Addictions, Mr. Dorn?

[Boethiah]

He really was a coward.

The Host Lord's own demeanor did not scream anything, really. She was vague like stock art; not entirely original but not out of place. Compared to the eccentricity of Kiber she probably seemed rather plain... For here on Bastion being a xenocidal, zealous autocrat wasn't out of the ordinary. Of course Anja was anything but ordinary.

"Talk? You want to talk." Without a second's hesitation she swung the blade from the side towards him; the intent to kill was there.

She had no intention of letting him talk. Talking right now as just a waste of breath, a waste of endurance in a life or death situation. It was clear that [member="Kiber Dorn"] would not forfeit himself but pathetic pleas would do little if anything at all.

All around them were four walls, only a single doorway that was closed shut proved to be any exit at all. The floors were padded.

 

[Kiber Dorn]

She swung the blade, him still on his arse crawling backwards trying to desperately escape the blade by doing some kind of half-hearted crabwalk in the wrong bloomin' direction.

“Yes! TALK!”

His jaw sat unhinged hanging below as if he were permanently surprised by something, although what might have caught him unaware was beyond his own mind, as was typical in a drongo state of mind. Who are we? Why are we? Let's not stab each other, rather let us love one another.

“We're not...animals!”

He tried to get up onto his feet from being on his backside but rather clumsily fell over with the sword still in his hands.

“We're human! We….we…talk!”

This time Kiber focused all of his energy onto reclaiming some form of two-footed balance, finally managing to get onto his own two drunken feet, still staggering under the effect of the drongo. His flimsy, still-bleeding arms barely managed to hold up the blade to defend himself from her strikes.

“I ain't...r-r-ready to…die, mang!”

[member="Anja Aj'Rou"]

 

[Boethiah]

There was only one swing before [member="Kiber Dorn"] began to cave in. Is this really someone with any potential? Anja could only wonder but she felt it in him; that ability she had.

Taking two steps closer she threw her blade down before going to disarm him. reaching for his arm she would bend his wrist in a near-break and release the weapon before delivering a knee into his stomach. Hopefully the result be him falling to his knees but the concoction of drugs and perhaps alcohol in his system may result in vomiting as well.

"You are pathetic!" She exclaimed in the process.

Truly, this was a man with no shame. Worse is she seemed to have pride when his life wasn't on the line.

As far as scum go; he was at stuck at the bottom.

 

[Kiber Dorn]

Well hey, she threw down her sword! That's progress, we can call that progress, right? No wait, this isn't progress! I take it back! I take it back!

As if he were a child she disarmed him with ease, a very shrill and manly shriek coming out of his mouth as she bent his wrist in a way that wrists were not supposed to bend. Kiber would have gladly dropped the sword right there and then but no, she had to make him.

Maybe that was just how she rolled. Dominating. Oooh. Easy there tige-
“BUHUHHH!”

That was the knee. Or the battering ram as it were, and it dropped him in one fell swoop, knocking anything that might have been inside out. Air, gusto, stomach contents. As expected Kiber Dorn vomited, nothing but a pink bile spewing out of his mouth in torrents. Obviously he had been drinking a rather fruity beverage beforehand, and on an empty stomach too, tsk tsk.

“…..whyyy….” he exclaimed between fits of coughing, desperately trying to suck air back into his lungs, “….oh….Force!”

[member="Anja Aj'Rou"]

 

[Boethiah]

As expected the brat vomited when she kneed him in the gut. The unpleasant smell of a drug and bile cocktail made it to the Umbaran's nose. The toxic fumes as they seemed forced her to step back in utter disgust. Now that Anja thought about it this was the first time she had to retreat from a conflict; albeit briefly.

"Get up." She commanded, watching the wheezing man from above.

The witch reached for her sword taking back into grip. Was she not done teaching him a lesson? She didn't say so.

Anja turned towards [member="Kiber Dorn"] again and once again changed her composure. The brief retreat from the smell of vomit was not enough for collected thoughts by the time she returned to her original motivations.

"You will learn. I will not kill you."

Her eyes fixated on him as if she was appraising property.

 

[Kiber Dorn]

Get up?!

Rude.

