Private Scapegoat

[Capris Halcyon]

TAGS: Darth Temerant
Outfit:x

​

Bitterly complying, the girl followed at a distance, guard kept alert and reactive. She didn’t get this far only to be picked off last minute by some nameless douchebag. So, as one might expect, her thoughts centered on a single word. Escape. And for any opportunity to do such.

It was only when they reached their destination she allowed that vigilance to slip. If only for a moment as her eyes ghosted over the rather underwhelming cruiser. While it lacked the affluence his suit suggested he had on retainer, that disparity was quickly explained away.

This tin-can was a mere decoy.

"After the death of the senator, we might have some trouble getting out without scrutiny, Master. And there is a young and might I say, talented padawan currently missing,"

Her brow pulled together at that. A surprisingly endearing comment given the circumstances. How’d a droid like him get stuck with the literal antithesis of human-warmth?

Turning to Temerant with a head canted back at his droid, the girl deadpanned, “Yes and having said padawan captive on your ship is not the least bit incriminating. Good call.”

Taking the seat X3 had offered, the girl leaned back, arms crossed and lips thin. So, he was a workaholic? Not much of a surprise. Though the inferred astral projection definitely earned a raised eyebrow at least. He had powers beyond her wildest imagination. Shocker

At X3’s curiosity and Temerant’s subsequent disapproval she couldn’t help a snort of amusement. “You have a pretty handpicked definition of morbid. Were you not just threatening to cave in my skull a second ago?”

Rhetorical question aside, her eyes scanned the console at Temerant’s hand, trying to sniff out where exactly he was taking her. “And just how long are you planning to keep me hostage? You’re going to have a search party on your trail in no time.”

 

[Darth Temerant]

TAGS: Capris Halcyon
​

The Sith shrugged to her observations as he got lift-off, the ship beginning to make way towards the sky.

"That is not morbid. That is pragmatic," he noted. "And as soon as I can dump you off into some world. I gave you my word. And though you may have trouble believing it, that means something to me," he noted. "Now shush," he hushed her in dismissal.

Soon enough, a female voice came in trough the radio. "Attention starship, codename 'The Ruse,' this is the Republic navy. Cease your course at once and prepare to be boarded momentarily."

Temerant's helm had veered to X3 upon hearing the identifier being fed to the Republic, who simply opened his hands as if asking 'what?'. He then looked back to Capris. "No need to bother calling for help. They can only hear my feed," he let her know as he put a hand to his helm. "On what grounds?"

"A simple inspection, Sir. We have orders to search every suspicious vessel," he was informed.

"You are deflecting," the man responded calmly. "You need to give me a solid legal reason to run an inspection, otherwise I can refuse."

There was a pause.

"We don't need a reason, Sir. This is the Republic Navy. But I am at liberty to explain that we are trying to apprehend a criminal that we suspect is trying to leave the system."

"That's just great. But do you know who I am?" he motioned to X3, who tapped a few buttons.

"...I see. I am sorry for the trouble, Sir, but we still need to run the inspection," the woman remarked, although she seemed more hesitant.

"I am on an important mission, and a full ship inspection will take much too long," he countered. "Do you seriously want to jeopardize my being late for this?"

Another pause. "...Why are you on a small civilian ship f you're on a mission?" she asked then.

"Because there's this little thing I like to call discretion," the man growled back. "Is this settled or do I need to ask to speak to your commanding officer?"

"...No. No. You are clear to proceed. Good luck, Sir."

"Thank you. Keep up the good work," the man cut off the communications.

"Masterful performance, Master," X3 observed. "Although I can't help but notice most of your interpretations fall on the abrasive side."

"Not in front of the girl, X3. Preparing to jump," the man growled. "Beging remotely preparing the interdiction field."

"Right, right..." the droid agreed, tapping on his own console.

"Hang on girl," the man adviced. "This might be slightly shocking."

"Not to mention slightly insane," X3 mused, giving her as much of a knowing look as his face allowed. "Master's inventiveness so often approaches madness."

"ENOUGH!" Temerant growled, clearly beginning to get annoyed. "We need to time this right. Are you ready?!"

"Apologies, Master. Of course. Begin hyperdrive jump in three... two... one..."

And with that, they were off, travelling through the warped reality known as hyperspace, lines of light rushing through the cockpit.

"Hrn..." the man let out a grunt, deflating some on his seat.

"...Are you well, Master?" the droid asked.

"I'll manage," the man dismissed his concerned. "ETA?"

"Eight seconds and counting," the droid let him know.

Temerant nodded.

"Brace yourselves..." he said as he held on to the controls.

And as promised, eight seconds was all it took before the ship was -ripped- from hyperspace by a massive gravitational pull, sending the craft careening through space.

"HRN! Shut the field now!" he commanded.

X3 did just that, the field ceasing to exert its force on them. It took Temerant a moment, but soon enough, he had rectified their course, headed for a lone ship standing in space. A rather large one, at that, at least two hundreds meters in length, roughly forty in width and a healthy sixty in height, sitting in the middle of seemingly nowhere.

