Blood

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"Noting at all?" He asked bemused. He only snickered when she flicked his hand away. He had dealt with girls with similar attitudes when he trained under Krag. They were often acolytes in the Sith Academy--Acolytes he crushed under his boot to gain superiority. Still, a few had afforded his kindness, and that experience was paying off now. The patience the Jedi had taught him certainly didn't hurt.


"I'd like to think I know a lot actually. Not so much about you and your secret love, but a lot." He cracked a terrible smirk and poked her on the bridge of her nose; just to anger her further.

"I can prattle on all about the force if that'll make you less embarrassed. I've gotten very good at lectures." The look in his eye indicated that he meant it. "Mom might not notice, but I know someone caught in the throes of affection when I see them. It's fun, and it sucks, doesn't it?"

[member="Felicity Mason"]

 

[Felicity Mason]

Ah yes! A spark at last! She could feel the fire building in her again when he poked her nose.

"H-he's a stupid boy! And you're a stupid brother. And you probably know less about the force than you know about girls!"

She crossed her arms, feeling her face glow a bright scarlet. If he found out who it was that she was totally-not-crushing-on-ew-why-would-you-ever-think-that? then he might tell him. Owain probably knew already anyway, but she didn't want him to think she was... talking about him! How weird!

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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Ah, there it was. The blushing face. He folded his arms over his chest, and narrowed his eyes in mirth. "If I knew less about the force than I knew about girls, then I guarantee you I wouldn't have made it as a Jedi."

He paused for a moment, and leaned down closer to her height. "--and oh? So the mystery man does exist. Seems I've hit a nerve."

Then, he simply walked around her. He crossed a bit further into the room, and slid down onto the floor. He leaned his back against the wall, and set his arms on his knees. "I'll stop. I know how shoddy being teased can be." He conceded as he folded his arms back behind his head. "--and while I may not know much about women, I know more than enough about my own gender. If the guy is around your age, and he sticks around even with all the guards and the fancy titles...it isn't because he's being friendly."

[member="Felicity Mason"]

 

[Felicity Mason]

"So... you think he likes me? "
She sat back down at her desk, pulling her knees to her chest.
"But what if you're wrong? What if I screw it all up?"

And now here She was basically admitting to her feelings. What would her new brother think of her crush? He'd probably hate him. She couldn't blame him if he did. Owain was a family's worst nightmare. Mom hated him. She really hated him.

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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He tilted his head to the right. She wanted his advice? He must have been doing something right. With a sigh of relief, Graxin approached the desk, though he maintained a reasonable distance between them.

"I do." He assured. "It at least sounds like it, and we're all force sensitive in this family. Can't you sense it a bit when you're around him?" He lofted a brow.

"Regardless, it sounds like the boy does, and I think the feeling might be mutual." With that, he took a step forward and set a firm hand on her shoulder. "Even if he doesn't feel that way, its better to know, than to regret never pursuing it."







[member="Felicity Mason"]

 

[Felicity Mason]

Ugh. He was being nice again. What did he want? She shrugged his hand off her shoulder, holding her knees to her chest.

"If you say so," she answered, turning her head to hide her red cheeks, "But if that's so true, then how come you aren't with that girl you like? Better to not regret anything, right? People die all the time. Sometimes they die young."

That sounded darker than she intended it to sound. But it was true. She knew that first hand. Nearly dying did that to you. Gave you perspective. She knew better than to wait. Next time she say Owain, she was going to run away with him. Weather he liked it or not.

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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It was a fair question. "Mother would hate her." He said in an attempt to deflect the question.

After a moment's thought it became clear that wasn't going to work. He took a moment to think over his answer; he didn't want to tell her of his past life. That would likely shatter whatever thin bond he had forged with his younger sibling.

"Because I waited to long." He admitted. "I had the opportunity, but I placed my duties above her. I was younger, and foolish, and I hurt a lot of people in the process."

His shoulders slumped, and he visibly deflated. "Now she has a lovely life, and I can't let myself relax until I've finished that one last duty. It's a chain, and I hate it. You don't have anything like that to hold you back, I wouldn't think."

He folded his arms over his chest, and shook his head. "Don't make that mistake. Go and enjoy yourself, have fun while you're still young. Just don't get yourself hurt in the process."


[member="Felicity Mason"]

 

[Felicity Mason]

"I did bad things too," she admitted, shrugging her shoulders like it was nothing, "I'm... pretty sure I killed someone."

