Private Nightland Bridge

[Srina Talon]

Location: Ryloth [Sinner’s Well]
Tag: Darth Empyrean

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He smiled. She did not.​

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Srina was not displeased to see him. Her range of emotion simply wasn’t as wide as it was for some people, especially, those that had the capacity for it. It was a luxury she did not have. An over-abundance of sentiment bred a string of weakness that placed everything in jeopardy. The more she expressed care, the more she affection existed, the more she had to lose. The more her enemies would use it against her. The more they would take it away.​

​

The slender creature took note of changes from over her shoulder. Not only to his appearance but, to the steady countenance. He was more prepared this time. Ready, for the displacement. “It should matter. You must take care of the self, first, before overextending.”, she deflected, almost artfully, while he made his approach. He wanted to share in her burdens? It was a mistake.​

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A mistake the placed him in danger. How could he know the true depths of it from so far away? His scope was from that of a bird, flying high, where things appeared peaceful in the world below. Srina existed in the thick of it. It the deepest, darkest places.​

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He had not seen. To know, he would need to see.​

​

Srina could taste the essence of his being. Even this far, diluted, there was a sense of comforting humanity. He differed from most Sith she had come to know in that manner. There had been no games, this far, no grandstanding. There was no clout of power nor had she been made to feel as if she were less than what she was. An apprentice by name, but, her gifts stepped well beyond that. They always had. In the eyes of her Master—It kept her safe. To accost her; meant accosting him.​

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The Darkside moved in her. It was nearly visible in the mid-day light that the habitation sphere provided. The Force had remade her. Twisted her. Until a soft beauty, other-worldly and pristine, became a dangerous exquisiteness of which there was no equal. At least, not on this planet.​

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She would have been surprised to know that he cared enough to engage in significant cultural practices of her people. Most people didn’t. Typically, they expected her to adapt. When he moved to brush her hair behind her ear she barely breathed. Pools of molten silver flickered down, briefly, but that didn’t stop the invisible breath of power that rolled seductively along alabaster skin. He let the touch ebb, though, he didn’t completely break it. Trust. Familiarity. A willingness to connect. No, a desire to connect. “It speaks. It screams. It shatters everything until I am deaf, blind, and sleepless.”​

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Eshan replayed in her mind. Over, and over. She could see flame raining down on a new world. It would never know they were coming, save, for the fire that filled the sky. Maliphant continued to speak and the young woman worked on her breathing in the meantime, slowly, regulating her biorhythms to normalcy. “I’ve always seen more than I should. More, even, than an Echani.”​

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Their eyes were so honed for the smallest of movements that she could typically anticipate how her opponent would move, even, when their conscious mind hadn’t made the commitment. He made mention that she did not have to face what was to come on her own and he head slowly nodded in the affirmative. She knew, technically speaking, that she had the entirety of the Confederacy. She had her Master. He cared for her despite all things. Somehow, however, she still felt adrift. As if something was pulling her deliberately apart at the seams. His lips curved into another smile when he offered to stand tall with her. To bear the weight of the future. Silver orbs flickered, following the hard lines of his face, matching them with softer planes and the subtle curve of his eyes. “If I take of your strength…What will be left for you? Why would you want to give that to me?”​

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Her arms remained crossed, though, she didn’t exactly seem unfriendly. The small creature seemed to have closed her heart, quieted her mind, out of necessity. To protect what was left. The vulnerability that she had expressed in the Nightlands was dangerous. In the wrong hands, it could do harm. He could choose to cut her to ribbons, bleed her, and exploit the chink in her armor. He could do many things with what he knew and it all ended with placing a nation in peril.​

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Still. There was a little whisper in the back of her mind that told her to look beyond the common and vulgar practices of politics. Srina could feel more in him, in the seconds his arms wrapped around her, than she had gleaned from any conversation she had ever had with the Slave. It didn’t feel like a lie.​

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“I no longer know who to trust, Maliphant.”​

