Private Reflection Eternal

[Lucien Dooku]

"Oh, so we're partners now are we?" He leaned back in the seat with a mischievous grin. "Can't say that I've gotten to that point before without at least a first date- or does our little adventure in the library count?" Luc put on a poker face before eventually letting out a laugh to break to the tension. He was intent on letting the joke run itself to completion, but a part of him couldn't help but be amused at the situation the two of them had somehow fallen in together. Since first meeting her at the Lift leading down to the archives, Luc had felt there was something different about her, compared to some of the other women he'd come across during the past few years he'd been gallavanting around the galaxy. Though she was a Jedi, she was an interesting character with many different facets that made her stand out to him when compared to her peers.

There was a side to her that was eeriely similar to himself, even if he wouldn't admit it openly. She was fierce, independent, and surprisingly free-thinking, although the last bit was more along the lines of his own personal assumptions on those who aligned with the various Jedi orders in the Core. She broke more than a few of those assumptions already, and he was beginning to think that she might've made a good spacer had things in life turned out different for her. Never too late. He mused in his thoughts with a grin on his lips. It made him smile when she reciprocated his playful banter when something equally as witty, although she received a roll of the eyes at the comment referring to him as a 'scruffy looking hottie'. "Dashing, dangerous and mysterious fits better if you ask me~" Was his reply to that, and he finished it with a playful wink to top it off.

He waved off her thanking him on not gunning down their pursuers in front of the temple afterwards, instead choosing to remain silent as the holoprojector in his palm activated once more, switching from her visage and into what looked like a family portrait. Luc pressed his chin lazily against the top of the chair as he listened quietly and respectably to her story. The previous hints of cunning and playfulness in his demeanor shifted into a more sanguine expression since the tone of the conversation had switched to a more serious topic concerning her backstory. She'd been through a hell of a lot more than he gave her credit for, and her story made him regret having made so many assumptions as to just who this refreshingly cheerful, beautiful young woman was.

Despite losing her family and discovering the truth behind her new one, she somehow managed to keep up that distinct personality that drew him in from the start. Even though he'd gone through his own struggles over the past few years, Luc couldn't claim to have remained the same cheerful person that he use to be as teenager. He was still a decent person, but traveling the Rim alone made him focus on becoming more cold and calculating to survive the rough world of working in the underworld of society. He'd seen more than enough people die to become numb to the thought of seeing, and even giving out death to those who were deserving of it.

To the average person these facets of his self were hidden behind a veil of a guy who just wanted to have a good time while living a dangerous, carefree life. He was cunning enough to think outside the box, but fearless enough to dive headfirst into danger when the situation deemed it necessary. Even if he wasn't the perfect person, he was proud to at least know that his life was carved out with his own two hands; his destiny was molded by himself, and whatever came out of it was as a result of his own choices, and not others. He could've easily been a budding Sith, his mind tainted by the dark side and brainwashed into seeing himself above all those who weren't like himself. He could've still officially held his title back on Serenno, and perhaps even held his relationship with his family in higher esteem when compared to the present. He regretted losing those positive aspects of his old life every day, but Luc knew the choice he made was the rightful one for him. It was his own choice, after all.

Luc raised up from the seat with a yawn after she offered to give him an official tour around her ship. For a moment he forgot that they'd only passed through a single section, which reminded him just how big Star Yachts were capable of being. His gaze scanned his surroundings out of curiosity before settling back on the Blonde next to him as he remarked on his droid, who surprisingly had taken a liking to her. "He's probably bursting with joy at being able to lounge around and relax for a while." He replied. "Normally we make do with what we have if we're not being hosted on a ship, but apparently he was use to a life of luxury and convenience back before he came into my possession. It's safe to say that we have a cordial relationship. Not as icy as when I first acquired Midnight- my starfighter." Luc nudged her on the shoulder playfully. "But I think he actually likes you, and he doesn't like anybody. Maybe he sees what I see." It was a subtle way of getting across how he felt. He wasn't use to dealing with a woman who didn't just see him as some charming and precarious young spacer with a growing reputation out in the Rim's underworld, after all.

