Blind Rage (tag)

[Vorhi Alestrani]

[member="Feena Mason"]

Vorhi had been having a lousy month. His master forsook him. The council basically rebuked his naivete, and misunderstood him at every turn. Member of the council had left. Why? Because he refused to order the death of Daxton Bane.

Bane. Even the name left a sour note in his mind at this point. Nothing more than a sotting sith who had played him for a fool. Then, Archon Mason was shot in front of him. He wasn't strong enough, or wise enough. The blind master was as helpless as he appeared to be.

And so, Vorhi alleviated his stress the way most of the Brethren of Bonduki would. He was training. Well, if you could call "bludgeoning rocks into smaller rocks with your bare hands" a form of training. Which he could, because, well, he was nuts and angry. He sighed, not even hearing someone come in, but seeing them. "It's alright," he said with a slightly downcast tone. "You may enter."

 

[Feena]

Feena opened the door as softly as she could, but seeing the state her fellow Council member was in, turned to leave again. No need to intrude on him for something so... personal.

"It's alright, You may enter."
At his permission though, Feena smiled her best smile and went went to join him, watching from the sides.

"May I talk to you?" she asked after a moment. Normally, she would make light chit chat for a while, before leading up the the real reason she had wanted to talk, but with Master [member="Vorhi Alestrani"], she had enough respect for him to not waste his time and jump right to the point.

 

[Vorhi Alestrani]

Vorhi considered her words the way someone would consider a tiger walking into the room. In all honesty, it was....quaint. She could've exerted the authority in this at any time. It was her prerogative. Came with the goofy title and the funny robes.

He "looked" over at his boss with a nod. "You've got my attention, Lady [member="Feena Mason"]. What's on your mind?" He said calmly, pretty certain he knew where this was going. Still, it wouldn't have been sporting to preclude her. He nodded and smiled. "Out with it, then. Before the silence chokes us both, eh?"

 

[Feena]

Feena couldn't help but actually hesitate for a moment. She had expected him to be a little tense, but the feeling she was getting from him was... odd.

"I just wanted to take the time to personally thank you," she said, dipping into a shallow bow, "Not only for saving my life a few months back- and I am very sorry for not really getting the chance to say it properly- but also for sticking up for me when everyone else was too afraid to."

She knew he would know what she was referring to. That disaster of a meeting where the former Inquisitor took it upon himself to personally attack her and then threaten her. The entire thing had been unprofesional in the extreme, but what disturbed her most, was the relative silence from the rest of the council. She'd spent a little time thinking about it (only a little) and she still could not quite think what she had done to make the former Inquisitor so angry. Honestly, it hadn't truly bothered her at the time that much, after all, according to her medical records, she was a dying woman anyways. But now that she had a little time to think, she had to wonder how serious those threats had been. Nobody else seemed to be worried....

[member="Vorhi Alestrani"]

 

[Vorhi Alestrani]

Vorhi nodded with a weak smile. " You'revery welcome, Feena. I'm sure you would've done the same, had our positions been reversed. And as for Ket's...outburst," he said calmly, "someone had to take a stand. This isn't the Sith council's melodrama or the political nightmares of the Jedi. The CIS needs a body of Templars who can work in conjunction with the law, not above it," he said calmly.

He shrugged. "That having ben said, a point did stick in me from all of this. Are we really strong enough to protect others here?" He took a swing at the air, as if it would answer him. "What if the ghosts of the empire were to decide to strike at us? Or if the Jedi began another campaign, this time on our doors? Are we really capable of fighting for the sake of this galaxy." He "looked" up towards the ceiling noncommitally. He hoenstly didn't have either answer, and it was bothering him.

Hell, it was his own weakness as much as anyone else's he was questioning. Was he getting too old for this? Did he lack the strength of conviction he once took pride in?

[member="Feena Mason"]

 

[Feena]

"I'm sure you would've done the same, had our positions been reversed."

Feena didn't really have to think about it. She would have done the same for him. Honestly. It was just what she did. It did calm her some, but the next thing he said took that calm that she had just regained and threw it right out the window.

"If I am being honest, I don't think we could survive as we are if we keep going this way. I can't say that it's a lack of strength, really. I think it's more a lack of... purpose?"

The Archon shook her head doubtfully, folding her hands neatly in front of her.

"It is my job to be the 'moral guide' for the Confederacy, and yet when I attempt to do my job, I am told that I am making the Confederacy weak. It's a little frustrating, but maybe I am," she confessed, for the very first time in her life, "...Do you think I may be in the wrong line of work?"

It was a question she'd been wondering for a good while. Why should she spend her final months doing a thankless job? Keter himself said that nobody appreciated what she did, and she was starting to believe it. Celeste didn't even know her, and Felicity was starting to forget her face. Was it really worth it all?

[member="Vorhi Alestrani"]

 

[Vorhi Alestrani]

Vorhi nodded. "It is only natural to question oneself, after all," he said, calmly. "But motivation, that is a tough question. Do we do what we desire, or what we are compelled to do?" He rubbed his forehead. He was talking in riddles, both to himself and Feena, and it was obnoxious, even for him.

"Still, the very fact that we can question ourselves," he said with a slight, weak bit of cheer, "is a good sign. The turth, Feena, is that for all the trouble you can b at times, I've found that there is a certain hope within you. That hope is a strength to myself and others," he said with a laugh. "That, and the dental plan. We have a great dental plan." He laughed a bit more as he sat upon the floor, lying on his back like an old fool, or a young one. "Perhaps, it may not b us who finishes such great work. But it is worth celebrating that we've started it. So, Lady Mason, if you feel you've done enough, and wish to catch your breath, go to it. But do not walk away thinking you were anything but the right person for this task. You've done more for these worlds than most would know. Take it from a master of history--you've written more than a few chapters."

