Said the Spider to the Fly

[Sage Bane]

Sage couldn’t think of a better way to “get to know” his new Acolyte [member="Kinsey Starchaser"] than tangled up in the lush Zoosha fabric sheets of the enormous sleeper in his Wyyrlock-Class Star Destroyer. Master and student ripped off each other’s clothing in a frenzy of passion and consummated their relationship, several times over the course of the morning and into the early afternoon. As a result, training for Kinsey Starchaser didn’t start until late the next evening. She would be awakened by two hooded servants of Sage’s, both of them mute and sans tongues. One of the young men deposited a set of fresh clothing on the foot of the bed, the bed currently empty of her Master, and then they waited outside for her to change. Once changed into her training outfit, a black cotton tank top, black workout pants, and combat boots, Kinsey was escorted to The Laughing Dead’s training area, where her Master awaited.

Sage smiled knowingly as his protege entered the training room, his brown eyes unabashedly admiring her lithe form. He had a little surprise waiting for Kinsey. His black, leathery amphistaff arm undulated wildly from his shoulder blade, free from its banelith masquer. The Vong biot’s trio of reptilian heads weaved through the air and hissed softly in acknowledgement of the girl’s arrival. The revelation of his pets was a practical one. With his amphistaves exposed, Sage would not be tempted to let his lust for Kinsey steal her focus from her lessons, and vice versa.

Dispensing with formalities, Sage cleared his throat and launched into a pedantic speech reserved for his students at the Temple of Pain.

“All of the greatest Sith Masters train their students with a brutal disregard for learning curves, making the protege fight for every scrap of knowledge he or she can gain. Darth Bane himself said, 'Conflict sharpens one's skills and makes the Sith stronger.' This training won’t be easy, Kinsey, and you’ll probably hate me before the end of the lesson, but you’ll come out of it a stronger Sith warrior.”

On the floor in front of him was a large black zeyd-cloth sack. With his human hand, he lifted it up and dumped out its contents on the floor. A half-dozen severed human heads tumbled out of the mouth of the bag, rolling every which way. Glassy eyes glinted with the beams of red from the overhead lights, and tongues lolled haplessly out of their mouths. Sage absently rolled one with his boot as he continued the lesson.

“The human head weighs on average, about ten pounds. Your first task, dear Kinsey, is to lift these heads and place them one by one on that shelf using only the Force. Gather up all of the Force energy around you, bring it inside of you, and then use it to focus your will on the objects.”

He gazed on her expectantly with a quirk of his brow, a dark look that said, “I’m waiting.”

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Sage Bane"]

This Starchaser was well acquainted with every inch of Sage's body, a few times over. Something had felt different on one of his arms but she hadn't thought to voice her curiosity between those silken sheets and his urgent hands. That thought had been all but forgotten until now.

Too-blue eyes widened. Full-lips parted further with the bag of heads. Youthful face paled and a hand inadvertently went to her throat. To her credit, she didn't cry out. But she was seriously questioning her life choices and her attachment to Sage. Or, she tried to with the latter bumping up against that mental nudge to give the One Sith Hand the benefit of the doubt. Always.

Finally, she found her voice. The heads remained stationary. "Wha....what are those? How did that happen to you?" Eyes were focused on the snakes attached to his body. Stars, had they... Last night...in the bed???

Better. Life. Choices. Kins.

 

[Sage Bane]

As soon as Sage saw Kinsey's panic-stricken face, his smile faded. He began to wonder if he was exposing her too quickly to all of his abominable secrets. A rut formed in his brow as he blinked his soulful brown eyes at her. Sage loved to play the victim in most situations, and he was not above fishing for some sympathy from Kinsey. The Sith Lord averted his eyes as if recalling the memory was too painful for direct eye contact.

"I lost my arm in battle on Ashera and my Master decided to fit me with a new one." he said, with an edge of remorse. It was a half-truth. Sage failed to mention that he had cut off his own arm as a form of punishment for trespassing in Matsu Xiangu's mind. He was also complicit in the fitting of his arm, the decision to receive the biot was just as much his as it was Matsu's. These details were irrelevant to Sage's version of the story, so he left them out.

"You didn't see it last night because I had it hidden in its masquer," he explained. "It's Yuuzhan Vong technology that allows the arm to look remarkably human when not in use. It is a Vong biot, a living breathing creature that is mind-linked with me."

Sage extended his hand and let one of the tentacles wind lovingly around it. Another rested itself contentedly on his shoulder blade, blinking its reptilian eyes at the newcomer. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a scrap of raw meat. With a careless toss, he threw the meat to the third and it viciously snapped the snake treat right out of the air.

"There's no need to worry about them, Kinsey," he assured her. "My pets will protect you just as fiercely as they protect me."