Tempest Yore

 

[Tempest Yore]

The way he remarked about her labeling them a partnership and inquiring as to whether or not their initial meeting in the library could be considered a first date, lead her to purse her lips together in a representation that her thoughts drifted to contemplation, while he began to cackle. "I have this terrible feeling," she reflected, "that in our relationship we have already set the precedent for engagement, so…yes, I do believe you and I did well enough to confidently look back and acknowledge that just a short while ago we certainly had embarked on our very first date." She observed at how thoroughly satisfied with himself he did seem. Her eyes darted to the ceiling for a moment then narrowed, as she pondered his outward display of amusement, and happily she could not find any fact to refute her conclusion. She joined in his state of amusement with a smile of her own in return.

A lot of mystery remained unspoken surrounding him which only time shall expose, but her instincts regarded him harmless enough to trust. 'But what is he thinking which inspires that grin?' she cannot help but wonder about. If only she knew he fancied her one who might enjoy the spacer lifestyle!

Luc then corrected her rendered description of himself, better preferring to be described as dashing, dangerous and mysterious as he so depicted. She nodded in affirmation, but truthfully could only ascribe two of those traits to what she already ascertained about him. One in particular she just is not certain about would be dangerous.

In all of this she noted how he appears quite relaxed, not the least fretful considering what might reveal as a challenge in the near future. He represented a calm before the storm. She found herself caught up in his flirtatious mood, perhaps his mode of avoiding obsessing over the inevitable future. Tempest realized she must watch herself with this one. Why would that be? Because she doesn't need him to point out to her how she feels. Oh, she knows!

As she made her invitation to give him a tour of her ship, his indirect affirmation to his current state of fatigue did not escape her notice; the man yawned. He immediately remarked on his Astromesh Droid R-4, while she thought it better to exhibit hospitality and stay the full tour until after he is well rested. He complimented her once again and she felt caught up in his charm as seems to be her usual response. She shook off her budding desires and instead immediately turned to him and she said, "I bet you say that to all the girls; doesn't he R-4?" She turned to peer at the droid, for Luc himself had just mentioned it's possible fondness for her. Her only experience with droid speak has been on a novice level. She bet on the fact that Luc would reply and she would know the droid's message to her, based off how it responds to Luc's generous translation to it's reply. If Luc embellishes to cover up the truth, any droid will typically fall into a fit of protest!

As for Tempest, she would need to step back and actively observe him, for she never has been caught up in anyone before beyond permissible puppy love. She never found herself stationary enough to make any such commitments. She often daydreamed herself presented with the opportunity to run away with some handsome stranger, but always the Force lead her out of true love's grasp. Whether or not Lucien Dooku could be the one, only the Force would determine.

Tempest awaited Luc to translate her direct question to R-4, before leading him downstairs and to a cozy guest cabin situated adjacent her own. "Refresher is there." She pointed in the direction from his guest room door. "The kitchen is further down towards the stern, one floor up from the aft dining nook, if you find yourself in need"—she instinctively stepped backwards, closer to her own entryway—"of anything. Help yourself," she said.

Hosting parties on her ship is one thing; but this?! 'It's gonna be a long night, Tempest! A seriously long night!'

 

[Lucien Dooku]

Lucien raised his eyebrows and grinned just enough to resume the cunning expression that he was holding to a few minutes before his tour of her vessel had started. "That's definitely one hell of a first date, then." He responded back, crossing his arms over his chest in a nonchalant manner and trailing behind her casually during their little trek across her ship. He couldn't help but wonder just how much time the pair would be able to spend together in the future. Their excursion from the Core Worlds was bound to take them to the edge of the Outer Rim at the least, but a part of him was hesitant to fully involve her in the off-chance that things got a bit more dicey than even he was comfortable with handling.

While he did tend to work alone when doing jobs for his various employers, it was a rarity that his line-of-work would put him into the path of potentially more than one opposing party, let alone force-users, since the man behind the cloak was definitely not some random guy off the street. Had it just been him, Luc would've been comfortable taking risks to get to the conclusion of the long and drawn out quest that brought him across the Core in the first place. He wasn't a fan of beating around the bush to get the answers he wanted; the direct method was his preferred choice, and it worked out in his favor more often than not, thanks to the force and a handful of recklessness. He couldn't afford to be reckless with Tempest around accompanying him, though. Even if she was a fellow Jedi of comparative skill, he was still a noble at heart, and it just wasn't feasible to put her at risk after she'd willingly decided to join him.

