She's working her way through the plate when he looks up, taking a bite of each thing and giving her companion a number and a word or two for each - sometimes an obvious description, sometimes something odd but evocative. It's fine, yes.

He smiles, addressing her companion, "You can't eat?" He asks her. 

"I apologise if it's rude to ask but, you didn't give a name earlier, do you have a name or title you prefer?" 

"Yes sir, I'm a robot, I'm not biological. My name is DZ-twelve-Q."

His expression becomes complicated at the word 'robot'. The runestone translates it as something like an enchanted automaton, yet non-magical. Words with no translation sometimes do that, though names and titles like the word Sith usually don't. 

The fact that the runestone interacts with her means she's a person, despite the translation, so-

"DZ-twelve-Q," he repeats, slowly. It comes out of his mouth a little clumsily, but he has experience with words from other cultures, so he expects he will be able to say it correctly soon enough. 

 "You're - Apprentice Deskyl's assistant? Companion?" He glances at the young woman as well. 

She's watching him carefully. My assistant. It may be safest for you to treat her as my daughter.

He nods, "Of course," he says. Based on her reaction he suspects many people have not, historically. He doubts she'll have that specific problem around here - mostly people will be confused by the silver woman. Automatons are not well known.

Once they finish their food, Jaim leads the two back to the Command Center, aquiring a key for Deskyl's room from a clerk, which he hands over immediately, and from there up to the second floor where the visitors quarters are. His and Ilek's rooms are here as well. 

He motions to the door one down from his, and across from Ilek's, "That's yours," he says. "Someone should have brought the supplies you asked for - and the dictionary, and likely some other reading material, given your request for information." 

Good. And then to DZ: Explain -

    "It's very important that Deskyl not be disturbed while she's asleep, sir - she's likely to wake up disoriented and may be violent if she's startled."

He nods seriously, "So long as you lock the door, no one should disturb you," he tells them. "The servants know not to enter locked quarters." 

"Will knocking be a problem as well? I can leave a note on the door as a warning if so." 

Deskyl shakes her head. 

    "No, sir - she'll be deaf most of the time until she recovers completely."

He nods, "Alright, then no one should bother you. Anyone knocking will just leave after a time if they don't get an answer. If anyone does break into your room, I expect they'd deserve any injury you did them." 

Yes. -schedule-

    "When will you expect to see us next, sir?"

"Ilek and I will be leaving for the fort I command - Fort Helen - in five days. You needn't leave the room before then - if they followed my instructions, the servants should have left food in stasis for you, along with some non-perishable items, so you won't even need to leave to eat." 

Very good.

    "Thank you, sir."

They go in, then, and Deskyl takes a moment to look around the room before settling crosslegged on the bed to make telepathic contact with the Blade.

It's a very simple room: queen sized bed, small sitting area consisting of a loveseat and chair, a desk and chair, a cleared area near the window for indoor excercises and meditation, and a door to a small bathroom. The bathroom contains a sink, a shower, and a toilet, all with running water. The colour theme is white and brown, with touches of green. 

The Blade seems to perk up, turning his attention to her when she reaches for him.  

Curiosity, he sends, sticking to empathic communication, about the non-mana utilising connection. 

Stranger, she sends. Displaced. New. Curiosity.

Interest! Not Mana? He sends, Stranger displaced, Elf? (This one is a concept, including in it the meaning: a long-lived human-looking species, with leaf-shaped ears and vividly coloured eyes. The Blade does this accidentally, and doesn't expect it to get through.) Apologetic. 

She sends amused, calm acceptance, and confidence that he can't hurt her. Not Mana, not Elf. Sith - powerful, passionate, wild; a type of human, staggeringly rare.

Surprise! 

And then, You can hear my words, and speak in return? He asks. 

Yes. -there's a chance I won't be able to stop, if we do very much of it, but we're fine for now. Is there anything you urgently need?

He sends amused appreciation, Not urgently, he sends. Underneath his amusement, however, is a sense of age, and ancient lonliness. He has been alone for millenia, with only rare bright spots of companionship, rarely close enough to allow him to actually speak with his wielders.

All right.

I don't think I'm interested in a new weapon, but that has nothing to do with whether I can talk to you. I might not have much time for it, though. How much do you know of what's been going on?

Little, he sends back, My last wielder was only barely acceptable - our connection was tenuous, and we could only trade emotions at most. I gather there is a great deal of fighting going on, however. 

She sends the impression of a nod. There's a war. Your wielder was on the empire's side; they're conquering the world, or at least this part of it, and not telling anyone why. We're with the main opposing force right now; they seem reasonable enough, and I don't expect to get along with that sort of tyrant, so I'm planning on supporting them, once I'm recovered from the situation that sent me here - I might be able to win the war for them, if they can deploy me usefully enough, but I expect to be busy with it.

War never does end, He muses, But at the very least it often brings interesting people together, He adds. Conversation is more than I have had in a long time. If you don't wish to attempt a bond, I would be pleased with that alone. Without mana, I am not certain I could be of much use to you, in any case. Using more than a small amount of my own outside of my form requires drawing on my partner's pool. 

I don't object to that, if you still want it knowing the details of the situation - some of my abilities are powered by emotion, especially rage, and if I'm using them very much, that will affect my mood even outside of battle. I can hold about half a dozen conversations before my telepathy fixes on you - I'll be able to hear you all the time, in a range that will increase with time, unless I'm distracted or purposely looking away, and I expect you'll be able to hear me the same way unless I'm purposely not sending to you. If we stick to empathy I can stop anytime.

An obvious alternative - or parallel project - would be to help you find a new person to bond with - I can read minds in general, not just of telepaths, so if you can tell me what you're looking for I can screen people for you.