Cursed and Buried

[Darth Osano]

[member="Athena Heron"]

The Acolyte rolled his red eyes. "Fine."

Maleagant walked through the archway she had previously been obstructing, though it was at a slow, meandering pace. Perhaps he was hoping to bore her into leaving. The hallways of the temple were rather spacious. There were several marks along the walls where paintings once had hung. Occasionally a frame still remained, but the material inside was often shredded beyond recognition. Interestingly enough, some statuettes had been carved directly from the stone that marked the walls in little alcoves.

How quaint.

He snorted derisively when she mentioned not seeing him around Sith Space. Of course she wouldn't have. "You're not supposed to." Maleagant paused briefly at one statuette and its accompanying alcove. It depicted some acolyte grappling with a Terentatek. Lovely craftsmanship. While it would have been better allocated to staying relevant, Lady Girawn had a happy talent for interior design. Unfortunately, this statuette in particular would have to wait until later. In the meantime, he answered her question after resuming his leisurely stroll.

"You wouldn't know him."

 

[Athena Heron]

[member="Maleagant"]

"Oh?" Those pink-lips puffed out a bit as he made his claim. She strolled next to Mal, easily matching his pace. They looked almost regal, taking their afternoon constitutional.

"Why do you make that assumption? Care to share a name?" Powdered-blue face cut sideways as she gave him a glance. "Or would you rather I dig into your mind to find my own answers?"

Was she joking or not? Hard to tell with that battering of long lashes.

 

[Darth Osano]

[member="Athena Heron"]

"I'd prefer you didn't." Maleagant commented coolly, giving Athena a sideways glare. Simpering harlot. "My master has instructed me to withhold particulars from strangers."

Another few feet down the hallway and they arrived at what once had been the library. Thanks to Athena's handmaidens, the shelves were picked clean, but Maleagant entered anyway. He began to walk down one of the aisles between shelves, inspecting the empty spaces as if he were looking for something. Or maybe he wasn't and was just trying to waste her time. The way he was staring so intently, one might have thought he was looking for something that he couldn't quite see.

With a hand he brushed some of the dust away on one shelf. Yes, it was dust. Just as he suspected. Still present even though Athena's servants had been running around in here, snatching everything they could get their delicate, manicured hands on. The investigation was coming along nicely. "How did you come by your handmaidens?"

 

[Athena Heron]

[member="Maleagant"]

"Strangers?" Tongue clicked twice against the roof of her mouth. "Strangers are hardly on a first name basis, my dear Mal." Keen-eyes watched him. He seemed to be buying time. Perhaps even wasting it.

Slender and tall form leaned against the far wall, not caring about the dust or dirt that might father on her dress. Arms crossed beneath her chest as she idly waited. "My handmaidens? So interested to have a harem all of your own?"

She smiled as she latched onto the darkside, brushing over his mind with a gentle-probe. He might not even feel it yet. It was hardly invasive. Yet.

 

[Darth Osano]

[member="Athena Heron"]

Why on earth she thought Maleagant, a Sith Acolyte of equivalent (if not greater) standing, would be so deadened to the Force that he would not detect someone's gentle prying was a mystery. Of course, in that immediate moment Maleagant was less concerned with mysteries and more concerned with being an angry, angry Sithling. He turned away from where he had been looking and fixed her with another angry glare. There was a lot of glaring going on today.

"If you do that again, we're going to have a problem."

Obviously they already had a problem. Maleagant did not want her to be there and she did want to be there. He was talking more about physical problems. Violent problems. There was only so far an envelope could be pushed without falling off the table entirely.

 

[Athena Heron]

[member="Maleagant"]

If she was bothered by his threat, she didn't show it. Instead, she glanced at her polished nails. They were a nice black. "Oh?" Dark-orbs drifted lazily back up to meet Mal's angry glare.

Was that the only facial expression he had? Well, that and sarcasm.

"Can you blame a girl for perusing?"

 

[Darth Osano]

[member="Athena Heron"]

"Yes. I can." What a stupid question. Maleagant decided to reiterate, because it seemed to him he hadn't been clear. "Don't do it again."

He vanished out of sight, further into the library's shelves. Eventually he ran into the back wall where there were two more alcoves carved into the stone, as well as another pair of statuettes sitting within them. One was of some Sith Sorcerer, gripping a staff in one hand with his arms opened wide, as if preparing to deploy some insidious spell. The other depicted an acolyte sitting cross-legged before a holocron, the pyramid of which was open. Maleagant considered both statues for a time before gripping the one of the sorcerer by the arms. He began to turn.