He'd do his best to not worry about the consequences of bringing her along for the time being, in any case. He was already on her ship, and she seemed just as resolved in undertaking his journey with him as much as his own heart felt warm at the thought of a woman like her joining him along for the ride. "Consequences be damned." The words drifted across his mind as his eyes settled upon her visage, his grin expanding into a genuine smile. She gave him another remark as they passed by his droid, who'd taken a liking to the ship's recharging station since their arrival on board the ship. He figured R4 was relieved to have so much free time on his hands to relax, and Luc figured the astromech deserved the reprieve after several weeks of consistent traveling up to that point.

Surprisingly the droid didn't chirp back with too much sass, although he mentioned a pair of women from Bespin and a gunfight offhandedly before returning back to idling in comfort. Luc rubbed the back of his head and chuckled at the droid's response, a hand pressing into the small of Tempest's back as he guided her away from the droid and urged her forwards to resume their tour. "That's uh, old news, trust me on that one. 'sides, not every lady gets to meet R4. Consider yourself special." He gave her a wink to accompany his smile, then continued speaking to somewhat get off the subject of his previous lady friends.

"I won an apartment in a game of Sabacc back on Cloud City a few months back. Maybe I had a girlfriend or two at some point-- But anyway, some local OPA sheriff decided to make me out to be the head of a slaver gang to cover up his own corruption. Luckily I ran into a not-so-corrupt OPA Judge and we uh...we worked things out with the Sheriff." Lucien left the finer details of what happened as vague as possible as he explained the story. The truth was always a bit more grim, and there was no reason to embellish on what they had to do to clear things names. "That situation is sorted out, though. We can stop by Cloud City to refuel and catch some R&R on our way to Terminus, if you want? I've got some friends who watch over my apartment while i'm gone, so, the place should be clean."

Returning back to the topic at hand, Luc would peek into the guest room for a moment before turning back to Tempest, a thumb pointing in the direction of the kitchen. "Might make myself a drink before we head off-world, if you've got anything hard in there."

Tempest Yore

 

[Tempest Yore]

It did not escape her notice how Lucien Dooku began to shuffle her away from his droid while the thing started to respond to her questioning about his playboy nature. He wasn't exactly subtle in his aim. She has no idea what the droid replied, and here Luc gave it away all too easily. "M'hm," was her instinctual reply.

She wasn't sure what to make of his sudden invitation to Cloud City. Are there some unspoken expectations she should be prepared for? "Whatever you need to do. It is the life of a Jedi to be flexible, decisive, and patient. I am sure I can come up with a list of provisions I need for my ship." Truth is, she did just stock up after her last yacht party. She figured Luc might be seeking an excuse to set his house in order before he heads out searching for his Master. He honestly doesn't need to be concerned for her comfort. "I spend most of my time on my ship, Luc. Any day I see blue skies is welcome, and I consider myself in paradise."

He wants a drink. 'Oh that sounds like the perfect idea about now.' She would have some satisfaction! "I wonder why?" she calmly stated, peering him dead in the eye. 'Whatever could have him on edge here?' She smiled to herself as she lead the way down the hall. "You look like you could relax a little," she remarked referring to how much stress it seems R-4 had caused him. Droids must be programmed how to put their owner on the hot seat!

Tempest prepared herself for what conclusion Luc might try and draw from what he would next see. This Knight following her dogma happens to be dedicated to health and wellbeing. That also includes mental and physical aspects of existence. She entered an adequately sized room with a dance floor, sound system and wet bar. But her entire wall behind the bar is lined with wines from various origination. The young woman has alot of wine! Because of her holistic stance…"Yeah. There just doesn't happen to be anything else; sorry." 'He doesn't actually mind?' she wondered. 'Does he?'