With a smirk, he shrugged and then gestured to one of the heads with pale thin fingers.

"Those heads aren't going to lift themselves, pateesa."

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Sage Bane"]

"That's horrible," fingers rose to her mouth in shock while her eyes held concern from her master as he wove his tale. She wanted to step over those gross severed heads and comfort him in an embrace while running her fingers through his hair and maybe tossing his pets a treat. A few treats. But she stood frozen. Hand finally lowered from her mouth.

Plus, right now, she was his student, not his lover.

"You've survived a great deal, haven't you?" Concern swirled within her blue-depths. Still, if she ever lost a limb she would request NOT to have that done. Focus returned back to the heads. She gulped, glad she had skipped the dinner cart and squared off her shoulders in determination. One arm stretched out as she dipped into that ocean of fear and undertones of hatred that she seemed to feel ten-fold around Sage. The darkside was very ripe around him.

Too-blue eyes scrunched up in concentration. Beads of sweat formed along her back as she concentrated on moving one of those disgusting, totally gross heads. Twenty-minutes later, one twitched and rolled and barely hopped over Sage's toe before rolling against the base of the back shelf.

Panting, she lowered her arm and wiped the sweat from her brow, letting off a low, frustrated growl. "I can't do this! This is too fething hard. I told YOU, didn't I? I told you." The repeat sentence was a whisper.

Slick palms ran against the fabric of her pants.

 

[Sage Bane]

Sage reveled in Kinsey's sympathetic gaze. The Sith Lord enjoyed the way Kinsey made him forget for just a few moments that he was a Hand of the Dark Lord, bound by all of the pressures of the title, and simply a young man on whom she had a crush. Even though the power of the Dark Side fueled him, Sage often mourned his boyhood. As a slave, he had been robbed of first dates and schoolyard crushes. His freedom only brought with it the complications of addiction, prostitution, and a quick descent into organized crime. Sex had always been purely another means of escape from an unforgiving galaxy.

"Survived is one way of putting it," he said with a smirk. "I was once a slave, but have since broken those chains. That's why the red banners hang proudly in my bedroom, so that I never forget what I would be without the Sith."

Kinsey's first try at telekinesis was abyssal to say the least, but he knew she had potential. He just needed to find the right way to coax it out. Her irritation was palpable, and he had a feeling that her frustration would only deepen as the lesson continued. No one ever said training as a Sith was easy. In Sage's experience, a firmer hand got better results than a softer one. The student needed to break before she could bend. So with that in mind, his voice took on an edge of disdain.

"I've seen better displays of telekinesis from a brain-damaged monkey," Sage snarled. "That was utterly embarrassing, Acolyte Starchaser. Use your emotions, Kinsey. Focus on your anger. Your rage." He lifted an eyebrow cockily. "Your lust. Then, use those feelings to fuel your power, and focus that energy on the object."

The serpentine heads of his arm hissed in unison as he gestured to the pile of severed heads.

"Again."

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Sage Bane"]

She winced at Sage's reaction. His words and tone hurt more than a physical slap. Part of her was torn at being pissed off at him and the other part still wanted to give him empathy, especially since she just found out about his history as a slave. Empathy could come later.

"Well maybe you should've picked up a brain damaged monkey at the concert, instead!" The teen was not above sass or defiance, especially when she was tired, frustrated, and wounded. Blue-eyes narrowed at a head and it suddenly exploded off the ground, launching like a rocket into the back of the shelf. No control - but it had moved!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Booted-feet bounced up and down. "Did you see that? Did. You. See. That???" She launched herself at her master in an exuberant hug and more excited bouncing, not being swayed by the presence of his serpents. Any celebration was short-lived, however.

With a groaning splinter, the bookshelf lurched forward and began to tip toward them.

"Oh, chiiiiiiiiit," blue-eyes widened.

 

[Sage Bane]

As Kinsey's blue eyes blazed with rage, Sage couldn't help but smile. Her anger would attract the Dark Side of the Force, and sure enough, like flies to a rotting cadaver, he felt the stygian energy begin to swarm around her. Then, she unexpectedly harnessed it. Sage covered his head with one hand and flinched as the severed head went flying past him. He turned back to his apprentice with a proud grin. Kinsey bounced around excitedly and then launched herself into his arms.

His amphistaves hissed and undulated as the girl squeezed him tightly. When Sage was a Knight, having Kinsey so close to his Vong biot could have been a fatal mistake, but the Sith Lord had finally mastered the creatures. Their obedience was evident when instead of attacking her, two of the tendrils reached out to playfully coil around her, the other content to sit on its master's shoulder. Sage was just about to lean in to steal a kiss from her, when the shelf behind them began to topple.

