Dominion Tell It To My Heart | SO Dominion of Praesitlyn

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

There was the anger, though in this instance he had not aimed to bring it out. Indeed, it was surprising enough that narrowed eyes were widened, reviewing all which had been said, he was confident enough of his position, yet, now... well now he was quickly becoming unsure, "I took it as a show of good faith," He offered tenatively, raising a hand in mock surrender, "Such as it is, that my support in the Assembly will come freely," Yet, that was the unsaid ccrux of their problems, as much as theoretically they might be on the same side.

They did not trust each other enough to share their goals, and perhaps more poignantly, they were both prideful enough to believe they did not need the help of the other.

His vision softened, "...You might go out of your way to antagonise me for I assume your amusement, but I never have thought of you as someone incapable of caring, or some monster," He offered, perhaps the core of that was simply the fact that... part of him wished for her care. It might have been useful to share it in some... strange sense, green flames threatened to burn the whole structure down, and he could hardly be certain if this was truly calming her.

It was herself that won out in the end, and an opportunity in that, as her eyes closed off from the world, a moment of hesistation took hold, fear that he would misread this, fear that it could all be for naught.

Yet, believing, hopefully, that it could work.

As her eyes reopened, so dulled and dead, his feet had taken him to her in the blink of an eye, as his arms wrapped themselves around her form, and pulled her close. As the ever familiar warmth filled his system, as he held her. Despite their difference of age, perhaps because of it, he towered over her, yet still, despite the contradiction between them, it felt right.

"...Alright then, lets try this again," He whispered against raven locks, "...I want to see a revolution, and what I want from you..." His voice failed him, but his lips continued still, is you, he might have said, a statement as loaded as they came, "...I do not seek to subordinate the Red Hand, but all which they learn, must be shared, I cannot tolerate a potential leak within the ship."

Lina Ovmar

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Lina found herself folding all too easily into the embrace, drawing herself into the warmth and comfort it offered as her forehead came to rest upon his shoulder, his unspoken words lost to her. There was a flash of something inside her, something vindictive that was driven by fear that wanted to lash out, to push him away because all of this was wrong. Because trusting him was dangerous. Because seeking such comfort was a weakness. It screamed blue murder at her as she wrapped her arms around his waist and let out a soft sigh.

For a long while, she said nothing as tension bled slowly away from her shoulders as she began to relax in his embrace, quietly mulling his words over and weighing her response. Eventually, she lifted her head and drew back enough to speak without breaking the embrace, her emerald eyes searching his face before she spoke. "Anything relevant to the Order and its people will be shared, Malum, you have my word on that."

She hesitated, before continuing, "I thought I wanted Carnifex dead. It was an easy thing to grasp and focus on, but I've realised that I don't need to kill him. I just need the power to rise above him. In every sense of the word. If I can do that, then he no longer has power over me, nor anyone else I care for."

Darth Malum of House Marr

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

He did not want to give due consideration to the part of him that was far too overjoyed at the notion that she had not pushed him away, the part of him that was far too overjoyed to feel her lithe arms wrap themselves around him as tight as his own hold on her. It was hardly the most intimate act that they had undertaken together, yet, it might have been the most genuine. Hers was a warmth that was difficult to deny, let alone leave, it was meant to have just been some petty act against the Zambranos, all of this, all of his acts with hers.

Yet, when she said he had a bleeding heart she was not wrong. It was not as if he had any... romantic feelings for her, or at least not to any great extent, yet, as she revealed herself slowly, peeled away her layers and pulled them back up, as he lived in fear that he had a bastard born of her loins, as despite her causing him so frustration, he ever came back to engage...

...It was not romantic in any real or traditional sense, but it was something he was hesitant to ever abandon, perhaps that was why his grip tightened around her further.

They stood like that for what was only a minute, but for him might have been hours, for any outside observer... he prepared for disappointment as she pulled her face away from his shoulders, only for the surprise, as her arms were ever firmly wrapped around his waist, her emeralds gazing into his rubies, their faces mere inches apart, as he felt her breathe upon his face, her answer given, and though he had almost forgotten what it was they were discussing, he knew it was exactly what he wanted to hear, "Thank you." He breathed against her face.

