That question was unexpected to say the least, and Altair's surprise very much showed on his face. He supposed it was a valid question, all things considered, but still. Definitely unexpected.

"I- No. No, it was not."

Altair figured that Thrass was likely worried for his brother, with that line of questioning. If Sith, like Jedi, were forbidden from loving another, then he thought it was easy to assume that Altair too would come to change his mind in the future and probably break Thrawn's heart in the process.

"Sith are free to indulge in passions. Encouraged, even. I won't say that love was often on a Sith's mind as we were encouraged to prioritize ourselves above all else, to the point where love might seem like it would be discouraged, but. All Sith seek to break their chains to attain freedom."

The shape of that freedom wasn't always the most productive, but for Altair, his freedom was one that allowed him to love others. And fall in love, too.

"If one Sith chooses to love another, then that is that Sith's business. We weren't quite as... Unified as the Jedi, in that regard. Even if there had been something in our code forbidding us from romance, a Sith would wish to defy it."

Sith were stubborn creatures who liked to go their own way, after all. It was why Altair had loved his people so much, even if those stubborn attituded had been a serious pain in the neck at times.

"I'm sure you can imagine how colorful we all were back when there were more of us."