A Common Lady and a Shark

[Kay-Larr]

Her lightsaber. That was the missing piece of the puzzle that could hopefully return Kay's memories to her. At least, that's what [member="Veiere Arenais"] thought. But finding it was a long and difficult process.

Much had happened since she had returned from her abduction, both for herself and Commenor. Yet what troubled Kay the most was the not knowing. There were quite a few people that she couldn't remember, and even worse were the events that were missing as well. As far as she was aware, her abductor tore them from her mind. Yet Veiere remarked that they weren't gone, but merely out of reach. His hope was that reconnecting with her lightsaber, moreso with the crystal inside it, would get her to reach the memories that have eluded her.

Kay only hoped that it would work.

Recently Einon, her old Head of Security, had reached out to Veiere. Through their meeting it was discovered just who held possession of the lightsaber; a Herglic named [member="Ghorua the Shark"] . From what Kay could find on her datapad, he was a bounty hunter and a good one at that. Yet the two seemed to have been good friends. But there was nothing of that that she could remember. Nothing at all. She remembered being captured and having her ribs broken by a Herglic. But was it the same one?

She needed to find out, to discover what happened to her lightsaber or whether or not it's a lost cause. Veiere would want her to try. So Kay whipped up a message and sent it to the address that she had for him.

~Ghorua,

This is Kay. Veiere told me that we used to be close. I wish that I could remember, but things happened during my captivity to stop me from remembering. We learned through Einon that he had given you my lightsaber. Veiere believes that it could help me to restore what was stolen from me. If you know of where it is and whether or not I could get hold of it again, please let me know.

Thank you.

Lady Kay
Queen of Commenor
Chancellor of Commenor Systems Alliance.~

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

LOCATION: THE CABIN, BAKURA​

​

Leaves cascaded down in lazy spirals, falling from the mighty swaying boughs of tall trees. The golden-colored pieces of majesty twirled and danced in the dying light of autumn, gilded like precious living gems. The very earth seemed calm and warm, enjoying the sight of it's own splendor.

FZZT!

A metallic crack pierced the still air, upsetting the view.

"Ah, a little to the left, little one."

"Left. Okay."

The form of a gargantuan Herglic sat on a fallen trunk, wearing full combat armor. Large arms rested on his knees, relaxed and easy. His helmet was off to the side, and an amused smile adorned his dark face. He sat staring at a target, a pristine First Order Stormtrooper helmet. The obvious residue of stun blasts scattered the woods behind it, the work of an unsteady aim.

A much smaller figure stood next to the Herglic. A human girl, no more than five or six, with a small blaster pistol in her shaky hands. Her dark hair was in a mess of beautiful jade beads, her tanned skin speckled with dirt. Her eyes, milky brown, were hard with determination. The small girl fired another stun blast, this time a bit right of the target.

"That was closer, Minna. Good." Ghorua clasped his hands together, feeling genuine pride well in his heart.

"Yeah, it was." Minna trudged back to where the Shark was sitting, and plopped herself beside him. The outline of their cabin could be seen in the distance, a rustic symbol. "But not close enough, Daddy."

Ghorua tutted, extending his giant palm to the girl. "We all miss sometimes, little minnow. That's a part of shooting." Minna placed her own hand into her father's, comforted somewhat.

"I'll get it this time!" The child bounded up from her sitting position, and took aim, firing three poorly-placed shots at the stormtrooper helmet. Ghorua couldn't help but grin to himself.

The father/daughter duo had moved to Bakura recently, away from the scum-infested streets of Nar Shaddaa. Ghorua had bought a cabin in the woods, and they had been happily staying there a while, acclimating and learning. Minna had learned so much since she had been adopted from Commenor. Her mind was sharp as a sword, and her stubbornness impenetrable. Thinking of the time he and Minna had met on Commenor gave him bittersweet memories. Sweet, because of Minna.

Bitter, because...

It was the last time he saw Kay. And he had no desire to see her again.

