Private Knock Knock

[Judah Lesan]

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P E R S E V E R A N C E

Wearing: xxx​

Weapon: xxx x2​

Tag: Damsy Callat​

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Kesh. The world had a deep history, but underneath it all were the underpinning of a dark beginning. There was something Sith about the place, and as Judah wandered about the landscape he could sense the dark side of the force seeping through everything he touched. Naturally the woman he had fought beside on Tython would have chosen this planet to call home.​

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Judah did not like it.​

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It was far from the mountainous planet Corellia had once been. The Jedi longed for his mountain home once more. Snow capped peaks had been the backdrop of the woodland compound he had built for himself and his family. A training facility for his students and a cabin for his wife and son had been all he needed for a time. Answering the call of the Jedi over and over made him think something had been missing, but in his older age, Judah longed for the simpler times of calling one place home.​

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He took in a deep breath as he wandered about the property. It had not taken long to track down the siren after she had let it slip that she owned a dwelling on Kesh. Judah could not remember the precise words, but he did not forget the planet. It was the only lead he needed. His skill as a Jedi Shadow allowed him to fill in the blanks from there.​

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Whether she was home or not, Judah did not bother to check. His presence was not hidden, so his arrival would be obvious to her. Someone carrying the light side with them would stick out like a bantha in crowd of ewoks. All he had to do now was see if she had left a window, or something, unlocked. If not, he had to find a way to break in.​

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[Damsy Callat]

|| Naneti Sso Jri Qorit, Kesh ||

Perhaps his presence was unmasked, his robes somewhat obvious and iconic, but none of the city’s residents seemed to rightly care. Strange happenstance for a people who had once been enslaved by Sith. Even having been free from the Lost Tribe for generations, wouldn’t their hatred of the Jedi have engrained itself deep?

Around one of the sides of the mansion jetted an alabaster balcony, an archway on it leading freely into the upper floors of the home. What was more, it looked empty—almost suspiciously so. Not a one guard or attendant, and surely not the woman herself, though admittedly she probably disliked lounging in the sun. Or maybe she enjoyed it. Evidently, the Sith full of surprises.

Judah Lesan

 

[Judah Lesan]

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P E R S E V E R A N C E

Wearing: xxx
Weapon: xxx x2
Tag: Damsy Callat

The city was nothing dissimilar to Judah. He had seen many of them over his lifetime, and all of them were the same to a degree. What stood out to the Jedi in this bustling metropolis was the mansion which did not seem to fit the architecture of its surroundings. It was a dwelling, to be certain, and the flair of it could only match the personality of its primary occupant. Judah smirked as he approached.

He found Damsy to be interesting for sure. She was not the typical Sith of his usual encounters. It both bothered and intrigued him. This was not the first time he had met a Sith which did not line up with the stereotype the Jedi wished to portray. Stereotypes were such for a reason, however, usually. Judah would stop at nothing to solve the mystery that was Damsy Callat.

A balcony jutted out from the house. Where the rest of the domicile was surrounded by guards, including the main gate, there seemed to be one lone entrance that was unguarded.

Judah leaped toward the opportunity.

His feet landed on the balcony, void of any sound, as he used the force to determine if the door was locked. It seemed to be open.

Odd.

Could it be that Damsy was not too overly concerned with her own security?

A wave of his hand opened the door, and Judah entered the mansion. The siren would be in the home somewhere, or so he hoped. It would have been a shame to travel this entire way to find an empty house. Then again, if she was not home the shadow could always make himself comfortable.

“Hello…” Judah announced giving himself away. “Is anyone home?”
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[Damsy Callat]

It seemed like no, no one was home.

But for what it lacked in physical presence, the halls were filled with aura. The heavier emotions were palpable—frustration, anger, fear—but there were also lighter undertones. They were fuzzy, like seeing double on a flimsy plastic page and not being able to make sense of it. If Judah was to emotionally and physically squint at the unclear intentions against the dim lamplight, a familiar voice emerged from both smoothly:

“Whyya here, Ju?”

A matchingly familiar face was illuminated down the way in the light red glow of a constructed kyber trapped in glass.

Judah Lesan

 

[Judah Lesan]

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P E R S E V E R A N C E

Wearing: xxx
Weapon: xxx x2
Tag: Damsy Callat

At first everything seemed to be in a haze. Judah had never done any kind of spice, but he wondered if what he was experiencing was not unlike being high on the substance. A wave his hand, all for a point of focus, moved the force about the cloud he seemed to be walking through. As he focused, Judah could see his own aura brush away the confusion until a voice rang clear all around him.

