Chemical Equation

[Kuzo]

Coruscant​

Aqua District​

Sou Emergency Medical Center​

Continued from Chemical Reaction ​

Jai's was unconscious. The big man had gone down hard, and Raj was already certain that without intervention the small bleed in his brain would kill him without the man ever waking up. Of course, preventing that was child's play, especially with the equipment available in the upper labs at the S.E.M.C. Whether she intended to or not really all fell to just what they got out of the other one.

Strapped to a table, the second man was smaller. Lithe, built like the blade of a knife. Slender and dangerous and sharp in the right ways... unless someone was on the wrong end. Chiseled jaw was set in a line, determined and willful. Idly she wondered just how long that would last.

They were the last two alive from the dozen men that had come to infiltrate the mechanic's shop. Those bodies had been gathered, stripped, and settled in the industrial freezer Raj had recently installed in one of the room on the floor above. She hadn't been using the space anyway, and other than the detail of being dead, there wasn't anything wrong with them. She'd send them along to [member="Kalak the Raykkan"] when this was all over. He'd appreciate the whole as it were....

Since Irajah more often sent him only parts.

Off to the far side of the room, she was laying out a variety of tools and prepping several syringes. Jai stood behind her, arms around his waist and hands lightly on her abdomen but she was focused on the task at hand.

"I don't think you've ever watched me work before, love," she murmured softly as he nuzzled her neck.

She tilted her head, smiling slightly.

"I'm glad we didn't wait to talk about it," she continued, tapping on one of the syringes to force a small bubble to the tip before pushing it out. If she wanted to kill him, there were far better ways to do it, after all. "It would just make this difficult to focus on."

[member="Jairus Starvald"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Irajah Ven"]

It was with curiosity that Jairus watched her fingers deftly handling one piece of equipment after another.

There was a certain sense of pleasure of doing it- of seeing experience and knowledge come together in the perfect blend of execution. There was a rhythm to her movements, a keenness of hand that did not shake even once, because it had accomplished this very task over a hundred times, no, thousands upon thousands of times. If not in the physical then at the very least before her eyes as she practiced every single action from start to the eventual finish. Fascination, that was what Jai experienced as his lips brushed her neck, deepening the kiss as eyes followed along with the checking of the syringe. "Well, I figured it was only fair-" Arms pulled her closer for a brief moment and then let her go, fingers shifting from her side and her hips, a light slap, to hit everything home.

"After all, you have had the pleasure of watching me work many times now." He stepped away, but nodded as his approach finished by the side of the strapped hired mercenary. "Agreed, besides... it made for interesting conversation during the tedium."

Sharp angled, thin, smaller than the other and currently equally unconscious.

His was a more controlled sense of loss of awareness. Raja had been careful, meticulous, whereas Jai had enjoyed the hunt and chase... perhaps that was why he had played a bit with his meal, before finishing the run once and for all. It had been confidence that Raj would take care of their needs that caused him to overextend his strength. Make most of the situation and perhaps be a little bit too hard on the poor, poor heavy mercenary who was currently slowly bleeding out.

Strange end, that.

But maybe his fate was kinder by far than the one this one would experience.

"Where do we start?" It was comfortable to switch... positions and let her lead, especially after their first brush with switching. Equal to the fascination of watching her work, there was simple pleasure of sharing something with someone like her.

How strange.

Not in a million years would Jai have considered this a possibility for them.

 

[Kuzo]

There was time yet, to arrest the slow slide towards death of the first man. That was perhaps the point. Fixing the bleed now was simple and, frankly, boring. But once it got worse, with blood clotting and starting to starve different parts of his brain? That would be interesting enough to engage her attention again.

"First?"

She settled the tray onto a folding arm. Stepping away from the counter, she drew it with her. Anchored on the ceiling, the arm swung on silken servos, following her movements. She'd spared no expense in outfitting her lab here, pulling on silent connections to track down state of the art equipment. Some of them she had grown accustomed to working with [member="Matsu Xiangu"] on Maena. Some she had commissioned according to her own specifications. All white and chrome, it well lit, clinical and sterile. She was, first and above everything else, a doctor. Everything she did here in this space was for a purpose. Sometimes the pursuit of knowledge. Sometimes for the betterment of a patient. She was not a butcher, though it was a role she could step in to easily enough.