He felt his datapad buzz at his side. Ghorua removed the device from his satchel, and tapped a few buttons. The address gave him shivers.

The Herglic read the message, and read it again, a feeling of emptiness overcoming him. Minna looked over her shoulder, her Force-Sensitivity giving her insight into Ghorua's mood shift. "What is it?" She put down the training blaster, and walked up to Ghorua.

"It's, ah... it's work stuff. Daddy's got to deal with something important." Ghorua suddenly felt tired, the mirth drained from him.

The little human steeled her resolve, climbed up on Ghorua's leg, and patted his shoulder, a comforting gesture. "I understand." The girl hopped down, collected her things, and began to trot towards the cabin, glancing over her shoulder, waiting for her dad.

Ghorua typed a quick response to the message, stood, and followed Minna.

- - -​

//From: Ghorua the Shark
To: Kay, Queen of Commenor, Chancellor of Commenor Systems Alliance

Meet me two miles south of Salis D'aar, on the banks of the West River. You want the saber?

Come and get it.//

- [member="Lady Kay"] -

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay frowned as she read the message from [member="Ghorua the Shark"] . It was cold. Very cold. One thing that it proved was that he had her lightsaber. The other thing that it proved was that it was going to be easy to get it back. The message read almost like a challenge.

She sent a short reply back, just so that he knew she got it.

~Ghorua,

Okay.

Lady Kay
Queen of Commenor
Chancellor of Commenor Systems Alliance~

This really wasn't going to be easy.

¤¤¤¤¤Five Standard Days Later¤¤¤¤¤​

The Free Lady touched down in a clearing near the bank of the West River. As the ship powered down, Kay left her quarters. She wasn't dressed in a gown. Instead she wore slacks, shirt and jacket. Two guards went with her. [member="Macoda Haberon"] , her Head of Security had insisted on going. The other was Laeth, a guard that she had watching over her for months now.

Kay knocked on Mac's door. "We're here...I'm going to go outside and see if I can see him. A Herglic shouldn't be too hard to spot." Hopefully he wasn't sleeping. She just couldn't wait though. The prospect of possibly getting her memories back was too strong. She walked quickly to the ramp and nearly slid down, giving her eyes a moment to adjust to the higher level of light.

Now where was he?

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua went to the meeting spot three days after he received Kay's reply. He left Tula, an old friend and Hunter, to babysit Minna. The girl was used to parting with the Shark by now, as he went out to collect bounties, but she could tell something felt different this time.

Even without magical sensing powers, Ghorua could tell Minna was strong in the Force.

Nevertheless, the Shark scoped out their meeting place, making sure it was relatively safe, free of highwaymen and unwanted eyes. His mind strayed back to the events that transpired on this very planet six or seven years ago. His first meeting with the Lady.

He had waited weeks for her to fall into that trap.

Thankfully, he only had to wait a few days this time.

One of Ghorua's probe droids alerted him to the arrival of the Free Lady. It zipped back to the behemoth, and twitted something, sending a video of the ship landing to the HUD of his armor. Ghorua felt a strange mix of nostalgia and dread as he watched it touch down.

"Well," he rumbled, steeling himself. "Let's go see an old friend."

The massive plated form of the Herglic began it's slow pace towards the Queen, cresting a low hill and coming into sight.

- [member="Lady Kay"] -

 

[Kay-Larr]

Laeth followed in behind her. She stood there looking from one side of the bank to the other. Were they too late in getting there? Bakura wasn't exactly close to Commenor. Maybe they landed on the wrong side of the river?

"I guess we'll wait...."

Kay wasn't quite sure of what was going to happen in this meeting. She started to wander a bit, planned out a bit more of her trip in case [member="Ghorua the Shark"] never showed. She could always get more Sapir tea leaves. It wouldn't be a waste then.

"Look! Up there!" Laeth kept his hand near his blaster, but didn't move to touch it yet. Instead he just pointed at the Herglic with his other hand.