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It was not the name he had specifically requested, but, it was a name that was his. It would do. Her words, though soft, held an icy edge. Srina never brought her tones above what would be considered polite but that didn’t mean she couldn’t still a room with a whisper. She could feel the will, the want, to trust him. A need to feel close, again.​

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To feel as if it weren’t wrong to do so. Wrong, with the cruelest of consequences.​

 

[Darth Empyrean]

It was bright outside - though dimmed slightly by the habitation sphere surrounding them. Somehow, it was only made darker by her pressure in the Force; whether Srina knew it or not. Maliphant could feel how she tried to temper it, control herself in ever her sorrow - and it saddened him; a girl that was more a slave than him, but to her need for control. Driven by a whip made of duty and responsibility.​

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For a moment, it forced a frown on him - and his arms moved to wrap around her. She was warm, but the air around them was no doubt cold; and while he was just an illusion, to them both he was real as he could be - and his warmth carried through to her. His eyes closed, he focused for a moment on offering his emotions through his skin - just as she would know them, as an Echani.​

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“You have to find a center… Even if its something, or someone else. Like Ryloth.”, barely above a whisper, he spoke.​

​

It was true - Sinner’s Well was just as much a calming place for her as any; though Maliphant knew it wasn’t her first choice - more her only choice now. Another reason for his sadness to be reinforced, reminding him of his own time aboard the Technicolor Beat. Did the parties make him happy as The Slave? Temporary things, flesh deep - and it was always worse when he was done. He only hoped it hadn’t gotten that bad with Srina… Not yet, at least.​

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“Don’t worry about what I have, Srina.”, he offered to her as he leaned himself into her, rocked her back and forth in his grasp. Quiet. Warm. Soft.​

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And the ever present smell of peaches.​

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“I want to give it to you out of compassion, empathy…”, he avoided more permanent terms, for both of their sake - but it blossomed, he could feel his heart skip for a moment as he spoke, and through their touch she could no doubt feel the same.​

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“I do it because of you, and I do it for you. I don’t want anything in return.”​

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His embrace would tighten before it would loosen - and for a few careful moments he did just that. Tighter, so she could feel the power of his grasp - that arms alone could hold her together, and the pressure of his presence would offer her so much more than physical sensations. Distantly, Maliphant could feel the ship come out of hyperspace - could feel that ever so slight shake, but his mind was here. It had to be here, for Srina.​

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“Trust in yourself. Trust in those you need to - if only for the moment.”, he idled.​

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“I won’t ask you to trust me - I know how odd that would be.”, he smiled as he loosened himself, more for her sake. He didn’t want to smother her - but he certainly wouldn’t have minded being closer. He stood with hands on her forearms, thumbs gracefully going over skin as he spoke;​

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“... But I would like you to. Eventually.”​

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Srina Talon​

 

[Srina Talon]

Location: Ryloth [Sinner’s Well]
Tag: Darth Empyrean

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Arms wrapped around her again.​

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It reminded her of Eshan. A brief silence gave her the chance to breathe and collect her thoughts. She could feel pressure against her form, not entirely solid, but enough that she knew he was there. Not truly. But enough that she could sense whispering, lingering things, that translated his actions clearer than words ever could. His sadness seeped into skin. It was soft, like misting-rain, but it was brushed away with a sense of warmth. Care. “I…Don’t know what that is.”​

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“I used to.”​

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Why did she allow him so close? Why did she take a sweet, perverse comfort, in something that had only ever betrayed her? “Maliphant…”, Srina murmured his name, softly, a mere whisper to be stolen in the wind. It was different. Something in her gentle tenor had changed. Saccharine tones had fallen to something a little lower, almost, a purr of warning. Being rocked, held, and cared for in such a way left feeling a little too much.​

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Too much for someone who wasn’t really there. He didn’t have the right to see through her as he did.​

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“Why?”​

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Her question would be plain. The subtle scent of a fruit she couldn’t name, twined with spirits, caused her to remain where she was. Neither pulling closer not pulling away. He claimed that she ought not to worry about what resources he kept for himself, that, he wanted to care for her out of compassion. “You are a Sith. I can sense it in you.”​

