It was not that Rha had not expected to be in pain, she just had not been ready. Her side was agony, but nearly worse was the itching. She sat up, pulled her robe off and hissed as she saw that her bandages were wet, not with blood but the fluid that had dripped from her wounds.

She breathed in, let the Force drawn close and numbed her pain, not as much as she could do, but this wasn't battle. Pain had purpose.

Another presence approached. Smoke, heat and parchment, same as before, but the taste of lighting and rain was newer. It made her wonder how her own had changed over the years.

Obscurus must have felt her wake up. He brought her breakfast. Rha raised an eyebrow, the gesture lost on him. "Don't you have servants for that?"

"I have several trusted people, yes, but they know to avoid this area. I'll handle you myself."

Sensible. His servants couldn't talk about something they didn't know. Rha nodded and took the plate. Strange, to see him in simple clothing, no gold, only black pants and a loose shirt, hair loosely bound back. Her heart ached. Like this, he would fit in her memories of thirty years ago, apart from the grey hair.

He put an unmarked bottle on the table.

"Against the pain. Two every three hours max."

"Thank you."

She ate, feeling strangely self-conscious as Obscurus waited for her to finish.

"Let me take an look at your wounds."

Rha nodded. He wasn't an fully trained healer, but could do more than her. Obscurus placed his hand on her shoulder and she felt the power within him crawl over and into her flesh. The static gave her goosebumps, but the ache was soothed.

"So, what's the plan?"

"Healing you."

She huffed. "You are just going to hide an Jedi in your basement?"

"This is not an basement."

"Ehh." Rha waved an hand. "Details."

Obscurus straightened and clasped his hand behind his back.

"Of course, you could simply stay here, heal and wait for the right time to return; or I could introduce my new Apprentice to the public."

"You want me to pose as your Apprentice?"

"Well, you've got the attempted murder part of an apprenticeship already down." Obscurus shrugged. It was strange to see. "Who would look for an Jedi among the Sith?"

"Anyone who knows that you were a Jedi." She paused. "The Shadows. The Council. Whichever Sith Lord recruited you."

"My past is a well kept secret, apart from the Jedi you told. I trust us to create an identity that will hold up to inspection."

Even after all these years, she had no idea who exactly had convinced him to join the Sith, what convinced him. Rha had only told her direct superiors within the Shadows of it and they had kept it from the Jedi Council, or at least that was what they told her. But she was not going to tell Obscurus that. Better to keep him under the belief that someone could come for her. Their previous meetings had gone well but then he had also known she was send by the shadows and keeping her wasn't an possibility. Now, though, he very much could. Not to kill her, no, never that, but to keep her safe whether she wanted it or not.

"It's better than doing nothing, I suppose." Rha belated realized that she had no idea what Sith Apprentices did. It couldn't just be battle and schemes. "Anything I would have to do?"

"There's a few events where it would be appropriate to bring an apprentice, but you won't have to go anywhere."

"It won't be seen as weird?"

"No. I rarely visit my fellow sith anyway. Although I will have to register you if you want to go out."

"Ah. Papers." Some things stayed the same no matter where.

"I should contact someone."

"Not the Jedi, I hope."

"No. Someone who is more neutral. Vowrawn could work." By now he must have heard of her funeral. Rha found she thoroughly hated the idea of him thinking her dead.

"Apart from Vitiate making the connection, do you know how many Sith would panic if I suddenly changed my behavior and approached Darth Vowrawn? I would be death before the week is over."

"Politics." she sighed.

"Blackmail. You must approach him yourself. But even then – How do you intend to prove your identity?"

"Let me guess: Just walking up to him is a no-no?" She joked. "Put on a nice republic accent and some Jedi robes, too?"

"Just be interesting. A shiny new toy for him."

"He does loves his toys - but I can't hold up against the Lord Wrath."

"I wasn't going to suggest seduction." he teased her.

"Believe me, I know." Rha snorted, remembering his protest when she had gone out for drinks with some local youths, many years ago, for an mission. "Although it could actually work."

"Oh?"

"We are allies, friends even. He tried to charm me before." It was not quite what had happened and she was rather charmed by him, but Obscurus did not need to know that.

"Ah, now I remember. An meeting, some four years go. You never told me you grew closer after that."

Of course she had not. She had barely been able to admit her feelings to herself. "We were still estranged then."

"Is that what we are calling it?"

She shrugged.

"How close is 'close' anyways?"

"I would take off my armor in front of him, were it not for -" she made an vague gesture to her face,

"you know what."

"I see." Obscurus tapped his fingers together. "Then, do you consider it likely that he reciprocates your feelings?"

Before Rha answered, she watched his face and his force aura, eerily blank, trying to read his true emotions. Then she forced her voice to be light and playful. "Well, he did give me a very nice join-me speech."

His force presence stayed blank, but his face was an open book, both of them far too used to masks and veils. "Elaborate."

"He told me how great I am and how he'd like to have me on his side. Oh, and Marr agreed to it, too." The idea confused her still.

Obscurus coughed. "Well, you are great."

"Thank you." She smirked. "That reminds me – We should spar once I am healed. A nice friendly spar."

"Is that a threat?"

"Only a promise to defeat you."

"I'll learn some new tricks just for you." Obscurus grumbled. She couldn't wait to see how they had improved over the years.

"How is the situation in the Empire?"