Kay's gaze followed to where he was pointing. She swallowed as she spotted him. Even from this distance he looked big. Bigger than the hunter that she remembered having caught her and broken her ribs. Thank goodness she had no bounties on her now.

After taking in a deep breath, she began to approach him. No doubt he was going to meet with her somewhere in the middle.

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

As Ghorua saw the pair of figures, and his heart dropped. It was the first time Ghorua had seen her with his own eyes in...

How long had it been? Ghorua wasn't sure.

All the same, Ghorua debated turning around, diving into the water and escaping downriver. He could forget all about the Queen and her wishes to get his saber. He could send it to her, or sell it on the Black Market to get it away from himself. There were so many alternative routes. He didn't have to do this.

Even as he thought all these things, Ghorua knew he really had no choice. He had to do this, to honor who Kay once was.

He kept walking, and Kay walked to meet him. Every move, each gentle sway and step, was so familiar to him, yet so alien. She didn't remember him, and it hurt.

Ghorua stopped walking when he was about sixty feet away from her. His stance was rigid, professional, a far cry from his usual nonchalance. His voice rang out through his helmet, distorted to impossibly deep levels. "Queen Arenais." No motion accompanied the greeting, as if it were a statement, and not a hello.

With practiced fluidity, the Shark removed his helmet, and let it drop to the soft mud below. His face, round and smooth, held a deep inner sadness, although the reason was probably lost on the Lady.

"Lady Kay and I were enemies when we first met." Ghorua grit his teeth as memories of that time flooded his mind, and he referred to the Lady like a different person. "Led by Julian Valentine, I captured her, beat her, and stole her lightsaber. Lady Kay repayed my cruelty with kindness. She saved my life, and I gave her back the crystal of her late husband." The unbridled emotion bubbled under the surface, like a kettle of sapir tea about to boil.

"Lady Kay told me that I must have been a good person, because in my charge, the crystal hadn't been corrupted. I hadn't tainted her legacy, and she thanked me. Then, she vanished." The Frenzy stirred from it's rest, and a twinge of Darkness appeared in the Force.

"I'm not doing this for you, Queen Arenais." Ghorua straightened himself, his white armor reflecting the light of day. "I'm doing this for her, to protect Lady Kay's legacy."

Ghorua put a hand on the hilt of a large sword, and felt a surge of bravado. "If you want this lightsaber so bad, you're gonna have to fight me. Your gonna have to win. And you're gonna have to show me how far you'll go to win, Queen Arenais."

Ghorua's custom-sized Kandosii Blade unfurled slowly from it's sheathe, moving through the air with practice and control. His hard visage cracked slightly.

Show me that there could be a little bit of her left in you

- [member="Lady Kay"] -

 

[Kay-Larr]

As [member="Ghorua the Shark"] got closer, she realized just how bing he was. Sure she remembered being helpd by him, but it seemed as though he was even taller now. Maybe it was the armour that he was wearing. Either way, she'd be lying if she had said that she wasn't intimidated.

He spoke then, addressing her with the title and her married name, something that all others have yet to do. It was a little odd to hear it, but that was always something to get used to. It was a part of being newlywed, but it was a name that she was proud of and found strength within.

Her brows furrowed as though he spoke of her being someone else. And it hurt. Her gaze dropped as he continued his story, doing her best to hold back the emotions that wanted to surface. Why did it hurt so much that she wanted to cry? Was it Ghorua's own pain that she was feeling, coupled with her own? They were close once, she knew that, but she couldn't remember. And that was something that she hoped to rectify.

Kay's eyes drifted up to him then as he challenged her to a fight. Was he really going to make her duel him? She unclipped her saber from behind her back, moving slowly. Her fingers traced the hilt as though it was foreign to her. In truth she hardly used it since her return to Commenor, but she was a little bit thankful that she had brought it today.