Pausing over the still form of the slender man, Irajah tilted her head slightly to the side.

"First we wake him. And see if he will tell us just who he and his friends are....."

She paused, looking over her shoulder at him with a smile. It was warm, genuine and just for him.

"And just what they thought to gain from their boldness."

[member="Jairus Starvald"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Irajah Ven"]

"Besides giving us some sport, I suppose." Jairus responded, answering her smile with his and then a nod. He was ready and a few moments later the mercenary came to again.

His eyes were wild for only a fraction of a second, before he got himself under control.

The shaking of the lids were gone, pupils shrunk once more, not even the twitch of the neck continued. It was impressive, the amount of discipline this one displayed while in the position he was. "I hope you slept well." Jai commented not too unkindly, before petting the merc on the shoulder. This did solicit a reply, a violent hisss and shake.

Trying to get away from his hand.

Hmm.

"Now, now, that's not any way to treat your host, is it?" Jaw was set firm and the mercenary declined to look at him or Raja. Instead opting to fixate his glance to a specific point on the ceiling. "You know, it doesn't have to be this way, we could all be friends here."

That got the thin man's attention. "Never. Your filth, both of you, touched by the Plague... kill me."

Jai glanced over to Raja, brow perked up, but he wasn't unhappy with the response. If anything it gave them things to work with. More than the man probably realized or he would have kept his mouth shut the entire time. Everything was a weapon now, every hint of information, every shred of stimuli, nothing could not be used against him.

 

[Kuzo]

"Great!" Came Irajah's cheerful reply.

She stepped up beside Jai, looking down at the man with a smile. It could have been pleasant. In face, taken out of context it certainly would have been.

"I find consent to be very important," she continued, tone still upbeat as she pulled the arm bearing her tools up next to her. He could see all of them in the brief moment his eyes flickered over and then back up again. Looking up at the ceiling, she called out, "Replay!"

"Never. You're filth, both of you, touched by the Plague... kill me."

The man's voice sounded again and she nodded with satisfaction.

"Resume recording. Of course, that leaves me with so much lee way," she murmured, turning those hazel eyes back down to him. Tilting her head in one direction than the other, she plucked the scalpel from the tray. But she didn't bring it to bear on him.

Instead she turned her back, calling out again.

"Project from bed two above bed one, please."

A holo of the still unconscious mercenary sprang to life as she started swiping a disinfectant in a circle around his eye.

"Your actual friend here of course.... he, I assume, would like to live. So while you two chat I'm going to arrange for that. Love, you'll make sure he watches, yes? How the 'filth' works on his friend? I think.... now, you must understand. Your friend has an intracranial hemorrhage- bleeding into his brain. The build up of fluids will eventually kill him. So I am going to relieve that. Its too far gone to treat through normal means, but that does not mean he is beyond saving. I could drill a small hole and allow the blood to slowly drain but.... I've done that so many times before! So I think.... this time.... I am going to see if I can ease the pressure by removing his eye without damaging the eye itself!"

"Wh-why would you do that?"

She blinked, looking over her shoulder at him.

"Because I've never done it before and I wonder if I can. Now, it is up to you, truly. You have until the time I finish saving your friend's life."

"Up to me? What are you talking about?"

Her smile faded.

"You've already told me I can kill you," she said softly, eyes gleaming slightly. "So all I wish to know is if you would rather I do it in an old familiar way....." she turned back toward his partner. Pressing the scalpel down, she started to make her incision.

"Or if I should try something new."

[member="Jairus Starvald"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Irajah Ven"]

Jairus watched on as Raja escalated the situation with faux-cheer and pleasant bed-manners. It was amusing to see, almost as amusing as the slight elevation of terror coming from their little friend strapped onto the table.

"Force, I love that woman." The Sith Lord shared softly with the mercenary in a confidential tone. As if he was relaying a secret between two companions with a drink and a cigar. "I will be sure he doesn't miss a thing, sweetheart." The reply came with the same light cheer and pleasantry. In some ways that inspired even more terror than to be straight and blunt and serious. It suggested a certain sense of mind, unhinged, mind broken under pressure and only pain allowing a respite of the chaos. There was nothing to be bargained with people such as that.

They weren't, of course, but the merc didn't know that.

