Dominion Tell It To My Heart | SO Dominion of Praesitlyn

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

"I have heard such talk so often that it has become nauseous to me, why must we be the champions of unity and duty to the Empire when there exists a cancer within the Empire that constantly, acts as a parasite, drawing blood from those who serve?" He countered, an annoyance born out of platitude constantly thrown against his skull, "Is not serving the Empire, serving its people, as much about defeating those internal foes, as the external foes? Must we constantly be denigrated, attacked, simply because that man held ultimate power over the Sith decades ago? Lest we forget he failed twice, despite what his followers believe, he is no god." Yet, still, despite what he knew of the powers that be, he was allowed to persist, far away perhaps, but still allowed to continue.

And now he was returning his tentacled fingers over their homes.

He could only find one idea that made sense, either mutually strong enough to avoid elimination of the other despite a desire to, precipitating an uneasy cooperation. All the while, they turned their strength on all other middling and rising powers that were otherwise not susceptible to their unity, their duty.

It mattered little at the end if that was the case or not, he supposed, at the end of the day, it was all which he saw, and at their beck and call, perhaps even the ringleader of this detente and cadre, was among the only figure that... was made him doubt his convictions. The one who could wield rhetoric in such a way to make him consider... yet, at the burning core of his soul...

...Whatever she said, he knew, at the essence of his being, that he was right, if that was granted, all else could follow. As long as one flicker of rebellion remained, all else might thrive.

He blinked the thought from his mind, as his vision narrowed at the area she indicated, the explanation of the phantom pain as she called it. Was he even surprised that Kaine would brand his subjects? Yet, of course, the specifics of that brand were enough to make him pause, as he mused the thoughts that flooded his brain. It provided the answer to one of his questions.

"...I hear there are many methods of attempting to cure phantom pain, perhaps you could look into that..." He trailed off, trying to keep the simmering feelings of outrage from overflowing the pot, "...As for the brand... am I to understand you knowingly brought Kaine's eyes into my home?" He offered, with the barest hint of steel in his tone, a frostiness that laid upon every surface.

To imagine his past self in some way, had been correct.

Lina Ovmar
Mentioned: Darth Carnifex Darth Empyrean Srina Talon

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Lina rolled her eyes at his rant. He sounded exactly like Darth Strosius . "His time will come to an end, it is a matter of patience and endurance. We have to balance things carefully. His strength is needed in the coming war, you as Dark Councillor, should know that. Whatever personal squabbles we have are irrelevant when it comes to the preservation of this Order."

His tone regarding her mark did not pass unnoticed, but she did not waver under his gaze, nor did she flinch at the weight of his accusation. "You saw me on the arm of his eldest son and invited me to your home, Malum. You were none the wiser to my situation yet you invited me anyway. Do not pretend like you were not inviting Carnifex's eyes and ears in by doing so. The fact that the mark meant it in a literal sense changes nothing."

Lina's tone was icy as she levelled him with a hard stare. "We are not enemies, stop seeking reason for us to become so."

Darth Malum of House Marr

 

[Ansisa]

Ansisa couldn't help the smirk that played across her lips as Anathemous stepped up behind her, the threat clear. She wondered, if it came to it, whether she would be willing to burn these people alive.

For her, there was no innocence here, every single one of these people had worked in someway against the infiltration. A beat passed, then another before the first stepped forward and knelt before her his movement giving courage to others as one by one they knelt.

"Perfect. Now come to the middle of the room and sit quietly." She hummed happily before reaching for her comlink. "Darth Paraius, the communications centre is secure. I have some subjects for processing, be a dear and come and get them. Oh, and let Lord Malum know."

She tucked the commlink away, moving to one of the many consoles, she slipped into the chair and kicked her feet up, smiling up at Anathemous.

"Tell me then, princess. Who do you seek?"

Darth Malum of House Marr Kaila Irons

 

[Kaila Irons]

Anathemous crossed her arms and released a silent breath as the staff knelt to Anguina, relieved that she didn't need to back up her bluff. That it would remain a bluff.

She would remain at the door until the Chiss called her over, absentmindedly removing her helmet so that she could get a better look at whatever was on screen, soft blond hair spilling out over her shoulders as she leaned over the assassin's own, gripping the back of Anguina's seat while glaring at the screen, the look of focus in her golden eyes seeming as if it might simply burn through.