"I am not a different person. I am Lady Kay. If I could have stopped my abduction, then I would have. Do you think that I wanted to be taken and tortured for months on end? Do you think that I wanted to lose my most precious memories of people that I cared for so much? Veiere believes in me, he's helped to restore some of my memories. I don't want to have to fight you, but if that's what I must do to get my memories back, then I have no choice. But it won't bring me pleasure, I can assure you."

Kay stood there ready to fight, but keeping her saber turned off for the time being. She didn't want to be the one to strike first.

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

The Kay I knew is gone.

This thought hadn't left Ghorua's mind since the captured woman returned to power. Lady Kay didn't make the Elders disappear. Lady Kay didn't nearly send her own people to slave in the mines. Kay, a being of nothing but self-sacrifice and forgiveness, could never do those things. She had been killed by the Sith that took her, her body occupied by a different being entirely.

Ghorua felt a bit of doubt in his resolve when the woman before him said she was gaining back memories.

If she remembered all that she once was... would Kay return? If Veiere had coaxed some of the old Kay back, could the crystal?

Did he really want that?

The Herglic, for the first time in a while, felt a seed of hope plant itself in his mind. And he quickly uprooted it, before he could question his resolve.

Do you think I wanted to lose my most precious memories of people that I cared for so much?

"No," he said, almost a whisper.

The sudden fragility of his tone was painful. "Prove to me..." He waited a few beats, finding words, anything, to compose himself.

"Prove to me... That you're still her."

All of the months of searching, and waiting, and watching, and mute horror, and anger, and cold, seeped together into an overwhelming rage, and his knuckles tightened around the hilt of his blade. The Shark felt his Blood Frenzy at the edges of his perception. He shone like a beacon in the Force, a pulsing bead of pure hate.

Ghorua loomed over his opponent, his last words the only thing he could think to say.

"I didn't want this, either."

In a flash of white, the Shark dashed up to the Lady, and swung his blade in a large overhead arc, smashing down on Kay's defenses in classic Form V fashion. This encounter between Kay and Ghorua was very different from any other confrontation they had:

This attack could kill her.

- [member="Lady Kay"] -

 

[Kay-Larr]

[video]https://youtu.be/ZTg6hg1miFg[/video]


Prove to [member="Ghorua the Shark"] that she was still herself? All that she needed was for [member="Veiere Arenais"] to talk to him if she was unable to convince him herself. Maybe the Herglic would listen then. What other way was there? To talk about what she did remember? And her love of tea? And of all the good things that she had done after Veiere got through to her? That could work.

But then something in Ghorua changed. She could feel it. A flood of emotions came from him but one held a tighter grip on him than the others. Hatred. The look in his eyes was more wild now, the opposite of what his words tried to convey."Laeth keep back! Don't engage until I tell you!!"

A mere second later, Ghorua was closing the gap. Kay ignighted her lightsaber, it's red beam coming to life. It felt strange in her hands, having to need to use a dark weapon to protect herself, the hilt in the colours of black and red, but she needed it and was glad to have brought it.

As his blade swung in an overhead arc, she knew the power behind it was greater than her own. So instead of trying to block the swing, she let him complete it as she quickly moved to her left, pivoting on her heel and bringing her own saber down to follow his and block it if it was to move upright or towards her.

Kay could have thrown him back with the Force then, or used lightning, or something else to hurt him. But instead she just backed away from him quickly, keeping some distance between them, enough so that she could better see his attacks as they come. Her problem with fighting was in thinking too much. And it took time for her to focus on just using her instincts.

A flash of memory came to her then, three cards dealt by a fortune teller not long ago. Travel, a physical and/or spiritual challenge by a powerful opponent. One with much strength, strength that she would need herself. The outcome wasn't known as her future was difficult to predict.

Hopefully luck was on her side today, as well as the fates.

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua's first swing was proceeded by a swift combat roll, the Herglic coming up a ways away from Kay, prepared for a counterattack that never came. Trying to talk instead of fight was Kay-like. Defense was very Kay-like. Everything about this was Kay-like, Ghorua had to admit.