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Sense it. Smell it. They didn’t do anything for themselves, especially, if they came from the Sith Empire. His ghostly embrace seemed determined to chase her worries away. He wanted to be near her. Wanted to hold her. Wanted that connection. The one from the Bridge. “Sith…Never do anything out of the goodness of their hearts. What have I done to earn your favor?”​

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His arms tightened. She forgot to inhale. There was something about it that she couldn’t follow. Silver eyes closed, briefly, whilst a pang of sadness arced through her ribcage. This was not a feeling she indulged. ‘If there is nothing I have done—What do you want me to do?’​

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The white-haired woman could feel the air around them shudder when he released her, and suddenly, with hands on her arms, she could breathe again. Mercurial eyes searched yellow-gold orbs. Where had he come from? He was so different, so changed, from the Slave. Her eyes narrowed for a moment while she tried to see what was impossible. Short of delving into his mind, or, tricking the truth out of him, there was no way to know for certain. The sensation, even phantom, was consuming.​

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He wouldn’t ask for trust. “Good. Stating so now…Would be a lie.”, she admitted, brow furrowing for a moment, when she realized, she didn’t want to hide from him. Srina already did not lie. This was more than that. She didn’t want to hide. His fingers moving on her skin made an invisible shiver run up her spine. Certainly, it was just from her training.​

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“Prove it.”​

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If he meant what he said? He would. It was simple. “Prove…That everything is true. Then—I can trust you.”​

 

[Darth Empyrean]

“You’ll find it again - in time.”, he offered quietly to her.​

​

He listened to her say his name, and it felt more natural - more his own when it came from her tender lips, her ever so quiet and sweet voice. There was comfort in that; to feel like his own person, that Maliphant was not some separate spirit that kept him safe - but it was himself, reinforced by that tenderness she offered. It forced a sigh from his lips, and he clenched his eyes shut - perhaps to enjoy the moment, or temper that heightened sensitivity from the bridge.​

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Though, those golden eyes opened to her questioning him - calculated and watching. Betraying what she wanted for what kept her safe, Maliphant watched her drive into him with her eyes, trying to find a darkness - some form of betrayal. What could he possible gain from her, she asked, but Maliphant could feel that ever so slight anxiety in her tone - tempered by the fierce mask of the Dread Queen.​

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“I am Sith, Srina.”, Maliphant acknowledged.​

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But she asked what he gained out of this - and he couldn’t help but second guess himself. He wanted to be selfless, perhaps for the first time in his life, but he could feel that ever so desperate hope that she would be a key to the happiness he sought. She had already proven to be a beacon of light at a long, dark tunnel - but was he using her to that end?​

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Was this what it meant to be reliant on someone?​

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His face took a slight discomfort to it, a tension in his hands as they slowly pulled back from her. She couldn’t sense what he meant through his touch, but his body language was enough -​

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“I… I won’t lie to you, Srina.”, he offered with a heavy sigh, “... I’ll make that promise now. I will never lie to you.”​

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Another moment to consider his words.​

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“I want… To be happy.”, Maliphant said with a seemingly embarrassed, half mocking smile to the side - but it was against himself.​

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“A Sith Lord with so much, has so little… You asked me what I didn’t have, and its… That.”, he repeated, never looking her in the eyes, never closing the distance between them.​

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He had never vocalized that reality - he’d only ever thought it. There was a safety in that, to never speak that which scared you - but Maliphant was a man of no weakness, that never took a step back. He was a Darth, the Son of Sidious, conqueror of the laws of nature -​

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And he was terrified that despite all he had achieved, he would never find a reason for it. Never enjoy what he had done.​

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His arms folded in on themselves, a rising cold forcing him to close in on himself.​

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“When we met last, you made me feel something I had never felt before. Hope, perhaps - that I could find something to make all this worth it. Perhaps it was the connection, Noana, or just the fact you’re…”​

