Private Clash of Swords

[Dimitri Voltura]

TAG: Eenia Vahn

She agreed easier than he expected.

It was quite the relief. She had started lowering her blocks against him. His true teachings could now begin in full swing. He had realised it would be a great undertaking to win her trust. At least he was chipping away at the wall she had built around her and her abilities.

He smiled at her asking which places were off limits for her while she was here. Even through the darkness she had faced, she was still so pure.
"My dear, my house is your house. You can go wherever you please. Both the observatory and the library especially, are yours to enjoy whenever you want." he told her as they walked through the halls, moonlight painting the usually whitewashed floors and walls a magical silver.

Walking through the vast house, he gave her little bits of information about some of the rooms they passed. As they neared the room he had prepared for her, he turned to her.
"Time is fluid here. You can sleep until you can't anymore. The kitchen usually sets out all manner of fruits and baked goods on the great veranda at about nine. You can have the morning to yourself if you prefer. I am here all day. If you need to find me, just ask Raul. He usually knows where I am at different times. But please, you can be at ease here. I sensed your hesitation earlier. You truly have nothing to fear here." he told her, his tone warm.

They reached the beautifully decorated doors to her rooms. He opened the door for her, but remained outside.
"Your affects have already been brought up here. Rest well, my dear." he said, bowing his head slightly before disappearing around a corner.

 

[Eenia Vahn]

TAG: Dimitri Voltura
Wearing: [xXx]


Time had indeed moved in a way Eenia had not expected. She had made sure to thank Dimitri for showing her to her stay-room, and then she had spent a good, long while going through it. Curiosity had her peeking into drawers and wardrobe, though she wasn't quite sure what she had expected to find. Perhaps it was simply the fact that Nia had never in her life spent time in such luxury. Passed through perhaps, but never been invited to stay. It was entrancing in it's own way, and far too easy to let her guard down - at least while by herself.

She had rested heavily, sleeping soundly for the first time in stars knew how long. When she had awoke, her things were still exactly as she had left them and there was no sign that anyone had been within the room but herself. Now, that's not to say that Nia suspected foul play, but it was a new place and she had a wandering imagination after all.

Once through her morning routine and dressed, the blonde left the confines of her stay-room and ventured instead to the halls. She had been informed that her Master was easy enough to hunt down if or when the need arose, but for the moment Eenia merely wandered. It had been dark after all when she trekked this path before, and now she wished to see. The scape was breathtaking, especially once she had come across a mostly open section where the waters were visible.

This is where the apprentice stopped, taking a moment to sigh out any lingering stresses as she simply took in the view. Admittedly Nia had no idea what she expected out of this arrangement. Previous dealings with those who touched the Dark had not ended well for her; yet here she was, pledged to and willing to be taught by another. But, perhaps that was the reasoning behind her decision. Jedi had failed her, they didn't not know how to help control that taintedness she now had. They knew how to push it away, bury it, but not control it. So perhaps that was what she was seeking here with Dimitri.

She was seeking balance, understanding of both natures. Maybe she had finally come across someone who could truly teach her.

 

[Dimitri Voltura]

TAG: Eenia Vahn

Nights were always dark.

The Sith Lord slept very little, if at all, because of his nature, and as a result, there was ample time for the ghosts of the past to pay him a visit. The spectral faces took turns to appear to him. Some of these faces plagued his guilt more than others, so he was always glad when the dawn breached and the specters dissipated.

The sigh of relief this morning was no different than any other. He had spent most of the night between the Voxyn enclosures, so he made his way back to the manor, soaked from the dew. As he approached the lower veranda, he noticed a white clad figure in the windows of the walkway above the waterfall.

He almost groaned, fearing another specter, but luckily he realised that it was Eenia. His frown was replaced with a relieved smile as he headed inside and made his way upstairs to the walkway. On the way, he walked into Raul, who greeted him with a towel and a good morning.