He didn't care.

Once again, Ghorua tried to close the gap between them, running with powerful footsteps. Instead of the blade, a punch from Ghorua's phrik-covered gauntlet flashed from his side, sparking with electrical energy. The battering ram of a fist was followed by a series of precise chops of the Shark's blade, designed to swipe aside Kay's weapon. A major difference the Shark had undergone in the time of Kay's absence was training in Teras Kasi. His movements were fast and fluid, like a dancer's, but held all the power of a rampaging rancor.

"You disappeared!" Chop. "Betrayed my trust!" Chop. "And NOW you come here, NOT for me, NOT to make amends, but for your lightsaber!"

The Shark felt tears begin to well in his eyes.

For months, Ghorua had felt useless. He had searched for his friend to no avail, followed loose end after loose end. All he'd wanted to do was find Kay. Then, she returned, and her actions slapped his efforts in the face. Her betrayal of his very being, all that both of them had stood for, fueled his attack, this inner rage, threatened to release his Frenzy.

"How could you possibly think you are worthy of it? After all you've done!"

- [member="Lady Kay"] -

 

[Kay-Larr]

[member="Ghorua the Shark"] rolled on the ground with such agility that was surprising for one of his size. She was impressed,but had to push that aside and put it aside quickly.

He was up on his feet and moving towards her faster than she had thought possible. She grabbed the hilt of her saber with both hands and brought it down onto Ghoruah's fist, her blade upright as she tried to redirect his punch and throw it off balance.

But then it left her open to his sword. She swung her blade from the bottom up to meet his chops, tightning her grip as she held it there firmly to withstand the impacts. She had to call on the Force then, to aid her in her strength as each blow felt stronger than the last. His words cut into her as though they were daggers themselves.

As his eyes were welling with tears, so was hers, the emotions brought on by this confrontation being too strong to be held back. Yet she had to try.

With his armour, there was very little vulnerable spots for her to strike, except for his head which was out of reach. As Ghorua's strikes ended, she utilized the Force that was surrounding them already and used it to send a small shockwave to push him back away from her. "You don't understand! How can I make amends if I don't know what I've lost?! You don't know what I've been through!" Even Veiere didn't know all of it. She had only let him see glimpses. "I want to remember you! I want to know you again!" There was so much to say, yet the anger coming from him made her believe that her words would only fall on deaf ears. She needed to find some way to get him to stop.

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

As Kay probably expected, she didn't get an answer. Her application of the Force, however, had a more visible reaction.

Ghorua was pushed back a sizable distance, having to fall to a knee and plant his blade into the ground to keep from stumbling. It traced a line in the mud, and groundwater began to fill the divot. Ghorua examined the woman before him with wet eyes, extending his wrist.

From his kneeling position, the Bounty Hunter fired off two wrist charric shots, each bolt aimed at awkward angles in Kay's defenses. If she wasn't careful, she'd lose her saber trying to block the kinetic flashes of light.

Ghorua said nothing, his mind engrossed in his work, his dark, emotionless eyes blurry with tears. He shot up from the ground, once again dashing towards what was once his friend, sword and fist clenched. The anger, the blind rage that he felt, was unlike anything he had ever experienced.

It wasn't like the red-hot, all-consuming anger that corrupted him when his Blood Frenzy took control.

Despite the mid-noon sun, Ghorua felt cold.

- [member="Lady Kay"] -

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay just remained in place while [member="Ghorua the Shark"] was pushed back. Impressively, he managed to keep on his feet, instead using his blade to help him to keep his balance. What came next was equally surprising. With her lack of experience in combat, most especially with an old friend that treated her like an enemy, she hadn't come across charric shots before, so she had no idea that they packed a bigger punch. Her block on the first bolt caused her lightsaber to fly out of her hand. With that realization, her initial movement to try to go after her lightsaber helped her to narrowly avoid the second shot.

