Nar Shaddaa

With reports and talks done with for now, Shaisha decided to enjoy the view of a burning Nar Shaddaa from the swimming pool. Even as she was doing her usual laps through the pool, she felt she could push herself further and faster than she could before, as if yesterday's events had brought her to a new level.

The doors leading out to the pool were open, and breakfast had been placed out on the table there, incase any of her overnight visitors wanted something to eat... considering how the compound wasn't exactly a good place to be. And hey, this food was technically free.

Sylvain returned from out amid the destruction to Shaisha's place after leaving before she had woken up. He'd stayed up all night while Kristal had slept next to him in one of Shaisha's rooms. His meeting with Baras now complete he had returned and sat down at the table to begin eating and trying to recharge himself a bit for the day.

Coming up to the edge of the pool, Shaisha propped her elbows up on the edge and smiled. "Oh hey, you're here," she greeted in what was probably an annoyingly cheerful tone, considering the backdrop of a moon in chaos.

"Is Kris up?"

He nodded, "Think she had something to do this morning fairly early. She might come back if there weren't any complications."

She sighed dramatically. "And here I put you all up for the night, only to scamper away in the morning without as much as a thank you. Unappriciated, it's my lot in life!"

He chuckled, "Crying a river over here. You just can't see it."

"Aw, that's not allowed," she pouted playfully. "Come on, jump in. The water is great!"

He pointed to his side, "Blaster wounds and all. I'll pass for now."

"No fun," she sulked and flicked some water at him.

"... You should probably get that looked at, you know."

"By your blonde doctor boyfriend?" He said with a chuckle.

Shaisha laughed. "He's not my boyfriend, Syl, really. Does he seem to be my type? Geez, you say that about all the guys I might hang out with."

"And here I thought you liked blondes?"

He chuckled, "I like 'a' blonde. And I can't keep up with all your partners so I guess I just lump them all together."

Shaisha raised an eyebrow. "I don't see the point in not having fun when I'm still young and life is uncertain, and not having a specific someone to tie me down. Guess I'm more like my parents that way, in not seeing a need for strong commitment: they acknowledged their emotions, but didn't let themselves be chained by it."

"What we're feeling now at this age might not be the same in 5 years, or 10 years..."

He chuckled again, "So defensive. I was just teasing you Shai."

"Sure you were," she chuckled in return and pulled herself out of the pool with ease to join him by the table.

"So how did your parents meet? Surely, you must've asked at some point as a kid?"

You certainly know the questions to ask Shai...

"Well... from what I recall it was a fairly formal affair. Dad was a young and upcoming strategist in the army, mom was from House Pradeux. She had just finished her schooling and had been inducted into the Imperial academy to study espionage..." He chuckled.

"Was a political arrangement from what I remember... which supposedly came to mean more for both of them... though it appears it only was true for one of them."

"Doesn't mean it didn't mean more for her then, Syl," she gave him a pointed look as she grabbed a towel. "As I told you, things change over time."

Shaisha seemed almost revitalized by the events of the past day. As if her muscles had toned more, and her skin had taken on a more vibrant hue.

"What I think never changed however, was how much she loved you. In her own way, of course, but the point still stands."

He tilted his head, "The love of a fanatical control-freak of a woman... what a blessing."

He chuckled. He had asked his mother about his father... and the response was less than reassuring. Now that he knew she was still alive, but even further away from him before... the 'love' of his mother felt more and more like a burden than a blessing.

For his part Sylvain had developed a general ability to not ogle or even glance at women's bodies over the past year. The changes to her form accordingly went relatively unnoticed to the young man as he kept eating his food.

He then smiled, "You'll excuse me if I ask you not to invite her over to your party tomorrow."

"Nah, I'd prefer the party to be without explosions or sappy family drama," she chuckled and picked up some sliced fruit as she joined him at the table.

"Will leave it open for people to bring a friend if they want though... part of the reason I want to throw this is to see how many have made friendships across the lines, so to speak. Believe it or not, I'm even throwing out some invitations to a few from the Republic myself."

"Yeah? Like who?" He asked while taking another bite.

"Hm, Cole for one at least. Alysele Cortess, since she seemed like she would like the chance to party. Let's see... oh, and Balos Tyl - bit of a grump, but I think he likes me," she said with a small laugh, "helped me with some personal things here, so I feel I owe him that much. And I'd like the chance to see him one last time, I guess."

"Then a few aligned to neither side; Galen Sol, Aphr, Durasay Mixo... all good people."

Sylvain looked very much like a grump when she mentioned Balos, "I'm not sure I won't try to have Balos drown himself in your pool if he showed up... Threatening to kill me and then stabbing me with his lightsaber when I was trying to work out a peaceful solution doesn't really make him much of a friend... His friend taking Kris' leg doesn't really help calm my nerves either."

"Oh?" she looked a little surprised, and leaned forward in his seat.

"I wasn't aware that you two had met. Green guy with tattoos on his face, yes? A pity... you won't even tolerate him on behalf of your sister?" Shaisha looked at Sylvain with the cutesy puppy-dog look she had only used a few times before when they were younger.

He chuckled, "Personal offenses I can deal with... Endangering Kris is not something I let pass by idly. Even if she's over losing her leg... I'm not quite there. That green face is a stark reminder of my failures."

She looked at her brother with a raised eyebrow. "Not sure I would call it your failure when you've often just breezed through the basics of lightsaber training. That's always been our thing, me and Kris, not yours... not to mention that I think Kris would tell you that she was supposed to protect you, not the other way around, no?"