Nwul began shaking hands, smiling and nodding to those who approached him. The atmosphere was jovial and relaxed, there were many non-force users here and he knew that any undue behavior by the force users would cause the tension to skyrocket. This was as much about showing unity as it was restoring the absolutely decimated faith in the Sith that the Imperials had. He glanced up and saw
Anak Darkstar standing a distance away. The man confused him, he was supposed to be his lead knight but he had chosen not to enter the chambers with his entorage. What was he thinking?
His eyes then turned to two Sith who accompanied one another closely, whispering and gossiping like nobility.
Lady Venge
and
Darth Amarok
spoke quietly to one another, he nodded to Venge, the woman was a powerful Sith whom he had a measure of respect for as a fellow sorcerer. Then he notted Alina who had been at the formation of the Imperial Military and gave her a pleasant wink. When she was ready to socialize, she'd approach him. His arm tightening a bit to pull at Cora's attention. He'd already warned her that there would be many present who would question her worthiness or even her right to life. Fortunately, he noted, the woman he cared for showed no sign of backing down from the challenge.
He smiled a smile that grew even wider when
Darth Xyrah
approached. He held out a hand and took Xyrah's, kissing it once on the knuckle.
"Darth Xyrah, your presence is without a doubt a blessing, thank you for coming today!" He chortled merrily and gestured to Cora,
"This is Cora, she's someone I cherish," He emphasized the word, not for Xyrah who likely knew of his tryst with the wayward Jedi, but for any of those leveling scorn at her.
His senses adjusted towards
Shasill Kaarte
, the man he'd taken in as an apprentice just before he'd thrown himself into the ritual at Thule. He felt guilty, honestly, and knew that the time to train the young man was nigh. He had a lot to share with him, and a formal education would be difficult. Very difficult. Though Shasill still didn't realize it, he was in for a hard path.
Another person approached, a young man, ah, he remembered, from his visions. The names and faces had come so rapidly he hadn't retained them all as well as he had hoped. He broke into an easy smile though when
Marcus Dinn
introduced himself.
"Young master Dinn, we can talk about oaths and commands later. Enjoy yourself, how long has it been since you've relaxed?" Nwul offered the young man, shaking his hand and nodding his thanks to the promise regardless. He blinked,
"Oh, do you know eachother?" He asked easily as the man greeted Cora.
A sudden shift in the air heralded the use of a rather remarkable force power. His eyes shifted towards that direction but fortunately no one else seemed to react strongly to the presence. Curious. Who was that? Then another presence, this one familiar but distant. A fallen Jedi perhaps?
Darth Valor
was also present, he who had come to serve as a Knight in the Knights of the Covenant.
He had a moment's reprieve and took a breath to tilt his head towards Cora,
"You're beautiful," He said quickly before taking a drink himself and sipping at it. He noted her smile and raised an eyebrow,
"Wondering how Sith could possibly handle the nitpicking of noble court?" He teased her, he wasn't sure that's what she was thinking but given where her eyes were drifting, he had a feeling. There were plenty of nobles who had moved away from the Sith, eyeing them carefully.
Stardust Solus Skirae
entered next, he took note of her but did not move to engage. If they wanted to approach, they would. He stopped in his walk as he noted the Mirialan Jedi that had been captured alongside Cora. The boy didn't know that there was a ship waiting for him, just like Cora. Perhaps Cora hadn't shared that information? Interesting. Nwul stood over the young man for a moment with a smile on his face,
"
Shan Pavond
, right?" The Lord of Passion asked,
"You know, you could have been enjoying this like everyone else if you'd accepted the offer to escort one of the imperial ladies. I'm sure one would be quite taken with you."
He knew Cora would chastise him later for it, but he wanted to have a little fun. The damn jedi should live a little!
Conversations began to build, people falling into discussions here and there. He savored it. See? The Sith did not have to engage in violence every waking moment. They were societal creatures as well!
The doors opened,
Marius Aquila Valoris, fashionably late, marched inside to join the festivities. Nwul made a point of acknowledging the man directly and giving him a grave nod. There was much coming soon and he was glad to have the imperial on his side.
That was when he heard it. The faintest sound, distant, on the balcony?
The snap-hiss of a lightsaber blade.
It took every ounce of Nwul's self control not to explode with rage or flex his arm so forcefully he hurt Cora. He swallowed once, facing the emotions and reigning them in, controlling them and turning them to use. He was the master of emotion, no Sith had more control or sensitivity to the feelings of others than he did. So it was that he sensed the joviality and friendliness that coated the desire for battle in the direction of that telling sound. He lowered his voice,
"Cora, stay with Darth Xyrah for a moment. I trust you Xyrah," Nwul said softly and then with a sudden ripple of motion, was gone.
He reappeared on the balcony, his arms behind his back, walking casually with an easy smile on his face.
"Gentlemen!" Nwul called, spreading his arms in a gesture of friendliness.
"I don't recall this being a party where lightsabers were on the menu. Do you remember that being part of the plan?" He asked the Knights of the Covenant.
He strode closer, and closer, before finally standing between the two of them,
"If you would like a gentlemans competition, you bring that to me, the host, and I will arrange for it to be a spectacle rather than a disturbance," He said in a low, dangerous voice, his words so quiet that only the two men could possibly hear them, his leviathan presence bearing down solely on the two men for a few heartbeats,
"The Imperials here want to know that the Sith are not going to start attacking one another out of the blue, especially at a social event," Nwul said,
"Regardless of the reasoning."
"You know that this was the plan," He hissed,
"I'll ask you one last time, can I trust you gentlemen to be the Knights that represent me in the future?"