As he finally approached his newest student, he was still trying to dry his hair.
"Good morning, my dear. I trust you slept well?" he greeted her. It felt strange to have another breath in the house that did not belong to his staff.

 

[Eenia Vahn]

TAG: Dimitri Voltura


There had not been any given moment where Eenia had thought she would be staying here, on these grounds, for any longer than her lessons allowed. She had expected to show up, do training, and go home. Simple and to the point, and understandable all things considered. And yet she had not been overly surprised to be invited to stay. Shocked, a little confused, but not made to feel uncomfortable about it either. And that was the part Nia was still trying to wrap her head around.

She felt so comfortable here...Not like a visitor on vacation, or a tourist of some kind. No, the blonde felt as if she belonged here, and it was the strangest sensation. She hadn't felt as if she had truly belonged anywhere since she had originally left Denon to go and be trained with the Silvers those handful of years ago. And yet here...she had slept so soundly, she had not felt uncomfortable or out of place at any given moment since her arrival. It was most certainly a nice change of pace.

Her senses were also more open here, so she had felt the arrival of her new Master before he had even spoken up to her. And still she smiled, "Good morning," she greet him in return, and even shifted herself so that she was half turned to face him. "Surprisingly, I slept great. First time in a long time, actually." Not that she needed to elaborate on that, not unless she was asked of course. Her gaze did sweep over him curiously, though her smile did not wane in the least. "You look like you've already been seriously active this morning. I feel like a serious underachiever at the moment..."

Did that mean she needed to start getting up earlier and get a workout routine going? Perhaps...Little did Nia know that Dimitri had been up for less than studious reasons.

 

[Dimitri Voltura]

TAG: Eenia Vahn

A chuckle escaped his lips at her words.

And then it struck that she did not yet know what he was. Indecision quietly crept into his mind. Should he tell her? They have not known each other very long. He did not want to bring fear into her currently content being. So he decided against it for now. All of this, however, did not show on his face. Instead, he smiled at her.
"Not at all, my dear. I sleep very little, so I tend to the many creatures in my care in the early hours of the morning." he answered. "If you wish, I shall introduce you to some of them after breakfast." he then offered.

Mostly, he wanted to see how she connected with the Force Sensitive creatures in his care. She may not come across as a beastmaster, but she remains Force Sensitive. In that instance, he had decided on the lesson of the day - controlling hostile creatures.

Raul appeared down the corridor.
"My lord, breakfast has been laid out on the patio. At your leisure." he announced with a bow.
Dimitri nodded with a smile before turning back to Eenia. "The breakfast chefs always outdo themselves in the mornings. I often wonder when the rest of the Galaxy will run out of fruit and biscuits." he said with a chuckle.

He then stepped aside and swept an arm to the downstairs.
"Please, my dear, make yourself at home. I shall join you shortly. I merely wish to change into something dry." he said, motioning at his wet attire with a bashful smile.

 

[Eenia Vahn]

TAG: Dimitri Voltura


Most people probably would have given pause and asked why he did not sleep very much, but Eenia? That was something she understood all too well. There had been a period of time where she didn't sleep, not unless her body shut down on her and forced her to sleep. Dreams had plagued her, memories had haunted her, and sleep was not a place that she could stand being. So she had done everything in her power to remain as awake as possible at all times. So, she didn't question Dimitri about it. Nia had learned some time ago that personal things were best left alone sometimes.

Besides, he talked about breakfast...and introducing her to new creatures!

"That sounds good to me," she assured him with a nod. Little did she know there was a lesson to come out of it, but right now? Putting something into her stomach and then go and see some of these creatures he had roaming about? Yes, she was all for that idea. And sooner rather than later, breakfast was announced to boot.

Nia's stomach growled in approval, and the blonde lowered a hand to press against it as if it would help muffle the noise - not that it had been overly loud, of course. "Well, that's unfortunate for the rest of the galaxy, because I like fruit, and that just means more for me." she stated with playful arrogance. But that expression melted into a smile, and when he swept his arm out, Nia nodded and stepped past him.