It took some force, but eventually the dust gave out and the statue turned freely. Maleagant rotated it to the right. There was a click. He repeated the process on the other statue, rotating it to the left until there was a second click. After that, nothing happened.

Maleagant dusted off his hands and made for the exit. "We're done in here."

 

[Athena Heron]

[member="Maleagant"]

"Are you always so dull," she mused and followed after him. She watched quietly as the statue clicked. Dark-brows lofted. He brushed past her with his little announcement.

Fingers came up to tuck dark strands of hair behind her ears as she hinged slightly at the waist to study the statues. Lower-pink lip pursed in thought. "What did you just do?"

She whispered though he may have already been out of earshot. Still, she didn't move. Or what had he NOT done?

 

[Darth Osano]

[member="Athena Heron"]

Maleagant only paused when he realized she was hovering around the statues. If she turned them any further in either direction it could have spelled disaster. This would have been easier if he had been here alone, but then again, why should anything be easy? Maleagant turned around, barely restraining an annoyed and impatient sigh. Since she wasn't looking, his eyes flicked up and down as he watched her standing there. Then he answered.

"Did you research this particular temple before coming here?" He asked. "Or do you just... Loot at random?"

 

[Athena Heron]

[member="Maleagant"]

"Of course I research," it was her turn to be impatient, or at least act like it. She turned, unaware of his roving gaze. Arms crossed beneath her chest.

"However. I always prefer primary sources." This time, her pair of coal-black eyes looked Mal slowly up and down. "Are you going to share anything willingly or must I use different methods?"

Arms dropped to her sides and she took a sauntering step forward. Then another. Like a predator's preamble before pouncing on prey.

 

[Darth Osano]

[member="Athena Heron"]

Maleagant watched her saunter forward, the corner of his mouth twitching in irritation. Did she even know how to ask for anything without making a veiled threat? The poor creature. Must have been raised in a barn or something. Maleagant could almost sympathize, considering the violent content of the latter half of his life. Almost. Right now it was less pitiable and more annoying. Maleagant folded his arms across his chest, raising an eyebrow at her as she drew closer.

"Have you ever asked for anything without threatening someone?"

 

[Athena Heron]

[member="Maleagant"]

Feathers ruffled slightly in her hair. Pink lips curved slightly upward. She paused in front of him.

"Why would you assume my methods mean threatening?" A blue-powdered finger would reach forward and lightly trail along his chest and curl into the fabric of his shirt, if allowed to get that far. She'd tug him closer.

"Now. Are you going to answer any of my questions?" She'd whisper in one warm breath.

 

[Darth Osano]

[member="Athena Heron"]

"You already threatened to... Do... That... Before..." Maleagant trailed off.

Suddenly Athena was all up in his business. Possibly his grill. Words failed, and suddenly Maleagant could feel her breath on his neck. Maleagant, under most circumstances, was no fool. He had dealt with his fair share of harlots, but this time around it was different.

Really, he knew what was going on here, this sort of blatant manipulation through base desires. The fact that she was being manipulative, manipulating him, somehow made the entire situation all the more attractive. So when he did eventually respond, his response was not any discernibly different from an actual fool. Who was a bigger idiot? The person who had no idea what was going on and fell for it? Or the person who knew what was going on and fell for it anyway? A question for all the ages.

Maleagant's arms gradually fell away from their guarded position across his chest, and he explained away. "If certain statues are turned in certain ways, a passage to Girawn's personal hoard opens somewhere in this temple."

Tactically, he left out the part about the undead that were probably guarding it. There was no sense in spoiling the mood which had so recently become... Pleasant. Girawn had not been a necromancer herself, but there had been some as members of her cult. It was good to keep a diversified portfolio when it came to cult membership.

 

[Athena Heron]

[member="Maleagant"]

"Hmm," she mused, lips brushing lightly against his jaw. She lingered there for a moment, dark strands of feathered-hair tickling against his skin. Just as quickly, she stepped around him and began to saunter out of the door. Hands clasped behind her back as she called over her shoulder.

"We should certainly go exploring, then." Pink lips gave a brief smile before she faced ahead and continued on her way. Her pace was measured.

"Now, now, was that so hard? Wouldn't you want to share more with me?"