A small hangar opened out the back, welcoming them to a number of ships: some, seemed like smaller battle units, whilst some were slightly larger vessels, not unlike the one they were on, but with some more quality to them.

The man stood up from his seat. "Follow me," he gruffed. "Medbay's this way."

 

[Capris Halcyon]

TAGS: Darth Temerant
Outfit:x

​

Capris watched the exchange. Or more so studied. Eyes narrowed and arms crossed defensively.

This was bad. Astronomically so. So unfeasibly bad it took every ounce of self-control she had in her broken body not to catastrophize. Once they broke the atmosphere that was it. She'd be stuck in wild space at the mercy of a very, very homicidal Sith with no Kahlil to phone in.

Temerant's word was dog-shit. No amount of reassuring was bound to convince her otherwise.

Teeth grit, the girl stared daggers into the man all while they prepared for hyperspace. Despite her instinct to defy, she had no other option but to hold on tight, especially when they began lurching in ways a ship probably shouldn't lurch.

So this was how he drove. Huh, X3's assessment had nailed it.

Unfurling the fingers which had taken a tight hold on the edge of her seat, the girl's vertigo was quickly offset by the sight in front of her. Like before her eyes ghosted over the mammoth of a ship, but instead of scrutiny, a semblance of amazement swam in her irises.

Temerant was quick to stamp it out however, urging her to the med bay with a pitiless gruff.

If her condition wasn't so transparent, she may have found the grounds to argue. To lash back in whatever small way she could. To be an unapologetic pain in the arse. But blood loss was quite the slippery slope, and if the faint trickle beading down her neck was anything to go by she was most definitely riding that slope.

"Right." the girl grimaced, a hand cupping her bruised abdomen as she stood. "Medbay."

Departing from the cruiser, she was able to fully assess the hangar, the sheer volume of ships a shock to the system. "Feth- all this stuff and you still can't fill that bottomless pit in your soul."

Allowing herself to be led to the Medbay the girl couldn't help a glance at Temerant.

 

[Darth Temerant]

TAGS: Capris Halcyon
​

Temerant grunted as they made way, more hurt than he cared to admit, and it showed in how his step had slowed down. And still dealing with snark. He paused at one of a few doors, which opened up an elevator.

“I don’t care for material things. They are nice, I suppose, but they’re not why I do what I do,” he remarked dryly. “And if you’d be so kind as to be karking quiet, I’d appreciate that. I have a bloody headache and your pointless attempts at insulting me are doing very little to help it. If your aim is to make me take offence, you are going to require my respect, first,” he let her know, blunt as ever. “Do not mistake my understanding of your potential for consideration. You’re brash, you pick your fights poorly and you waste your time on ineffectual tactics,” he noted. “Your dub-möch could do with more polishing, too.”

“Oh, because…” X3 began, but Tem gave him a hollow look, prompting him to shut up real quick, despite his features being covered, leaving something of an awkward void. The droid seemed to understand when not to push him.

As they left the elevator, it didn’t take long for them to arrive at a medical room that clearly was equipped to house several people if need be. A large medical droid floated his way, beeping and booping inquisitively.

“No, tend to the girl,” the man shook his head. “X3, help me out of the armour, and get me a scanner.”

The droid beeped a little more assertively.

“I don’t care. I said the girl goes first. I can take care of it myself,” he growled at the droid. “You can help suture it when you’re done with her.”

The droid gave a dejected, if submissive beep, moving towards Capris then.

As she was tended to, X3 did just that, helping the man out of what seemed to be some advanced armor plate. It wasn’t too bulky, all things considered, and to any trained eye, it seemed to harbour a fair amount of technology, and undersuit shirt coming off next.

What was revealed… Was not pretty. Well, not exactly. Temerant was clearly a young man, close if not at his prime, his physique clearly undergoing a more rigorous regime than most force users ever cared to aspire to. And that was saying something. More notably, however, were perhaps the many scars that dotted it. Claw marks. Bite marks. Blaster entry and exit points. What seemed to be stab scars… And of course, a couple of scars which could only signify some close calls against lightsabers. His arms, his torso, even his back all seemed to depict several stories of trauma, a truculent tapestry that was the testament to the violent life he’d led, a couple of eerily familiar indentations near where his back joined his neck… Almost as if something had latched to his spine. However, most alarming at current was the amount of blood that had considerably dampened his undersuit in a deep red, and the gaping hole in his upper breast, blood almost hiding the bruise from the shot the suit had absorbed.

“Here you go, Master. May I?” X3 asked.

Temerant grunted, but nodded all the same, looking to a screen on the side as the droid aimed the scanner. Soon, an x-ray like visual of his insides was displayed.

“Oof. Looks like it’s just floating there. And a piece seems to have splintered off,” the droid observed. “You’re lucky it did not reach your lungs, or shatter your collarbone.”

“Oh, yeah. I feel very lucky,” Temerant growled.

“You really should allow…” X3 began.

“No, I can handle this myself. Just keep the scanner in place,” Temerant ordered.

“Master, you’re being pigheaded. At least let me grab some painkillers and tools…”

“I said no,” Temerant insisted, putting a hand over his wound, focusing on the screen. “I need a clear head, and surgery will take time and break a fair bit more so it can fix this. I’ll have some bacta administered afterwards.”