Then he was after her, coming at her again in a rush. She heard his heavy footfalls as she ran to retreive her lightsaber, sliding on the ground so that she was low enough to pick it up. Kay then got to her feet, turning on her heels so that she could face him again, holding her lightsaber in a defensive stance. "You don't have to do this! There has to be another way!"

She didn't want to hurt him anymore than she had. And it was evident that what had happened to her cut him so deeply. So that was it. That was the other way....

Kay clenched her jaw as Ghorua got closer, shutting off her lightsaber and opening her hand, letting it drop and roll on the ground. She didn't move, didn't breathe. Only the tears falling from her eyes betrayed any movement. She just waited for the impact to come.

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua charged forward, sword extended menacingly, ready to swipe out at the Lady. The cold fury that emanated from him left his mind crystal clear, the world seeming to slow down. A massive downward slash from his Kandosii Blade towards...

An unarmed Kay.

She had laid down her weapon, laid her life in Ghorua's hands.

His sword stopped inches from Kay's outstretched palm.

He could feel the cool of his tailwind fly past the two of them, the source standing still. Ghorua shivered, the strain and emotion rushing off in waves from him. He stood like that a moment, blade outstretched, before letting his own weapon fall out of his grasp, watching it as it clattered to the side.

The Herglic fell to his knees, staring at Kay's saber, lying in the mud. A large tear splashed into the dirt.

He couldn't hurt her. Even after all she'd done, he couldn't.

After a beat, Ghorua spoke, his voice hoarse. "You disappeared."

It was all he could muster.

- [member="Lady Kay"] -

 

[Kay-Larr]

The breeze caused by [member="Ghorua the Shark"] stopping so suddenly whipped her hair behind her shoulders. Still she held her breath as she waited. It was almost a standoff right there, a silent battle of wills and emotions. And both were brought to tears from eachother's pain.

Ghorua dropped to his knees, and it was then that Kay released her breath, though she remained still, only lowering her head as he spoke. The Herglic's head was still at her height, even while on his knees. Being that close to his rows of teeth wasn't exactly the most comfortable of situations.

What he had said filled her with guilt again. It was amazing what power two little words had. But they weighed down on her soul. "I'm sorry. I tried to stop it...but I failed. Not a day goes by where I don't blame myself for what happened, for all the torture that I was subjected to. Perhaps not remembering certain people is my punishment for that. Because I was too weak and foolish to save myself." There was much more to it than that. [member="Veiere Arenais"] had told her many times that Prazutis was the one to blame. But he didn't know everything that she was forced to do. And she had no plans on telling anyone either.

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

"Maybe."

Ghorua listened to Kay's words, taking them in quietly. He didn't console her, only listened. His entire body felt heavy, heavier than anything he had ever lifted before.

Yet, his instincts were ever-present.

Ghorua was talented at reading people. He was a wreck, but the Bounty Hunter in him never rested. Like blood in the water, the Shark sniffed out that there was more to the Lady's story.

The Herglic lifted his head, a single wet line running down his left eye. He studied her face, his own broken and fragile, with something feral and scared lying under it.

"What... What happened to you?"

Ghorua was almost afraid to hear the answer.

- [member="Lady Kay"] -

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay swallowed. [member="Ghorua the Shark"] wanted to know what happened. How much should she tell? It was easy to know where to start, but how much detail should she give him? Maybe just some of it. There was no telling how he'd react.

"We were out for a speederbike ride in the Twin Canyons, myself and two guards, when we were ambushed. My guards were killed. I tried to get away, but I was shot in my leg. I didn't use my abilities, was hoping to use them to escape, as I had done before when other hunters had caught me. But...somehow he knew about that. He used some Sith magic on me and I couldn't move. What was worse was that he cut me off from the Force. I couldn't call for help or anything...."