 

[Darth Osano]

[member="Athena Heron"]

He shuddered, but seemingly mid-shudder she had already flown by. Exciting, enchanting, even, but only in an evil sort of way. Maleagant blinked a few times as he refocused, his head turning to watch her as she left out the door. Then he turned himself around and strode after her once his bearings were restored. "We should." He agreed, tone carefully measured for the neutrality he had somehow lost previously. Normally his pace might have overtaken her, but the hallways were not wide enough to accommodate them walking shoulder to shoulder. Maleagant cleared his throat awkwardly instead of answering those last two questions.

"There, those two." He eventually interrupted, indicating another two statues they were about to pass. Two statues of Adas, both in various stages of battle. In one he was swinging his sword in a rightward cleave, the other he was holding his sword triumphantly over his head. What a couple of imaginative pieces. Maleagant indicated the statue of Adas mid-swing to her. "Turn that one so it faces the wall."

 

[Athena Heron]

[member="Maleagant"]

Coal-like eyes studied the two statues. A cautious gaze tinged with warning flashed in Mal's direction. Nonetheless, she stepped forward, blue-fingers wrapping around the statue he indicated.

Movement was measured and controlled. With a grinding of stone on stone, it was turned toward the wall. "Are you looking for anything particular in this personal hoard?"

 

[Darth Osano]

[member="Athena Heron"]

There was no insidious trap. While she did that, Maleagant turned the other statue to face the right. There was an audible clicking as the statues snapped into their new positions, followed by a low tremor in the floor as the final locking mechanism fell out of place. The entrance to the catacombs should have been revealed now and the way to the hoard was clear. "You took everything else here." Maleagant observed, though now he seemed more amused rather than bitter. "Anything and everything in that hoard is particular to me." He brushed by her again, taking the lead to where he believed the entrance would have opened up.

"Unless you're prepared to barter for it." Clearly mistakenly, one of his hands brushed the small of her back as he went by. Clumsy him.

 

[Athena Heron]

[member="Maleagant"]

She grinned that wicked, little smile as he made his point. "Only everything of value," she quickly corrected, taking note of that hand of his as he slipped by. Hands released the statue. Footsteps were so light, Mal wouldn't be able to hear her walking behind him, save for the swish of her long legs against the fabric of her dress.

"Barter? I just helped you turn a statue. And I'm sure I'll be helping you with a lot more. I do believe that deserves an earned cut, Mal, don't you think?" Of course, there were plenty of ways they could barter. She could attack him through illusion or shred his mind into flexible clay with the darkside.

Or even something else. Much like she'd done just a moment before.

 

[Darth Osano]

[member="Athena Heron"]

"That would still be everything I came here for." He replied, somewhat hotly. As much as Maleagant had enjoyed watching her turn the statue (or do anything, for that matter), it was not quite enough to persuade him. She had already gotten here first and the pick of the litter. His sense of entitlement was not exactly misplaced in light of everything the Early Bird had already taken. Still, Maleagant was in a generous mood. One could really only guess as to why.

"We'll talk about your cut after we find it."

From what he had read, there was still quite a bit of gauntlet to run. Plenty of time for Athena to do something other than prance about and sass everything that moved, even if Maleagant did find all of that utterly enthralling. He led her down several more corridors, eventually coming to what looked like it might have been a dining hall. Several long tables and benches dominated the room. At the far end from where they stood was a passageway to what might have been the kitchen, but neither of them were here for a snack.

There was now a giant hole where a section of the wall had slid away. The tunnel that lay behind it was not the same carefully carved stone they had been wandering through before. It was more rough. This was a natural cave and it was perilously dark- no torches laid beyond. Maleagant moved ahead anyway, removing the lightsaber from his belt and activating it. Was it the greatest light source? Not particularly, but it would cast enough of a glow to get the job done.

"I'll take point." He said, which was a politer way of saying "stay behind me."

 

[Athena Heron]

[member="Maleagant"]

Wary-eyes flicked to his weapon. It was good he was going first because she probably wasn't ready to have him at her back with a lightsaber. Trust didn't exactly exist between them, well, at all. Per usual with most sith.

Her booted feet crunched softly on the hard-stone as she stepped lightly behind Mal. She may wear dresses but the shoes she chose to go with the dresses were always practical, boots with low-enough heels and tops that hugged around her calves. Wonderful shoes for trekking AND looking stylish.

And speaking of her cut.

"Don't worry," she cooed behind Mal, "I won't let you forget." She was mildly impressed that he trusted her enough to walk behind him. Or perhaps it was stupidity? Either way, he'd find out. "So...you came here alone? Do you always travel like that?"