"...insane, both of you! You think you can scare me?" Jairus just sighed, before shaking his head in a disappointed expression. "No, no, that isn't our aim, friend. We are simply giving you a choice, an option, an opportunity."

A shrug followed.

"You are already dead, but you can decide how you are going to go." Head jerked towards the unconscious look just as Raja started the first incision. The cut was clean and easy as it pierced the first layers of membranes.

"Painful or in peace. Choice is yours."

 

[Kuzo]

[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbPsIWto5PY[/media]​

She started to cut. Every motion she made, every slice through skin into muscle and sinew, was projected on the holo above the conscious mercenary's head. Irajah worked as a Doctor, not a butcher- an uncomventional method, yes, but she wasn't doing it to inflict pain, after all. Even though he was unconscious, she had still numbed the area before starting to work. Just in case, after all. This was professional curiosity. The fact that it also might traumatize the man watching, well.

That was a bonus.

Truly, Jai could have shredded his mind and extracted the information they needed piecemeal. But fitting it all back together would have been tedious, and certain nuance could be lost. No, it would be better if he explained it. And if the answer was unsatisfying, or they thought he knew more than even he himself was aware of?

Well then, it would be her turn to watch him work.

Flesh parted neatly beneath the blade. Peeling back skin, pale and stark against the raw meat beneath.

"These are the extraocular muscles," she explained calmly. "There are seven total- six that control the movements of the eye itself, and one that controls eyelid elevation." She spoke as though she were talking to medical students. Clipped, precise, neither motion nor words wasted, not to someone who cared. But for those unfamiliar, it could be unnerving. With a flick of her finger, she increased the magnification on the screen above him.

"Medical rectus. Superior rectus." As she spoke, she indicated each with the tip of the scalpel.

"No, don't close your eyes, this is important," she heard Jai's voice behind her.

She smiled slightly, appreciatively.

"Latereal rectus. Superior Oblique. Inferior oblique. Ciliary. And the levator palpebrae superioris of course, but I'll leave that one alone or he'll never be able to blink on this side again and wouldn't that be uncomfortable?"

She pressed in one spot, and his eyes flicked to the left quickly. Staring up at the screen, even though he was unconscious it was like he was watching the other man.

"The Vestibulo–ocular reflex controls involuntary movement like that. He doesn't have to be awake, it's purely instinctive. Even like this, activate the right spot on the muscle and it will trigger it. To protect the eye."

Delicately, she parted the muscle from the ocular cavity, a faint, wet noise sounding as she did.

"These muscles are fed by the ophthalmic artery, which I will be careful not to sever until I am done. I think I'll replace it with something better. Or at least more interesting. What do you think Jai? He has lovely eyes, really so perhaps not."

Honestly, she was surprised that the slender man made it as long as he did before growing pale and green.

[member="Jairus Starvald"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Irajah Ven"]

Every once in a while the Sith Lord sneaked a look at the display to watch Raja's handiwork.

Not often, because most of his attention was centered around monitoring the expression of the thug and making sure that he paid crucial attention. Still enough to feel fascination and pride. Not pride at her expertise, she had always been the Doctor, after all. But at the ruthlessness. Far removed from the days that she'd send him a message, wondering if she should continue with the experiments that could potentially take the life of an innocent girl.

Far, far removed.

And it almost made him purr to watch and observe.

Jairus knew it was coming, before it had even entered the thug's mind. It was the nervous pull of his neck muscles, the attempt to gulp down the bile starting to rise once more, it was in the split-second that his eyes fluttered close to try and summon courage.

Before failing.

"I... I could." Lips licked, wet, dry parched parchment softened and he pushed forward. "I could join you. I- I know things. But I'd need protection....... please?"

Please.

Raja continued her cut- not out of cruelty, but simply because leaving it unfinished would cause more damage than to complete the cut and end it there. Then the sharp edge was put away.

"Mmmm, you already chose death." Jai pointed out patiently. "Why should we allow you to go back on your word. Friends should strive to keep each other honest, no?"

 

[Kuzo]

Carefully she misted the area with a gel that would retain moisture and protect the exposed tissue- a useful tool for necessary pauses in surgery. Turning back toward the other pair she stepped over lightly. There was blood on her finger tips- not much, but just enough that when she waggled them at Jairus the man would see.