She paused for a moment, mostly in a bid to try not to relive it as she spoke about it, trying to push her emotions all back before she continued. "I woke up bound in some sort of electric shackles. A collar with many needles was on my neck, continuously blocking my ability to try to escape. I saw my kidnapper then, a Sith Lord. We were on a ship, I could feel it moving through hyperspace, so wherever we went, it wasn't a quick journey. He drove his fingers into my wounded leg, whipped me with a barbed strap. And that was just a fraction of what was to come...."

Another pause as she shut her eyes, unable to shut out the pain of those horrible months. Tears fell from her cheeks, yet still she kept her body rigid. Her voice drew quieter, as though all of it was a secret. "I was knocked out again and woke up to hell. I was strapped to a table with an IV in my arm. The Sith Lord came in and said that my body was a canvas. He cut into it with some blade that caused such pain, drawing symbols on my skin. I wanted to pass out, but the drugs wouldn't let me. After he was finished I was hodded and dragged to a cell. There was no light, but sound was ever present, loud and always changing. I had no rest. Everytime the door opened, I was picked up by a number of men and beaten before they put a hood over my head and dragged me out to the next torture session. Sometimes it would be whips, sometimes it would be clubs breaking all of my bones, sometimes my own skin was peeled off in sections. But always I was thrown into my cell, always to be beaten when the door would open. There was no sleep except for when they fed me just enough nutrients through the IV to keep me alive. That didn't happen often enough. I became nothing but skin and bones, a shell of myself. The Sith Lord would break into my mind. He stole precious memories from me, made me relive my late husband's death over and over again. And I couldn't stop him..."

Another pause as she silently argued with herself over whether or not to end it there or to keep going. After a moment, she decided on the latter. "...I lost myself then. I just stopped feeling, stopped thinking. I was nothing, just like he told me that I was. He brought in other prisoners, one by one he made me kill them. I did so quickly at first, wanting to give them that mercy to no longer suffer as I was. But the Sith Lord picked up on that and put an end to it. When I did what he commanded, I was rewarded with food, a bath, even precious sleep. That was my ticket out, that was my escape. Do what he wants and I can gain more freedom. Some time after that, he brought me home, convincing me that everyone wanted to strip me of my power and everything that I had. So...I did what I could to protect myself."

Kay didn't want to go any further than that. She had to think of the good things. No matter how bad of a person that she was, Veiere showed his loyalty, that the Sith Lord was filling her head with lies. He had saved her from ruining more lives. "I pay for my actions everyday, serving my people and putting them first. It will never end, not until I've atoned for my crimes."

She wanted to sit, but instead kept on her feet. There was no way that she could predict how Ghorua would react. So she just stood there and waited.

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua stared into Kay's soul as she spoke, looking at both the contents of what she said, and the emotional journey weaving itself on her face. He studied her like a map, following the contours of emotion on her face, seeing where they broke in pain, or straightened with effort. One thing became immediately clear the the Shark, and he almost sobbed with the realization.

This was Lady Kay. Twisted and broken, but Lady Kay nonetheless.

She finished her story, and Ghorua sat silently for a moment, taking it all in. He busied himself suddenly, fishing through his satchel to his side.

"I realize now," he started, his voice thin, "that this whole thing wasn't a test for you." He gestured around, trying desperately to avoid looking at the Lady.

"It was to prove to me you couldn't be trusted. That you were past the point of no return. I wanted you to hurt me. Prove there wasn't hope... ."

Finally, Ghorua found what he was looking for; a slim, decorative tube, dwarfed in his hand.

"When you returned, I was so angry. That you had threatened your people, sure, but moreso that no one else seemed to care. Veiere gravitated to you, like a moth to a flame. Darlyn went to you unhesitatingly. I... I wouldn't do that. I couldn't. I couldn't forget all you'd done. I still can't." Ghorua pulled his saberpike from his bandolier, and popped open a locked compartent, revealing a sky-blue glow.

"But now I see what they all gave you a long time ago. Something you've given to me in the past, despite all I've done." Ghorua wiped his face with the back of his hand, sniffing. With deft fingers, he plucked out something from his saberpike, and began disassembling the metal tube in his hand.