"Tell me then, princess. Who do you seek?"

Anathemous hesitantly chewed at her lip in thought, unsure just how well to inform the Tsis'kar given delicate nature of the situation.

"No name, just a description" she lied, fearing what would happen if she saw something she wasn't meant to see and word got out.

"We're looking for a Vahla girl, blonde hair, fair skin, and..." what color where her eyes back then?

"Silver eyes, I think... uh, five foot... n-nine, maybe less at the time. We're looking for any records in old imperial space, or at least during the period in which Darth Carnifex would have been emperor, or maybe just after, not sure... She was a patient at a military hospital on occupied Krownest. I want to know how she got there, and who she was before that. Not even top Kainites have been able to find record of her before that, Darth Xyrah said it was as if she were a ghost" She spoke quickly, hardly pausing for breath.

This was the first time she'd ever had an opportunity to crack the case which had eluded her for years, or even get a lead for that matter, and she had to take it. She needed this.

She just hoped it wasn't some kind of conspiracy, that the girl who landed in the hospital that day really was just some amnesiac caught in the crossfire, that all the information she'd been given was indeed factual, and that whatever they found would corroborate the official findings, or perhaps expand on them rather than disprove them.

But deep down, she knew something was wrong.

"would be smart to remove memories of the incident so that you cannot recall the hand that played a part in your fall from grace. As it were."

Her conversation with Eira all that time ago, she'd been thinking about it ever since she learned the sith would be raiding the communications center.

For gods sake, please be wrong.



Ansisa

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

"I guarantee if we make that excuse it shall never end. There will always be another great external foe to fight, an infinite amount of usefulness to be drawn out of one as powerful as him, one theoretically upon our side, it only requires that we throw aside his deprivations and his actual attacks upon our person." Malum continued still, growing ever annoyed at her simple dismissal of his words, if she thought herself some masterwork plotter, she had hardly proved as such to him. While on the other hand, the annoyance was born out of another place, one realised out of self-reflection...

...Was this how he sounded to Ali- Darth Strosius, presenting himself so cocksure and superior when his great solution to their problems had been to wait? No... as much as Darth Strosius was extreme, it in no way meant that Lina was correct, simply extreme in the opposite direction, there was a narrow middle path forward, and it was that which Malum aimed to cross.

"I am not demanding we do something foolhardy, stupid, and most likely suicidal, but you might have been on the run for three decades, but I have played this game of endurance and patience from a place forefront of this Order much longer than you have. You have lost your child, I have lost my blood, and both of us are hunted, how much more do you intend to endure, how more patient do you think you will be, and how much power is enough to challenge him? I have pondered these questions for years, are you any closer to an answer I wonder." Maybe that was why Ali- Darth Strosius was so annoyed at him, for all which he knew to be patient, to endure, was right, it was not a plan, it was an admittance at a lack of a plan, yet not one of developing one.

It was the last of her words which made him pause such considerations, giving her a look of pure credulousness, as his lip narrowed, and he gazed at her witheringly, "Oh, shut up," He knew come time, he would come to regret his words, but for now, the amount delight it drew out of him was beyond measure, "On one hand you blame yourself for something that is not your fault, on the other hand, you avoid all blame for what is your fault. If you are to act in such bad faith to not accept the difference, then there is no point discussing matters further, there is a difference between knowingly inviting a potential spy into your halls, and unknowingly inviting the literal actual enemy into your home, and you knew that then, and you know that now," Despite the frustration, his voice was resoundingly calm, much more than he expected, some part of him knowing if he raised his voice as his lungs demanded, that he would lose out, as justified as he was, "And you of all people, who believes because she has suffered, that because she is so jaded, that she can be as antagonistic as a porcupine, but then flee like the dove and act the victim, when it is reciprocated in kind, you, do not get to tell me that I am the one seeking for us to become enemies, when I can only wonder how much your antagonism has driven away those entirely ideologically driven to be on your side."

Oh, certainly he would accept his role in the amount of difficulty in his relationship with her, yet, it ever took two to waltz. So annoyed he was, that he missed the ringing by his ear, fully committed to have his eyes upon her.

Lina Ovmar
Mentioned: Darth Carnifex Darth Strosius Revna

 

[Ansisa]

There was a different energy to her as she removed her helm, golden lock cascading over her shoulder, chewing her lip anxiously. Princess truly was the perfect name for her, she certainly help the beauty of one. Ansisa's lips turned into a small smile as she wondered, just for a moment how soft her lips might be. A small chuckle and she shook the thought away. She'd find something more disposable to feed that need later.