Pretty sure. The odds of her surviving were... slim at best. She did the math. If she did die, Felicity knew she was a direct cause of it. She reached up to run a finger along the jagged, pink edge of her ear. She could have died too. She should have stayed put and let herself be evacuated with the rest of them.
Should have, maybe. But then who would have stopped the lady in the vents? For once, she had trusted her instincts, and it may have been the reason the assassin never got to her Mother. She didn't feel bad for hurting her, in fact, she wished she had been able to hurt her more, but she wasn't a kid anymore. The invasion took that from her.

"But if I thought about that all the time, I'd get nowhere. The past belongs in the past. Think about it too much, and you screw up your future. Idiot."

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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Graxin wasn't too surprised. Everyone was killing each other this day and age. The galaxy was an extremely violent place, and murder was the galactic pass time. Still, the thought of such a young girl ending someone's life saddened him.

"It's not screwed yet." He assured. "We'll see what happens...relationships were never my strong suit. I was better at other things."

He moved down to sit on the floor. His legs crossed, and his hands came to rest on his kneecaps. He tilted his head back to look up at her, amber eyes filled with questions. "What's your plan anyway? Stay here and follow in mom's footsteps? Academy? Study the force?"

[member="Felicity Mason"]

 

[Felicity Mason]

Oh no. He was asking about her future. There was nothing more stressful than someone asking what you planned to do with your life. She wanted to scream. Instead, she settled for just cringing.

"I don't know. I'm only fifteen, dummy," she answered, voice heavy, "But I don't wanna stay here forever, that's for sure. Mom wants me to get into politics like her. Dad wants me to travel. Uncle Z wants me to take over his business. Uncle B wants... well, Uncle B mostly just wants to get drunk. As for what I want... That's a little more complicated."

The blonde shrugged, reaching to pick up her datapad. She didn't like talking about this.

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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Ah, the pressures of youth. He understood fully. The adults all wanted her to follow in their footsteps one way or another. Graxin's teachers had been much the same, and for a very long time, he had. Catching her disdain, he quickly changed topics.

"Just curious." He assured. He dug into his coat, and withdrew a small datachip. He tossed it over to her. "My comm information and...some other things. Force stuff, in case you ever get bored. If you want I can get you out of this damned palace for a few days after I return. Do whatever you like."

He turned about partway toward the door, and drew in a deep breath. He would have to murder his maker, and the thought terrified him. If she had any connection to the force, then for a moment, she might feel his fear, his anger, his guilt over the Sith Lord still drawing breath. "I have to take care of something on Utapau...I should be back in a few days, if I haven't bored you."

Unless Krag offs me.

[member="Felicity Mason"]

 

[Felicity Mason]

The girl blinked at her brother and wordlessly took the chip. He was leaving. To take care of something. She wasn't stupid. Mom told her some stuff. Well, okay, Felicity read her diary. Once. When she got to the diary entry about her and dads anniversary... well, she never tried reading it again. Ew.

"You're going to kill him, right?" she spoke up at last, setting the chip aside, "Well, if you do, take this. For luck."

She jumped out of her chair, crossed the room and pulled something from a little box hidden under her bed. The knife she had on her during the invasion. The one she used to save her own life. Uncle B gave it to her. Now she was giving it to him. Well, letting him borrow it.

"I want it back when you're done though," she said, holding the small blade out for him, "It's very important to me."


[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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Am I going to kill him?

It was a good question, and one that Graxin had no way of answering. Part of him still yearned to take Krag's place as the Dark Lord. It was what he had been raised to do, and he knew he had the potential. On the other hand, he knew such a path was wrong, and he knew of the corrupting aura of the Dark side. His family had been good to him, and so had the Jedi Order. He was torn.

That, however changed as she held out the small dagger. Graxin could not help but feel a bit of warmth at the gesture. His little sister genuinely cared for his well being. With a grateful nod, he took the small weapon, and set it securely in one of the pouches of his belt.

"I promise to return it." He said barely above a whisper. He made no attempt to answer the former question. He offered a small smile, and drew in a deep breath. "Thank you."

[member="Felicity Mason"]

 

[Felicity Mason]

The girl shrugged his thanks off.

"Don't thank me until you come back alive. Luck only gets you so far, ya know."

It was a grim thought, that he might just die there. But somehow, she had a feeling that she'd see him again, although, weather or not she would meet with the same young man that she was speaking with now, or if she would meet someone entirely new, well, that remained to be seen.

"When you come back... bring me a present, kay? Daddy always does when he goes somewhere, and so does Uncle Z. It's kinda tradition in the family. You wouldn't know that yet, of course, so that's why I'm telling you now. Presents. Bring back something for your family."

[member="Graxin Rade"]