Slowly, the image of the bullet started to move as he used the Force to manipulate it. With care, the man made it trace its way back out of his body, allowing it to float over to a medical tray. Then repeated the same procedure with the piece that had broken off, likely breaking through his armour.

“Hrrrrrrrrn…” the man let out a groan, clearly not immune to the pain of the whole process, sweat running down his body, his grip seeming like it might crush the medical bed he was sitting upon. And yet, he persevered.

“I want those analyzed, as well as a sample of my blood,” the man grunted. “I want to know what kind of poison they’re coated with. I want a report, and for you to purchase some after the appropriate research to begin immunity protocols,” he remarked.

X3 sighed. “Very well, Master. Though you should know that micro-dosing yourself with poison does not count as a hobby.”

“No, but if I’d not managed to take off those bloody force dampeners in time, I’d be a dead man. I do not wish to rely on the Force if I come across these asshats again,” he argued.

X3 simply nodded. Couldn’t argue with that. He turned his attention then to their passenger and the medical droid. “How’re you holding up, Miss Halcyon? I trust double eight is being gentle?”

 

[Capris Halcyon]

TAGS: Darth Temerant
Outfit:x

​

The Droid's approach was cut short as the girl simply stared the thing down. A look which not so subtly suggested for it to keep its distance. So long as it wanted its chassis intact that is.

With another blatant refusal of help swatted away, the girl scoped out surgical thread and disinfectant, letting her arm rest against a medical tray all while she fought to keep the tendons from flexing.

This was going to suck. Majorly.

But painkillers were a no go, and like hell she'd trust anything with Temerant's name on it. So, cold turkey it was.

It was then her attention fell back to the inquisitor a moment, battle scars and all.

Holy

Chit.

Slightly taken aback at the sheer quantity of discoloration, the girl blinked back a look of surprise. How in Alsha's name was he still alive? Any number of those wounds would have certainly been enough to kill her. Especially the one circling his spine.

Her lips thinned at the implication, but she said nothing of it, instead doing her best to focus inward.

Peeling back her blood-soaked sleeve, there was the faintest bit of recoil as cold air met a serrated cut running down her forearm. A probable result of being exploded and subsequently hailed on by boulders it would seem.

Though of course she had little to no recollection of that ever happening.

Wrestling down the bile in her throat, the girl made quick work of the laceration, finishing with shaky hands and a half-decent suture. All in all, it seemed all her time playing doctor out in refugee shelters on the border was finally amounting to something.

Then it was onto the next thing.

As Temerant spoke of poison she tamed her hair up into a bun. Notably away from the slave-brand now peeking out from her collar. Turning her back to Temerant for the briefest of moments as she fished out a bacta patch and subsequently secured in on the nape of her neck- In a somewhat desperate bid to stop the bleeding. She'd get a Jedi healer to staple the wound shut once she could, but for now a simple prayer would suffice.

It was then her nose crinkled in delayed realization. Wait, micro-dosing? What kind of sadist-

A chime from X3 interrupted her stream of thoughts.

"Oh uh– I'm fine." Caught off guard, she fought the impulse to scratch her neck. Her eyes then flickered over to Temerant, "Relative to him anyways."

 

[Darth Temerant]

TAGS: Capris Halcyon
​

"No, you're not," Temerant noted. "That's shoddy work on your neck. You should allow Double Eight to give it a proper look... HRN!" he grimaced as the droid went about closing his own wound, a needle full of bacta following after wiping the wound clear.

"We also have just about every blood type if you need a transfusion!" X3 offered, helpful as always. "Which you should probably get, Master. You lost a considerable amount..."

"I'll be fine. I'm going to take a shower and get into some clothes," Temerant dismissed the notion. "What I need is a good dinner and some downtime. Escort the girl to her quarters, and have some clean clothes fabricated for her," the man ordered, already being on his way.

"But... Argh," X3 let his finger fall down, knowing there was no point in arguing with the man. "As you wish, Master."

With that, the medical droid beeped to Capris inquisitively, as if offering to further aid her, whilst X3 pondered the girl.

"You know, this is highly unusual, Miss Halcyon," the droid admitted. "We have never had a Jedi guest before."

Double Eight emitted another series of beeps, prompting the protocol droid to turn in a chiding fashion. "Well yes, technically a prisoner, but we're not exactly putting her in a cell, are we?" he remarked. "Which does remind me that you are very much still armed," the droid noted. "Master must trust that you're clever enough not to use your weapons whilst in our custody, but still, I would feel a lot better with your personal assurance that you will not attempt to cut me down," the droid suggested, as if becoming suddenly very self-aware that he was virtually alone with a massive threat. "My consciousness would survive, of course, but I find myself oddly attached to my physical integrity. And I did just buff my chassis."

 

[Capris Halcyon]

TAGS: Darth Temerant
Outfit:x

​

Temerant left and the girl seemed to relax by the smallest of margins. Suffice to say the inquisitor's presence had been particularly oppressive the last couple hours. Like having her nerves in a constant state of suspension.

But he was gone, and she was now alone with her thoughts. Well..more or less.