She hadn't just been charged in gut by a rampaging bull bantha, had she? It wasn't as easy as that! Each dilapidated breath that he sucked into his shrivelled lungs felt like fire instead of air, and Kiber was almost hesitant to draw them in.

“….g-gimmie...a….sec...”

Eventually he managed to stand, wobbling back up to his feet albeit with his back bent and his hands clutching at his bashed and bruised mid-section.

Once more it came down to learning. Everybody wanted him to learn. His parents wanted him to learn. Boan Rein wanted him to learn. Cedric Dorn wanted him to learn. There was no use, his potential was unescapable, it seemingly ran faster than he did and it had now caught up with his eazy, breezy, drugz-do-please-me lifestyle.

“…I….don't...suppose...fark...there's…any...wriggle room?”

[member="Anja Aj'Rou"]

 

[Boethiah]

Yet he still complained, tried to get it his way.

In other circumstances one might consider this resilience and that would be an admirable trait. But it was clear this was the attitude of a slothful, corrupt, greedy, lustful, undisciplined man who lacked both honour and loyalty. All he wanted was an easy way out; the option of comfort. She wouldn't give it to him even if he begged -- even if he could give her anything she wanted. There was one feature she required of all her apprentices, and that was the will to do whatever it took to achieve ones goals.

If [member="Kiber Dorn"] was not going to be loyal then she would break him. Shatter his will by taking away all that he lived for and mend him in the fires of war and turmoil to be reborn a zealous, loyal, and unhesitating warrior of faith. Such an ambitious task would take patience. "You offer nothing for me to grant you favours." She slammed her foot down on the dirt-covered floor.

Sheathing her blade, she walked towards the exit. "This way," she walked through -- the door slid open for them to enter.

 

[Kiber Dorn]

Bloomin' heck, are you my mother?

The harsh humourless tones of his family rang too familiar for Kiber to enjoy. The lazy child of potential constantly chastised for not living up to his own latent abilities, but whereas his parents wanted to use his gifts to further their own name he wasn't so sure of this woman's intentions.

Everybody had intentions, but this woman's own were beyond him at that moment in time.

At that same moment however, a noble goal formed in the back of Kiber Dorn's mind. Okay, you got me, it wasn't quite so noble but as a creature of sin he saw a woman in dire need of release before him. As she bid to straighten him out, he would opt to loosen her up.

Balance in the Force.

Not wishing to see the sword unsheathed he limped rather woefully after her, spirits slightly dented but of course never extinguished.

“Y'know….I never usually let women beat me without...ugh….knowing their names first,” he commented rather wryly, both hoping for a name and wondering where the doors would take them. Hopefully not another chamber of chains.

---

[member="Anja Aj'Rou"]

 

[Boethiah]

Still with the questions?

Just as he did not offer anything worth the granting of favours he neither had the position to be asking her questions; let alone personal ones. Of course to some asking ones name was hardly personal but if he hadn't noticed yet not a single soul amongst her own dared call her Anja, occasionally a foreign dignitary would call her "Miss Aj'Rou" as is a custom within much of the galaxy but that was really quite the limit. Besides the point knowing her name was not important to the function of their goal.

"I will not answer that question... Stop asking me questions in general." A hint of irritation came from that brief pause but not enough to eve be certain that he was annoying her more so than she was just impatient with the whole situation.

The path they walked lead through a rather and oddly straight hallway which opened up into a large room. At first glance it seemed to be some kind of lounge. Couches, chairs, tables, plants, and carpets littered the room but it was completely devoid of life other than themselves.

[member="Kiber Dorn"]

 

[Kiber Dorn]

Stop asking questions.

She really did feel like his mother. Albeit a scarier, possibly kinkier version. There could have been a lot of flashbacks there, to a childhood full of 'do this' and 'do that' with no room for questions. Whenever the inquisitive young boy dared to pose a query he was met by the great stone wall of 'stop asking questions and just do it, Kiber'.

Still, stop asking questions didn't mean stop talking.

Thankfully the room wasn't a dungeon or a fighting pit, giving the man a moment of temporary relief at the lack of chains in the air. Although what was the point in having so many seats without the arses to fill them?

He could have used a seat right there. Would have asked too if he wasn't sure that she would have had him flogged for asking. So he avoided the subject.