Ansisa slid her feet from the console, her face thoughtful as Anathemous gave her that start if a trail. Vahla were not what she would consider hard to find, they were expected to follow the rules of the Ember of Vahl, regardless of whether they were a part of it or not. Their devotion to their goddess was almost zealous, but thse that were not housed within the Malsheem were scattered and widespread and she was asking for someone last seen thirty odd years ago.

"Alright," she said sitting forward and setting to work. "We start with the hospital records, no doubt there are images there. Old security footage of her coming and going." As she spoke, the screens around them came to life, hospital records with images, followed by a flurry of cross referencing from various footage through the hospital itself around the time she was logged to have entered.

Slowly Ansisa built solid image of the person they were looking for, a reconstruction from the glimpses she was able to grab. She pursed her lips, noting similarities to her kainite companion, but opted not to comment.

The holoimage floated before them for a moment, before she set the computers on to their next task. "Now we scour the holonet, cross reference this image against every holovid that hit the between…lets say the hospital visit and five years prior."

It was a huge amount of data to sift through, but if anything had the ability to find something, it was this communcations centre. She looked up and Anatahemous and patted her thigh with a wicked grin. "Might as well get comfortable, princess, its gonna be a while before we get a ping."

Kaila Irons

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Lina wasn't entirely sure what Malum wanted from her. Perhaps he wanted to see the rage that burned quietly within her, to know that she was as commited to bringing Carnifex down as he seemed to be. Or perhaps he simply disliked being spoken to like the child he was, believing himself above her. Did she believe hersef above him. She tilted her head to oneside, studying him. This boy, that she had taken to hr bed once had an insurmountable amount of power at his fingertips, yet berated her for what? Not taking action for her daighter no longer being in her care? For appearing like she had given up?

Her anger bubbled rising steadily in her cheast as he continued, demanding her silence, throwing yet more accusation, making yet more assumptions about her character, about her past when he knew nothing, save what she had told him. Which was ultimately nothing.

She waited a beat or two after he finished speaking, her expression neutral, though her emerald eyes were blazing with fury.

"Oh good, you're finished." she began, smoothing her skirt as she picked her way through the verbal assault she'd just endured. "Firstly, you know nothing of what I have suffered or endured. There has never been anyone on my side. Never. There have been people who serve, and there have been people who seek to gain, but never anyone on my side."

"Secondly, there was no way for me to tell you of the mark, not without him knowing and not without suffering an insurmountable amout of pain. I don't imagie you've even been truly tortured, have you? Endured pain for the sake of learning, yes. But truly tortured? No. because if you had, then perhaps you would undersatnd that the only way I could have avoided bringin the enemy into your home would have been to refuse your invite entirely and where would that leave us now?"

She rose from the chair. "What is done, cannot be undone. So why dwell on it?" she was agitated beneath the surface, unable to sit still while heat bubbled under her skin. But she maintained her composure returning to the window her hands folding neatly at the small of her back. A heavy sigh escaping her.

"Whatever path we take, whether it be one of patience and endurance or one of action, we are going to need to find a way to trust each other. Tell me, Malum, how do we do that?"

Darth Malum of House Marr

 

[Kaila Irons]

In many ways, the young darth was a conjoining of two very different people. There was Darth Anathemous, the stoic Kainite and ever so loyal apprentice of Darth Carnifex. But then there was Kaila, The quiet thinker, the anxious young woman fighting to retain what little individuality her master had not yet beaten out of her. The heretic among the Kainite flock who refused to be little more than a thoughtless drone, stripped of all personality and want but to serve their domineering "God" in all things.

For just a moment, Anguina was allowed a glimpse of the real Kaila behind that mask both literal and metaphorical.

It was perhaps the most honest she'd been with anyone in the entire Empire. She knew she'd taken a great risk, especially with a Tsis'kar, but she'd done it all to find whatever truth had been hidden from her. Fitting then that, for but one moment out of what felt like a lifetime, she allowed the Chiss to see her for who she truly was.

Even if unintentionally.

She watched the screens flicker with utmost intrigue, watching the digital reconstruction of her own face with equal parts fascination and concern. She knew the long it went the more obvious her lie had become, that the Tsis'kar would see through if she hadn't already. But it was too late now, and she had come too far to give up this quest before seeing it through.