Her Master allowed the distraction and answered: "Well, with Zakuul, a lot are holding back, keeping quiet. The throne will drag them all in, one by one. Vowrawn is, of course, a candidate, but the entire Dark Council is an option. Especially Acina. She's been courting allies. Darth Krovos inherited her sphere from her Master but if she inherited his support of Vowrawn is another question. Some will prefer to keep their seat over struggling and play for favors - we still lack some replacements. On purpose, I assume. An reward for allies."

"Do you think Zakuul will influence the results?"

"If he wanted to, he could force anyone onto the throne. But that's not his point, is it? We already kneel." Obscurus said bitterly.

"He won't be able to hold on forever." Already there had been plans made in secret and many more she did not know of, Rha was sure.

"Yet Vitiate did."

"Yet Vitiate rules no more."

"You are correct, of course, but it took far too long."

"We will just have to make it happen faster. It's not like its the same situation."

"I hope for an lack of immortality." Obscurus agreed. "To come back to your question – I do not consider it likely that Zakuul cares about who sits upon the Throne - apart from Darth Marr. If he were to return . . but that is not going to happen."

Her heart ached for all that could have been if Marr was still there.

"It comes down to a few factors. While the Red Sith prefer Vowrawn, he has made a lot of enemies over the years. Those that openly opposed him were killed, but many hid their resentment and bided their time. Now it has come. And there is the fact that he had an alien apprentice. Acina is good at keeping her cards to her chest. A lot of not-quite-friends with younger Sith. I have heard she is considered 'cool'."

"Interesting. I suppose we will have to wait and see. Does the results matter to you?"

"No. Neither of them have anything against or for me. Although - " Rha felt stared at despite his lack of eyes "- I suppose I have now. Really, you and Vowrawn?"

"Master, are we back to gossiping about my love life?"

"You don't have a 'love life'." Obscurus pointed out and he would have been correct at any point in time before – well, before Vowrawn.

"Well, now I do."

"You really feel something for him?"

She shrugged. "Force, if only I knew."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"He doesn't know me." She sighed. "Not really."

"Why don't you tell him, then?"

"Because he doesn't know that I am fallen. Master, you must see why – Already I have to second guess every word he says because we are enemies, even if we are friends, and I cannot trust him."

"I see the issue, yes. You are well-used to hiding your true self and if you show yourself to him and he denies you – you don't want to give him the blade to kill you with. But you want to trust him."

"More than anything." She admitted. "Half the reason he likes me so is because I am a Jedi and he likes to poke and prod at me and my oaths."

"If he is true, then he will also like you when you are no longer a Jedi."

If anything he should like her more since they would no longer be enemies, but it was just – complicated, she decided. Complicated was the easiest word to describe what she was feeling.

"Alright. I'll try to explain." She tugged at her hair. "In the end Vowrawn is still an Sith Lord. Quite enthusiastic about it too. You know him. An very sithy Sith. I however am a very weird Jedi because I can hold an conversation with an Sith without trying to convert him. But I was not always like that nor am I truly that Jedi."

"His perception of you does not fit your perception of yourself." Obscurus stated. "People generally do not know each others true nature in every detail."

"It's different – with us. You know its different. The moment it becomes known that I fell, people assumes I must join the Sith, no, that I must already have joined and thats – complicated. With Vowrawn and me."

"Is this – The dynamic between an Jedi Master and an Sith Lord is different to the dynamic between an Fallen Jedi and an Sith Lord."

"Yes! It is different, who he sees me as. And I don't know if it will be a good change." Rha paused for a moment. "I suppose I am scared."

Obscurus placed an hand on her arm. "I may not know him as well as you do, but I fully believe that Vowrawn will prove to be an true friend and enjoy knowing all of you. He will not discard you."

"That's reassuring, I suppose." But should she risk it?

"Warn me if I am going to call you Empress."

"I – I don't intend to marry him." She spluttered. "We aren't lovers. I am quite happy to be his friend and enemy." Well, she was not so happy about the enemy part but it might change soon.

"'Frenemies'." He frowned at her laughter. "Is that not how the youth calls it?"

"The youth?! I am fifty, you old man!"

"Sometimes I forget. You come to me with the woes of your heart. The holonovels always put that at seventeen." Obscurus tried very hard not smile, but his joy glowed in the Force.

Her side ached as laughter teared at her wounds. "Alas, life is not an story."

"Can I still give you sage advice?"

She pretended to give him an critical look. "I'll allowed despite your lack of beard. Your hair's grey enough to compensate."

Obscurus sighed. "Then let me say my piece: You should take what you want."

She snorted. "Very Sith of you."

"I would say the same if I were still a Jedi." Obscurus grumbled. She doubted it.

"Either way, I cannot 'take' what I want when I don't even know what I want." Apart from her people at her side, having Vowrawn, living and being happy – but it was all vague dreams.

"Well, you know what question to ponder next. You have the time."

"Next, you'll suggest I make a list." Her Master had always liked to make her write out her proposals with detailed pros and cons. Incredibly annoying at sixteen.

He laughed. "You jest, but I truly believe that it could aid you. Focus your mind."

"Hm. I should meditate."

"It still works for you?"

"Yes? I mean, I don't do it like when I was twelve, but its not like I lost my connection to the Force."

"Curious." For an moment she could feel his unseeing gaze on her, the Force heavy with his presence, then it withdrew and he stood up. "I should leave you to rest and return to my duties."

"Until later, then."

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