"Alright," she made her way towards the stairs, "But I make no promises that there will be any fruit left for you by the time you show up." she playfully warned him over her shoulder, then focused forward so that she could make her way to breakfast. Of course she couldn't eat it all by herself - especially once she had arrived to the little set up and witnessed just how much fruit there actually was laid out for herself and Dimitri - but that certainly wasn't going to keep her from being playful about it.

Even as she was seated and informed that she could help herself, she was hyper aware of just how much like herself she felt again...it was a nice and welcome change.

 

[Dimitri Voltura]

TAG: Eenia Vahn

Dimitri chuckled as Eenia disappeared down the hallway with her teasing.

It was good to have smiles and laughter in his home. He can't remember if he ever had it to begin with. His was a very dark and troubled past. He could not even remember where he originally came from anymore. It had been too long. Too much turmoil in between.

Too many ghosts.

He let out a sigh as he changed into some dry clothes. Centuries worth of secrets. That won't sit well with a Lightsider. The last thing he wanted, was to taint that more than it already was.

As he straightened his garb, he gave another sigh, before heading back downstairs. Emerging on the patio, he chuckled at the spread on the table and Eenia's wide eyes.
"I did warn you." he laughed, sitting down and poured himself a glass of juice. "So, my dear, what exposure do you have to Galactic creatures?" he asked her as they supped.

After they had finished, Dimitri got up and motioned for her to follow him. Savante also fell into step next to them for the morning stroll. The Obsidian Lord then led the way to the enclosures a little ways away from the manor.

 

[Eenia Vahn]

TAG: Dimitri Voltura


Once she was joined again, Eenia had half shifted to give Dimitri that admittedly still wide eyed gaze. "You did!" she agreed to his words of warning with a nod. "But I still wasn't prepared for this." she shifted back in her seat so that she could gesture to the spread that had been laid out for just the two of them. It was most certainly a lot of food, and the blonde hadn't known where to start right out of the gate. But, she had gathered things here and there and was pleased with her selection now.

There was a delicateness to the way she ate, but it wasn't dainty or picky by any means. It was just simply the way Nia was; she had always appeared delicate and fragile, soft and kind. Though she had proved in an instant that all of that could so very easily be gone in a flash. Emotions had not always been so easy to control, and she still admittedly struggled with it.

Luckily, she had better focus now. So when she was questioned about creatures, she hummed thoughtfully around a bite of fruit, and then shrugged a shoulder once her mouth was cleared. "Minimal," she answered. "I've seen different sorts of creatures here and there, but that is pretty much the extent of it."

With her portion of the meal done, Nia took the time to finish her juice, wipe her mouth on a napkin, and then stand when she was motioned to do so. She made her way alongside Dimitri, though once again her gaze was wandering as they walked. They seemed to be walking away from the manor, which didn't bother Nia all that much. It was merely the fact that everything around her was so open, with fresh air, and it was beautiful to boot. But her focus shifted as soon as the enclosures came into view.

"Alright," she loft a brow as they moved closer, "What did I get myself into this morning?"

 

[Dimitri Voltura]

TAG: Eenia Vahn

It was a good change of life.

For centuries, he had known nothing but war. Known nothing but Darkness. Had been nothing other than a pawn for various Sith. He had known it no other way. Battle. Betrayal. Murder. Desecration. Destruction.

Complete and utter bloodshed.

He had also known innumerable sources of the Light. Many have tried and failed to turn him from the path of carnage. In the end, it was the ghosts of the past that had driven him into hiding.

It was in this seclusion that he had run into his salvation.

Eenia had wandered into his life and immediately started changing it for the better. So the chuckle that escaped his throat at her words, was completely sincere.
"Don't want to ruin the surprise now." he merely said, giving her a secretive smile.