"Might as well get comfortable, princess, its gonna be a while before we get a ping."

"...hm?" Kaila's trance was broken by the smug voice of her momentary ally.

It took a little longer than it should have for the Vahla's distracted mind to process, but the assumed jest brought a wry little smile to her lips even as she rolled her eyes.

"Ah yes, a throne for a princess" she managed a soft chuckle despite the tension, though she couldn't take her eyes off the console.

"Amusing as this jest is, can you imagine what our masters would think? I don't know whether to be amused or terrified of the thought"

"You are joking," she glanced back "right?"



Ansisa

 

[Ansisa]

As Anathemous watched the flickering screens as they began sifting through thousands of clips looking for a facial match, Ansisa watched her. If she was right, if she was looking for her past self, then there was a bigger story to uncover. An opportunity for something more than a simple favour, because why would she come here alone? And why would she ask for her help when she was a Kainite whose resources were seemingly infinite, whose archives of knowledge were rumoured to be some of the greatest.

Her smirk widened as her words slowly drew her out of the trance.

"Oh I don't know, I think they might salivate at the thought of it. Thinking of all the secrets that could be shared during pillow talk, could be fun. A kainite in bed with a tsis'kaar…" she bit her lower lip "the scandal."

Her gaze slipped back to the screen. "I was deadly serious, princess, but I understand taking on such a challenge can be daunting. I wouldn''t want to damage you."

Ansisa tilted her head as a match snapped up into the centre of the console. "That," she said, enlarging the thumbnail "looks like footage from a helmet camera." Without waiting, she hit the playback button.

Kaila Irons

 

[Kaila Irons]

Golden eyes would drift steadily down as Anguina bit her soft blue lip, and in that moment, Kaila realized the Chiss may actually be telling the truth.

Even as the assassin turned her attention back to the console, Kaila's gaze lingered just awhile longer, allowing herself a momentary distraction from this bitter mission upon which she had embarked so many years ago. Anguina was beautiful, that part was not surprising nor was the confession difficult. It was one of several reasons why she'd begun their playful banter. No, what surprised Anathemous so was that Anguina obviously felt the same. Kainites such as herself often had a well developed palette for men and women both, yet the young darth was typically met with revulsion for her supposed loyalties. Loyalties that, as the Tsis'kar before her was beginning to suspect, were far from honest.

And it was because of this secret that, even among Kainites, she was all alone in this world.

"Damage me?!" she half scoffed, half laughed at the arrogant notion.

But there was a third piece to the puzzled question. Intrigue perhaps, a curious desire. Kaila couldn't quite hide the mischievous smile playing at the corner of her lips. Even so her gaze turned to a longing one as many thoughts raced through the girl's mind, of things that could have been, or may yet be. For a brief moment, she considered indulging the assassin, despite her better judgement.



And then the console lit up.

She closed her and sighed in silence as bitter reality returned to her, as the princess was ripped from her fairy tale. Kaila turned to watch the footage with a clenched jaw, steeling her nerves to face whatever the Tsis'kar had just found.

"Helmet footage...?" she sighed in frustration, but not towards Anguina "who's?"

At first glance it appeared to be combat footage, a first person perspective of a man on watch amidst the ruins of a city overturned by war. The unnamed soldier watched as troopers clad in white armor entered the fenced compound below, one bearing the signature orange pauldron of a stormtrooper commander.

Kaila's question was soon answered as the pair stopped beneath the black banner of the 10th Sith Empire, a banner she knew well. Then things took a turn as they two figures started arguing. It was hard to make out what, but it was getting progressively more heated as the stormtrooper spoke defiantly to their superior.

"...this trooper lacks discipline" Kaila muttered her thoughts.

Then the commander punched this mouthy trooper in the face, knocking their helmet off, and suddenly she understood why the assassin's tracker had pinged this footage.

The trooper stood up, her face coming into view finally, and Kaila felt as if her stomach sank. The hair, blonde cut short as befits a soldier. Their face, so much younger then, but still thin and angular. Her eyes were different then, a sharp silver, but she knew them still.

It was her.

She was looking at herself from the eyes of another, watching an event she could not remember no matter how hard she tried, and yet it was there for all to see. She finally had proof.

Her master had lied, hidden great and terrible things from her.