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His eyes wandered over her, for the first time - as though he made a quiet realization.​

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“... beautiful.”, Maliphant acknowledged with a tempered smile.​

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“ - But you made my happy, if not for a fleeting moment. I want that. Only that. If I have to prove that as a truth - I will do whatever it is you need…”​

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“All you need to do is ask me.”​

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Srina Talon​

 

[Srina Talon]

Location: Ryloth [Sinner’s Well]
Tag: Darth Empyrean

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His voice was unlike anything she had ever heard. She didn’t often take stock in words, simply, because they were only that. Words. They were not enough. Many people in the galaxy made grandiose speeches full of promises, sweet nothings, but more than anything were made of artfully veiled lies. She discounted them as soulless propaganda. The soft response made her want to believe it. Would she find her center again? Something to gravitate around that wouldn’t throw her away?​

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Srina didn’t know. It left her with the worst feeling generating in her chest. She couldn’t stop it from blooming like a summer thunderstorm. It was warm. It was hope. There was nothing so cruel—Nor so misleading. Hope was reserved for civilians, for the common man, not the creature she had become. It was a luxury that she had forfeited any right to. “I don’t know how. There isn’t enough time in the universe to undo all that I’ve done. It’s unreachable.”​

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Even if she held the ability to control time itself Srina wouldn’t choose differently, save, for one thing. Just one. The rest? It was inevitable. She had too much blood on her hands to even consider finding a place of true peace or contentment. The sorrow that was etched across her soul was eternal. No fate, no time, no potential could ever change that. “If you are Sith…Then you know.”, she breathed gently, silver eyes moving, lighting against his where she looked for the lie. It existed. It had to.​

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Srina was nothing—No one, in the grand scheme of Jedi Masters and Sith Lords.​

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His expression changed when he began to withdraw. Tight. Reflexively, her hand rose and she let the soft pads of delicate fingers grace his cheekbones. Tenderness soothed away the discomfort while her body moved to close the distance. She liked when he was close. Careful digits pressed the sharp lines from the surface of his skin as if it had never been. She didn’t know what compelled her, only, that she didn’t want to see him suffer. Her fingers slipped so that her palm could find his jawline, another caress, as if she knew exactly where to touch. As if she knew him in ways she should not.​

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“I will hold you to that promise. Always.”​

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The fact that he longed for happiness was disconcerting, though, not unwelcome. Sith normally wished for little more than power. The ability to retain dominion overall, to carve out a kingdom, and rule in absolutes. Control through fear. Through the very fact that to most non-force sensitives it seemed that they could move heaven and earth at their whim. Her quiet analysis of his statements froze momentarily when he commented on her countenance. Beautiful?​

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She made him happy?​

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A soft sigh fell past primrose lips whilst her thumb ran along his skin. Deliberate. So many words, so many promises, wants, and wishes. She didn’t know what to ask of him that would assuage her suspicions. Srina did not yet know what he saw. Her? Or the creature she had been designed to be?​

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“I was made to be this way. I am my mother. Her mother—And her mother before that. I am no more or less beautiful than any of my sisters. Everything about me is designed to draw you in. Every movement. Every glance…”, her soft voice intoned, perhaps, conveying a certain sense of disdain. Everything in her world was the same when it came to her own appearance. Bland. Many saw Echani as otherworldly aristocrats, strange, and elegant. Srina only knew such poise and beauty to be commonplace. “There is nothing special about me. Nothing unique.”​

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“Nothing worth having, save, for the violence that follows.”​

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Her hand slowly slid from his face. He was fading, evermore, as time passed. Eventually, he would disappear and she would return to thinking him a fond memory. A dream, because obviously, her mind was playing games in grief. She unintentionally sought comfort and a safe haven from that which burned her through, then suddenly, Maliphant appeared? It was too much of a coincidence. Even with Noana.​

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Things that seemed too good to be true usually were. Srina was not in a habit of lying to herself, but for now, the lie sustained her. She did not want to be alone.​

 

[Darth Empyrean]