In no time, Ghorua had reconstructed Lady Kay's lightsaber, complete with Shaw's crystal. He extended the hilt towards her, palm up.

"Forgiveness."

- [member="Lady Kay"] -

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay watched [member="Ghorua the Shark"] as he pulled something out of his satchel, a thing of which that she didn't notice until now. Just what he was up to, she wasn't sure.

Yet as he spoke, she came to realize what this was all about. Her choice to stop fighting and to just let him take his revenge out on her proved to be the right one. Thankfully her instincts were right.

Then she focused on his words, the hurt that he still felt. What he saw with regards to [member="Veiere Arenais"] and [member="Darlyn Excron"] wasn't quite what really happened. But now she knew how it looked for those on the outside. That was something that she had to fix. Kay spoke quietly, "Veiere came to me without aggression. He negotiated with me to replease my prisoners, he helped me to regain some of what I lost. He isn't happy, nor proud of what little he knows that I have done. I don't know if he has forgiven me, but he loves me and we are bonded not just through marriage, but through the Force itself. He didn't come to me blindly. Darlyn spied on me for him. He came to me to keep an eye on me. So he too, didn't go to me blindly. They both had a purpose, to see to my well being. If they hadn't of tried, well, I'm sure that things would be much worse for Commenor and perhaps the region."

Her eyes were drawn to the hilt in his hand as he had presented it. She recognized it immediately, as well as the pull from the crystal. It was hers, what she had wanted and what she had asked for. Yet would it be tainted with her touch? Or did she have to use it first? Now Kay was feeling doubt. Did she really want to risk ruining it?

Kay looked up at Ghorua. There was nothing more sad than to see a Herglic crying. Her own cheeks were wet with tears, yet she had made no move to wipe them. He was presenting her with her lightsaber, yet she couldn't move to take it. The emotions, the reliving bad memories of her recent past were still at the forefront of her mind. Maybe she just wasn't worthy.

Instead of reaching for her lightsaber, she just stepped into Ghorua and wrapped her arms around him as much as she could. She needed the embrace, wanted to be held and to know that she was cared for. She wanted to push away her feelings of doubt."Thank you. I'll bring it to Veiere and let him decide when I am worthy. Hopefully I'll get my memories back. But if I don't....if it doesn't work...could we try to make some new good memories?"

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua, for the first time in their encounter, found a smile, albeit a sharp smirk, when Kay told him what she knew. He'd already known all of that, as he had met with both men on the day of her return. Then, he had been infuriated with Veiere. Although he didn't know about Darlyn's views on the matter, he knew for a fact that the current King of Commenor had believed in Kay from the start.

She'd found a good one, alright.

Then, she did the most unexpected thing: She hugged him.

He thought back to his first hug, when he had went to see Kay on Commenor. Despite himself, and his emotional exhaustion, he chuckled, reminiscing on old memories only one remembered.

"That would be lovely, my friend."

The Shark hugged her firmly, as if she would turn to mist in his arms. He smiled genuinely, basking in a friendship he thought he had lost. The cold in his heart, the nugget of anger and fear for the future that had persisted since their battle, disappeared in the warmth.

Ghorua let the hug fall away naturally, with no intent to end it early. When it finally did, Ghorua held Kay at arms length, his fist around her saber between them. It was obvious he had shed a few more tears, but he quickly wiped them away. He took off his satchel, placed the saber in it, and offered it to the Lady, relief coloring his features.

"Go on, take it." He pushed the heavy leather into her arms. "It's yours. Doesn't matter whether the thing corrupts or not. What matters is that you," he pressed a finger gently above Kay's heart, as if pointing at her soul, "are you."

"If you want to be sure, however, take it to your man. He's a good judge of character." Suddenly, Ghorua's eyes lit up, and he grew a slightly mischevious expression, as if he were hiding a secret.

"And if you don't get your memories back... there's someone I'd like you to meet."

- [member="Lady Kay"] -