It was the rest of her words that gave him cause for worry, the one thing he was confident they were aligned in suddenly seemed far less certain, he leaned ever closer, the ghost of his lips on hers, as their foreheads were pressed together, truly wishing to see the soul beneath those beautiful eyes, "He will always be a threat no matter how much power you accumulate, there is only way to remove that threat, I need you for that."

Lina Ovmar

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Lina closed her eyes as his forehead pressed against hers, the steady thrum of her heart loud in her own ears. What was she doing? He should not be this close. She turned her head pulling away from him slightly heat burning her cheeks as she cleared her throat, eyes avoiding his gaze.

"Malum, you have more resources at your fingertips than I could ever provide. What could you possibly need me for?"

She let go of his waist then taking half a step back, placing a small amount of distance between them, but not so much that it signalled his comfort wasnt welcome...just that it was too much.

"I am not saying I won't help, I would just like to understand what part you think inplaybin this revolution of yours."

Darth Malum of House Marr

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

There was something entirely enchanting, about the pink dusted on her cheeks, of how she refused to meet his gaze, he dared to hope. Theirs had always been a difficult and complicated relationship, pride whirling against defence, to show vulnerability in any instance was tantamount to surrender.

Yet holding her like this, being held like this, he enjoyed this mutual surrender more than he could ever admit. He lowered himself, arms still wrapped around her, nuzzling her chin, encouraging her as she continued to speak. His mind considered exactly how to answer that question, how to inform her that she was exactly who he needed. Providing reassurance when it may not exactly be needed, but he needed her to know.

He wanted her by his side for all that would come.

He took too long, as she pulled away, not aggressively, not in a way that caused any harm, yet... he missed her warmth regardless.

He took her in, why he needed to answer this was beyond him, was it not so obvious? "There might be many years between us," A smirk came upon his features, a smirk that had broken and made hearts whole in equal measure, tilting his head at an attempt to coax her to face him, so he could see those emeralds once again, "But we are of the new generation of Sith, those who have only known the tyranny of those immortals," He so wished to move forward, so wished to touch her, but with a restraint that was normally beyond him he waited, "It will take all of us, this new generation, more dynamic, faster, better, uniting under one common ideal," Waited, hoping that it would be her that would take the step he so wished her to take.

"To make a greater Sith, a greater Empire, that the galaxy has never seen, to take what is rightfully ours."

Lina Ovmar

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Lina pondered his words, turning them over carefully in her mind. He was not the first sith to speak against tyranny, in fact she was surprised it had taken this long for them to have this conversation when Strosius had been so open about such things from the get go.

Yet she found herself hesitating. Not because she didn't believe, because she did, she believed that they were both right, that it was past time that these gods that had presided over them for so long were brought down.

She hesitated, because she could only see pain in it. Even if they were successful, and it was a big if, what happened after? Who would rule?

Emerald eyes searched his face, wondering if she could find the answers there, but there was none to be had. Time and patience would see those answers unveiled. “So long as I can have the space to research what I need to, without interference, you have my support.”

Darth Malum of House Marr

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

A long silence passed between them, a silence ever common at the precipice of the decisions that future historians would say had been the lynchpin of history. This might not be one of those, only two knew the specifics of their meeting, all the drama, all the misunderstanding, it hardly made for the clean explanations that those who wrote the books desired.

And who knew if by the end either of them would be there to see it?

There was a question in her eyes, a question he knew well, a question that one day he knew would need to be answered. Yet, as ever when he considered it, when he imagined all that could come, the place that he would play in it, the place he would play after it. He was ever unsure.

He was ever unready.

"Of course," He offered, his smirk transforming into a genuinely warm smile, it seemed he might have his own Darth Arcanix, "...You never did tell me of your research interests."

Lina Ovmar
Mentioned: Taeli Raaf

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Lina reflected his smile, tension that had built over the course of this discussion melting away from her shoulders. Her head tilted at his observation.The question and request to know more was implied but not outright asked. She was sorely tempted to play coy, her smile turning into a smirk as she regarded him for a moment before closing the gap between them and placing a soft kiss on the corner of his mouth.