“Oh Srina…”, he sighed, almost thoughtlessly - though there was a sadness in it.​

​

For the fear of what he admitted, the vulnerability he had offered her. It was a perfect opportunity to tear the Sith Lord down - but it wasn’t why he felt morose in the moment. It was for her - that she had defined herself solely on how she looked, on the Echani she came from; that she was no more, and no less than her sisters, her mother, or her mother’s mother…​

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He tightened his grip on her - as though squeezing the words would squeeze that negativity from her mind. That his touch alone could stop such insecurity - even if it wasn’t true, it could help for a moment. Warmth in touch, tenderness, to remind her she wasn’t ‘just an Echani’ -​

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She was the Dread Queen, and that which made Maliphant’s heart quiver.​

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His lips pressed against her forehead - touch and gentle, with no words spoken. He let them sit, let that tender passion pass through the skin in ways he knew she could only feel. When pulled back, he rested his forehead against hers, closed his eyes, and spoke quietly -​

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“You’re so much more than you think you are…”, he said, just barely above a whisper, his arms wrapped around her waist.​

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“You’re Srina Talon, the Dread Queen, a white rose burning in january embers - And yet more.”​

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“You will never be defined by violence… Not to me.”​

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But she was right - his connection was weakening, and Maliphant chose to spend those last few moments in her embrace. Comfortable, warm, prepared for the onset loneliness - it was nothing but a quiet hearth like warmth that filled him now… Was this the joy he sought? He imagined so, and yet, he wanted to be so much closer - were it even possible.​

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A smile dawned on his lips, and his form faded from her touch, from her grasp - like the tide on a moonless sky, ever so careful; but this time, he left behind that same warmth for her. Through the Force, a small trinket of him, gifted to her.​

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She could practically still feel him on her fingers.​

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---​

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Slowly, Maliphant’s attention came back to where he was - in the seat of his office, aboard the Nox. His drink had spilt, expensive as it were, but his mind didn’t seem too bothered by that. Instead, he smiled softly - and wrapped his arms around himself. He could feel that aching sadness of being alone - but it was a happy sadness, one less of ‘goodbye’ and more…​

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Until we meet again.​

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“Three days…”, he mused to himself, glancing up to a nearby holo computer. It displayed the time it would take to get to Ryloth, travelling at the pace they were.​

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A reassuring nod, and he slowly stood as a cleaning droid came in to pick up what was spilt, along with the glass crystals left behind. Maliphant moved to undress, and found his way to a shower, humming something soft to himself.​

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“Three days…”, he repeated, stepping in.​

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Srina Talon​

 

[Srina Talon]

Location: Ryloth [Sinner’s Well]
Tag: Darth Empyrean

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Arms tightened around her. Instead of feeling caged, trapped, she felt a sense of security. Srina chastised herself internally. This was not the man she knew. The one she had come to know through business contracts and the occasional crossing of paths was not quite so insightful. This version, unblemished, near perfect to her eyes, seemed to anticipate her every need. How was that possible? Even with the bridge that the Force supported—How?

“I am…As intended.”

As she had been designed. Just as every Echani had been coded. Her skin seemed to sing and burn while his lips pressed to her forehead in a clean disagreement in all she had spoken. It was soft, though, not without a certain strength. Her pulse moved. Speeding a way that caused her to close her eyes when his face came near. Skin to…Ethereal, somehow solid, skin. Were he truly before her she would have been breathing his air—Sharing space. His words were hard for her to wrap her mind around. Poetic, beautiful, and thusly describing anything but her.

How could he know? How could he make such claims?

“…Violence is all there is. Blood and ash. It’s all I can offer…”

Even her own mother saw her for what she had become. An avatar of death. An Echani that had followed her pre-determined path to something dark, dangerous, and unforgivable. A creature that had lost everything throughout the course of a pursuit for survival. Family, lover, and child. The circle of well-deserved suffering had completed itself long ago. Her lips parted to try and explain further, but, the waning feeling of the Force brought her to silence.