Damsy.

“Clever.”

His eyes fell on her face as he moved down the corridor to where she had appeared.

“Came to check on you. Pretty girl all alone in a big house and all…”

Judah enjoyed the banter between them. It came easy, which somewhat bothered the Jedi as well. Damsy was Sith and Judah was a Jedi. They were supposed to be enemies, and yet, Judah had the distinct feeling that they were not.

Why was he there? He was curious, but Judah was not about to admit that.
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[Damsy Callat]

”O’ course,” Damsy replied, “one don’t survive a few years in company o’ Jedi by bein’ dim.”

She tilted her head.

”No offense,” she added even as a smirk tugged at her lips.

A low growl became the period to that sentiment. Damsy bat a hand against the dark, down at her side, where a set of red eyes had begun to glow. An unseen mouth opened and its ivory fangs caught the low light.

A tuk’ata.

Judah Lesan

 

[Judah Lesan]

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P E R S E V E R A N C E

Wearing: xxx
Weapon: xxx x2
Tag: Damsy Callat

“You would have pet…” Judah commented as he nodded.

The Jedi stopped moving forward. Naturally the animal would be protective of the woman, and he was not about to give it any reason to attack. There was the option of beast language, but Judah was not willing to interfere with Damsy’s guard. It was her pet to do as she saw fit.

“I have not been able to stop thinking about Tython. The planet survived, but I cannot say defending it was a success.”

There was concern in his voice. While they had not talked about, Judah had been able to tell she did not like what the Maw were or what they stood for. One comment was all he had to confirm it, but there was something deeper.

“You are not the Sith I am used to. I was curious about it, and that is why I am here.”

So much for not admitting it.

“Just came to talk.”
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[Damsy Callat]

As Judah mentioned Tython, the two ocean blue orbs floating above the Sith hound’s shorted out of reality as Damsy shut her eyes. There was flit of those lighter undertones ripples over the space, gone as soon as his sentiments were.

Come in their place were, again, her eyes, and a harder aural edge.

”Then talk.”

Moody like a Sith, surely; just not murderous.

Judah Lesan

 

[Judah Lesan]

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P E R S P E C T I V E

Wearing: xxx
Weapon: xxx x2
Tag: Damsy Callat

“Right so… I am a little confused. You are clearly Sith, but you do not act or behave like any Sith I have ever met before. And believe me I have crossed sabers with my fair share, and lost a few appendages in doing so.”

Judah sighed. Looking at Damsy it was clear she was bothered by his entrance, and in some way he gathered his presence. He had intruded, and thought it might be best if he left. Yet, his curiosity would not let him.

“I wanted to know why you are different. Why would you actually try to stop the Maw when it seemed there was no benefit to you, and that you would likely lose your life in the process. That is not anywhere near what I know Sith to be.”
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[Damsy Callat]

In perhaps another unexpected twist, Damsy let Judah say his piece. She didn’t even sigh or scoff once.

But, she didn’t reply at once. Maybe her evident lack of hostility didn’t translate into transparency after all.

”There was benefit,” she replied finally: “try to break a spell as old as time, one that automatically prescribes belief in the original teachings of Bogan to blind hatred for every ounce of life in the galaxy.” She paused, taking a step towards the wall lamp closest to her, and caressed her hand against the fixture and the contained kyber. She glanced back at Judah. “So, nah, I’m not the type of Sith you’re useta, the type o’ Sith Jedi are all sworn against, and I sure as hell ain’t with them—’cludin’ the Maw.”

Another pause. Damsy withdrew her hand from the glass, her fingernails scraping lightly over it as she did.

”So, tell me. How did I do? Did I sway your…” She almost used the word faith but at the last moment thought better of it; Syreni offered a more apt option. “…stigma?”

Judah Lesan

 

[Judah Lesan]

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P E R S P E C T I V E

Wearing: xxx
Weapon: xxx x2
Tag: Damsy Callat

"I mean you not being with the Maw was kinda obvious to me on Tython," Judah tossed back at the Siren. His retort was quick, as the banter between them during the battle had been. Nothing in voice seemed to indicate the comment had any malicious intent. Judah was simply stating the obvious.

He did sigh as she asked her last question. Did it shake his… stigma? An honest answer was not as simple as the question. To a degree he supposed that it did, but to another nothing about what he believed changed. Evil still existed, and the dark side was often the path toward outcomes many would deem as evil.

