While the ramifications of Illesia's torture were still very fresh on his mind thanks to the pain that shot through his ribs, chest, back and legs every few minutes, it had been helpful to talk to Ari about the mental aspect of what she had put him through...or at least what he could express with words. He tried desperately to explain to his lover how she could dig into the recesses of your mind and create a black hole of some kind that sapped the "energy" or essence that one carried in their mind into her own. It was as if she could feed on memories, on emotions, on thoughts. He couldn't phrase everything the way he wanted to, which led to moments of him being frustrated and her calming him back down(along with the dogs sniffing at him and occasionally licking his feet). Eventually, he fell into a restless sleep, but the Champion was grateful for the rest. The whirlwind of events that occurred after their brief respite made Yerbol even more thankful that they had even GOTTEN a chance to take a breather before plunged back into the fray. So MUCH went into effect in a condensed period of time, which created a scintillating, yet taxing environment. It wasn't until they were safely aboard a small ship granted to them and in space did Yerbol feel like he could breath easy and decompress. Just him and Ari, traveling. There was a serenity to it that he savored.
That serenity also included their private discussions, which featured the subject of their being pushed into the role of instructor. He chuckled along with her, leaning back in the pilot's chair as he spoke:
"Gray hair or not, I think we've got more than enough experience to make up for our lack of age." He turned to her in the chair, counting off events with his hand:
"We stopped Bracknell, helped rebuild an ailing galaxy, re-established(in the process of, anyway) positive relations with a new government AND stand as a beacon for what setting aside differences can do." Yerbol playfully nudged Aria's shoulder with her right hand as he added:
"Heck, they could just stand us up together and go: 'If THESE two could somehow make their relationship work, we ALL have a shot.'" A flicker of somber seriousness crossed his eyes.
"And I'm so bloody happy we did make it work. Because without you, I don't know where I would be." He took her hand in his own, running a thumb over her knuckles as he continued:
"I was going to give up down there, you know. I was ready to die. Then once Voldon pulled me out of there and I saw you again, I..." The hand that once held hers was now gently planted on her cheek.
"I knew that I couldn't give up. Not ever." He leaned over the small distance between the chairs and kissed her on the lips, the gesture lingering for a few moments before he pulled away, running a hand through her hair as he told her quietly:
"I love you. And I will never give up on us. No matter what happens." He heard a slight, disapproving grunt, the Champion casting a wary glare at Chwuq, who was looking at the duo with disapproval.
"Oh stop it. Not like you don't enjoy Taral's love, you big lug."
Another grunt.
____
Once they touched down on Zinuthra, the Council mandated that they be in charge of supervising the opening of the new Academy while the Elders attended to other things that required their oversight(they weren't too specific about what they were going to do, but Yerbol assumed it was important). He did see them from time to time in the gleaming new Academy that stood proudly about half a mile away from the base of operations for the Alliance. It was a miracle to think that the massive structure had been built in three and a half months, but the dedication of those in charge of the project was unbreakable(it also helped that Matt helped in supervising most of the construction AND that Gladio Construction, the biggest construction firm in the galaxy, had sent droids galore to help). Yerbol occasionally saw one of the Elders flitting through the Temple, normally with an aide or two to send out for this or that, but for the most part those who volunteered or were enlisted to help went to either Yerbol or Aria for instruction. At first the task was slightly overwhelming, seeing as the duo had no experience in opening up an Academy before, but it wasn't too hard to figure out what furniture needed going where or helping calibrate combat simulators by testing them out or ensuring there would be enough training areas for the youngsters to use. Their role as coordinators was tiring, but exciting; as Yerbol pointed out more than once, they were in charge of ensuring that a new chapter of galactic history was written smoothly on the first page. It was also refreshing to see the younger faces pouring in from all parts of the galaxy, temporary quarters in the settlement not too far off from the base of operations housing them for now.
What was also refreshing was Yerbol's rate of recovery from his physical wounds. With a reminder from Aria practically every day, he sat in one of the Kolto tanks at the military base(which is what is basically became), allowing the mythical fluid to heal his body. His mind, too, seemed to be recovering quite nicely from the gashes Illesia had made. While he was in the tank, he managed to talk to some soldiers just back from recon missions on various worlds hunting for the seemingly dormant Xiis, the soldiers gushing about how they got to be on patrol with a "freaking Qyaari Elder!" That was when Yerbol deduced why the Elders had been gone so much: they were doing the recon work that Yerbol and Aria should've been doing. It bothered him that the Council hadn't bothered to talk to them about their decision, but then again, the duo were probably better served ensuring that the Academy had a smooth opening before they went back into battle.
Battle was a subject that Yerbol was rather keen to ensure he still had a working grasp of, especially after the past couple of weeks on Zinuthra had proven to be a healing boon; this was why the young Champion stood in one of the smaller training rooms dedicated to close quarters combat with a pair of black shorts on and nothing else, stretching out stiffness that had formed in his chest and ribcage thanks to scar tissue. He was awaiting his sparring partner, who he had challenged the night before when they had gotten into some rough housing before bed to ensure that he was "up to fighting ability". While the partner had put up some rationale for why they shouldn't do something like this the DAY before they were to present the academy to the rest of the galaxy to see, preparations were essentially complete, which meant they would be back out hunting for Illesia soon. He needed to know if he was ready.
Yerbol had told Aria to meet him here at one o clock and it was now one ten...where had she gone off to?
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