She felt sick, watching her own young eyes flash gold in the footage as fire from a nearby camp stove spiraled out of control. As if on instinct, the young trooper stepped forward just as the flames surged on. The man recording was quick to report the incident as the nearby tent was set aflame, and the commander drew a blaster on it's source.

Solus!
​

He commanded. It was a name she well enough by now, Varys Amun having brought it to her attention once before, it's eerie familiarity too potent to ignore. She closed her eyes and turned away, finally realizing how the nightmare ends, why she used to dream of flames so long ago.

Stand down. that's an Order!​

But she never did. She may have been raised among another culture, but the Ember of Vahl burnt bright within her still, and the figure on screen, she'd had enough. She'd lost her mind, given herself completely to the dark side of a force that she never knew to control, because she had never allowed herself to lash out with it before, never knew that it was boiling beneath her skin all that time.

Even as she closed her eyes, Kaila could hear the distorted screams of troopers being burnt inside their armor, she could remember the smell of melting plastoid, she didn't need the footage anymore.

"...turn it off"

She had what she'd come for.

"For gods sake please turn it off."


For someone who'd been on this case for so long, it was easy for Kaila to assume the rest. Someone must have caught wind that the whole incident would be censored, swept under the rug, so they swapped helmets with someone or copied the footage before the Kainate's very own Saaraishash could erase it. From there, a subdued, younger Kaila was surely taken to one of various facilities to have her memory wiped, after which she woke up in the hospital, and everything from that point was lived history that she knew all too well.

He really had taken everything from her.

Anathemous spun, her half metal fist breaking right through a nearby monitor with a glassy crackling sound.



Ansisa

 

[Ansisa]

Ansisa watched with the barest of frowns creasing her forehead, all notion of their previous flirtation evaporated as the scene unfolded before her. There was no mistaking the undisciplined trooper. Her hair and eyes might have been different, but it was Anathemous.

A past life.

Ansisa silenced the footage, but she didn't turn it off, instead she rewound it, freezing the frame on the angry face of a younger version of the woman who's fist cracked into a nearby monitor, earning a click of Ansisa's tongue as she downloaded the images and footage onto a datastick, slipping it into the folds of her robes before erasing the search completely.

Her gaze lifted to those who they had gathered, their eyes and ears had been privy to too much. She rose smoothly, her hand waving almost lazily as a dozen spears of midnight erupted from the floor beneath all of them. They didn't have a chance to scream.

She stepped close to Anathemous. “I'm not going to pretend that I know the whole story, but I can make some educated guesses and fill in the gaps.”

She gently touched her elbow.

“Do you want to get a drink?”

Kaila Irons

 

[Kaila Irons]

It wasn't quite the sound that bothered Anathemous, for she'd heard it a thousand times before. It was knowing what happened next, that she dragged away in binders to a cell, that Carnifex would eventually hear of the incident and decide that she had potential, that she'd be newest experiment as her memory was wiped clean by alchemy or insidious technologies, less of an apprentice and more the latest method of creating obedient little servants.

Suddenly dozens of lives were extinguished from her senses, sending all manner of alarms through her mind as she ripped her hand away from the monitor, blood and broken glass trailing from it to her side as she reached for her lightsaber on instinct, already having popped the lock open by the time she turned around, yet the saber never left it's sheath.

The Tsis'kar showed no sign of hostility as she approached, she wasn't attacking.

She was keeping her secret.

“I'm not going to pretend that I know the whole story, but I can make some educated guesses and fill in the gaps.”

"Do you want to get a drink?"

Why is she being nice to me...? she thought.

The grip on her saber loosened, then relinquished her grasp as she audibly recovered her breath, nodding as she averted her gaze.

"...yes. sounds like a plan"

She spoke quietly, softly, despite the clenching of her jaw and the fresh scent of blood on the air.

"Suppose I should explain over a drink. We've both seen more than we were supposed to already... might as well tell you why"



Ansisa

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

This was different from all their other verbal bouts, whereas those other moments had been as equally quiet in the volume of their voice, despite all mutual regard to throw out the verbal fire, this was... there was a coolness to their argument, that was more akin to their regular conversations. Oh certainly, such coolness was not the only measure of their discussions, though... in consideration, he might have thought there were only about three moods in their exchanges.

The fires of passion, the coolness of ice, and the teasing sting of poison.