Her pilot droid spoke to Tempest from the cockpit over the intercom in the nearly forgotten language of Igpay Atinlay. Tempest blushed much embarrassed at the ingenuity of the droid, and coincidingly tried to quell her initial response, that of an instinctual busting out in laughter. Not wanting to alarm her guest or to cause him any means of mistrust towards her, in case he did not catch onto what was said about him, Tempest replied to her paranoid droid in Basic. "No. Honest, I am safe," she said catching Luc's eye. "Oh, but he is being a perfect gentleman." The droid continued its protest. "Do you hear me screaming?" Tempest asked in a tone of comedic annoyance. The droid grumbled. "Do you prefer that I was screaming then?" The droid cut the com at that point.

"Our droids are probably as well suited for each other as—" she stopped short of finishing her thought. She smiled softly as she uncorked the bottle and served him a drink.

The ship began to lift off. Tempest was more than happy to stand up and begin to head to the cockpit. She had a mantra for strength in times like these. 'Don't be STUPID, Tempest!' A nice ice bath might help, along with maybe pictures of the violence of war, her father, moldy bread, babies being born!

She can only hope Master Syn is not correct about his ideal that every Jedi ought best refrain from succumbing to temptations which breed carnal passion. Tempest wants to live…someday!

 

[Lucien Dooku]

[VIBES]​

"Hm." There was a sense of relief, even if small, as she confirmed her willingness to travel with him and prepare a list of the things that she'd need to keep their ship afloat during their journey. "Alrighty then, I can see you've got the whole spacer thing in the bag, Miss Jedi~" He ended it there as he resumed following her down the hall which led into the kitchen. There wasn't a need to bring the topic up on their next destination any further, in his opinion. She was quite resourceful for a Jedi; Tempest knew her way around a ship, was able to call the shots in the cockpit, and even had a taste for adventure-- something that Lucien himself had long grown accustomed to since entering the tutelage of his master.

Eventually there wouldn't be opportunities such as these to enjoy the company of one another without always being wary of who was coming after them. It wasn't his first rodeo when it came to tracking down artifacts and people, after all, and he knew how dicey things could go when you needed to locate something, acquire it and make an exit before things escalated more than he could handle. There was never a guarantee that things would go smooth, and in fact they usually didn't when it involved closely guarded secrets, people or objects of extreme interest to others. He'd accustomed himself to learning not how to play by the rules, but to survive when he needed to by any means possible. With someone else to protect besides himself, he no longer would be able to fight just for his own survival anymore, but also to make sure she wasn't harmed as well.

But for now he took solace in the moment for what it was; an opportunity to relax, enjoy something alcoholic and prepare for what was to be a long-winded trip to the southern Rim with a beautiful woman he'd just met. Lucien found a seat at the bar once they arrived at their destination, removing his jacket and hanging it on the back of the stool while she searched through the line of bottles for something a bit more harder than what he could see. He offered a smile when she apologized for the lack of hard liquor being available. "Don't sweat it, Tempest. Turns out I can enjoy a glass or two of wine like the next guy." He leaned against the bar with his elbow, blue eyes following her as she walked around the bar and conversed with the droid that decided to chime in from the cockpit.

It wasn't binary that it was speaking, and Luc didn't bother to analyze the psuedo-language, if that's what it was, farther than the first few words he could decipher. Instead he allowed Tempest to serve him the drink and pretended as if he wasn't paying attention the entire time. His gaze shifted towards the glass as he swirled the contents within playfully while the exchange went on a few feet away from him. His eyes only returned to Tempest once she directed her voice towards him, only to stop herself and head off back down the hall.

"Now that was interesting, right, R4?"​

He chuckled along with the droid chiming in with a set of gleeful noises into the commlink mounted on his wristwatch. The droid had a tendency to eavesdrop more than he was comfortable with, but Luc had gotten use to it by then. Bringing the glass to his lips, Luc gulped down all but a drop of the wine at once. He reached across the bar and grabbed the bottle, pouring himself another glass and sitting it on the counter between him and the seat next to him. A second glass was sat next to the bottle, in case she came back to the kitchen anytime soon. If not, he'd enjoy a few glasses to himself, perhaps listen to a bit of music to pass the time in peace. And if she did?