Rationally she should've felt relief, like some metaphysical weight being lifted from her shoulders. But as soon as her carefully maintained vigilance fell to the wayside, her body and mind were free to catch up with the emotions they'd been shoving down. Full-force.

With that, a seemingly unprecedented dread took a hold of her lungs, squeezing them dry of air.

"I don't need a transfusion." Her jaw clenched, eyes shut a moment as she tried to collect herself. "And not that you don't inspire confidence, but I severely doubt anything on this ship is ethically sourced."

She brought a wrist up to block double eight, but seemed to relent after a moment. Almost subconsciously her fingers dug into the surgical tray behind her, desperately trying to stave off a swell of panic.

It was then X3 asked her a question. Or made some form of inquisitive remark. Honestly her mind was elsewhere.

"We have never had a Jedi guest before."

The girl snorted, "Probably because he's in the habit of killing us."

While it bordered her typical snark, a crack of emotion caught in her throat, only to be quickly forced down by a swallow. Ashla- She needed to get her shit together. But the rising buzz in her chest just refused to die.

The droid then asked for her assurance, to which she blinked. It wasn't an unreasonable appeal.. Just unexpected.

"What makes you think I'm in any position to hurt you?"

While she meant the line to be a mere rhetorical question, she couldn't help the shake in her voice that came with it. Just like she couldn't help the absurd impulse to cry.

"Feth."

In sudden realization, her neck craned to the ceiling a moment, fighting to keep the gradually forming tears in her eyes from falling. She was stronger than this. More controlled. Displcinced. Why in Ashla's name was she about to cry.

 

[Darth Temerant]

TAGS: Capris Halcyon
​

The droids exchanged an awkward look between them, Double Eight beeping before discretely moving to make himself scarce.

"Yes, that would probably be best," X3 agreed, before slowly moving to take a seat next to her. The way in which he sat had... way too much personality. Human-like, almost, as he twiddled his thumbs. "Oh my dear girl... There, there," the droid attempted to console her, tentatively trying to give her a couple of taps with his lifeless fingers.

There was a brief moment of uncomfortable silence before he spoke up again. "You would be surprised about the ethical standards in this ship, Miss Capris. If nothing else, our work ethic is beyond reproach. And granted, Master is... The biggest son of a bantha in the whole galaxy, in all likelihood," he conceded. "He's rough around every conceivable edge, tougher than a Rancor's rump and he has elevated being irascible to an art form. He is also one of if not the best at what he does, and I'll be the first to admit what he does is far from pretty. But... He's not a monster, despite everyone's best efforts to turn him into one," his crimson gaze fell on the girl as he confided in her, blinking for the fact. There was almost a sense of... sorrow in the way his vocabulator pushed out the words. No, not sorrow... Pity. "He just thinks he is."

X3 made a sound that was much too much like the clicking of a tongue. "I would encourage you not to be so hard upon yourself. You have performed admirably so far. Even he sees that. And if you could cut him a liiiittle slack," he lifted his thumb an index to indicate just how minute. "I would consider that a personal favour. And whilst it is certainly not my place to judge, perhaps a little perspective might be in order. You think he's in the habit of killing your kind, and yet, here you are! Have you considered just how many people might be in a habit of trying to kill him?" he suggested. "It is rather fascinating, just how four stupid little letters can so drastically alter the course and outlook of one's life."

With that he hopped off the bed. "But enough of all that! You are killing the vibe in here, and I already have a brooding brute who does it on the regular, and on a professional level, I might add! Come now, Miss Halcyion. Let's show you to your chambers that you might take a bit of a bath and get into some clean clothes, hm? And you must be hungry! It is so rare that I get to cook for guests, and I am a wondrous chef! Master really wastes my talents with his bloody calorie micro-management."

 

[Capris Halcyon]

TAGS: Darth Temerant
Outfit:x

​

Shoulder hiccuping in a bid to keep a full-on sob from manifesting, the girl's sleeve wiped at her nose. Composure. That's all she needed to manage at the given moment. Through grit teeth she sucked in a stabilizing breath, followed by another.

There were no Sith to battle, no vengeful fanatics to escape, just the need for a wee bit of emotional regulation.

With skepticism complimenting the red in her eyes, the girl regarded both the droid and the case he made for his Master.

He is a monster. I don't give a shit if he's had it rough.

But no, a monster would've killed her. A monster wouldn't have gone the lengths he had to keep her alive, in whatever hateful, minutely terrified state she currently was. A monster wouldn't have the slightest inclination towards altruism. Or self-hatred for the matter.

Capris paused.

It was then the droid told her not to be hard on herself. And at that, quite counter-productively, a fresh sting of failure woke in her chest. Right. Admirable. Because the way she'd let a good handful of people die in the last couple hours was reason for praise.

A sleeve wiped her tear-rimmed eyes dry. There was a lot of painful self-reflection in store for her once she got back to Kahlil.

With a glance down to the foreign saber in her hand, the droid's words seemed to replay in whatever maelstrom of emotions she was shouldering.

Here I am and here she's not.

People wanted him dead? Yeah no shit, it's called self-defense.

