Shadows Since Remembered

[Jaron Lesan]

Stone steps led to a door Jaron had uncovered sometime ago with one he had considered an equal, a friend, and perhaps in certain circumstances more. They had dueled deep within the center of the cliff, and Jaron had made the hidden temple his new refuge. An old rock structure had served him on Arbra until he was no longer safe in that part of the galaxy. He'd always felt out of place among the Ren as it was because he saw things from a view they did not, even from the beginning.

Jaron had returned to the Ren after many missions, alone as he had become accustomed to being. It seemed no matter the opportunity to find a cure to his loneliness, Jaron found a way to remain. He liked it this way, or he told himself. More work could be done for the Supreme Leader this way. While he refused to ever appear in person before Sieger Ren, Jaron never turned away an assignment. Unlike many of the newer Ren, Jaron did not need the approval or position the others sought.

The room was still, quiet and eerily so. Jaron sat in the center of courtyard reassembling his lightsaber, the crimson one. He knew them intimately, and did this to focus himself. The battles he had fought flashed before him, each life he had taken in service of the Supreme Leader was recounted. Jaron had learned to block their faces from his mind, each life which withstood the order they could bring.

His mind delved deeper and deeper into the darkness. In a flash he saw a face, her face. He'd been seeing it for some time now in his meditations and did not understand why. In truth it was the real reason he found himself among the rabble of Ren who seemed to behave like children. Jaron wanted answers, he wanted the truth. He wanted to know how after one duel her face had the power to haunt his meditation. Was she in trouble, or was something deeper at play? What did he not know?

His aura was stretched now, pushing deeper into the darkness and the environment around him. Jaron tested his limits until it hit upon a familiar aura. For all he ability, he was still surprised when it seemed he was not alone, or about to not be alone. His hands remained on his knees, until his saber was fully completed. Even if he was found working on it, Jaron didn't care.

[member="Ara Ren"]​

 

[Ara Zambrano]

Standing on the edge of the cliff, looking down, the corner of the knight’s mouth turned up as she recalled the last time she’d stood on the edge of the rocky precipice, anxiety preventing her from approaching closer. This time, she moved to the edge, rocks and dirt falling perilously into the abyss with each step. The toes of her boots hung over the edge, the bottom of the ravine stretching out some twenty meters below. The wind whipping at her back threatened to tip the scales, to send the young woman off the cliff if she moved even the slightest bit too far in one direction. A dangerous balancing act that brought fire to her eyes.

Tilting her head, she drew power around her and moved, not backwards, but forwards, feet finding nothing but air as she moved, fabric of her cloak wrapping around her violently with the force of her fall.

Almost as quickly as it began, the shocking impact of boot soles on crag and dirt reverberated through her, the force cushioned with bent knees and anticipation of the landing. Straightening, she glanced to the left, to the next shelf of rock jutting from the side of the cliff, a few meters down and to the side. With another small smile, she jumped again, letting the darkness within fuel her movement and propel her further than she might be capable of otherwise. Leather soles crunched on dried twigs and dead leaves as the Knight rose form her final crouch, a triumphant fire burning within the swirling green, crimson, and sulfuric depths of her irises. Glancing back at the path she took, the anxiety gathered in her gut bubbling away with the threads of adrenaline the trek sent flowing through her blood.

Much had changed since they’d last crossed paths, [member="Jaron Lesan"] and she.

Footfalls echoed on the stone walls as she progressed, nearly blind in the low lighting of the temple’s passageways, but staunchly refusing to ignite the blade hanging at her hip for guidance. Each step was guided by childhood skills, the light touch against the wall keeping her path straight while the flaming aura deep within the mountain drew her closer. Surprised at his abrupt appearance that day on Skye, she’d been more preoccupied with the errant Knight attempting to take her life than a former, almost friend reappearing after some time. Now seemed the opportune time to reacquaint themselves and Ara knew exactly where he would go upon his homecoming.

”Imagine my surprise when you reappear from the abyss, Mr. Lesan.”

Her chuckle echoed off the stone walls of what once may have been a room for meditation or gathering, the man settled on his knees with the hilt of a blade before him. Darkness seeped around them, a mixture of the two Ren in the room and the passive environment around them, a sheen of red rolling over her eyes unbidden as she smiled in welcome. Their last encounter had been most enjoyable, a wonderful back and forth of wit and words, even as their blades had danced in a duel. Her blood thrummed with the possibility. She’d spent too much time studying diplomatic relations and etiquette recently, it was nice to be home.

 

[Jaron Lesan]

Footsteps could be heard from the corridor as the final pieces of his hilt came together. Her voice rang clear, though Jaron's focus did not waver until the project was completed. The weapon rest on the stone floor, and Jaron's lip turned upward at the corner as he stood and turned in the direction of the woman he considered a friend among the Ren. There was much dysfunction among them now. His beloved brethren reduced to what he had witnessed earlier on Skye made him sick to his stomach. Had they truly devolved into nothing more than petty Sith?

Jaron did his best to let those feelings wash off of him as the remark given him was both a question and the playful inquiry he'd come to expect from [member="Ara Zambrano"]. Much had changed in his absence, for her, though for Jaron life remained the same. He would be here for a time, and his missions would take him away again. It was the way of his service to their Supreme Leader.

"I am surprised you did not find me in the abyss," Jaron said referring to the rumor of her death. "My absence has not kept me uninformed entirely. Though I am glad to see that you are alive."

