Reflection [Day 3, Early Night]

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"I did not," Jun-Tsu admitted. "It vaz zhe daughter'z Wrazh," she answered cryptically, as thought trying to avoid names and identities whenever possible.

"Zhere are oztherz zhat I hawe convided in, but I do not vizh to endanger zhem. Not vizh zhe eyez eweryvhere. Tell me," she drew a touch closer. "Zhiz dark pover vhich haz dezcended upon uz zince zhe Night of Terror. Hawe you partaken ov itz promize?"

[Lord Jo'ren Rath]

Well that could only mean one thing. Shaisha.

He was distracted by that revelation and only caught up to what Jun-Tsu was asking a few moments after she had finished speaking. "What? Yes. Once. Why?"

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

She paused, wondering whether to even proceed any further. There was clear hesitation in her posture, if not her face. "Do not zeek zuch pover unlezz your wery live dependz on it. It iz a falze pover, an echo of zhe act vhich cauzed zhe Night of Terror. It iz....hiz pover, und zhrough it he grovez ztronger vithin you."

[Lord Jo'ren Rath]

That was bad. Very bad.

"Can anything be done?"

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"Honeztly?" She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, closing her eyes to focus on the currents of the Force to calm her.

"I don't know. Perhapz vizh knowvledge I might vind a vay to draw out zhiz corruption of zhe Forze from zhe invected."

[Lord Jo'ren Rath]

Jo'ren nodded, a sick feeling in his guts. A fucking force plague now?

"I guess I'm invested in that now. Let me know how I can help. Seems our paths are coming back together after all this time Jun-Tsu."

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

Though Jun-Tsu was not for caring about others, she could sense the Dark Lord's concern. "Zhat it doez, mein lord. Und, I beliewe vor zhe better. Ve v'once bound one ancient ewil, I zuppoze it iz only right ve reunite to bind anozher."

A languid gait caused her to continue along the garden path, shadowed trees looming like specters over the grounds. "Come und wizit me tomorrow. Meet mein daughter, und mein zizterz. I promize an edivying time."

[Lord Jo'ren Rath]

Jo'ren nodded and walked up the garden path with her. "Guess we'll be big Damn heroes again huh? Life was simpler when I just wanted to kill Zash with extreme prejudice. Wait, you have a daughter? Congratulations." His thoughts went to Lyria. It was good that she was now so far away.

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"She iz vonderful," The praise was practically bragging, given Jun-Tsu's normally reticent demeanor. "Zo givted vizh zhe Dark Zide. Zo cloze to itz inzightz. I recall veeling her groving vithin me und veeling az zhough I carried all of zhe [img]Umbră-Ușoară[/img], vithin me."

She gave a contented sigh.

"But I am zertain all dark mozherz of zhe Farro zay zat," she lied.

[Lord Jo'ren Rath]

"Daughters are a wonder, it's true." The thought of Lyria bright a smile to his face. Jun-Tsu's kid couldn't be all that much older, maybe they would play together?

"Sounds like you've been blessed."

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"Yez," she smiled faintly behind a raised hand. When it fell, the expression was gone. "Hawe you any children? In mein vamily I vould not normally be hawing children until much later in mein live, but...zhe vill of zhe Dark Zide." She said as though that somehow explained everything.

"Zo, it iz ztill ztrange to me vor ozherz to hawe children at our age. Ztill, it haz zeemed to happen. Zuch az for Lord Tenebrouz."

[Lord Jo'ren Rath]

Jo'ren laughed a little at the question, and the observation. He managed not to blurt out that actually he had two, and it was obvious that Shaisha hadn't revealed he was the father of her daughter.

"Yeah. Raths often have 'em when we're young. Maybe our kids can play together one of these days?"

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"Zhat may be.....gutt," Jun-Tsu offered with hesitancy. "Vas-Tsu iz a...unique girl vith unique intereztz. It vould depend greatly on zhe demeanor of your own child. Tell me, iz zhe a van of blades? Or iz zhe ztill too young?"

[Lord Jo'ren Rath]

"She's a bit young. Wants to fight like her parents." He shrugged. "Right now she's off with her cousins. She's a Rath, so she'd better get used to adventures. Didn't want her anywhere near Ziost while all this council shit's going down."

Of course now it seemed an even smarter decision.

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"Vize," Jun-Tsu nodded. "I understanding zhe veeling. Vere I not zo zertain of Vas-Tsu's safety, I vould likely hawe left her on Korriz. Zhen again, zhat may newer hawe been a true option. Ve are here, me, mein zizterz, und ewen Vas-Tsu, at zhe behezt of Darth Arya. Zhe haz been a poverful ally to mein houze, und it vould hawe been impozzible to deny her giwen her generouz inwitation."

There was a mixture of feelings that whirled within her, in spite of her stony exterior.

[Lord Jo'ren Rath]

"I've never met Darth Arya. She was my Master's teacher though. Guess your fortunes are up if she's sponsoring your house."

The Raths had always been big names in the Empire thanks to the legacy of Sek'nos. He didn't need sponsorship but could see how much it would benefit the lesser-known Farro.

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"Yez, our ztar rizez in zhe zky, though zhat bringz vith it bozh opportunity und great rizk. I understand zhat iz zhe true vay to pover, but Houze Farro, for mein whole live haz been v'one who ezhewed zhe light to ztudy in zecret, und hone our maztery of zhe Forze. I juzt vizh I had had a decade more in zhe qviet bevore being zhruzt into zhe open."