"Dear, you know that consent can be revoked with a word," she chided softly. "All he has to do is ask, and of course we will do no such thing."

She paused, smiling down at him. But this time there was a certain bite to it.

"That is, assuming of course, we are all friends here. Friends, guests, as it were, get consideration. Respect of their boundaries. An enemy, however....." she trailed of, glancing at the tray full of small tools.

"Well, I do not respect the wishes of people who come into our house. You understand of course, why I might be hesitant to extend that benefit of respect to simply anyone who waltzed through our doors with a smile and a blaster."

"So!" She clapped her hands together, finger tips making an odd smecking noise as the slowly drying blood met across the other side.

"I suppose it is up to Jairus to decide if you are our friend or not." Her tone had gone flat, hazel eyes sharp. "Because if it were up to me, well, I tend to be less forgiving than he is."

[member="Jairus Starvald"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Irajah Ven"]

He mouthed something over to her over the head of the thin one.

Too occupied staring in horror at Raja to notice, but it would have been difficult to figure out what exactly he was saying anyway. Unless you were them and had been living together for the past few months. Might have been I love you or I am gonna kark you or You are killing this or Wait, did we remember to turn off the heater back at the apartment?

Either way the moment was over as soon as it began and Jai's game-face was on just as the thug looked at him.

Hope gleamed, face still green and white and pale and sweaty, it was clear that this one hadn't been expecting quite the welcome that they had prepared for them. He probably would have sung a different song from the beginning, if he had.

"Difficult, difficult..." The hope was already dying at the lack of an immediate voice of support. "I do not enjoy it when mine are being shot at, you understand."

"I-I am s-sorry! It was a job, we didn't- I am sorry."

His eyes kept darting back to Raja and Jairus patted him softly on the shoulder. "Don't worry. It's okay. I will protect you from Raja, I promise. She is a sweetheart, truly, good soul and heart. As long as you are our friend, of course." The nodding resumed, fervently this time. The terror experienced almost too much for one man to properly handle. It surprised Jairus that he hadn't peed himself yet. What with the amount his blood pressure was seemingly rising. The sweat trickling from brows and the shakes in the hand.

"I promise! I swear, I will never turn against you."

Jai hummed at that, exchanging glances with Raja. "Sounds good to me, love, how about you?"

 

[Kuzo]

Raj caught his eye over the man's head and winked when his attention was on Jai again, a slow, lazy smile flickering over her lips as she watched him.

"Hmm. Just a job? Are you sure about that? THat's not what it sounded like.... replay."

"Never. You're filth, both of you, touched by the Plague... kill me."

His face paled a touch further, looking up at her. Irajah didn't gain anything from the raw fear in his eyes, but it was useful.

"I don't know love. That sounded like a believer ​to me."

Her hand trailed down his arm, fingers pausing on the back of his hand.

"Metacarpals," she murmured softly. "Phalanx. Phalanges." She traced down his fingers, ticking off the names of the bones absently. "Did you know that the metacarpals are the most delicate bones in your hand? You would be surprise just how. Little. Pressure. It takes..."

She didn't even have to press down.

"P-please," he sobbed. "I'll tell you everything. Please.... j-just make her stop."

Irajah smiled up at Jai.

"I'm willing to see," she said, her tone gracious and patient. "If he can prove that he is, indeed, our friend."

[member="Jairus Starvald"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Irajah Ven"]

"See? I told you she was understanding and kind, when you deserve it." Jairus filled the immediate void left by her last word. Not allowing the thug to think, to regain his balance or anything else. He patted him on his shoulder again with a kind expression that suggested he was here for him. That no matter what would happen that the man had at least one sympathetic ear.

All that the pale thug needed to do was earn his protection.

"M-most kind, yes. Yes!" He quickly responded before licking his lips again. Cracked, tight and dry, but the bile had been pushed away for now. "We... we are old, okay? Formed during the Plague." Eyes darted from the first figure to the next. "Most brilliant minds of a generation, all untouched. All working towards one common goal."

Jai didn't even have to ask, just tighten the curl around his shoulder a touch.

"Make sure civilisation recovers! B-but--" eyes settled on Jairus now. Hopeful, panicked. "You will protect me, won't you? they... they will do horrible things to me, if they find out I-"

Tongue clicked and Jairus smiled down.