For a moment—For a brief, indescribable moment, she let someone carry her emotional weight. She knew he would vanish soon. She could feel it, like a clock ticking, counting down. There was something she was supposed to be doing. Training. Miles to go, before she was ready for the next enemy. But…She wanted to be here. Just like this. Encapsulated in warmth and tenderness that she had no right to feel.

He was fading. Silver eyes opened and rose to his. “Don’t—”

There and gone.

“—Go.”

It was too late. He was all but gone, save, for a small, tender bubble of energy that swept through her like a warming sunrise. The momentary bout of weakness caused her jaw to clench in quiet defiance. She needed nothing. No one. She only needed to serve her purpose. Srina glanced down while the phantom feeling of being held lingered. She didn’t understand why it mattered so much. She was almost ashamed for getting so very, very lost in a moment that she couldn’t even wrap her mind around.

How could he hold her from across the galaxy?

What bothered her more than anything else was her own reaction. It was instinctive. More than anything—It confused her. Why didn’t she want him to let go?

---

Three days later found her seated in one of the many lounges that the Well boasted. Srina moved through the details on a data-pad with precision, storing what she needed, while discarding the rest. She didn’t mind the missions that required her focus, but the paperwork, was never her priority. The various Ministers were ready to murder her of it. Sunlight poured through the clear transparisteel windows while the climate-controlled space made it comfortable.

She hadn’t heard from the apparition of Maliphant since he had interrupted her training.

The thought distracted her. Was it all a dream? Some trick in the Force that used her own memories to generate someone she knew? The longer his absence persisted the more she questioned what had taken place. The only thing that kept her from discarding it completely was a soft, tenuous connection, that grew stronger every day.

A piping hot cup of tea sat before her with a plate of untouched, raw fruit, and vegetation. When she was alone in the Well she tended not to try her hand with one of the ovens. Metus would surely be cross if she set their home on fire. Again. Her itinerary for the next week or so was beyond packed. Her lazy days on Ryloth, carefree, and isolated were soon to come to an end.

Such was the position of an Exarch. No matter her personal matters—She couldn’t hide for long.

Delicate fingers reached for a berry when everything in her seemed to pause.

The hem of a silken skirt whispered across the floor while she moved to stand, gracefully, though on auto-pilot. Srina could blindly feel something calling. While on Ryloth she didn’t bother with excessive coverings like she did in the capital. Today found wearing a simple wrap skirt that held seamlessly around her hips with a white, breathable, top. It was translucent in parts while everything important was kept modest with strategic embroidery. Bare feet padded along the wooden and marble floors while she made her way toward the front entrance. Long white hair remained unbraided, unbound, while falling in rolling moonlit waves down her back.

The datapad had been completely forgotten. Sitting neatly where it had clattered, on the floor of the lounge.

By the time she made it there a droid was already accessing the panel while twin Magnaguard stood idly by, patrolling, as they always did. The nightmarish beasts of metal and wires stared straight ahead with soulless red eyes. Easily, enough to scare off most intruders.

Srina stood between the two when the automated doors opened with a woosh of air. The scent of sand, flowers, and fresh air swept into the Well. Silver eyes followed the line of a man that she didn’t truly expect to see. The mask she detested was gone. His eyes were golden, with high cheek bones, and a definitive air that spoke of permanence. She stared for a long moment.

Metaphysical fingers rolled through the Force—Invasive. Questioning, without words. Was it really him?

“...You’re here.”

That was the growing Force that had wrapped itself around her sense for days. Growing, coming ever closer. A soft breeze stirred her hair from her shoulders and she seemed to realize that she had simply been staring. Rudely, and without apology. Darker lashes dusted against pale cheeks while she glanced down, finding composure, before stepping into the midday sun. “What took you so long?”