"Come to my home on Corva Yag, and I will show you what I am researching."

Then she stepped back from him again, the shadows in the room slowly drawing towards her. "I do believe there was a regime you are supposed to be here to crush with Lord Lechner, is there not?" they had reached a point of peace, perhaps of understanding, Lina did not want to press it further, to create rifts where they had just repaired bridges.

She paused, a touch of sadness in her expression as she continued to regard him, knowing what lay ahead of him…

Darth Malum of House Marr

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

He was not answered in any true sense, yet, as his hairs stood at rapt attention, what he was given was perhaps far better. Her warmth was pressed against him, among the notable times when it had been her that had closed the distance between them, her lips at the border of his, as she laid a kiss so soft that it took his breath away.

Instincts to wrap his arms around her were resisted as she pulled away, an answer given too, he had certainly gained all that he desired, "Then I pray it will be with swiftness that Corva Yag falls to you," He breathed, she did not give him a clear answer, but it was not entirely evasive, with a path towards which he was curious of.

After all the misdirection and vaguery, it was music to his ears.

However, the rest of her words were enough to transform the smile into a smirk, even as he noticed the shadows cloistering around her form, "My Tsis'Kaar will make me proud no doubt, and have the Wolf well satisfied," Yet, her expression was one which faded the smirk to the barest degree, narrowing his eyes by the narrowest margin.

"Less confident of my victory now?" He attempted to tease, as he took a step towards her, yet, it came out far from a jape.

Lina Ovmar

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Lina shook her head, her hand reaching to touch his cheek as he stepped in close, the shadows moved up her back, forming into dark wings that curled around them instinctively.

"I am not sure of either of your victories." she said softly, her thumb trailing his cheek "Not because neither of you are capable, but because you are. And I believe that victory will hurt more than losing."

The wings shifted wrapping tighter as she pressed her forehead momentarily against his. Where they touched him they only felt cold. "Good luck." Her voice was barely above a whisper, the words breathed against lips so dangerously close before shadow engulfed her entirely and she was gone, the only sign of her, the shadow of wings passing over the city beyond the window.

Darth Malum of House Marr

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

"Tease." He whispered a grumble under his breath, as her warmth rapidly faded away from his cheek and forehead, the ghost of her presence still felt upon his lips, as the darkened wings flapped away rapidly in the distance, disappearing into the far-off horizon. Still, he could hardly deny the warmth that his heart felt, as it beat rapidly caged in his chest.

For how difficult, how frustrating this conversation had been.

It had ended with... that.

Her lips so close to his, those wings enrapturing them in a closeness only emphasised by her hand upon his face. Then her face... if he had only leaned a slight inch closer, her cold forehead pressed against his, he might have captured her lips once again. Yet, shocked, frozen, at her boldness, at the initiative she had taken that was so far beyond what had been between them thus far...

Still, for all which he was heartened, so was he disheartened, her words felt more prophetic than he would have liked to admit. For all which he had intended the Kaggath to be a measure to control events, they had well and truly spiralled out of his control now. Spiralled to such a degree that he was well and truly unsure what would happen in that arena, for all that he would fight to defeat him...

...Ali- Darth Strosius might certainly be fighting to kill him.

He knew that most of the time, that was all it took to decide the outcome of combat. The will to live, and the will to destroy, and if Ali- Darth Strosius held the latter, Malum would have to hold the former. Yet...

...That was more difficult a proposition than he could have ever imagined, wanting to live, wanting to survive should have been easy, and it was... still, was he, not the one preparing for all that would come after his death? Was he not the one so certain of its possibility?

He banished such grim thoughts, for now, Bogan knew they had haunted him enough. She had been right in another sense, he was technically in command of an operation here, and while he had thus far distracted himself from it, he could by all rights return... on the other hand, from what he knew of the expected timescales, he did not imagine he would be able to provide much of anything more to the operation. It was why he had assigned Darth Pararius, Sicarius, and... Anguina, to such matters.

There was ever the stab of guilt.

Yet, it was assuaged somewhat, as he pulled the Force around him, feeling time and space begin to bend around him.

She had wished him luck.

Maybe that would be enough in the end.

Lina Ovmar
Mentioned: Ansisa