"Look around you.. friend. Your ancient family is not around. We are. You really should not worry so much about what might be... rather what can be right now."

Gulped down.

Eyes closed for a moment, before he nodded once quickly. "They found that the Plague hit the untouched ones hardest." Maybe he realized that his jargon wasn't doing much to help them understand what he was raving on about. "Non sensitives. Those who cannot touch the force. Their population was decimated, b-but forcers? They grew! They dominate!"

Jairus was beginning to get the picture here. He glanced over to Raja, who also nodded. It wasn't difficult to get an image here now.

"So, they want to kill all the touched and make sure the untouched regain their power in the Galaxy."

 

[Kuzo]

It was fairly straight forward, she decided, mulling over it. She understood the bigotry. It had been a view point she'd carried for some time herself. She'd learned, changed her mind as she'd met more Force Users, expanded her experiences. Even knowing she was a sensitive, for the longest time she had hated it, denying it or any desire to be more. But once she'd set foot on that path?

She'd never looked back.

Her eyes met Jai's. It wasn't possible to over state the roll he had played in that. Yes there had been others, and she knew what he'd have to say about it.

You were always glorious. I just gave you some of the tools you needed so everyone else could see it as well.....

You were always more, Raj.

She smiled, small, a little wistful for a moment. If it meant not ending up here, now, with him?

There was not a thing about any of it that she would have changed.

Returning her focus to the task at hand, she let Jai ask the questions, the man having less trouble talking to him (though he kept glancing as her occasionally, and if she thought his attention was flagging her fingers would dance across his, or she would fiddle with the tools on the tray).

Where. Who.

Unfortunately, the man could answer little enough of that. Their meeting location changed frequently, but they had the information now for the last, at least. Who? Need to know, but there were rich and powerful beings funding them.

How and how extensive?

They had discovered Jai through his work.... no surprise there. They had not expected Irajah. Had been entirely unaware of her existence. While she did not like that they knew of him, there was some satisfaction that her own operation was, thus far, not compromised. But she would have to be more careful and Jai would need to rethink his own plans and methods.

When it was clear that he had nothing more to give, Jai leaned back. They shared a glance and more across the man's prone form. She didn't even need to nod for him to smile.

"Good. Thank you for that," she murmured, slowly pushing the tray away to clear relief in the man's eyes.

"I answered every question, told you everything-"

"Yes, I believe you. But still. There is one issue. Of the information lurking in your brain, in your subconscious, details that you cannot remember, especially under such stress as this. But that's alright. We'll take a peek and see just what-"

He jerked against his bonds, eyes wide and wild and looking frantically over at Jairus.

"You promised!"

Irajah laughed, genuine and light.

"Oh darling. He promised to protect you from me." She smiled up at Jai, as if the other man didn't even exist. Leaning in, she reached out to hook his shirt with her finger and pull him in for a kiss. Long and deep and when they parted, only then did she look back down at the man.

"But I never promised to protect you from him."

[member="Jairus Starvald"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Irajah Ven"]

"Mmm, is good." Jai murmured against her lips before the kiss broke away. Even then his attention lingered there for the briefest of moments - some habits died hard and this was certainly one of them. But there was duty to be done as the thin and pale trashed in his bindings. Screaming that it wasn't fair, that they had lied, little, little nothings that truly had no point to them. They gave him the idea that he had a hand in his fate. That even if he couldn't stop any of it... that he had at least tried, yes? It was a common sentiment and Jairus understood it intimately. They often fought to their last breath. It was for those targets that Jai had the most respect, they were also the most interesting of jobs.

Those that simply bowed down and begged on the other hand?

They were weak.

"There, there, you already proved you are a friend to us!" Jai interjected the slow flush of whining. "I am a master of my trade. You have nothing to be afraid of, truly. I have a remarkable talent to coax out the... stubborn."

That last part pulled his attention to Raja, eyes brushing and exploring without shame for a brief moment, before grinning. His fingers already settled themselves against the bridge of the man's nose, brow and temple for immediate contact. His other hand reached out to Raja, letting small hand rest in the palm before fingers curled around her. Eyes closed and Jairus zoned out. The cries and sobbing and trashing faded into the background noise of the moment.

Only his heartbeat.

Her heartbeat.