"Good." He thought to himself, unable to contain the cheeky grin that consumed his expression when he thought of how the two had met. The force moved in mysterious ways, but so did Lucien, when he didn't want to be found. Somehow she managed to find him, and even convince him to bring her along on what was definitely a fool's errand in the first place. But when one forged their own destiny, it took one to be somewhat of a fool to have the courage to walk into the unknown head-first, like a leaf in the wind.

Tempest Yore

 

[Tempest Yore]

Mantra. Mantra. Mantra…
More mantra…

Such a vulnerable feeling when it doesn't help, but she sure did appear to make a solid attempt. It's likely she failed because regardless of her head and all time tested reasoning, her heart just wasn't keen on moving in a direction so extremely opposed to where she seemed so smoothly and unavoidably headed.

She stopped within the alcove connecting to the bridge. "We're going to Bespin," she called to the pilot droid. She stood for a moment longer, conscious of her rate of respiration.

'Now what?' she wondered to herself. She turned her head and realized that she had left Luc in the bar all alone, as he hadn't followed her now. She hadn't courteously bid him good nite or anything thing at all. She felt she couldn't return to him empty handed. Tempest abruptly turned upon her heels and rushed along a secret corridor for panic circumstances. She slipped unseen into the kitchen near the bar where Luc sat.

She returned to Lucien Dooku with a tray of random select hot foods. "I couldn't leave my guest wanting, while his droid receives more lavish treatment," she announced as she re-entered the bar area.

She set the serving plate down upon the bar and returned to the stool next to Luc's. She laid utensils and serviettes between them.

She tried to consciously avoid eye contact but her attempt didn't last long; she figured it may appear mighty conspicuous after awhile!

She wondered how it is she had never met him before. She let him pour her her a glass of wine while she inquired, "So Jedi-Yourself," she teased, "I belong to a Strarfighter Squadron with the New Jedi Order, myself. I have spent a lot of time off on my own, but have never seen you among the ranks of any Order which I am affiliated. I know there are plenty more across the galaxy, and your Master was found in among archives, did he train you for long periods among the stars?" She wondered what Luc's official records would reveal about him? What type of student he has been?

Tempest drew some meats and cheese from the plate. She listened to his response before inquiring further, "My strength in skills lies in intuition, stealth and illusion. What are your's?" She asked incase he feels there is any skill he might like to level up on, which might be among one of her strengths. Also because, "It is good to know whose got your back for what is in store."

 

[Lucien Dooku]

Tempest's return was marked by the sight of Lucien swirling a half-full glass of wine as the rogue Jedi vibed along with his thoughts and the faintest sound of music emanating from a bud stuck in his ear. The remainder of the wine was drunk in a single motion as she appeared at his side, his head swiveling to the side to greet her with a smile perched on his face. Bringing with her an assortment of food on her return back to the bar, Luc couldn't help but give off a chuckle at the hospitality that was being thrown his way by his newfound companion whose ship he'd accidentally commandeered not too long before.

"Thanks." He offered up to break the moment of silence that came after she joined him at the bar, then took the opportunity to refill both of their glasses with more wine now that the two had a moment to themselves to relax. He dug into the food that was offered during the small stint of silence that followed their reunion, his eyes remaining focused in her direction even as no words were being said at the time. His attention was already hers by the time she spoke up once more, her question triggering a smirk after hearing her dig a bit more into his origins. He figured it was fair enough, all things considered, as she'd already seen his master's current state, assuming the man on the holocron and him were one and the same.

A shrug was exaggerated as he plopped another piece of food in his mouth, a playful demeanor being displayed as he patiently chewed his food instead of immediately answering her questions. "I'm somethin' of a Jedi, but I never trained with any Order. Your Masters would probably classify me as a Rogue Jedi, but i'm just some spacer with a fancy laser-sword, if you ask me~" He spoke up, his elbow leaning against the bar while his cheek rested lazily within the palm of his hand. "I uh...my master was a friend of the family, I guess you can say. Found out I was a force sensitive and convinced my grandfather to let him swoop me off-world to train me personally. Had it not been for him, I probably would've never left my home, or even explored the stars to the same extent that I have now."