Had he ever seen the true her? Perhaps, he could hardly be certain of it, but if he was a betting man, which he supposed regardless of his disdain for gambling, he very much was a gambler, then he would bet that day in the library, so long ago, might have been the closest he had ever seen to the truth of her.

Yet, even in that, in all the limited confidence that he wielded, he could not be certain.

It was different with them, it was the mood that was set out that very moment on Alvaria... no... it had begun on Naboo, this competition, this need to not give, lest be considered the weaker in front of the other, that the only give that could be surrendered, was mutual, mutual in all desire and need.

So what were they left with if they did not have that?

This, he supposed.

"Oh, don't you dare start!" He called back, her emeralds might have glimmered with the glory of flames, but it was his rubies that shined with the steel of ice, "You build yourself up in mystery, your shield and blade are smoke and mirrors, I know nothing of what you have suffered? Certainly! I know little of your relationships with others? Of course! But what of it? You have designed yourself to maintain these walls, yet, so beg for the veil to be pierced!"

His nostrils blared with hot air, as if he was some bull about to charge, restrained only by a will that contended, that demanded, that he remain ever still, yet, even that meant little as the rest of her words, forced him to rise from his seat, "So you have suffered! So you have been burned! So yes I cannot possibly imagine the raptures you have been through," A voice filled with as much feeling as it was melodramatic painted quite solid sigil of what he truly thought of that, "I do not care, there are trillions in this galaxy that suffer in ways beyond us, does suffering make us worthy? Does it give you the right to do whatever you wish with an expectation that those you wrong should simply accept it?!" Caustic breaths were drawn from his lungs, as he felt the blood flow easily in his skull, "Where would that leave us now? I have no idea, but somehow, with how you act, I almost imagine you would prefer it," She had not meant it so, but that word, dwelling, was there a Sith as young as him, and as high, that had as many regrets?

The part of him which still had humility overwhelmingly hoped it was the case.

Pride was far less certain.

He blanketed orbs beneath the skin of lids, as his body held off the lightest tremor, a shiver of the cold mixing with the burning of emotion like sage on drafty nights. She had retreated to the window, and he was stuck in place. The last of her words did not make things any easier. He turned his head, orbs gazing towards one who very much at least physically had the ability to undo him.

"I see no path to it, we are too different and too prideful, a point which will not matter if I am felled in the next coming days, but should I prove victorious? Should I wield both Tsis'Kaar and Inquisition in my hands?" A possibility that seemed so entirely farcical to him, yet at this moment, altogether necessary to extol his point, "...How will you trust me?"

Lina Ovmar

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Lina was quiet for a moment, contemplative. Malum was far from wrong about her. She hid herself behind these layers, isolated herself amidst shadow and mystery. It was not only habitual but also her safeguard. If no one knew her truth, no one could harm her. In turn, it made sacrificing those who needed to be sacrificed much easier. Would she hesitate to slide a blade between Malum's ribs, his back turned, if it would grant her power?

No.

Did she expect the same of him? Naturally. They were Sith, they didn't gain power through friendship and trust, they took it by force of will regardless of what it cost. That was what she had been taught. Value anyone and anything as much as you want to value them and then sacrifice them when necessary. Everyone was a tool.

"Whether you win or lose changes little, other than whether you are still breathing at the end of it. You and Darth Strosius rose together, the Tsis'kaar and Inquisition have been united by this fact until recently. That one of you should die and officially hold the reigns of both will only change the political landscape, it doesn't change anything between us."

She turned back to face him. "I will trust that you at least have the conviction to do what is necessary to achieve your goals, no matter the cost. that is at least a starting point."

Darth Malum of House Marr

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

That she was not arguing back at him was... odd, to say the least. Suffice it to say it was what he had expected, he had not let moments pass before spittle was firing, and he was arguing back against her positions. Yet, for all the passion that he had poured easily into his words, he had never much expected it to still her, let alone convince her.

Such was simply not the way which pride allowed.

However, it was undeniable, even as he allowed his breaths to catch themselves up to his thoughts, she was not beginning her counterattack, instead...

...She seemed to be considering, which was not to say it was the least concerning of things, they had both had to rapidly consider when in competition against the other, such was the only way to argue, rebut, and rejoind, in such quick and passionate passes. Yet, as the seconds passed...

...Had he truly gotten through to her?

He could not be certain, as when she finally did speak, it was far from the topic on which most of their discourse had resided, yet... he could hardly call it off-topic.