It was sentimental and sappy, even for him, but it was the truth. No one--not even he himself--had fought as much for the sanctity of sentient life and peace in quite the way Feena had. The CIS had much to do, to create a true, lasting peace. But ach person had their part to play.

 

[Feena]

Feena smiled. She really smiled. Not a fake, forced half smile. This was an honest and true smile.

"If you say so, then I am inclined to believe you," she replied, not yet moving to sit as well, "I worry often that when I'm gone, I won't have left anything behind. Equally, I worry that my replacement won't be able to carry on my duties after me."

She sighed and shook her head. She knew what she was going to need to ask him. Her diagnosis was hanging over her head. She had less than a year to finish her work and find a good replacement for Archon. At the very least, she could ask.

"When I die, the Council will need to vote on a replacement for me. I would feel better knowing that you would be in the running for this job."

[member="Vorhi Alestrani"]

 

[Vorhi Alestrani]

Vorhi considered her words. She was serious about leaving, then. That was understandable. He smiled weakly. "If I were to take on such a position--which I'm not certain on," he said, his usual political maneuvering at play here, "I'd have to make a few reconsiderations. I'm not some ancient sage of wisdom, contrary to popular belief. I'm just some wild blind fool with a knack for finding work that needs doing," he said with a weak laugh.

"What I can promise, though, is that even if I do not ascend to archon, whomever takes the post will end up with me as either an aide or a thorn--probably both, knowing my mercurial attitudes. That having been said, you're not the only person to offer me a different station within this council. We'll have to see what erupts," he said calmly.

He did have to wonder, though. What was it with him and falling into power lately? training, teaching, growing: So many entanglements. Was this the duty of a master? Was it the need of others that bourght him to these jobs, or was it his own desire to change things. He sighed and nodded to Feena. "I will," he said with a nod, "consider it. That having been said, if I am to consider such an offer, you must consider my advice, and actually take it easy for a change. Are we clear?" He said, a slightly challenging, but still cheery tone to his voice.

 

[Feena]

It was hardly the answer she had hoped for. She had expected a 'yes of course!' or a 'you honor me, Lady Archon'. Instead, the best she got was a promise to 'consider it'. Still, if that was the best she could hope for, then that was just the best she could hope for. She just had to make sure she tied up her loose ends before the end.
She was, of course, rather curious about what Vorhi meant by 'you're not the only person to offer me a different station within this council'. Who else? And what position?

"Oh, Keter's been on me about this already," she sighed, "'take it easy', he says, 'you'll work yourself to death.' He's right. I will. But maybe a little Me Time really isn't too much to ask for..."

[member="Vorhi Alestrani"]

 

[Vorhi Alestrani]

Vorhi smiled weakly. "The truth is, you're not the only one leaving. Ket, his wife, and a few leaving with him. I'll go where I'm needed, but with this exodus," he said calmly, "Many of us will be needed in different roles. We shall see what we shall see," He tapped his blindfold cheekily.

"That being said, I haven't the foggiest how we got here. So tell me: How have you been feeling? And would you like any tea?" He mused out loud, going back to that "wise, harmless sage" routine again. It was easier. And a bit less hard on the second sight.

[member="Feena Mason"]

 

[Feena]

Feena actually winced. He didn't get it still. She was trying to tell him what was happening to her without saying it, but he wasn't getting it. Not that she was surprised. After years to trying to understand how to say what she meant without saying it, she still was not very good at it.

"I knew Ket was leaving," she said with a nod, "After that horrid display, there was no way he could stay."

"So tell me: How have you been feeling? And would you like any tea?"

Time to be blunt, for once.
"Oh, I'm dying. Tea would be wonderful."

[member="Vorhi Alestrani"]

 

[Vorhi Alestrani]

Vorhi sighed. As if it were that simple. As if life were so simple. Nope, there always had to be another complication. "Yes, you really are. And I think Persimmon Tea is good for these kinds of things," he said softly. He was the expert at discerning truth. He had known she was sick. It'd been obvious. Hell, her crappy reaction time when she'd been shot was indicator enough. Whatever it was damaged her body--severely. He could see through concrete and durasteel, it wasn't hard to see through her attempts at covering up her poor health as of late.

"I...well, I was pretty certain," he said calmly. "That things were wrong. I didn't want to acknowledge the severity of it, though. Selfish, I know. Denying your death because of how badly I handled the last one," he said, admittedly, he hated it. The sheer stupidity of it all. He had political and military power, strength in the force, knowledge of the ancients and he still couldn't do a blasted thing. The joys of being truly weak and powerless. He sighed as he boiled the water and began throwing in the mixture. "You know, I probably should've just run a restaurant. Ah, well." He smiled again, more weakly this time.

"Well, dying or not, it's bad luck to travel without a good cup of tea and a full stomach. It is a tradition of Bonduki, after all," he said with a nod. The funny thing about having no eyes and a massive hat--no one could tell when you wanted to cry without hearing your voice.

 

[Feena]

Feena smiled, relief actually flooding through her. She was trying something new; honesty, with her family, friends, herself. It was so much less tiring that way. She felt happier than she had in a long time. Dying was a funny thing. When she was completely healthy, She was not a happy woman. Even on her wedding day she was stressed and exhausted. She was still exhausted, But the stress was gone. No. Now all she had was regrets. It want a nice feeling but it was better than feeling stressed out all the time.

"I'm glad you know. You see now why I didn't really react to kets death threat. When you're already dead, it doesn't do much to try to make you fear for your life."

She let out a small laugh. Of all the emotions she felt at the moment, sadness was not one of them. It was all so odd. She expected to cry.

"I want you to know that i am not leaving by choice. Don't worry though. I won't abandon my position. I'll be the Archon for as long as I'm useful."