Sage gripped his apprentice with every available appendage, and using the Force to speed up his muscles, quickly pulled the girl out of the shelf's path as it crashed to the floor. The rest of the heads were squished like shurra fruit, and soon brain matter and viscera spattered the floor, marking the end of her lesson in telekinesis. Sage looked at the shelf and then back at his apprentice, and broke into a belly laugh. He suddenly lost interest in training her, and instead longed to feel her hands and lips, to let his own fingers explore the atlas of her body.

Sage's fingers laced through her hair as he stared directly into her twin pools of blue. As badly as he wanted to drag her off to the bedroom, he resisted the urge. By the Dark Side, she would be a Sith warrior. Over his bloody, dead body would he fail as her Master. He gave her a simple kiss on the cheek, and in a gentle voice, offered a suggestion.

"Why don't we move on to a bit of lightsaber training, mah ji muna?"

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Sage Bane"]

"Thank you," breathless voice caught in the base of her throat as her blue-eyes peaked just over his shoulder at the damage she had done. "And I thought you'd never ask." She smiled a bit sheepishly and relinquished her grip on her master, mindful of those serpents. A burst of confidence sunset across her face.

Movement, working with tools that could cut, now that's something she could do. Her time on the Dawn Treader resulted in so much experience and exposure to any sort of ship-repair tool. Many were similar, although smaller and used for a different purpose, to the lightsaber. And movement between tight spaces and sensing where to step was the one thing that came naturally to the female Starchaser.

Loath to leave the warmth of Sage, she hesitated to step away. But she finally did so, walking the few steps toward the entrance. There were weapons along the wall. Calloused-palms plucked a lightsaber hilt free. She wasn't sure if it was a practice saber or a relic won in one of the many battles she assumed Sage was victor to. After all, he was a hand of the Dark Lord.

"May I use this one?"

 

[Sage Bane]

Sage gave her a warm grin, but shook his head. After Kinsey's sad attempts at telekinesis, he wasn't letting his apprentice anywhere near a real lightsaber yet.

"Your initiative is admirable, but let's not get ahead of ourselves, darling. I'd rather like to keep all my parts."

The Sith Lord crossed to the weapons rack and plucked off a different weapon. It was a durasteel blade with a blunt edge. He took the lightsaber hilt from her hands and replaced it with that of the training blade.

"This is a training blade that is made especially to mimic the blade of a real lightsaber. The blade itself is covered with microscopic toxin-filled barbs taken from pelko bugs. If you are hit with the blade it not only burns to the skin on contact but it also paralyzes the surrounding area to mimic the effect of losing a limb. Training sabers hurt, but will not cause any lasting harm."

Another training blade was procured from the rack. Sage would wield that one. Twirling the weapon fluidly in his human hand, he raised his brow quizzically.

"Do you know any of the basic stances of lightsaber combat?"

Sage guessed the answer would be a definite no, but it never hurt to ask.

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Sage Bane"]

"But...but," a deep frown of skepticism crossed her lips as she held the hilt of the practice blade. "Fiiiine." To be fair, she wanted him to keep ALL his parts, too. She moved it around slowly, getting used to the feel and weight.

Yup, just like a plus-sized hydro spanner. Kinda. Sorta.

Attention tuned back into Sage. Something about forms. Stances. "No," she said slowly, hesitant to admit another shortcoming. "But can't you just feel it out? Act on instinct? Let the force guid you and all that?" She waved the practice saber around, pretending to fight an enemy while picturing herself in the next holo blockbuster.

How dreamy would it be to fight next to Prad Bitt? C'mon, Kins. Sage is way dreamier than Prad Bitt.

 

[Sage Bane]

"Well, letting the Force guide you is an important part of bladework," Sage explained, ignoring her excited jabs at an invisible foe. "But there are techniques you should learn as well."

"Here are the six target zones that you should be aware of." He came closer and, with his human hand pointed all six zones on Kinsey's body. His amphistaves undulated gently by his side in a trance-like stupor. "There are also three rings of defense to keep in mind. The outer, middle and inner rings, subsequently."

Sage would normally sent a Holofile to his apprentices' Datapads that detailed these positions for independant study, but he had taken Kinsey's Datapad away with promises to give it back, promises that still lay unfulfilled.

With Kinsey's attention span fading, he decided to simply begin with a practice duel so that she could get a hang of the movements.

"For our first exercise, we'll practice some Shi-Cho. You'll play the attacker. Swing the blade at me and I will parry."

With athletic grace, Sage's foot slid back into a lunge, knee bent. His saber arm followed, holding the practice blade out so that the weapon was pointing at Kinsey. It was the opening stance for Ataru.

"Now attack me."

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Sage Bane"]

Just swing at him? Really? Just like that?