"...And you have no partiality on who should win?" For that outcome was far from certain in most minds he wagered, let alone his, rubies met emeralds as she turned to face him, as he found his boots taking themselves to her, as the hairs on his arms stood at attention at the breeze that billowed through the broken window, "...And what do you imagine those goals are? What say are yours? Is not revealing that, where our starting point should be?" Fingers fluttered to her arm, it was not a vice grip, simply a shared presence, a silent apology for words spoken in emotion... that while necessary, had not been said without intention to cause harm.

Lina Ovmar

 

[Lina Ovmar]

A line creased her forehead briefly as he seemed to soften, the fire and brimstone of their argument seemingly cooling into nothing. Did he perhaps think he had won? Had he won? She wasn't entirely certain. She still offered him no apology for any of her words nor did she intend to, and he certainly had not changed her belief of who was in the wrong. It simply didn't matter anymore. Debating the past held no relevance to the future. Agree to disagree and move on, or else they will forever stagnate.

His question on partiality was a difficult one to answer. "You each have your strengths and your flaws. Strosius has made it abundantly clear he has no positive feelings towards me, but interestingly it makes it far easier to come to agreements. There are no blurred lines of emotion, only an understanding of mutual benefit by working together. Even if we have to fight to reach that point, we still reach it faster." The flicker of a smile passed her features. "and he's fun to aggravate."

She studied his face as he approached her. "You, on the other hand, are more complicated. While you let your emotions lead you, it is not in the same way he does. The bleeding heart you wear on your sleeve means nothing is clear cut, you are emotionally invested in everything you touch, which makes you unpredictable." she paused thoughtfully. "That's not a bad thing for an enemy, but it is in an ally."

She sighed. "Truth be told, you complement each other, to lose either one of you will be a blow. As for my goals..." Lina trailed off her gaze dropping to where his arm rested lightly on hers. "Right now, my immediate goal is to free Revna . Beyond that..." She felt the shadows tugging at her, the darkness of the nether calling her back for further investigation. "If you survive, I'll contemplate sharing them with you."

Darth Malum of House Marr

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

It was hardly the answer that he wished to hear, yet, he could hardly say confidently what answer it was that he wished to hear in the first place. His fingers meditated on her skin, what was once initially cool gave way to a warmth that he had enjoyed... perhaps too much. The temptation drawn out of the figure of the older woman was hard to deny, however, the last few seconds, her words, were enough for him to centre enough, allowing a breath to fall from his lips, that warmly fluttered across his features, as he considered as much as she did.

And enough to raise a brow, "Considering what I heard from the horse's mouth himself, your last encounter with him almost had you killed, I am not sure to take the difficulty you have in answering to be an insult," He replied with little heat, let alone smoke, even he silently assented with the description of his app- co-apprentice, if you were able to convince him that despite being a heretic, you held use, it made things simple.

As simple as being cut down where you stood, or not, he supposed.

A ghost of a smile glimmered upon noble features as green eyes observed him, and tasteful lips made their own judgements and assumptions of what was seen, as the other hand gently took a soft grip around the opposite arm, his other hand trailed upward, parting a stray raven lock that held a barrier between rubies and emeralds, "...You don't know a damn thing about me, Lady Ovmar," He finally gave as she finished, "...But unlike you that is not a shield, if you wish to learn, as an ally would, the door is wide open, but, I will not bother myself with one who feels themselves so superior, when all evidence points to the contrary," He snorted, the hot air blowing against her face as he was leant in, only to pull away, both hands dropping from their gentle holds, as he turned his head back towards the exit, and made the first initial steps.

"If I am victorious, we shall discuss our only matter of shared concern, my cousin," Black boots echoed along the wooden frame of the apartment, as he neared the door, "But if you must ask how we will trust each other, and then not even have the wherewithal to understanding sharing our ambitions might be necessary to establish common ground, then that is your prerogative."

He pulled open the door, allowing the cold winds to billow forth out, hesitating for a moment, knowing that far beyond all the distractions, there had been one goal which he had not even attempted to address, "When I am victorious, I shall have the Tsis'Kaar and Inquisition under my command, I will not tolerate any threats to either or the Empire, so you best decide if the Red Hand will prove itself an obstacle or asset to me," He paused by the door, he would give her this moment, otherwise, he was gone.

