The Bottom of a Bottle

[Sinistra]

"Then maybe it's time to remind him."

She inhaled sharply, letting the edge of her angry simmer down, the roiling sensation eased as a pot given a lower flame. The air blew back out her lips, her pauldrons slumping as she let it all drain. As much as she could, as much as she dared. Her closed eyes stayed that way a moment longer before she raised the mask and fastened it back over her features. The seal intact once more, her voice no longer sultry and soft, but hard and mechanical.

"I apologize for the intrusion on your time, my lord. It was foolish of me to come. I should be going."

She inclined her head forward, the perfectly polite subordinate, the perfect Sith to the rest of the order, her simmering anger and frustration hidden behind the mask of good manner, quiet words, and impeccable orders. She was everything she was supposed to be and yet everything wrong with the Sith. The triumphant spy, able to achieve great notoriety in the field and completely powerless among her own kind.

Just another brick in the wall.

[member="Darth Carach"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Sinistra"]

Carach sighed heavily, before gesturing to a chair.

"Sit, Sinistra. There's more to talk about then politics or the Dark Lord ignoring us all in favor of contemplating his vengeance." it wasn't a command or at the very least it wasn't intended as one, but perhaps it would be the way she interpreted it. After years in charge and being used to being followed to the letter the Sith Lord had some... trouble with realizing and recognizing that not all Sith were ready, willing to serve him as he saw fit. It was a blind-spot that only appeared in the heat of the moment.

In this moment he was trying to figure out why he wanted her to stay. Sith didn't get attached or at least he didn't think they should, but then again... when had he ever been the perfect 'Sith'.

Carach blinked as he realized his mistake. An awkward cough, followed by a shrug.

"Please?" Yeah, man. Way to go. She's gonna respect that nonsense.

 

[Sinistra]

She stood there, her posture straightened as she stared at him behind the facade of duty. Other things to discuss? The leather clad thumb of her right hand rubbed the bottoms of her fingers in contemplation. She would not argue with him though, taking the chair he gestured at. She slid down on the seat cushion, her motion lubricated into position by the cloak she was wearing. Her posture was strict and rigid in the chair, her voice through the speakers crackling.

"How may I be of service, my lord?"

There was a spark that used to light her up, something in her eyes on Gerenthum, something in the way she would bite back at him through the IIB channels that seemed gutted from her, her autonomy had been taken away, and she felt powerless. There in her dark lows, the depression had set in and she fought against the ennui that threatened to swallow her. Once, she had gotten to play at being his equal, a antagonistic partner. It was fleeting and gone now, harshly reminding her that she was not truly free. Her perception was flawed.

[member="Darth Carach"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Sinistra"]

Heavy brows furrowed in thought. He saw it, the disengagement of that spark, it confused him, bewildered him - it was difficult for a man of power to place himself in the shoes of those who did not have it... or had less of it, anyway. But Carach was a mentalist, slivers here and there, he knew her and eventually the Sith figured out what the issue was.

"Here, now, in this very moment we are equal, Sin. Tell me your thoughts, don't make me guess at the echoes I constantly hear."

What was there to do? What could he do.

Carach had offered her his aid in the past, this had been declined. At the same time he wasn't sure if she was fit for a position such as a Voiceship or even becoming a Hand, she was too used to operating from the dark shadows... could she handle being thrust into the limelight? He wasn't sure.

 

[Sinistra]

She leaned forward again, resting her face in her hands though it was just to once again pull the mask off. She looked back up, letting the mask fall from her hands as she stood up from the chair. It clattered to the floor as she moved, a blur across the room until she had grabbed his right forearm and proceeded to use her momentum to fall backwards, and flip him up off his feet and behind her. His back to the floor, she rolled backward, her legs straddling his chest and his arms pinned down by hers as she leaned forward, dark mahogany eyes looking into his.

"You telling me we're equal doesn't make it so. I'm unequal here because I feel it. And until I decide to correct it or accept it, there is nothing you can say or do to make me your equal."

The soft edges of her hood were hanging around her face, and with her face so close to him, she dipped her head and let her lips meet his, the first kiss between them in months, or was it at least a year now since she had won the bet and been given the vision of his mind. She did not press the kiss too deeply, she merely let a few second of silence fill the room as she nibbled his lip and pulled back to look him in the eyes once more.

[member="Darth Carach"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

A lot of things happened at once, but Carach did not react to any of it directly. Could he have stopped her from flipping and sending him crashing over her into the ground? Probably, but in the greater essence the Sith Lord could feel no hostile intent from [member="Sinistra"] and if there was one thing that he was competent in, it was gauging intent and probability - there was no hostility, so Carach opted to simply... trust Sin.

Even if she was just a little bit dramatic, but then again. So was he.

The theatrics and flair was a part of him, he loved every moment of it. The air got knocked outta him, she took the opportunity to straddle him and lock his movements in tight.

Words, Sin taking over and assuming control. Looked pretty equal to him from where he was sitting, but what did Carach know about that. Before the Sith could reply their lips were locked, any breath left was lost in the dance, lips broke free and he blinked.

"I stand correctly, my Lady." the Voice replied after a few more moments. Chest rising and falling as he tried to take control of his breath again. "I shan't make that mistake again."

Then again, if this was the reaction he got... maybe he should make it again.