Her presence merging with his, before together they washed over the barrier maintaining the sanctums of the man's mind. Sturdy, well-made, this one had training to withstand the usual compulsion of a mentalist. But they had never been tested against him or her.

Much less together.

They brushed across the surface of the barrier and patiently inspected the fragile parts, the holes and shatters... every wall had its weak points. It was just the trick to find this one.

 

[Kuzo]

"We didn't lie," she murmured, tilting her head at him. "You simply didn't ask for appropriate clarification."

It was hard to keep accusing when they were correct.

She sunk into the flow with Jairus, the sobbing starting somewhere in the distance. While he was a master of his craft, and she was looking forward to watching him work- she was still learning the subtleties, the intricacies of the mind- he held back enough for her to run her own attention over the surface. They moved back and forth without hesitation or confusion. While it was the first time they had done something like this together, they frequently twined thoughts and minds, for everything from the mundane touch of familiarity to drawing down in full immersion. He could find an egress point. He didn't need her for it. But where he was an artist with the mind, Irajah's talents brought an ease to this moment. He would not have to break down the barriers with force, or find a secret back door. Instead, her fingers tip toed over the edges and valleys of his defenses, considering. She read it like the blind read braille, feeling, tracing. And then, with a smile he could feel against his mind, she *flicked*.

Shatterpoint. Finding that one moment, that one place. One could beat against a wall for years, tearing it down brick by bleeding brick. But the right resonance, the perfect *spot*..... and it would crumble with the removal of just. The right. Stone.

Flowing back, she followed him in, watching, following. He didn't need her here, but she stayed simply because she could. If there was anything more to find.... well. Jairus would draw it from the depths like a fish on a string.

[member="Jairus Starvald"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Irajah Ven"]

She would have felt his efforts freezing as attention shifted from exploring towards observation.

The keenness of his presence wrapping itself slowly, but surely around her. Almost as if it was the Sith Lord's arms wrapping itself around her waist, head resting on her shoulder as he watched her work and wanting simple proximity mixed with watching a master work her trade. Hmmmm. The hum came, satisfaction, pleasure at seeing the thug's fortifications collapse under the well-aimed tick of Raja. She would feel the purr almost against the skin of her essence, running up and down, before the unwrap came and they poured into the living conscience of the man. Somewhere in the distance there was trashing, arms and legs and body and head twisting and turning, trying to find a way out of this situation.

Desmond.

His name was.

Jairus knew that now as good as he knew the taste of Desmond's first wife's kiss and the touch of her hand on his neck during those late-nights. Taken away. Killed by a Jedi- not on purpose, but there was little to do when her vacation to Ahto City turned into an invasion. And a Jedi unleashed a tornado, unwilling to be slow and patient and focused, there the soft decline into the bitter had started. But it was merely the catalyst for true change, not the first act that caused him to craft those beliefs in the first place or the last act that solidified it for him.

If ethereal spirits could exchange a look, surely Raja and Jai would have done so.

Instead there was just deep-seated understanding flowing between them.

They pushed deeper. Away from the frontlines that spoke of grievances bitter and bold, towards the memories that Desmond would not consciously remember. The hints; the smell, the sounds, the little things he would have missed because humans always filtered out the minutiae of the day. It would turn them insane otherwise.

 

[Kuzo]

Irajah and Jairus sifted through his mind like children letting sand fall through their fingers. It would have been worth it, just for the sensation of it, but this sand contained glistening shells and tiny gems, and they passed them back and forth, working to fit them together in a pattern that would make sense when observed whole cloth.

Unfortunately, neither of them had ever been to the spot that they pieced together in his mind, and the obfuscation offered by the people who had brought him there made backtracking from his home impossible. But they compared and filed it away, taking note, in particular, of the voices. The men and women who worked with him, gave him his orders, the information about Jairus and the machine shop. One voice in particular- only a handful of words from the background, almost drown out and missing context.

By the time they were done, it was a frustratingly small pile of information. A place, certainly on Coruscant, but no where familiar. Voices, a handful of faces but the feeling that they were lacking one that might allow the pieces to fit properly together, lead them further. It irked. By the end, the last shards to knowledge drawn out by Jai with a finesse and mastery she could not help but admire, Irajah withdrew her mind.

The man, Desmond, was still conscious. Sort of. He shivered, overwhelmed and whimpering- he'd experienced everything they had examined, pulling up the unpleasant, the pain, the hurt- a million details that cut like knives dredged up from his subconscious.