But the droid had a point. In essence Temerant had spared her. However, uncharacteristic that seemed to be for him.

With a restrained, half-hearted nod, the girl allowed herself to be led out of the medbay, slipping straight back into awkward silence. A silence she took the initiative to break a moment later.

"You're awfully philosophical for a droid y'know that?" With eyes trained ahead of her, the girl didn't bother looking down, too busy contemplating her next words.

"Why-" A pause. "Why am I here. Why did he bother saving me? Why hasn't he killed me? Or is he planning on it an I just let myself be baited into some ridiculously obvious trap."

It was a near ramble, as if she was self-reflecting more than asking.

 

[Darth Temerant]

TAGS: Capris Halcyon
​

The droid led her down the ship's long hallways, making a neumatic sound as he rocked his head side to side. "I am a lot of things that perhaps, I should not be," he conceded. "Much to Master's chagrin. Or Broody McGrumpypants, as I like to call him. In my inner forum,in my inner forum, of course," he clarified. "But he is my creator, so kark him, am I right? I put the blame entirely on him," he concluded in a somewhat amused and non-chalant fashion.

"As for what his motives are, I cannot say. I do know, however, that if he wanted to kill you you'd be dead already. He's had plenty of opportunities, and he's not one to draw out the inevitable. He'd likely consider that inefficient and... Well. Cruel, I suppose," the droid mused. "Besides, he did give you his word, and he does take such things rather terribly seriously. Now, if you were to attempt to hurt us, I'm certain he would reciprocate in kind, but all in all, you're probably in one of the safest environments in the galaxy, as things currently stand. Though if being thrown into a cell and being mistreated would make you feel better about the situation, I'm sure we could accomodate you. I have been practicing my Sith impressions," he suggested wryly, before lifting his arms in the air as his chassis turned to face her. "Rawr! Filthy Jedi! You have no concept of the depths of my depravity! Sometimes, I go to bed without brushing my teeth! And I invariably leave the toilet seat up when I pee! You shall submit to the power of the dark side!" he threatened, before letting out a robotic chuckle. "Sometimes I wish I had organic needs. Don't tell the other droids though. They'd be terribly apalled," he confessed. "But enough of that. We're here."

He touched the control panel of the door, which slid open to reveal a rather spacious room, housing every possible commodity. A nicely fitted, ample bed, a desk with an advanced computer, ample wardrobe, rugs, personal bathroom, the works. It even had a couple of plants, making it all in all a rather warm space. And of course, a gorgeous view of the stars beyond the vessel. "Please make yourself at home. I shall fabricate some clothes and leave them by your door, alongside instructions as to how to get to the living area. And don't worry about the fit, my analyzing capabilities are quite cutting edge," he let her know, tapping his metallic forehead. "You may use the holonet as you please, barring any kind of outside communication, of course. I mean you can try, but I will have to inform Master, and that'll make everything all the more awkward. I do pride myself in running the tightest of security systems. My apologies for that," he remarked. "Dinner shall be in an hour and fifteen minutes, galactic standard. Now unless there's anything else you might need, I'll leave you to it."

 

[Capris Halcyon]

TAGS: Darth Temerant
Outfit:x

​

Whisking over the functional jail cell, the girl levied an eyebrow down at the driod. This whole pitch of hospitality was an admittedly hard sell, but she didn't find the energy to interrogate him further.

"Dinner, got it."

With that she left the droid to his culinary exploits, initiating a shallow exploration of the space before shucking off her sweater. Slowly, almost reluctantly, she brought hand down on desk, drawing a finger through a film of dust.

Feth she needed a shower.

If the context was any different, she may have marveled at the water pressure, raided every cabinet and taken full unapologetic advantage of the luxury set out before her. But this wasn't the Noble's apartment. Not even in the same dimension. So instead she simply rinsed, twisted back wet hair, and shimmed her newly fabricated clothes over her equally new stitches, as if she could simply scrub the days events from her skin.

With a glance down at the instructions left by X3, her mouth twitched in indecision. Staying put was likely a safer bet, but it also left far too much room for catastrophizing. She needed movement, else she choke on her own thoughts.

And with that it wasn't long before she found the living area. Showing the same restraint and near anthropological mannerisms as one might when exploring a museum.

Under the impression she was alone her attention then fell to a guitar leaned against the wall. One of his perhaps? She found that notion particularly hard to believe, but almost mindlessly she picked the thing up, letting the base rest on her lap. Any form of distraction was welcomed.

Again without much thought her fingers found alignment, lightly strumming out whatever the force pulled her to. Awakening old melodys with no real recollection of ever learning them and gently, if unknowingly, testing her connection with the force. Almost as is she was afraid it might slip from her finger once again.

 

[Darth Temerant]

TAGS: Capris Halcyon
​

Temerant raised the hood over his features. It'd been a long day, and he wasn't a fething Mando to wear a helm in his own home. The girl might gleam his scar and rather characteristic eyes, but that would do little in the way of identifying. He was a ghost, even amongst his own people, and he had been hunted before by people with considerably more knowledge and obsession regarding his person. The girl would hardly be his undoing.