“You've got some nice digs here….uh….ma'am. Real snazzy.”

---

[member="Anja Aj'Rou"]

 

[Boethiah]

Anja made her way to a somewhat long couch that clearly seated two people but rather than offering him a seat she laid with her elbow on the armrest and used her forearm to support her head as she lounged. It was a bit odd to see her relaxing in such a hedonistic way but for whatever reason it became apparently clear she was making a point.

"Did you know that the one who ordered the construction of this wing of the palace was murdered in this very room?" It was a rhetorical question, she didn't care if he knew or not because what mattered was not that fact but how she intended to followup on it.

Letting out a sigh, "Do you believe in universal justice, Kiber? What if he hadn't the selfish ambition to build more than he even needs, if this wing hadn't existed would he have been murdered at all?" This time she was expecting an answer. Universal justice -- the idea that eventually the wrongdoers get what comes to them naturally. Her purpose for asking the question may have seemed nonexistent but she wasn't known to be curious without a reason. There was purpose in what she asked.

[member="Kiber Dorn"]

 

[Kiber Dorn]

He might have sat down with her had she not sprawled out like a happy little kitten. It actually seemed strange to Kiber to see a woman like that lounge around as if she was relaxed, when in fact the woman seemed so starched otherwise.

Murder was the topic at hand, and it made him more than slightly uncomfortable given that only a few minutes ago he thought he was going to be slaughtered.

The query made him think of a grim tale he had been told by his father. The story of the brazen bantha. A torture device, a hollow bronze bantha with a door in one side, they would place the victim inside and light a fire below roasting the victim alive within. The neat feature was the acoustic device that made the screams sound like a braying bantha bull. Well, neat depending on who you asked.

When the inventor presented his grim machine to the Emperor the ruler was so disgusted that the first victim of the Brazen Bantha was the very man who invented it.

Universal justice? Or something else?

“It's the Force, innit?” he said, still gingerly rubbing where she had clobbered him in the gut, “Universal justice, karma, whatever you call it. We're all on rails, man, nobody is bigger than the Force, s'all predetermined. Dude-bro was always gonna build this wing and in this way, y'know?”

Thankfully universal life theories were big with good for nothing junkies.

---

[member="Anja Aj'Rou"]

 

[Boethiah]

The way he spoke was a bit of an annoyance. Was this how they talked on Coruscant? It wasn't so much how it sounded but how he carried himself when he did speak. He had an unusually oblivious nature about him, he seemed oddly comfortable with himself despite having just been hung by chains and suffered a serious beating. Perhaps he just didn't want to give her the satisfaction or maybe this was a defense mechanism to keep him alive.

Either way; such minor concerns were of little importance to the Host Lord and had nothing to do with her intentions. If she wanted to fix his speech she'd have to do that at a later date.


"I do not have some philosophy regarding the force. It's a tool to be used however I'd like to use it, I'm talking about a higher power -- an intelligent one."

[member="Kiber Dorn"]

 

[Kiber Dorn]

A source of frustration for many.

Kiber Dorn's speech mannerisms were one part adopted and two parts made up on the spot. Of course, being a posh boy from Lianna didn't really help with one's street credibility on the less than desirably streets. He could still remember the advice given to his twelve year old self during his first year in the Coruscant lower cities.

'Lose the accent, kid, or you'll be gizka gizzards.'

So he did, and that, as they say, was that. Of course, Anja didn't know this and he wasn't about to tell her that he was putting that casual-as-you-like dialect on.

Back on course to the topic, he quirked an eyebrow at the woman, being completely wrong about her chosen topic of conversation. Thankfully it seemed as if they weren't going to stray too far from the topic of glitbiters however.

“Y'mean like a God?”

Those expressive brows furrowed, mouth moving around as if he was swilling his contemplation around in his mouth.

“I can dig it, y'know but I'm not sure if I believe.”

---

[member="Anja Aj'Rou"]

 

[Boethiah]

Belief?

It was a funny concept, to believe in something. Yet at least he understood the concept of a God, it was something much of the galaxy seemed to rather do without -- religion. Yet Kiber did not say he couldn't believe in a God or greater being, just that he didn't believe in it right now.