He led the way to particular enclosure and then turned to face Eenia.
"I'll allow you to pet some of the more docile ones later. But now? Have you dealt with Voxyn before?" he asked, motioning with his head to the enclosure of Vong creations behind him. It had taken him longer than his usual minute to make a connection with the vicious beasts. He was curious to see what Eenia would do when facing down a pack. They weren't exceptionally big, but they were dangerous nonetheless.

 

[Eenia Vahn]

TAG: Dimitri Voltura


There was of course a moment where Eenia considered her life choices here. She was being led away from the estate, off towards some surprise location. She could very easily be murdered on the spot, and would have only her wits and ties to the Force to defend herself. Granted, that was paranoid thinking, and most probably brought on by some old holofilm that the young woman had watched in the past.

As it stood right now, Dimitri had been nothing but kind to her. He had offered to teach her when he did not have to do so. There were a lot of things that Nia was just not good at - yet - and it took a lot of patience to work with her. She wasn't a hopeless case, and she was most certainly better off than she had been when she first started seeking someone to train her in combat. But there was still plenty of work to be done for sure. So to have anyone take up that mantle spoke volumes about their character.

She did not have to travel much farther or wait much longer for answers to her questioning anyhow. The enclosures were nicely kept, and curiosity led the blonde forward more than the man who had brought her here did. Nia stepped forward to the enclosure, and while she didn't immediately dive in and tempt fate, she did lean to get a better look.

"I haven't, no." the answer was easy, and truthful. There were not very many creatures that Eenia had dealt with. Seen yes, maybe encountered on some off world mission or another sure, but there had never been a point when she was face to face, or purposefully dealing with creatures of any variety. "I don't have experience with very many creatures at all. A couple of Wookies back on Kashyyyk, but even that wasn't a day to day occurrence. And you don't handle them like creatures..." Not that she had tried to do so, but it was a statement made regardless.

 

[Dimitri Voltura]

TAG: Eenia Vahn

Dimitri lifted his chin at her words, but smiled down at her.

"Well, today will be a very 'learn-on-the-job' kind of lesson. Best keep that Force you hold so dear, close." he told her. "I'll talk to you now, because the moment you step in there, there will be no time for lectures. Now, I do believe for someone as attuned to the Force as yourself, you have connected with another sentient being's Force before? Have spoken to it and touched it with your own?" he then asked her.

He realised that he was taking a great risk in throwing her into the enclosure with beasts such as the Voxyn. But she also had to learn, to not only fight these beasts, but control them. "This will not be much different, aside from the fact that these creatures were created to hunt Force Users in particular. It's in their make up to kill us. Now, I'm not throwing you in there for the fun of it. Even though these creatures were created to hunt us, it doesn't mean that you can't use them to your own benefit. Connecting with them can give you great boost whenever you are in battle against a great force. They can be good reinforcements, as they can strike fear in Force Users, not to mention mere soldiers. The only trick, my dear, is to connect with them before they end up killing you." he told her. Yet he sincerely hoped that it would never come to her seeing battle.

He then turned around and motioned for her to follow him to the great gate of the enclosure. He entered the pass code and it slid open to allow them entry into an ante-chamber before one enters the great enclosure. He rested his hand on the keypad to the other gate, but turned his head to look back at Eenia.
"Fear nor, my dear. I'll be right here and won't let them harm you." he told her.

He then opened the final gate and motioned Eenia inside. In an instant, he could feel the dynamic in the enclosure change. The pack of Voxyn had started moving from where they were resting near their burrow, and started flanking his new Apprentice. A cold spike ran up his spine as he saw the predators homing in on Eenia.

 

[Eenia Vahn]

TAG: Dimitri Voltura


There had been silence while Eenia had listened, and while this explanation had gone on, she had remained quiet. The intensity of her listening however, changed in the blink of an eye, and both her brows lofted as her eyes widened a hair. "Wait, what?" she piped up, and she had stared at the first of the gates that would allow them into the ante-chamber of the enclosure. "You want me to do what?" but really she did not need for him to repeat himself. She had heard him, plain as day. The idea of stepping in and dealing with creatures that wanted to kill her wasn't the problem. It should have been, but it wasn't. It was the idea of stepping into an enclosure full of creatures made specifically to hunt down and kill Force Users.