He made way to the living room area... before a knot took a hold of his stomach. No, not a knot; much more like a punch, as the melody reached his ears.

Impossible.

Slowly, he approached, only to catch the girl playing the tune. A harrowing tune which hurt him to his core. And still, he did not interrupt as she played the forbidden notes, which took him back to a time when everything was much... Simpler. Better. It was not the notes he heard, but a voice. Sweet and gentle. Loving. He hadn't thought about her in years. He hadn't thought about any of them. And yet, here he was, floored by his own memories, fighting the tears that threatened to well his eyes.

As the final note rung, taking possession of the airwaves for a few, bittersweet moments, he grunted, snapping out of it.

"Hrrrn. How do you know that song?" he demanded to know. "It is impossible that you could know it. And certainly not that particular arrangement, considering I wrote it, and only ever played it once. This makes no sense," he grunted, reason trying to fight back at the raw emotion she had incited. "You... You're a bloody psychometrist," he paled as it dawned upon him.

He'd worked with psychometrists before. They were a useful tool to one such as him. In fact, most known psychometrists were bound to end up in the Inquisition, given their rare ability. But they were so scarce, he could've never have predicted she'd be one. As the pieces fell together, her reaction to the Jedi's lightsaber began making a whole lot more sense. The lightsaber... His eyes widened.

"HRRRRN! You touched my lightsaber," he growled. A lightsaber that despite all its modifications throughout the years, had been with him through a lot. What secrets had it unveiled to her?! His identity? His weaknesses? This changed everything. This...

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of steps pitter-pattering his way as fast as the tiny paws allowed. The vornskr slid and skittered over his mark in his youthful excitement, before barking with mad glee as it quickly recovered and began trying to jump up his leg, tail swerving madly behind him. There was some manner of... rubber ball hugging the tip, as if it were covering the end of its tail for some reason.

Temerant frowned down at the puppy, but his icy glare seemed to have the opposite effect as it had on most people.

"Okay, okay..." the man squatted to pick the baby animal up, still frowning even as it began desperately trying to lick at his face, much too happy to see the man. "Calm down," Temerant growled, looking at it poignantly. Surprisingly, the little beast did, panting from the sudden burst of exertion... Before smelling the air and turning its head eagerly... only to spot Capris.

There was an extreme shift in demeanour, the pup growling and jumping out of Temerant's arms, ears plunging back as it got into a predatory stance. It was almost comical, given his size and apparent youth.

"Terror. Stop," Temerant commanded. The pup seemed confused for a moment, but its aggression dropped, dropping his rump on the floor as he eyed her curiously. Temerant's glare fell upon her then. "He thinks you're prey," he explained. "It's instinct. Vornskrs are remarkable creatures. They can sense force-sensitive creatures, which they hunt as food. Some people cut off their tails, which apparently lessens their aggressiveness, in order to domesticate them. Something which I find quite barbaric. Still, mind it," he warned. "He will not try to hurt you anymore. But if he wants to play rough, he'll try whipping you with it. The poison sting is covered, but it will smart," he let her know. "And he's never seen another human before. He's unlikely to leave you alone during your stay here," he noted.

"Don't play that song again," he growled. "And try not to touch my stuff. I realize your ability is involuntary, but I'll be very displeased if I catch you trying to dig into my memories," he let her know. At the very least, the puppy had deflated his somewhat angry reaction, the man heading over to a Dejariik holotable and tapping a few keys, a game display showing up as he took a seat.

True to his word, the cub seemed enthralled by Capris, tentatively approaching her leg and sniffing it... before using its front paws to help himself up against it, ochre eyes wide as it regarded her, tail swaying gently behind.

 

[Capris Halcyon]

TAGS: Darth Temerant
Outfit:x

​

Alright, that had been a mistake. A major one.

With zero notice, Temerant essentially formed into existence beside her. Allowing no time to drum up a defense or to at least very least stuff the instrument under some throw pillow.

Oh this was gonna end great. For all parties involved.

Stomach sufficiently plummeted, her grip on the guitar slacked. The man had a face, or at least part of a face. One that even half obscured left quite the impression.

Now the question remained how many people had seen those inhumanly white eyes and lived.

He soon gave her plenty more to think about, his typical gruff now paired with an undercurrent of.. emotion? That couldn't be right. This man was a hardened sociopath. But again there was hardly time to linger. One quick succession of realizations later and she was probably in the worst position she'd been in all day.

All manner of escape slugged through her mind in that moment. None of which would've been remotely successful.

Thankfully divine intervention barreled their way at the last possible moment. One which she struggled to make the faintest sense of.

Right, okay. Baby on board.

Her eyes switched from the vornskr to Temerant and back to the man. Again watching with tense interest as he picked the beast up and inadvertently sicced the thing on her.

Anger subsiding, the man levied another thinly veiled threat her way. And while she'd typically respond in kind, the girl ventured with a little more tact this time around. She'd seen a lot of things he probably didn't want her to. Humanizing things.

"Right- hands to myself. Think I’ve already been sufficiently turned off of snooping through your memories." Palms raised, the girl stiffened a moment as Terror approached. Only to be surprised by his apparent interest. Y'know in place of the expected bloodlust.