"There's not just one God, there are many." She revealed a bit about her faith -- The Primeval's faith.

He seemed to be a bit fuzzy about the whole situation or maybe that was just the blunt force trauma from his earlier beating. Regardless it wasn't unexpected for foreigners to be suspicious towards this entire concept of deities and that The Primeval themselves sought out their home, their heaven, whatever paradise lied out there in the unknown to be called home to the Gods.

If ever they did find this place, they would do it together as one.

[member="Kiber Dorn"]

 

[Kiber Dorn]

Well, she sounded pretty sure of herself, but didn't most fanatics?

Kiber immediately regretted even thinking the word fanatic in her presence, just on the off-chance that the woman could read minds. Hey, you never know who can do what in this bantha-poodoo crazy galaxy.

“Many, huh?”

He was, as rightly thought a foreigner. He staggered through life hopping from planet-to-planet in search of sin, not culture and thus this left him at a disadvantage in this conversation. He was hardly going to say 'not interested' and stroll out of there with his organs in tact.

After all there were so many religions, so many cults, so many gods, how could one keep up.

“Y'gunna tell me about them?”

---

[member="Anja Aj'Rou"]

 

[Boethiah]

She doubted he'd even ask if he didn't want to know. He seemed like the kind of guy who'd shy away from what he didn't like just by changing the conversation. He was a weasel who got out of things however he could but he wasn't doing that now. So at the very least it meant he accepted his fate; for now.

"You honestly want to know?" She was mostly speaking out loud, rhetorically. Maybe she was still sizing him up or perhaps she was wondering how much she actually knew about them either. Surely it was a heck of a lot more than he could hope to remember.

There weren't scriptures like they had with most religions, there wasn't some church you attended once a week, and they lacked a sense of a strong moral compass... Most religions were about love, forgiveness, and fellowship. Unless there was a point they all missed -- The Primeval shared only the last of those traits; if you called unity fellowship.

Oh well, "there's a lot to consider when you ask that question. There are four heads; Sargon, Nogras, Balagoth, and Halrormalenth. Whether those are their actual names or just..."

She stopped right there and left it hanging.

[member="Kiber Dorn"]

 

[Kiber Dorn]

“I wouldn't ask if I didn't, ba-”

He managed to cut himself off before he called her babe. Kiber actually found that nobody reacted well to being called babe except people who were out of their faces on a heavy concoction of narcotics. Although given the beautiful rise he got out of the citizens of the galaxy with a single word, he opted to keep using it.

Not now, however.

Okay, four gods, the first gist had been received but then the Lady of Lounging suddenly decided to play the game of storytease right before his eyes. Cheeky bint. He might have given her a bit of lip if it wasn't likely that she would have cut his off.

“...go on, I wanna know. You're sellin' something, so lemme see if I wanna buy, eh?”

---

[member="Anja Aj'Rou"]

 

[Boethiah]

So he was interested, and that was a good thing. If he hadn't been her patience would be far shorter... Or worse; she'd force him to see the face of her Gods.

"Well, as you can imagine we don't speak to them... They speak through us, though. I have seen visions beyond your comprehension. I know who to keep alive and who should perish." She explained without much detail but if one could gather, it was that she was a prophet of some sort. She saw the truth in all things.

There were greater secrets out there for sure and finding out more about the Gods was her mission.

What specifically? Well that was for another time.

[member="Kiber Dorn"]

 

[Kiber Dorn]

Visions, he could dig it.

Word was his old resting-witch face of an Aunt had been the Eye of the Dark Lord, rocking prophecy and visions like they were double denim on a night on the toon. Although the mere thought of that steered his mind back to his parents.

You'll be in the service of the Dark Lord one day, Kiber.

So don't let us down.

Gwah. He openly shuddered in front of the woman, lost in his own train of thoughts for a moment before shifting things back onto track, more specifically her track, but a little bit of his track too.

“Know who to keep alive and who should perish, huh?” he said, parroting her last sentence there with a rather cheeky glint in those emerald eyes. The man leaned forward, bending over slightly as to be eye level with the imposing woman.

“What have they said about me?”

---

[member="Anja Aj'Rou"]