Dareia did not miss the soft smile that he gave when her expression changed. She wondered about that, although she wouldn't dwell on something like the nuances of his nonverbal language when there were more important things to think about. It suited him, though, she thought. Much better than the expression he had worn when they'd first met, or even the one he'd worn most of the time since. But, that was a matter of opinion, she supposed, and not one she had any intention of voicing.<br/><br/>She didn't miss the way his brow arched at her response to the Je'daii code. That reaction was to be expected, as this code was not commonly known. Actually, it would be more accurate to say that it was unknown to the vast majority of Jedi, as it wasn't something one could find in the Jedi archives. But the knowledge existed, and if it existed, Dareia would seek it out. It was not something those who knew of talked about in general, so it was likely that from what he knew, they lacked that information. It was true that they did not have much information going that far back, so she knew very little about the Je'daii, outside of their code, but still, when she had discovered their code, she had felt much more of a resonance with it than she did with the current Jedi Code. At any rate, she didn't bother explaining this to him, as he hadn't asked. She simply kept the small smile on her face for a moment before she returned to the more nonchalant expression as she steered the conversation back to a more on-topic discussion.<br/><br/>He answered her question, explaining that the two worlds were fundamentally different, which she had expected, and that this universe was entertainment for them. A franchise, even. She couldn't help but notice the thoughts that surfaced in his mind, despite the mellow expression he wore. Truth be told, it almost made her feel sad, despite the fact that she was holding her emotions in check. Instead, even if she felt these emotions, her face and body language didn't show it. Her mask remained until he surprised her, cracking a joke of all things. She leaned back in her chair and chuckled, a genuine smile crossing her lips. "Hey, would you look at that. So you do have a sense of humor after all. Not only that, you're capable of laughing and smiling. I'm learning all kinds of things about you after all," she replied with an almost playful smile that gave away that she was teasing.<br/><br/>"And what a surprise, the Jedi Shadow doesn't get much screen time? Typical," she chuckled lightly, saying the words almost as though she were offended, but truthfully, her face almost looked relieved. After a moment she glanced at him, a soft smile lingering on her lips. "But hey, I won't complain. Truth be told, I'm actually glad," she admitted honestly, "After all, you know a great deal about some of the others thanks to their apparent 'screen time.' But if I don't have much, or any, then that means you shouldn't know much about me, yes?" She paused for a moment, "That means that I'm a mystery to you just like you are to me," she continued honestly, her voice gentle and thoughtful for a moment before she apparently decided that she was allowing herself to be a little too open--or was it vulnerable? She leaned forward once again, resting her chin in her palm and giving him a smile that was somewhere between playful and mischievous, "Which is exactly how I prefer it," she gave him a small wink, not clarifying her meaning.<br/><br/>When the topic turned back to the real topic at hand, the smile vanished from her face, her nonchalant Jedi face returning as she listened to his explanation. She thought carefully about what he said. Of course, there were many options for how things could play out, and she couldn't expect him to predict what would happen once they removed Palpatine and put history on a different track from what he knew. They would be back in uncharted territory at that point. But he did have knowledge of things she had no way of knowing, and he was clearly intelligent enough to use what he knew to formulate some theories, which was all she was asking for, and what he gave her.<br/><br/>He wasn't wrong about the Republic and the CIS senates. There was obvious corruption. Palpatine was an extreme example, but an example no less. The others may not be Sith, but there were plenty of corrupt senators. His last words got her attention, although she didn't react to them, other than re-fixing her momentarily distant gaze on him. Who did he have in mind, she wondered? She doubted he had gotten this far without some plan in that regard. For the moment, she didn't ask. "What of the Vice Chancellor?" she asked, "He works closely with Palpatine, there's no way he's clean. What's his part in all of this?" she asked, guessing that he would need to be removed, although, with the way Tib was talking. she wondered if he thought it better to simply remove them all and reform a whole new senate.<br/><br/>He huff slightly when she asked about Dooku and she tilted her head just a little, curious, although her facial expression didn't change to match the gesture. He smirked as he explained that he could be used by turning his ambition against Palpatine. "How do you know he will believe you?" she asked, "He's a lot of things, but he didn't survive this long by being a careless fool. He won't go against Palpatine on blind faith in some random guy he's never met," she pointed out. It was true, there were ways he could convince him, as he had convinced the Jedi. But he was the enemy, at best a tool, he couldn't be trusted with the knowledge that someone knew as much as they did. Even showing him just enough to convince him that Palpatine would betray him was risky. If he started asking questions, wondering what else they knew and how they knew it, especially if he decided not to betray Palpatine, they could be showing their hand, or at least giving him a peek at it. "Not only that, but in turning him against Palpatine, we will definitely tip him off. He's not a fool, it won't go unnoticed," she pointed out. She was not suggesting that they could not or should not use him, simply thinking out loud. She wanted to see how he would respond, what kind of plan he would come up with. After all, she was still trying to get a real feel for him.<br/><br/>When they resumed talking about the Republic and he began to explain his thoughts, she listened carefully. He suggested that a guarantee of independence for the CIS would end the war, but may not be accepted by the majority. He then went on to explain what he thought was the best option, reforming the Republic into a different government altogether, a Libertarian Empire. She listened to him and then leaned back in her chair, running her fingers through her hair and letting out a long, slow exhale. "That is a lot to take in," she admitted, massaging just above the bridge of her nose for a moment before moving her hand to her chin, her fingers spread out so that two rested on or near her chin and one rested on either side of her nose, her palm partially covering her mouth. Her face took on a contemplative look, her eyes moving back and forth slightly, almost as though she were reading something.