overly thrilled with it, as I've played fairly consistently since launch and this was going to be about the fifth complete overhaul of the combat and gearing since launch and after going to the trouble of getting all your characters the best gear multiple times only to be told you have to start from scratch AGAIN wears a little thin after awhile. But! If you're not planning on hardcore raiding, gearing changes shouldn't be that much of an issue

The housing system is fun but there's no real way to decorate well without pumping a lot of your own money into the game which is shitty. I've seen the light in ESO's crafting and being able to craft my own furniture is game-changing

Space combat is a nightmare. My spatial awareness becomes non-existent once I have to steer in a three dimensional space. I have one friend who loves it and used to play constantly but I couldn't ever get used to it

PVP is eh. I've had more fun in PVP in other games, but it's not bad.

The crafting system is fun, but unless you're making your own healing packs or dyes, its not really worth much. Sending your companions off on crafting missions can be fun though, as they come with teensy little snippets of lore and some of them are funny or intriguing. It can get expensive real fast though

The only thing I would caution against is that they've made some fairly unpopular changes just in the last month regarding the cost of quick travel to try and rein in the bloated in-game economy and it seems to have been implemented poorly and unfairly effects low to mid tier players as opposed to the high end players

If you have any questions after all of that, let me know! AND GOOD LUCK!!!

[sullustangin]

Fluffy February Day 13:  Pride

Fandom: SWTOR

Time:  In the near future (28-29 ATC)

Pairing: Theron Shan/Smuggler

~~

“What’s it mean ‘to be proud’ of a kid?”

Eva looked up her supper to see Theron in the lounge recliner holding a parenting holobook in one hand and steadying the baby with the other.  Argento had unceremoniously passed out on his father’s chest after a four-hour squall.  Eva thought the kid had the best idea, both about sleep and the location, but she had to eat at some point.  

Retroactively, Eva mentally pat herself on the back for instituting gender-neutral parental leave for the Alliance.  

Presently, Eva shoveled in another mouthful of buttery rice with an egg stirred in.  “How do you mean?”

Theron frowned as he put the holobook down on one of the make-shift crate tables nearby,  freeing his other hand to gently rest on the baby.  Once his hand settled on his son, the frown dissolved and Theron gazed at Argo with no small amount of wonder.  “Parenting book.  Section about ‘parental pride’ and how to express it in a non-toxic way.”   Now he looked at Eva.  “I’m … unfamiliar with the concept.”

“Ah.”  Eva put her fork down for a second and grabbed a napkin to wipe her mouth off.  “It’s like when I got my 1500 hours on the Thief.  All the work I’d done, all the lessons Ma had given me, everything Hadrian ever showed me about maintenance… it all came together.  They were proud because I’d achieved something, but they’d also made a functional smuggler out of me.”  

“Parents do take pride in their kids’ achievements, even when they had nothing to do with it.”

“Yeah…”  Then it took Eva a second to realize he wasn’t asking a question.  “Jace…didn’t mean it like he was taking credit.  He’s proud of you.  He – he wants to be associated with you, to be known as –”

“A father who wasn’t allowed to be there.”  A finger drifted across the top of the baby’s head, stroking at the downy fluffy.  “I know he didn’t mean anything bad by it, but that whole … thing.. .from Iokath still bugs me.  He’s proud of me for fighting in the war.  But…I’m proud of my service, because I worked for other things. For peace.  For the future.”  Theron’s brow creased again.  “Later he said he was proud of me for ‘getting my priorities straight.’  Something he hadn’t done.”

Eva propped her arm up on the table.  “Are you happier at home than he ended up being?”

Theron’s face went soft. “Yeah.  Definitely.”  

“Good parents don’t want their kids to repeat the same bad stuff they did,” Eva said, thinking  back to one stark memory of her mother.  

Her tenth birthday had been celebrated in darkness as they’d tried to sneak out of Chiss space after the Treaty of Coruscant was signed.  They ran dark and ate cold rations, and Hylo the Cat was the most valuable crew member for keeping Eva warm.

Athene had nearly cried because “it’s not supposed to be like this for her.”  It had been, for Athene, a regular occurrence throughout her childhood.

Eva had learned not to press ears to doors that weren’t hers after that.

“Satele has said stuff along the same lines, believe it or not.”  Theron leaned back in the chair a little more as Argo’s limbs moved in his sleep. “She ‘approved’ of my choices.  My career.  You.”  He gave her a smile that begged for trouble. “You really are the best con artist in the galaxy.”

“I specialized in fleecing Jedi at finishing school,” Eva teased right back, picking up her fork to finish her dinner.  

After she’d placed her dish in the galley to be cleaned, Eva came back out to the lounge to see Theron giving the holobook on the table another glance.  “I’m not sure about kid-related pride.  It … seems … conditional…”  Theron made a face. “It’s like getting marksmanship medals at SIS – do this, get that. Transactional.”

“The medals are hot, but not a dealbreaker.  The Force?” Eva crossed the room to him and their son.

“Who needs it.”  Theron watched as she carefully knelt down at the side of the recliner.  “Your parents said they loved you before you were a pilot.”

“Yeah.  Before I was anything interesting.”  She leaned her head on Theron’s shoulder to get a look at Argo.

He was a lot cuter when he was asleep.

Then Theron said, quietly, “It’s not like that with Jace and Satele…it couldn’t be back then.  I know they do, now, but…”  His shoulder rose up in a slight shrug, trying not to dislodge her.  “…it’s not something any of us talk about.  And as a kid…”  

Now he went so still and silent.  He didn’t speak for long minutes.  

“.. I’d like to think… he would be proud.  When I do something kind or push myself, I still want his approval.  …but honestly… everything depended on what I was going to become. Then when I didn’t –”  An unsteady breath escaped him.

There were few people in the universe that Eva could not forgive.  Dead or not, that man was one of them. 

Instead of any voiced venom, however, Eva gently guided Theron’s face to hers, then tipped her forehead forward to touch his, all while not disturbing Argo.  “You know what’s unconditional.”  

Eva felt the tension escape him.  “Yeah.  You love ‘just Theron.’” She felt his hand grab at hers.  “I love you.”

“I know.”  Eva kissed him, then they lingered close even after their lips parted.  

Theron turned his face slightly to look at Argo, not drawing away from her. “You think he knows we love him?” Theron whispered.

“I think he knows he’s loved, even if this whole conversation is way over his head.”

Theron nodded, eyes still red. “Even if he is an angry little wampa right now.”

“Especially since he’s our angry little wampa.”

Love is being pinned in a chair for four hours because you don’t want to wake the baby

~~

@fluffyfebruary @ayresis @starlightcleric @ermingarden @bluephoenix1347