Lina Ovmar
Mentioned: Darth Strosius

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Lina felt something tug in her chest as he pulled away from her, iciness replacing the brief warmth that had come with his closeness, his words cutting deeper than they should have. She found herself recoiling mentally from the emotion, enveloping herself once more behind stone walls.

She wanted him to stay, she wanted to talk more. Yet there seemed to be no point at which she could make him, no point at which she could find a way to build a bridge. It wasn't for lack of want. Lina simply didn't know how. To share her goals...her desires? It was a brand of trust she could not wrap her head around. She had married a man without sharing such things, bore him a child…

In her experience, there were only two ways bearing such trust ended...with someone dead or with a knife in your back.

"Trust is supposed to go both ways, is it not?" She countered finally, "You ask for my goals, for my secrets and yet you offer nothing in return. I might not be prepared to share my goals yet, but I have proven I am willing to share information. I did not have to tell you about Revna nor about the problems you might face in freeing her."


She turned her back on him, rolling her eyes at his demand of cooperation. "You needn't worry about the Red Hand, Malum. The circles I operate within are well outside those of your own organisation."

Darth Malum of House Marr

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

He let out a sigh, his pause by the door apparently promising to be a more permanent state of affairs, as first his ears flickered to better make out what was being said, and when that was registered, turning his head towards the beauty, and parsing his lips more to her benefit, showing his hand as it were, when he knew it was from necessary.

It had not been as entirely purposeful as he would tell himself, the frustration had mounted hard enough in his mind that he genuinely had wished to depart the conversation and begin looking into his own matters, and after all there was many of such which he had to undertake. Both in preparation for surviving what would come, and morbidly in preperation for what could come if he did not. While now, he had yet another carcass to carve on his plate.

...He could not imagine what she was going through.

And right now, despite everything, he was powerless to do anything about it.

Less than powerless, he had the power, he could attack the Malsheem right now with the full force of the Tsis'Kaar make common cause with his app- co-apprentice, despite all the ramifications, he knew he could do it, even if it would be his head that would be called for after. Yet, was not his head already called for? He was being facetious, crossing this line would be one which he could not come back from.

...And success in it was hardly unquestionable.

All the while, even if he was successful, even if he was to hold at bay the baying claws of all those who would wish to pursue, the avenging angels of the Kainite, if Revna was held in such powerful unbreakable chains, nothing would matter.

So... all he could do was follow the waves, follow the currents, he needed time, he could not act rashly.

All to say, as much as he wished to leave now, it was a common enough tactic in negotiations to leave the table, and it seemed in this case it had worked.

"You say as such as you gained nothing from telling me, you will gain Corva Yag by the end, yet, I am generous, ask me what you will, I will consider answering," His gaze transmitted across a clear message, "Yet, if it is not that which you wish to know, what is it that you want?"

His eyes narrowed as she turned away, an instinct to go to her violently suppressed, "The galaxy belongs to the Sith, the Tsis'Kaar see every system that is under the stewardship of the Sith or not, your Red Hand operate within my circle by merely existing, so I will ask again, will they cooperate, or are they an obstactle to my duty?"

Lina Ovmar
Mentioned: Revna

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Anger flashed in her gaze and she turned on her heel sharply to face him again. "Bullshit." She spat. "I gave you that information freely and without the request for your support in Corva Yag. If I was so desperate to barter I would have laid the price out for the information first. I am not a heartless witch who would dangle the life and suffering of a girl in order to further my own gain. I happen to be fond of Revna, if you can believe that I have such capabilities. I promised her I would see her free. Her, Malum. Not you, not her Master. Her."

Her eyes were glittering dangerously, anger masking the hurt that was coursing beneath all of it. This was her bed, she had made it and now she would lie in it. Lina wanted to lash out, to strike. It was easy to fight. She slid both hands into her raven locks and turned away fighting the turmoil within.

"I will do everything in my power to keep that promise. With or without your help. She doesn't deserve to suffer like I did."

She closed her eyes, desperate to settle a racing mind, vaguely aware of the smirk on the red skinned twi'lek that lurked in the back of her mind. She pushed the image away, the last thing she needed was for the echo of her mother to start taunting her. Lina let out a breath, her hands dropping to her side as she opened her eyes. The glittering malice gone, replaced with an emptiness.

"That depends entirely on you, Malum. And on us."

Darth Malum of House Marr