<br/><br/>She was quiet for a few moments, with the exception of some occasional indistinct mutter to herself, before she looked at him again. She re-positioned in her chair, tucking her left leg under her and pulling her right leg up so that her foot rested on the chair and her knee was close to her chest, her right arm resting on her knee while her left hand moved so that her chin once again rested in her palm, her elbow propped on the arm rest. "Okay... So say that I don't necessarily disagree with you. How do you make a plan like that work?" she asked before tilting her head back and forth just a little, "I have an idea of how you might start," she admitted in almost a mumble, now believing that her theory about his abilities may carry more weight that she had initially given it credit for. "And who becomes emperor? Or empress. You? Certainly not me," she thought, scratching her head and sighing a little.<br/><br/>"I have to be honest with you. I don't know that I like the idea of an emperor or empress. I get that the system you are proposing has checks and balances, or at least the wording implies as much, but still. The idea of one person with that much power is a tough pill to swallow. What if they end up just as bad as Palpatine? What if they end up being worse?" she wondered, her eyes showing sincerity. She didn't look afraid, or even worried, but it was clear that she was concerned about the people in the Galaxy and how it would affect them. "Things need to change. I won't deny that. The Galaxy deserves better than what we are right now, and I will do what I believe is right for those I'm meant to protect, always," she told him with confidence.<br/><br/>"I won't mention this to anyone else for now, but I would like to discuss it more another time. I can't deny that there is merit to the idea, but there are also things that are worrisome, including the fact that I cannot rule out the possibility of this being a ploy for you to take over the empire Palpatine was working towards, not without knowing more about you," she explained honestly, having never been one to hold back her opinion or her thoughts. "I'll hold back on making my decision on where I stand until I know more about you. Until I know who you are, what your goal is, whether or not I can trust you. So that's your job, if you want my help. Show me who you are. Show me that your plan can work. Show me that it isn't just some ideal or some ploy. If you can do that, then I will do what I can to support you," she explained her position honestly.<br/><br/>She did want to know about him. Whether it was his previous life or this one. Whatever was most important to him. Whatever mattered. She tilted her head a little when he gave a soft smile in response to her asking to get to know him. She couldn't help but wonder what exactly it meant. What was he thinking behind the smile? She didn't know this time, because she wasn't trying to seek the answers in his mind. She wanted him to answer. She wanted to hear what he had to say, what was important enough for him to share.<br/><br/>She listened as he said that there wasn't much to know before explaining a little about his life since he was reborn in this universe. When he mentioned the death of his parents, she recalled the memory he had unintentionally shown her before. She felt a little sadness for him, but when his train of thought, or at least his words drifted off to ships and focusing crystals, she couldn't help but laugh. Not at him, but out of amusement that he seemed so interested in mechanical things, and so much more in tune with them than he was with living beings. Her smile lingered as she watch him display his saber. "You really like mechanical stuff, don't you?" she mused, as he turned the saber off. She remembered his reaction to the synthetic crystal in the Sith's blade. "That is an interesting choice. Effective, and quite hot," she noted, thankful that he had turned it off before it had burned her desk.<br/><br/>"I use Stygium crystals," she explained, deciding that since he did not seem terribly comfortable talking much about himself, it may be easier to get to know him by talking about things he is interested in. "They don't have any obvious effects on the blade like the Barab Ingot, but they augment my ability to Force Cloak," she explained, knowing that he may already know this, but explaining her reasoning nonetheless. As she explained, her double-bladed saber floated up, spinning in front of her before splitting into two sabers. She picked one up and ignited the blade, staring into the gently pulsing white light. The blade was quiet, unlike many other blades that hummed loudly. She had chosen the parts to her blade carefully and constructed it in such as way that it would be as quiet as possible. It wasn't possible for it to never make any noise, of course, but it made very little, especially in comparison to other blades.<br/><br/>She deactivated the blade and released it from her grip, allowing it to float back to the other blade and reattach. "You seemed rather... in tune with your ship as well," she observed, turning her gaze back to him, continuing the conversation rather than letting it fall into silent, awkward or not. "You use Mechu-Deru, don't you?" she knew the answer, it was pretty clear, but she asked nonetheless. "That's a pretty rare ability. How did you learn it?" she asked, wondering if someone had taught him or if he had used whatever knowledge he had from his previous life to learn it.<br/><br/>On that note, she wondered if he remembered everything from his previous life, or just bits and pieces. It would be very strange to have memories of two different lives in different worlds. At least she thought so. "How much do you remember from your previous life? Do you remember everything?" she asked in a suddenly gentle tone. Her face held an obvious look of curiosity, but there was a softness to her expression that told that she understood what she was asking, and the possible weight of it. After a moment she let out a soft, barely audible sigh, rubbing the back of her neck. "Sorry. You don't have to answer that if you don't want to," she apologized gently, her expression changing into an apologetic one. She wanted to know the answers, of course, but she didn't want to push him, and she was already asking a million questions, so perhaps it was best to hold back a bit again, lest she scare him off.