In another reality, him and Tempest would have been nothing more than ideological enemies, destined to live different lives, if not attempt to kill eachother. Much like his older brother, Augustus, Luc should've been a Lord of the Sith in the future, had everything gone to plan. Power and prestige would have came to his family upon his ascension within the Order, and Luc himself wouldn't have had to live as a fallen son of Serenno. "He guided me in life, which I guess is what a 'Jedi Master' should do, in a manner of speaking, but in the end the decision to save myself from a destiny that was forced upon me was left up to me to decide."

"But-- here we are now, A rogue Jedi and a Jedi Knight, teamin' up to travel the stars." Luc offered up a smile to offset the grim tone of his previous words. Raising his glass towards her, he gave her a wink before taking a sip of the wine. Sitting the glass back down on the table, Luc waited for her to finish speaking before continuing where he had left off. It felt a bit odd for him to be exchanging a summary of his skills with another; perhaps it was the lack of hubris in himself, as even though he was extremely confident in his skills on a personal level, he wasn't the type of man to boast about his abilities to another. "Hmm.." He hummed quietly, tapping at his chin with the other hand not cupping his cheek. "I'll admit that you're right, but I prefer to keep my cards close to my chest, whenever possible. But perhaps in the near future I might just decide to let you in my head." Luc smirked as a finger tapped against his temple. "Till then, you'll just have to rely on that keen sense of intuition you've got goin' for ya, little miss Jedi~"

Tempest Yore

 

[Tempest Yore]

The Knight listened attentively to what Lucien Dooku offered to share about himself. She is quite pleased that he did share as much as he had, even if he wasn't comfortable speaking about all she had inquired regarding his training and capabilities. "The Order is very helpful in assuring you develop your skills to the fullest. It is a big galaxy out there, and all manner of trials and hardship exist to steer us towards the darkside. The Order would give you a sense of belonging. Like myself, you don't have to stay with them to utilize all they have to offer."

The impression she concluded after he finished speaking is that he is quite modest, or he truly does not realize the value of his purpose. He is definitely correct that one's life purpose is not something anyone can pass down or orchestrate for anyone other than themselves. We can be born in a place and yet feel drawn to live out our days elsewhere. She didn't remember where she had been born, only that her adoptive parents resided in the underbelly of Coruscant. We develop connections along our journey. Tempest knew a lot of people, but not many of them likely even thought of her while apart. They would see her ship and want to have a get together with a handful of friends. None of them accompanied her anywhere whenever she went on a personal mission. Only the Jedi came close to her idea of what family should be. Dedication seemed as much a part of duty, than a choice, but she would lay down her life if required for the members of her flight squadron.

She found it perfectly acceptable that Luc would prefer to keep some secrets up his sleeve. Only he kept all of them to himself. She only hopes that when it comes down to a moment of desperation, that they have already formed a sound trust between one another. "Knowing the skills one another bring to a fight can be very helpful in not stepping on each other's toes. I am Shadow, a Sentinel. I focus on fighting with the blade and the Force in unison." A more aggressive fighter with the blade might overwhelm her physically, but she could still throw them off their guard by barraging them with Force techniques, and overwhelm them just the same. She figured if Luc still doesn't care to share, she will simply let it pass. It's not like he forced choked everyone already! She expected that if he was into the Darkside, he probably would love to gloat about specific Darkside skills. Tempest however, once rendered a Force Push into the heart of her aggressor, discovering it exceptionally preferable. Now getting close enough and slipping it in without being hacked in half, is the hard part.

Between the wine and her energy level she honestly thought she heard him say, "perhaps in the near future I might just decide to let you in my bed. Till then, you'll just have to rely on that keen sense of intuition you've got goin' for ya, little miss Jedi." Tempest froze as she felt her cheeks suddenly flush. She drank the wine he had poured her.

Mantra…
Mantra…
Mmm—?
'DAMNIT!!'

'Doesn't he seem right at home?' she thought, preferring his company over those nights when her entire ship had been filled with friends and revelry. She held out her glass for more wine and smiled shyly.

"Indomitable" she addressed her ship'd computer, "turn on the music."

"You have one guest," she ship's computer identified. "Searching playlists. Playing Duets." A romantic slow song began to play over the surround sound speakers.

Tempest blushed again. She would have died if it would grant her the power to roll back this moment!