solo_sword | Imperial Palace- Bastion

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Imperial Palace- Bastion

Jaina had had a while now to actually start picking up on this whole empress thing, so she was glad to have a break for something more normal. Also, she was maybe a little self-conscious (this was rare) because no one from Fandom had actually seen her since everything had happened, and she remembered how different Tenel Ka had seemed after being put in a similar position. As far as Jaina was aware the only thing different about her was that she actually looked pregnant these days, but still. She wondered.

And anyway, she still went out to meet Tahiri when she heard she was here, since she figured no one should have to show up and get greeted by a team of Imperials.

[For Tahiri yay!]

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Well, yes. Even knowing about the situation, it would have still thrown Tahiri for a loop to show up and get greeted by a bunch of Imperials.

As it was, when her portal showed up and she stepped out, blinking, she had to spend some time adjusting to the smells of an urbanized planet, which she'd almost forgotten.

"Hey," she said with a half smile, looking a little bit awkward and self-conscious herself.

Well, Jaina was at least immediately trying to do with the awkwardness.

"Come here, you," Jaina said, though she was already heading over for the appropriate hug greeting.

Hugs were good! Hugs helped!

"Wow, it's good to see you again," Tahiri told her, instinctively going to hug her back hard, though she seemed to remember and ease up just a bit. "Look at you, all . . . empressy and . . . wow."

"Yeah, it's weird," Jaina said flatly. "It's allll weird."

"I bet." Tahiri pulled back to get a good look at her. "Are you starting to get used to it?"

"Partly. On the plus side, ever-changing pregnancy side effects have helped me get used to the empress stuff better because at least that weirdness stays somewhat stable," Jaina admitted.

"Which is saying something about the pregnancy side effects," Tahiri concluded.

Something kind of unsettling.

If that was unsettling then Tahiri probably wouldn't have wanted to see that brief time where Jaina would just start tearing up over literally nothing. (Jaina was pretty sure that was over?)

"I don't know how anyone does this on purpose more than once," she said. "Want to see your room? Catch up on the way with fancier scenery?"

"Because they decide it's worth it?" Tahiri guessed, shrugging, then laughed. "Sure, lead the way. Um . . . people aren't going to start wondering if I've figured out how to be in two places at once, are they? Though that might not be a bad thing, necessarily."

"I wouldn't be mad if people thought that," Jaina said, leading her inside the palace, and while the place was nice Jaina thought it was very Imperial-looking. "In here, Jag's got the place locked down pretty good with his people, who know who you are and won't say anything. Outside, everyone sees me and my you together enough that I don't think anyone would really bother to look enough to realize you're not her age. And if they do, they'll probably think you're a double."

Tahiri's eyes widened at the sight of the place in a very country-mouse kind of way, so if anyone had been paying very close attention right at that moment they might have guessed she wasn't the Tahiri who usually hung out here. She got that dialed back down quickly enough, though.

"Ooooh, Imperial intrigue, sort of," she said with a chuckle. "Safe to say I never anticipated being part of that, but I don't hate the idea, especially if it's to your benefit."

"Careful what you wish for," Jaina said dryly. "Though I appreciate it. I swear I'm not biased when I said this, but Jedi intrigue was a lot more fun and if I didn't have a Tahiri around I think I'd be going a little crazy."

That was entirely possible, too.

"Good," Tahiri said with a sudden burst of decisiveness. "I'm glad you've got that. With her around, I mean. I'd worry about you a lot more if you didn't. Actually, it's probably a good thing for both of you."

She shook her head and did a slow turn in place, really trying to take in the whole palace.

"I still can't quite believe you actually live here."

"The place I grew up in was a lot, but then there's this," Jaina agreed, stopping at a turbolift and hitting the button. "There's a whole wing that handles all the governing stuff, and where our offices are, and then the living quarters are totally separate from that. Also the gym, because I needed one."

"Of course you needed a gym," Tahiri laughed. "The biggest place I've ever lived is probably the Academy back on Yavin, but that's nothing like this, of course."

Ancient Massassi temples didn't exactly have the same kind of design aesthetic, for one.

"Also, surrounded by much less jungle." When the turbolift showed up she stepped inside, making sure Tahiri was in before hitting the button. "I can't really complain about this place, really."

Though she sort of wanted to, but that was because she felt sort of petty about the whole situation.

Tahiri just looked at her, one eyebrow raised as if to say she suspected Jaina might be tempted to complain but wasn't going to make her say so.

"Also that," she agreed instead. "Boy, now I get to say I know an actual empress, too. Imagine how many people that'll impress at all those parties I don't go to."

"An alternate universe empress, too," Jaina pointed out. "Should really earn you points."

"Nah." Tahiri shook her head and grinned. "I thought I'd save that detail to buy myself a little bit of time in case the empress part goes over really badly with people. Being used to Fandom's brain-breaking capacities can be surprisingly useful sometimes."