Okay. She could do this. Hopefully. Channeling her feelings of fear, excitement, attraction to Sage, and that underlying teen-anger-angst, she faced off with her master and those three serpents that made up his arm. For a second, worry wrenched her gut. Hopefully she wouldn't hurt them. Or him.

Pfffft, Kins. I'll be the one needing ice-packs after this and a hot soak in the tub.

Right foot lunged forward and she went for a jab toward her master's abdomen with about 50% power before pulling out to swing with all her strength for the right side of his head.

 

[Sage Bane]

For her first work with a blade, Kinsey wasn't bad. She got bonus points for attempting a feint, even if he saw it coming from a mile away. Sage moved fast, almost preternaturally so. His arm moving in a blur, he brought his blade up to parry hers. He pushed forward to nudge her blade off his, and then quickly shot his hand outward. A mild Force repulse was aimed right at Kinsey's chest. If it struck, it would throw her backwards, hard enough to give her a few bruises, but not enough to break any bones.

It was a low-down dirty move, as Sage knew she wasn't expecting it. It wasn't as if he enjoyed hurting her. Well, perhaps he enjoyed it a little bit more than he would admit. Either way, it was all part of the training. Kinsey would need to tap into her anger towards him in order to harness her powers more effectively. Locking his brown eyes on her deep blue ones, a smile spread across his lips, and then turned down in a mock pout.

"Come on, my little comeuea. You should always expect your opponent to do the unexpected. When in combat, you should have the Force gathered around you at all times. It should be active and flowing through you. Again, pateesa."

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Sage Bane"]

An invisible force slammed into her chest and she stumbled backward, sweat-slicked back hitting hard against the training wall behind her. "OWW-Gorram." Blue-eyes narrowed on Sage with betrayal. Flecks of yellow began to creep into her inner pools.

The Hand of the Dark Lord was a fricken' cheater. He's just trying to prepare you, Kins. Still pissed.

A breeze that hadn't been there before started to swirl around in the training room, emanating from Kinsey. She didn't seem to notice, though, her eyes remained locked onto Sage's form. With a guttural grunt, she launched from the wall. The training blade went for a diagonal slash from his right shoulder town to his opposite hip. And as the blade went downward, her left fist came forward for a surprise punch for his jaw.

 

[Sage Bane]

There was a slight shifting of irises and a low growl in her throat as Kinsey's anger surged palpably through the training room. Then, as expected, she launched herself at her Master with a wildcat’s ferocity. The attack was fast, but crude. Their two training blades clanged as Sage brought his saber up to parry her attack. Sage's precognition was immensely powerful. As a master mentalist, the Sith Lord could sense imperceptible tremors in the Force before actions happened. So when Kinsey lunged forward with her punch, his hand shot up to grab her wrist. With his human hand, he yanked her arm forward as his tentacled arm curled around her waist to bring her body close to his.

"That's better, Kinsey," he growled, his voice low and throaty as his lips hovered over her earlobe. "Much better.”

His human hand cradled the back of her head to pull her in for a passionate kiss. It was obvious that Sage was no longer interested in giving saber lessons.

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Sage Bane"]

She grunted in surprise, nostrils flaring, as he grabbed her wrist. She felt the serpents slither around the curve of her hips. Her practice saber fell from her hand and clattered to the ground shortly after his did. Hot, angry puffs of breath met his neck as he drew her in. She was still livid.

Anger, mixed with lust and passion met his lips.

The breeze that seemed to emanate from Kinsey ruffled through Sage's hair and caused some of the training weapons on the wall to shake and clatter against their mountings. Blue eyes remained flecked with Fool's Gold. One foot slid behind his ankle and her hips suddenly rocked against his torso with the intention of knocking him back and to the ground with her joining him, poised on top,....hopefully far enough away to not land in the leftover brain matter that speckled the floor.

"Now, that's better," she would grin down at him. "Does this mean I win this lesson?"

 

[Sage Bane]

Spoiler

An electric charge of the Force coursed between them as Kinsey suddenly swept her leg behind his, toppling him like a felled tree. Sage landed on his back with an "oof," his serpentine arm flung out to the side. Thoroughly riled by all the activity, his amphistaves attacked the nearest severed head and in unison, tore into it like a present. The snake treat apparently hadn't satisfied them enough. The sound of their chewing was hardly a romantic sound, but Sage was far too gone to care.

If there was one gift that was genuinely Sage lacking, it was self-control around beautiful women. Men, too, but right now that wasn't in the cards. Right now his apprentice was straddling him. She was fully clothed of course, but wouldn't be for long. Sage's hands found her thighs and wandered upwards.

"You've got moves, Starchaser," Sage laughed, drowning in the bright blue oceans of her eyes.

"Show me more," he purred, pulling her down, pressing her body against his.

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]