She looked down at him, thoughtfully for a moment before leaning over to whisper in Jai's ear. She could have simply touched that shared connection, and often times did, but Irajah had always appreciated the visceral sensation of the physical, and sometimes merely for the enjoyment of it, preferred her lips against his ear.

[member="Jairus Starvald"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Irajah Ven"]

Head tilted a touch as Jairus listened to her request.

It wasn't his usual modus operandi, truthfully. He preferred minions that were followers by their own complete choice- not fear, no coercion and no messing around with their minds to get them to break and follow. But the Sith Lord supposed that had always made his pool of... recruits small. Sometimes you simply needed to break a few eggs, if you wanted to make a good omelette deluxe au fromage.

"Of course, darling." Jai answered out loud, which caused Desmond to suddenly shake loose from his mania. Eyes wide, he tried to look up, to get them into picture and see what they were up to.

"N-no more, please, please, you have everything, I have nothing more to give."

It was a raspy chuckle that met him in his pleas, large hand patting the shoulder. There was blood there, spit and saliva from the mania, but Jairus had seen worse in his time... so much worse. "You shouldn't say that, Desmond friend, to a pair of us? That sounds like a challenge. Does it not, dear?" Her own little chuckle caressed his and all Raja did was hum in acknowledgement.

"No-no, pleas-"

Jairus gripped tight and his presence surrounded the thug's mind again.

The screaming came next as the Sith Lord burned through every part of... resistance and sensation of rebellion Desmond might have when it came to that. In its place there would only be fierce loyalty to his new... masters.

"Hmm, the other one too, love?" He mumbled softly while he worked, his arm wrapping around her waist as she leaned against him.

 

[Kuzo]

Cheek rested on his shoulder, her eyes watching Desmond's face- her mind coiled around Jairus's, as his had done before, and she watched with appreciation and interest. As efficiently and ruthlessly as she would slice out something cancerous, he worked with the man's mental limitations. He treated those undesirable thoughts and memories as an infection, his mind the knife, heated until it glowed a cherry red over the flame. It would be raw- for weeks, Desmond would turn to a flash of pain, a mental anguish that had no basis. Phantom memories, phantom pain. But he would get used to it eventually. While a willing hand was better, Irajah understood the necessity- and this was better than other methods. He could be content in his servitude at least- a feeling that something was missing yes, but never quite knowing what that was.

"Mmm, probably for the best love," she murmured. Pushing up on her toes, she brushed her lips against the curve of his throat.

"I thought I could put some of the new cybernetics in to that one. Would you like that?"

Like she was offering him a gift, instead of offering to mutilate a man simply to make him more useful. But in for a credit, in for a pound. It was certainly no worse than what they had already done to the now unconscious Desmond.

[member="Jairus Starvald"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Irajah Ven"]

He hummed softly in content at her soft brush, only tilting his head to her for a light nuzzle.

Before returning to the work ahead.

All in all it took less than a minute even if for Desmond time would have stretched to eternity. One memory burning out after another, until all that was left were the moving parts that Jairus and Irajah could find a true use for in their endeavors. What use had a woman? Or a child? Or two brothers? A sick mother? A grave marked by a father? None, none whatsoever. If Jairus had been looking for a partner, he would have allowed those parts to remain, simply making their importance fade a bit for true loyalty.

But Desmond would be a tool.

A sharp surgical knife ready for incision at a moment's notice. There was no time nor room for family or friends or nostalgia. "Mmm, I would like that, yes." A soft chuckle, chiming with amusement, followed soon after that admission. "I might have been a touch too rough with him."

He shrugged and pulled her tighter against him as Desmond slumped into oblivion. Leaving them both alone for the moment.

Deep kiss followed as he leaned down for lips to lock against lips. There was a certain sense of hunger there, not easily restrained, but tied for the moment. A promise, then. That once this was over and their... play had been completed with these two? That they would retire for the night and find other avenues for his hunger. They walked on over easily to the second one. Still heavily unconscious, but Jairus leaned it slowly regardless, studying the cuts and incisions made by Raja.

"It was a pleasure watching you work, Raj. Might decide to observe more often." A grin followed as finger tips once again found pressure points, but this time in the second thug's face.