"I wish I utilized it more," Jaina admitted. The turbolift stopped, and she walked out into the hall. "Mostly it doesn't come up except with a few people and they're used to it."

"Almost a shame," Tahiri remarked. "Because I bet it would be really satisfying sometimes."

"Maybe. The few times I've had to pull that kind of thing out it's been complicated," she said, then remembered, "Oh! Except for the time I got to tell a had a great-granddaughter in Fandom when we'd been back together for a week. That was fun."

"Is it worth noting again that we have a really weird idea of fun?" Tahiri wondered. Because seriously.

"Hey, at least we're having fun," Jaina pointed out.

"True." Tahiri leaned over to nudge Jaina with her shoulder. "Which puts us up one on a lot of people, huh?"

"Like half this planet," Jaina agreed. "Which is probably bad to say?"

Only if anyone heard her.

Tahiri put a hand over her mouth to muffle a snicker, even if there was nobody else around in this turbolift (as far as she knew).

"I heard nothing," she promised. "To be fair, we're probably hogging their share of it, so it's probably not their fault. Maybe."

"Or it's some weird diabolical fun," Jaina said as the turbolift stopped. "Could be worse. It could be Hapes."

Sure, Hapes was probably more fun, but that was a whole other level of intrigue.

Tahiri made a strangled sort of noise that defied transcription.

"Yeah, I'll never envy Tenel Ka that." In part because the areas of her brain that still thought like a Yuuzhan Vong were actually fascinated by that sort of intrigue, so the whole concept was a headache on multiple levels.

"Still. You look good, so clearly this all agrees with you in some ways, even if it's got you wanting to climb the walls for a few other reasons."

"Thanks," Jaina said, leading the way out of the turbolift. "I have to admit, it could be worse. And there's a lot of stuff about all this that's actually really interesting, so there's that."

"And I definitely trust you and Jag in this position more than I'd trust a lot of people," Tahiri added. "Both of you are magnets for . . . interesting things happening, anyway, so no danger of being too bored. Although -- does the HoloNet still breathe down your necks all the time?"

"Yeah, but in a different way," Jaina said thoughtfully. "It'a harder to get close to us with a security team in place, and people still wonder what having a real Empire again means, so there's worries about crossing a line with us. So right now it's more like we put out a statement, and then everyone goes nuts for a few days trying to figure out what we're really saying. Also I still scare everyone."

"Hey, you earned that reputation," Tahiri said, grinning, and was it wrong that she was kind of proud of Jaina for that?

"If it was about my reputation, that'd be fine. But I don't have that here," Jaina said dryly. "Mostly they know me as a Jedi from a family that the Empire fought for forever, and also my brother set a bad precedent, and too many people don't know the difference between Sith and Jedi, so me being in this position brings on comparisons to Palpatine."

"Oh." Tahiri winced. "Right. I'd almost forgotten about that."

She didn't hear much news of what was going on in the Order outside Zonama Sekot, and she kept a wary eye out for any news regarding Jacen (she didn't really get any), but from her point in the timeline that was different.

She ran a hand through her hair and sighed. "Sorry. So . . . do I get the grand tour?"

"Yep," Jaina said, and gestured down the hall. "This is the floor where none of the intrigue happens, but where my you, me and Jag all bitch about it when no one else is looking."

"A very important floor, then," Tahiri laughed. "Probably ranks about the same as the gym, if I were to guess."

"More, actually, because this is where my bed is and I'm currently appreciating sleep," Jaina said honestly, gesturing to a door. "Jag and I have our quarters in there, and the other you is across the hall. You're going to be right down here, since you're important enough to be on the good floor."

Maybe she'd go talk to her other self later, Tahiri thought, if it didn't turn out to be too weird.

"I'm honored," she said, "not to mention a little more excited than I thought I'd be about staying somewhere with actual technology again."

"Does it ever get easier, getting used to that?" Jaina wondered. "Even after all this time?"

"Sure," Tahiri said. "I've gotten pretty good at making the mental adjustment, but for the first day or so it always feels kind of like jumping into a freezing cold lake. Where you know it's going to be freezing cold as soon as you hit the water, but it's still not the temperature you've been used to."

She fiddled absently with a stray lock of hair. "They're coming around on the idea, some faster than others."

"Hopefully they'll get there sooner or later," Jaina said. "If only to keep you from the technological culture shock. Literally."

"I'll be okay, honest," Tahiri told her. "It's not like I have to jump back and forth every week or anything like that, because I'm pretty sure that would be a lot worse. Or at least a lot more annoying. So is there anything around here I'm not allowed to touch, or breathe on, or look at funny?"

She was kidding. Mostly.

"Just my bodyguard, but you don't even have to look at him funny for him to get weird," Jaina said, hitting the controls to open the door to Tahiri's room, which was ridiculously upscale. "Hopefully this'll work for you."

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