Blind hatred, wanting to eradicate it, that seemed good. Damsy talked like a Sith, even had the aura he was accustomed to, but Judah could not say Damsy acted like the Sith he was used to.

"No," he finally answered, "but it would be a lie to say that it did cause me to rethink the way I categorize Sith."

The Jedi began to take a closer look at the woman's home, as if he intended on making himself a bit more comfortable. She was wealthy, or came into an inheritance. Her father might have been taking good care of her. Judah had his own income source, so nothing about the home seemed to surprise him.

"You have been okay since Tython then?"
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[Damsy Callat]

"Hmmm."

Well, halfway was better than no progress.

She'd take it, just not very happily.

"In a manna o' speakin'."

She didn't even know what that meant. It was just a shallow, imprecise answer, two things she wanted to be to him right now.

Judah Lesan

 

[Judah Lesan]

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P E R S P E C T I V E

Wearing: xxx
Weapon: xxx x2
Tag: Damsy Callat

One thing seemed clear to Judah. He was more than intruding, he had long overstayed his welcome. Despite the fact Damsy had told him to talk she was rather disengaged from any sort of posture to answer the questions he had.

He sighed.

"I see," he said as he started to turn back toward the window. There was no sense in staying if she was projecting a desire for him to be gone.

A few steps were taken before he turned back to face her.

"You know I came because I was also concerned for your well being, believe it or not. Far be it for a Jedi to actually care about whether or not a Sith is doing okay. I'm just a guy wondering how someone he fought alongside is faring after the whole thing. But clearly I misjudged how this was going to turn out so…"

Judah turned back. If Damsy did not want him to leave it would be up to her stop him. If she did not care, then Judah had made his peace.
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[Damsy Callat]

Shadows danced past Judah as he retraced his steps, first lethargically and then easily outpacing him. They swirled up the wall to the window Judah had left open in his wake, and slammed it shut.

The echo of the latch falling back in place reverberated around the room as it descended in octaves, falling out of his hearing register before it did hers.

Damsy's voice picked up the note it had left off on, preserving the unsettling peace. "Thank you for your concern..."

She started walking over to the Jedi, footsteps sounding deeply on the stone floor and leaving her hound behind. "...but your lack o' respect's become offensive. I don't care that ya didn't knock, but can't forgive the rest o' your arrogance. If you can't acknowledge Imma Sith then our dealings have concluded, Master Jedi."

Judah Lesan

 

[Judah Lesan]

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P E R S P E C T I V E

Wearing: xxx
Weapon: xxx x2
Tag: Damsy Callat

"And yet you slammed the exit shut," Judah said with as quick a retort as their verbal spar on Tython had seen. "Did I not tell you that I realize you are a Sith?"

Judah paused. He had in fact said exactly that. His dilemma was not in the fact he did not know what she was, but that he did know and still cared. A younger Judah would not have stopped to even think about discerning the difference in a Sith. He would have fought and killed either on sight, but now he could not bring himself to it, not with Damsy. They had fought side by side and spilled Maw blood together. That had to count for something.

"What do you want me to do… admit that it bothers me you do not fit the mold which has always been presented to me, one I believed to be true until I met you? Should I confess that it troubles me that I actually feel some level of concern for the well being of someone that is supposed to be an enemy, or that in some weird and twisted lifetime I could actually see myself liking you?"

It was not that Judah could admit to any feelings, but there were parts of the siren which were likable. Her wit and charm were not lacking, and she had other attractive qualities. There would have been a time where Judah could have never considered a relationship with anyone of a diverging viewpoint or ideology. Damsy was the personification of what challenged that mindset, and it bothered Judah.

It troubled him.

"Not that I do or anything, just the fact you represent a world where perhaps a Jedi and Sith could be allies, friends, or more. The galaxy should not work this way, and yet here you are."

He moved back toward her, meeting her as she closed the distance between them.

"You are a Sith, but you are also an anathema."​

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[Damsy Callat]

"And yet you slammed the exit shut."​

"Only 'cause I want you to be reasonable."

"What do you want me to do… admit that it bothers me you do not fit the mold which has always been presented to me, one I believed to be true until I met you? Should I confess that it troubles me that I actually feel some level of concern for the well being of someone that is supposed to be an enemy, or that in some weird and twisted lifetime I could actually see myself liking you?"​

She spread her arms out in a wingspan. "Either'd be nice."