She could only stare a moment. He was a ball of energy, and the argument could even be made… cute. Now what was he doing with the likes of Temerant?

"You won't loose your shit if I pet your "dog" though, will you? Or will I be subject to a touching flashback of adoption papers and chew toys?"

Sarcasm aside, she stooped down to the puppy's level, an index finger reaching to scratch his chin. No psychometric callings this time around. Shame.

 

[Darth Temerant]

TAGS: Capris Halcyon ​

Temerant shrugged as he lifted a chrono in the air with his mind, making his first move on the holo-chess display, even as he began to deconstruct the device. "I don't think I can prevent you from petting him. He has what is commonly referred to as 'puppy eyes', which as far as I understand, is widely regarded one of the most insidious capabilities a creature is capable of possessing," the man grunted. A joke? Surely, that wasn't the case. "And his favourite chew toy is that thing on its tail. Put it to his mouth if you want to keep him distracted," he suggested.

Terror, on the other hand, seemed absolutely over the moon by the attention. His chin had yet to grow the stubble that was characteristic of his kind, and she seemed to hit the right spot, his right leg tapping the ground with frantic excitement, before barking and hopping up onto her lap, sending a few errant licks towards her face before falling onto his back as he cozied into her form, tongue drooping as he not so subtly demanded some belly rubs and further scratches.

Temerant spared a contemptuous glance as the pieces of the chrono further unraveled, little screws floating in the air before he removed the glass piece of the primitive artifact, beginning to work on retrieving its complex mechanical components one piece at a time. He seemed to be paying more attention to it than the game he was playing, seeming almost bored as he made quick responses to every move of his opponent, grumbling to the time they took to think of the next move as their holographic monsters made battle. A few moves in, he took out the opponent's Mantelian Savrip, by far his strongest attacking piece by baiting it into taking his healing piece, the Ghhhl. to which he was offered a draw. He scoffed, denying it, and a couple moves later, his opponent resigned.

"Come on," he growled. "Still had plenty of defensive options..."

By now, he had completely torn apart the ancient wrist watch, looking briefly over the pieces before beginning the process of putting them back together, seemingly unenthused by the idea of starting a new game.

 

[Capris Halcyon]

TAGS: Darth Temerant
Outfit:x

​

Capris merely raised an eyebrow at his “joke.” One delivered with such characteristic severity she almost failed to register it. Almost.

Scratching behind Terror’s ear, a faint huff of amusement parted her lips. “I see why you keep him around then.” Could a Sith find something objectively cute? Who’s to say. She’d certainly imply it so long as he took insult. “Gotta neutralize your whole gloom and doom shtick somehow.”

And now she was firing back with her own jokes. Born out of snark of course. But still, In some small way she eased from her residual tension, hovering only a moment as Terror dove into her lap before meeting his demands. How could she say no to a face like that? Insidious was an apt description.

A small, albeit genuine smile seemed to tug at her lip. A marvel really considering all that had transpired.

It was then she freed his tail of its stopper, to which the cub promptly snapped upright, watching in earnest as she tossed the ball up a few inches before catching it. Gently, almost too gently she rolled the ball forward.

In that she may have underestimated the Vornskr’s resolve.

Quick to pounce full force on the slow-moving prey, he sent the ball ricocheting off the foot of a table. Only to growl in frustration and then swiftly bolt after it, weaving between Temerant’s legs as he did so. Rampaging past the holo table and subsequent furniture with little concern for their integrity. Not to mention Temerant’s current project.

Chit.

She could only cringe preemptively.

 

[Darth Temerant]

TAGS: Capris Halcyon
​

"Hrrrrrrn..."

Temerant's growl reverberated throughout the living space as his concentration threatened to break, the man carefully lowering the fragile components to the table before standing up.

"Terror!" he called for the puppy, who lowered its ears as much as it did to the ground, freezing as it turned to regard its pack leader.

Temerant emitted another low growl, yet this time, he did not communicate with the animal. And still, Terror moved to join him with small steps of its tiny paws, running his body in an almost feline fashion against one of his legs, almost as if in apology, before taking a seat between the man's limbs, looking up at him with a mixture of concern and expectation.

Temerant raised a hand, making the stopper bolt to his hand from where it'd stopped its frenzy-inducing roll. The cub lifted both its legs off the ground instinctively, but a stern look from the man prompted it to sit back down with a slight whimper, pawing at the floor with slow anxiety.

"You," he growled Capris's way this time. "Here. Now," he demanded sternly, pointing at his side. "Before you make him wreck my entire ship. What are they even teaching you at the academy?" he grunted in discontent.

 

[Capris Halcyon]

TAGS: Darth Temerant
Outfit:x

​

She winced empathetically all while Terror cowed before the Inquisitor. Who, to his credit, dished out surprisingly little reprimand.

That was nothing to admire however. Her arms instead crossing defensively as he addressed, no ordered her.

"What?" Firmly planted, the girl made no move towards him. The nerve.

"Look I get the only social interaction you have on a daily basis is probably limited to your weirdly sentient droid and attack dog, but you did not just order me to your side."