The event which had brought about the rumor of her death was the last mission Jaron had done with the Ren as a whole. Jaron had since been traveling alone, acquiring items of value for the Ren, exploring new worlds for conquest, and searching out various rumors of ancient orders still hidden under the rubble of what had been considered their ruin. Jaron loved what he did, but hated the loneliness it caused. There had been moments where it seemed companionship would be found, but there was always something which prevented it.

Jaron extended his hand over his hilt and called it to is hand and placed it on his belt. He still carried the two hilts to remind him of why he did what he did. His exile was a self imposed one, but he refused to admit it. The blue blade he carried making him conscious of the fact he would always have different motives than the rest of the Ren.

He looked over Ara, there was a confidence about her which she lacked at their last meeting. While she had just been promoted to a Knight her fear of heights held her back from a simple thing Jaron had tried to teach. That fear was gone. Jaron had to admit that her confidence made her even more attractive than Jaron had already believed her to be. Both were a strong weapon, weapons Jaron had encouraged her to use.

"Tell me, Ara, what have I missed that rumors could never tell me. If the story is long I want to hear it all... I am certain I can put some kind of meal together if needed."

Jaron motioned for her follow. There was more of the small Bastion than Ara had seen the last time.

 

[Ara Zambrano]

”Not as glad as I am.”

One corner of her mouth quirked up, her words rolling with easy laughter as she met his gaze, one eyebrow quirking up in question and invitation, although he needed none. After all, she had invited herself here, searching for the mysterious Knight who’d acted as a Master for her once friend, the Corellian so very similar in manner as she that Ara couldn’t help but to feel a comradery and interest in him.

Letting his gaze roam over her with little change in expression save for a knowing glint in her eyes, she waited for his assessment to end. Her own multi-colored gaze mimicked his behavior, a brief, cursory examination that confirmed he was very much the same person as when they last spoke, at least in appearance and initial impressions. Inclining her head to accept the offer, she fell into step beside him as he led them deeper into the hidden temple, drawing them further into the heart of the Darkness swirling about them. A pulse of crimson flashed in her gaze as she reached out one hand to trace one of the ancient runes carved into the rock, head tilting in curiosity as a bit of power answered her movements. Interesting…

Instead of investigating further, the Knight pulled her hand away and turned her attention to her companion with a small smile.

”A story in exchange for a nice meal with such pleasant and attractive company?”

Letting her gaze roam over [member="Jaron Lesan"] again, she flashed a wink in his direction, the flirty purr belying the calculating thoughts swirling in her mind.

”I would be a fool to refuse such an offer.”

As they continued, the hallways twisting deeper into the side of the cliff, temperature of the air dropping with each step, she contemplated exactly how much to share with the man beside her. As the events on Skye had revealed, the Ren were in shambles, the remaining soldiers of Sieger Ren little more than Sith making power plays and fighting for supremacy. It was enough to disgust the Knight, lips curling up in derision at the mere thought of the outrageous display of childishness. Knowing whom to trust, even within their brotherhood was becoming far more difficult with each passing day, as betrayals for personal gain became commonplace.

The disastrous training session on Skye had also cemented one other fact, that the Zambrano blood running through her veins had bought her many enemies. Glancing at Jaron from the corner of narrowed eyes, she analyzed his movements and features, searching for any underlying malice that had not been present in their previous encounters. Seemingly unfazed by the news of her new name and position, judging by his welcoming disposition as she’d joined him, Ara knew looks could be deceiving. After all, she’d made an art form of it.

”Where shall I begin? Death or Panatha?”

 

[Jaron Lesan]

"Of that I am most certain," Jaron quipped back with his usual sense of humor. The Knight of Ren had been certain if he were to die and come back he would be grateful.

There was a bit of caution which floated on the air despite Ada's acceptance of the invitation. Her flirtatious behavior was still intact however. Death had not robbed her of the way in which she carried herself. Jaron had often considered himself a fool for not taking the opportunity he may have had last time, and he knew he would be foolish if he let himself miss it again. Still they had just come off such a disastrous meet g on Skye. Jaron's choice of when to reveal himself could not have been worse, though it afforded him the piqued curiosity of such a desirous woman.

Jaron did not care if the Ren were in shambles as they existed. None had followed the path he helped establish, and for that reason he considered taking the temple within the cliff to rectify that. The scout would always be that, but it was time to train more, to create a group that moved in shadow as well as they did in the public arena. Their loyalty was not to the First Order, something many seemed to forget, but to the Supreme Leader. Did Ara know this.

"We can start with death. I was there... Whether intended or not our last encounter, the attempt to make you jump and the spar, there was enough of a bond formed I had felt ripples of it. It might be forward of me to say it, but I had felt as though part of me died."

Jaron had felt worse however. When another had torn their bond intentionally the pain had been worse. Perhaps it was one reason Jaron prefers his loneliness to the risk of companionship. He had lost so much in his young life, yet Ara had seen death and come back. Jaron was curious, and as such, he had to know it all.

The pair walked into a larger space which Jaron had converted into a dining area and assembled something of a kitchen. He did not have anything to make a fancy meal, not something a queen would be used to, but he did have some nerf steaks thawed, and greens to accompany it. Pulling out his cast iron pan, he let the fire from the stove heat the pan so he could sear the meat. It would not take long to cook.

"You must also tell me your opinion of what happened on Skye. We are splintered and of all that I know of brothers and sisters, you are the only one I trust. You have nothing to fear from me... nothing of malicious violence anyway. I can assure you while some of my motives are not of the pure intention, I am not one to betray those whom I trust."

[member="Ara Zambrano"]