"You are a Sith, but you are also an anathema."​

Damsy fluttered her appendages, close to caressing Judah's face, before she lowered them back to her side.

"I follow a creed, that's all. We're going the same places, Judah, just with different guides. Darkness, in 'ands o' the righteous, can be merciful as the Light." She stepped back as she smiled small but sweet. Slowly, she rose a hand as an offering for him to take. "If ya want, come with me an' I'll show ya."

Judah Lesan

 

[Judah Lesan]

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P E R S P E C T I V E

Wearing: xxx
Weapon: xxx x2
Tag: Damsy Callat

Judah looked at the offered hand as he pondered what she had said. He did not understand how the darkness could be as good, righteous, or merciful, as the light. All the Jedi had ever witnessed or experienced was evil, injustice, and cruelty, where the dark side was concerned. His missing forearm and the four missing fingers of the opposite hand had left him with a hard lesson where the Sith were concerned.

One did not live through the torture he had endured and easily forget it. The Jedi had committed their own sins, Judah would not deny that, but nothing good ever came from the darkness, nothing.

He nodded and took her hand. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, Judah was too curious to deny the invitation. For now, he would follow where she led, but only until his curiosity was satisfied.

“I do… erm… I could, by the way,” he said as they started down whatever way it was Dasmy was leading him. “You’re likable, and just because I don’t follow the same code or ideology doesn’t mean I want to see you dead or anything.”

There were some Jedi who would, but Judah was not among them, not unless she did something to force the matter.

“You know… when you’re not all snippy.”

There was a sarcasm in his tone, a bit of playful banter. It was something Damsy was good at.​

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[Damsy Callat]

They took the front doors out. Damsy was quiet until they immerged into the sun, at least physically, for she her mysterious and vaguely threatening aura had morphed at the drop of...Judah's façade?

It was something giddy and light now, punctuated by an almost-bound in her step as she lead Judah away from the mansion by way of a nearby alley. "This way," she finally said. They passed under an earthen archway decorated with sand carvings and blue mosaic. Descending the steps deposited then into a bustling marketplace.

The tuk'ata, who Judah may or may not have lost track of in the sudden change of scenery, rushed past the two humanoids to tackle a group of exclaiming schoolchildren who held arms wide open for him. Shrill screams erupted from the pile. No, no, no: shrill giggles. The children all got back up as quickly as they had been knocked down or dove out of the way, most going for pets, but one boy taking a cut of meat off a nearby stall's shop display before offering it to the hound.

While this was happening, Damsy had stopped, twirled on to heel to Judah's side, and linked her arm under his. Who was this new woman—

—and what was this place? It hadn't seemed this busy on his way in. If he was prone to trust issues, he might think that she had engineered this when in fact a siesta had just ended.

Their location might be an oasis in a desert, but it was still hot.

"No bitin', Gtejarsa," she called over the happy fray as she pulled Judah along alongside them. She stopped again, reaching into her belt with her free hand. It produced a few credits, which she set on the meat stall before continuing on.

Judah Lesan

 

[Judah Lesan]

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P E R S P E C T I V E

Wearing: xxx
Weapon: xxx x2
Tag: Damsy Callat

Damsy led Judah out of the house and into the marketplace which surrounded the city he had snuck through to find the siren’s home. He had not paid much attention to the life around the house. Judah had been on a mission to find the woman which intrigued him that he did not take the time to appreciate the life around him.

She was not the same woman who had been in the house. There was something even different from the warrior he fought alongside on Tython. Judah did his best to be the same person no matter the situation, not that he was successful in that all the time. A chuckle did escape his lips as the children seemed to enjoy their play. How long had it been since he had been around children? Their youth was infectious.

He took in a deep breath as they stopped, Damsy placing a few credits on the table. Judah needed to catch his breath for a moment. They did not stop long before bounding on to wherever it was Damsy was leading them.

“Where are we going,” he finally asked.​

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[Damsy Callat]

That was a luxury—always being the same person—that Damsy hadn't had in a long time, since she had first left Kamino to become a Dauntless Commando. It was like running your fingers through the fluffy down of an expensive, probably poached, fur coat. She couldn't imagine being that rich of privilege.

"Ah, nowhere in particular," Damsy replied. "There's a shrine up there." She pointed around a house on the dirt road they were walking. "But I ain't tryna shove my 'ligion down your throat. We don't needta go there if ya ain't willin'."

Judah Lesan