That...was daunting, to say the least.

And yet, Nia's brow pulled down into a crease and she stepped into the ante-chamber with a sigh through her nose. There was certainly a stiffness to the way she moved, but not so much out of fear of the situation. The last time she had faced down with a foe of any kind, it had been Nia herself who wanted her opponent dead. She had been the hunting creature, set on finding an errant Force User in order to take her out. How did that make Nia any different from the Voxen?

It was this thought that pushed her forward into the main chamber once the gate opened to allow her to do as such, not Dimitri's promise to keep her alive. She too felt the shift in the dynamic of the room, and yet it did not deter her any. The blonde continued to step forward until she no longer felt it necessary to do so, and her gaze slowly swept from one side of the flanking creatures to the other. Again she sighed through her nose, much more slowly this time, and her focus shifted back to one of the Voxen she had already looked over.

"There you are..." she murmured, more to herself than the creature. A pack leader? Did they have pack leaders? Eenia wasn't sure, but this particular creature was where Nia's focus had been pulled. There was a stronger energy, a more pronounced presence both physically and within the Force. And so she reached for that sensation, extending herself through the Force to do so gently, everything was always so gentle with Nia. She wanted to ask how she would know if she connected with one of these creatures, but she didn't need to. The answer was both obvious and unnecessary - she was still alive, still standing after all, an while flanked on either side the Voxen Nia had been focused on sat slowly.

Would that make a difference? She didn't know, but in that very moment none of them had leapt at her to rip her throat out yet, so it was hopefully a step in the right direction. For now.

 

[Dimitri Voltura]

TAG: Eenia Vahn

The Force swirled around the area.

Not only tempting the Voxyn to feed on it, but also tempting the dormant Dragon - the true Force predator within the enclosure.

For so long, Dimitri had hidden what he was from civilised society, hunting only in the shadows, feeding only on the most basic of life forces, plagued by his conscience after centuries of bloodshed. But with Eenia's complete focus on the Force, the great predator reared its ugly head once more.

The Obsidian Lord's focus on his new Apprentice slipped as he warred with himself, his face turning almost skeletal in the process. Stumbling back against the wall of the ante chamber, it took every bit of self control the Energy Vampire had not to launch into the enclosure like the apex hunter he was.

Luckily he felt the dynamic change once again within the enclosure. Eenia had a fragile hold on the Voxyn, but she had it, at least. If her timing had been any later, it might have turned out very differently for everyone. Breathing heavily, Dimitri was finally able to subdue his killing instinct. Having enough control over himself, he opened the gate, though sweat beaded on his forehead.
"I think that is enough for one day, my dear." he said, his voice slightly hoarse from the battle he had just fought. "You found the Alpha. I call that exceptional progress." he added, forcing a slight smile.

 

[Eenia Vahn]

TAG: Dimitri Voltura


There had been a moment where the signature of the Force around her had changed. She didn't feel it long, and she didn't try to pin point or focus on it, but it had been there. And yet Eenia had not taken her focus from the creatures around her that would assuredly rip her asunder if she shifted her attention elsewhere. Though once she heard the gate give way again, her attention shifted and she sighed in relief when Dimitri informed her that she had done more than enough life risking for the day.

Oh how little she knew the truth of those words.

"It doesn't like me," Nia pointed out to him, "But at least it didn't try and eat me." she paused once they were back within the ante chamber and her brow creased as she observed him for a moment. "You're sweating," she stated, and reached a hand up like she may brush the hair from his forehead, but didn't actually go through with the deed and instead retracted her fingers before she touched him. "I didn't realize there was such a serious concern for my well being..." Again, she had no real knowledge of how true those words were.

She had known the task he set out for her was a dangerous one, but to see her Master stood here now with sweat beaded on his forehead? Why in all the worlds would he risk such a thing? What had she gotten herself into?