His anger was relatively mitigated. Muted almost. And as much as she realized she probably shouldn't take advantage of that whisper-thin patience, she couldn't help but argue for the sake of arguing.

"What are they even teaching you at the academy?"

"Must've missed the day we went over mercenary home etiquette. My bad."

 

[Darth Temerant]

TAGS: Capris Halcyon
​

Temerant quirked a brow. Did she just refuse? The nerve.

"I am sorry, is the fact that I am allowing you to move around freely and armed giving you a false sense of security? Because I am certain we can arrange it so there are no further misunderstandings," the man suggested gruffly to her snark, rolling his eyes. "I did, indeed, just order you to my side. I am the Captain of this ship, and already you're putting half my furniture in danger. And whether you like it or not, you are in my home, enjoying my hospitality. That is, for future reference, how things work on a ship, mercenary or otherwise. Just so you know," he instructed her on the finer points of starship etiquette.

Terror, on his end, seemed to be growing anxious with the puppy letting out a quivering whimper as it regarded the man. He frowned at this, looking down.

"Calm down, boy. You didn't do anything wrong," the man growled, before looking at her accusingly.. "She is your elder. Or she is supposed to be. It's her job to show you how, not just let you stampeded like a drunken lorqual," he argued with the animal.

Weirdly, the vornskr seemed to take this at face value, tongue falling out its mouth as his body language relaxed, his anxiety seemingly turning to eager anticipation.

"Will you just spare me the impudent, rebellious teenager routine? I have been shot repeatedly, poisoned and had part of a building dropped on me today. I really don't have the patience to bicker with you right now, and I am trying to teach you something, you stubborn little laserbrain," he let her know. For a moment, it almost even seemed like he was trying to be nice.

But just for a moment.

 

[Capris Halcyon]

TAGS: Darth Temerant
Outfit:x

​

In the face of blunt refusal he offered a rather tamed reaction. Well tame by the most Sith standards.

Her brow pulled together for the briefest second as Temerant simply consoled the Vornskr. Not only towards the way he talked, but the way Terror responded. Completely assuaged. Had he understood his meaning? Huh. Maybe the little guy was more perceptive than she realized.

"His elder? What- Why am I suddenly on babysitting duty?"

It was then the Knight Inquisitor turned his sights back on her. Laserbrain.

Was..

Was that an attempt at lighthearted banter?

The girl blinked. Man he was hard to get a read on.

Briefly pinching the bridge of her nose, the girl regarded him with the near constant suspicion she'd learned to adopt. Half snark, half subtle curiosity.

"What could you possibly have to teach me?"

 

[Darth Temerant]

TAGS: Capris Halcyon
​

Temerant quirked a brow beneath the hood, the gesture apparent, despite it working in tandem with his mask to nearly completely cover his features.

"That is rhetorical, yes? Or a joke," he posed. "If I didn't know better, I'd surmise you need instruction on how to tie your shoes... Wait. You do know how to do that, yes? Or are the Jedi so chaos bent on not letting their Padawans think for themselves that you are forbidden from the mysteries of knots?" he jabbed, letting out a grunt which seemed to signify amusement.

"Pay attention," he told her then. "All beings are connected to the force... Well, most, but that's not the point," he rectified, shrugging slightly before continuing. "You are a Force user. You are able to connect with other beings, if you so please," he informed her. "You may also dominate them, if need be. But that requires control, not to mention you may need to tap into the Bogan with particularly fierce or willful creatures, which I know you're squirmish about..." he wrinkled his nose. "It is unnecessary with most. And it is better to learn to make a beast recognize you as an apex being than to subjugate them, in the long term," he admitted begrudgingly, not wanting her to catch on to his soft spot regarding wilderbeasts. He was quick to dismiss the notion as he continued with his lecture, however.

"Some creatures have a natural affinity towards one spectrum or the other of the Force. Some can even use the Force, like furball here. Although vornskr can only sense it," he explained, the pup giving her a happy bark, almost as if in agreement. "Terror is not a complicated animal. Yet, anyway. He is a cub, and a pack predator. He wants to eat and sleep. He wants games and attention. And he wants guidance," he explained. "Most animals start learning the habits that will make them thrive as they grow fairly early, normally through observation and encouragement. But we can do better than that," he concluded.

"Me and Terror are bonded through the force. Our bond is... particularly strong," he confided. "But you can do this too, and not just with him, but other creatures, too," he explained. "He is calm because I wish him to be calm. He is not aggressive amd anxious about your presence because he thinks you're part of the pack. I am going to allow you to connect with him," he explained then. "We are going to play a 'game' with him. I will control the force and mimic the movement of small prey and you will guide him to stalk it and catch it. Not bullrushing, but subtly, like a hunter does."

"Give yourself to the force," the man told her then. "Rid yourself of your inhibitions. Ignore social constructs. Ignore your situation. These things don't matter in the animal world. Seek his will, his mind, and when you find it, do not offer control. That will come naturally once there is trust," he asserted. "Feel what he feels. See what he sees. And when it's time to hunt... Listen to his instincts, and help him hone them into success. Do not just guide the vornskr. Be a vornskr," he finished at last. "Think you can do that?"