 

[Darth Empyrean]

In the doorway, Maliphant let her watch him - study his figure, internalize that he was there. Dressed in a modern suit that trailed his figure expertly - though it certainly hid more of his skin than she had; yet he was missing a sports coat, leaving just a slightly unbuttoned white shirt tucked into his pants. Long hair trailed down his back just as hers, ironically matching in their sudden arrival to one another.​

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For him, in those moments before she spoke through the force - Maliphant couldn’t help but take in her beauty. Skin exposed, hair tussled, and this smolder that rolled off her like a wild fire - he couldn’t help but lose his breath, and slowly regain it as he offered the ever so slightest smile. His gaze moved to the ground as he walked towards her - careful not to move so quickly the Magnaguards would assume him a threat.​

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Only a foot from her, his hands slowly picked both of hers up, cradling them in his own. He studied them for a moment before letting his thumbs rub over the back of her palms - studying her flesh in person for the first time since their fated meeting almost a decade before. Maliphant couldn’t help but smile - looking directly into the eyes of the Dread Queen.​

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“The traffic was hell.”​

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Srina Talon​

 

[Srina Talon]

Location: Ryloth [Sinner’s Well]
Tag: Darth Empyrean

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Was it real?

The svelte Echani female stood carefully in the middle of the automated portal that had opened at her command. He didn’t speak. Why? Most species couldn’t close their mouths unless someone held the audacity to shut it for then. The used-to-be apparition seemed content to allow her time to evaluate the situation, and so, she did. Silver eyes slid over every inch of the man that stood in her doorway. He was different. More solid. Less of a phantasm—Real. Yes. Real.

If her own senses weren’t to be trusted, at the very least, the reaction Maliphant received from the Magnaguard told a story all on its own. They were immediately apprehensive. Which meant, they saw, what she saw. They did not feel through the Force as she could. Something, presented itself. Something that looked a lot like the Slave reborn. He seemed to have been made anew with a radiating calm.

Srina let him come closer. The quiet apprentice did not allow others to touch her, in any way, unless she wished it. She was curious. “Stand down.”, her words were short, final, and severe. The fearsome bodyguard and battle droids seemed to settle at her command. They returned to their stations, still as stone, while settling back into their positions. Statues. Unmovable, but terrifying all the same while they no doubt wanted a piece of the stranger that had appeared out of the blue.

There were no visitors logged today. No schedule to keep. Surprise always threw them into unmitigated chaos, unless, it led to a fight. Then? It was all fun and terrible games.

Maliphant took her hands and the young woman had to stop a relieved sigh from passing through her lips. Instead, she bit down. Hard. Enough that it nearly bled. Why?

If it was some sort of trick the pain would provide clarity.

His thumbs over her skin felt familiar, and yet, so new. A warmth that seemed specific to him crept into her being, providing comfort, long before he opened his mouth. His voice held a lilt that she had come to anticipate. Soft, teasing words, accompanied the smile that already lingered on his face. Such a soft touch shouldn’t have held so much significance, but it did, and little electric tingles reverberated down her spine. Her comment was pithy and dry. Befitting, the Queen of Dread.

“You should learn how to fly, then.”

Their gaze lasted for longer than it should have. Silver clashed with gold in a torrent of the unspoken and her form settled, poised, into a perfect blend of awareness and relaxation. It wasn’t indifference. It was acceptance. He was here. Really, and truly. She wasn’t making up imaginary friends to comfort her in her darkest hours. The shadows weren’t driving her to madness. “...At least you’re wearing my face.”

Not Doran Harper. For some reason, she did not like that man, as much as she liked this one. It was a strange conundrum to deal with when Srina also knew for a fact that they were one and the same. Likely, because it was a mask. Physical distortions like that left her feeling blind.

One of her hands slipped carefully from his while she reached up to fiddle with the top buttons of his dress shirt. So relaxed, but, so formal. The desire to touch him, to learn, was excruciatingly strong.

“Come Maliphant... Welcome, to the Well.”

Srina backed away from the being that made her sluggish pulse move of its own accord, mostly, to gather composure. To find ground to stand on, since, he felt like taking it away. She didn’t know him. But, she felt like she did. As if she had known him a very, very long time.