 

[Sinistra]

She shimmied herself backward off his chest so that he could draw a proper breath, the weight of her on his arms lessening to the point where she was merely there and not forcefully restraining him. He was free to push her back or off him entirely but she didn't think he would. She decided to go out on a limb, after all, he asked to know what she was thinking, what the echoes he could hear were.

"You and I have been dancing around each other like a pair of silly children, playing at a game that is as foolish as it is dangerous for the better part of a year. I gave you what you wanted already. Why did you follow me to Gerrenthum?"

He had played her foil in the ISB for months. Antagonizing her agents, hustling her staff. Being generally insufferable. She was so angry at him, so fed up with his incessant nipping at her heels. Was this what she was angry about? Annoyance and attraction turned into lust? Could it really be just another extended run of foreplay leading up to a quick roll and then being pushed off again into the roles defined for them by their places in One Sith. Or was this something further? Passion perhaps? Mutual respect?

She didn't know and she was tired of guessing what he really wanted. She was growing tired of the games. She wanted them to speak plainly. For once.

[member="Darth Carach"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Sinistra"]

The fact that Sin was ready to move with her questioning didn't mean that her victim was. As she moved down and gave him more potential to move, the Sith Lord did just that, his hand snapping free and pulling her in by the neck for another kiss. This one was less methodical, less shallow... Carach didn't hold back at all, he didn't know how to - his entire existence was about all or nothing. They wouldn't have been here in the first place if it was any different, he wouldn't have pushed so hard to keep her close to him if he wasn't interested.

The kiss was long, passionate, there was desire behind it, but like all good things it needed to end.

"Because." the Voice of the Dark Lord responded, after breaking off the kiss and giving her some room to breathe. "I want more."

See... he could have stopped there. Let it be played off as simple desire to keep karking, and have that be the end of it. But Carach understood what she was really asking and he was tired of the games too, if only slightly.

"I want you. Not once, twice after we have worked out an appetite through dancing and playing around. I want you beside me whenever possible." couldn't say always, because there ain't such a thing with both of them having their own responsibilities. But he didn't call it love, wouldn't ever call it love probably, because Sith didn't love, did they?

They just wanted things, desired them... needed them. That would have to be enough for now.

 

[Sinistra]

His lips were hungry for hers and she was more than willing to allow him the indulgence again. The pressure of his hand on the back of her neck, the brushing of tongues and teeth, the slight groans of pleasure as they let their passions speak for themselves was spurning her mind to take different paths but the pair of Sith eventually had to come up for air.

When he stated plainly that he wanted her, with him whenever possible, she narrowed her eyes at him. Lord Carach had storied reputation as a connoisseur of women. He may sample a particular vintage more than once, but he did not vary his desires. A beautiful woman, as often as he pleased was his prerogative. She had not really been prepared to hear that he wanted her more than that. And a curiousity was born to know what exactly whenever possible meant.

"Do you?"

There were so many possibilities of what exactly he was saying to her with his phrasing. She could have pressed, dug for hard lines and further truths but she was not really sure she needed to push him that far. They were laying on the floor of his office, wrapped in the embrace of lovers even if fully clothed. She was foolish to deny that she wanted the same.

She had wanted him, that charming face, that ravenous touch, the stinging bite of their game did much to stoke the fires of her longing.

And yet.

She hesitated.

"You kiss me like a lover and you sting me like a viper. The devil himself could take lessons in temptation from you. Yet, here I am, wrapped in your embrace because I would burn the heavens to hell for want of you."

[member="Darth Carach"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Sinistra"]

There was only so much that Carach could say. His reputation was known to him and at the end of the day this was a process. Regardless of what he wanted, he couldn't just change everything around in the first two minutes of wanting. It would be slow-running, trying, difficult, but hopefully worth all the gorram trouble.

"Part of the charm, no?" the Sith replied, easy smile tugging at his lips. He pulled her in closer again, that hand holding her by the neck - controlling in the moment.

"Life is about taking risks, Sin. Close your eyes and leap for it, ya might get surprised."

That was the one thing Carach did know. Ain't nothing good in life that comes free and without risk, ya gotta grab it, be out there, even if it could get you hurt... or killed, the Sith Lord knew this.

Once again their lips locked. Emotions running higher and higher, but this time around Carach did not have anything to say, not vocally at least. Instead his mind wrapped around Sin's, there was still distance between them. But that distance closed. Giving her more to see, more to experience. Just a little bit of trust giving to her.

Time stretched out and Carach, Voice of the Dark Lord, forgot about all else.

 

[Sinistra]

There are certain things the mind can accomplish independent of the body, and when a sorceress and a mentalist chose to throw open the gates on that mental link, something so mundane and marvelous as a kiss became something ever so much more. Sensations were heightened, subtle magicks augmented the phantom feeling of touch on skin beneath cloth. He could throw her mind into an endless consciousness and she could make every bit of him vibrate with the tricks of her trade.

They were both wearing far too much gear for her linking and as much as she would have liked to shed her armor and clothes on the floor of his office, she managed to hold onto some semblance of decorum. Laying prone was about the only time the height disparity managed not to be an issue, at least when it came to this particular portion of intimacy. Everything else was almost comical. She was tiny next to his towering stature and the only other time their minds jointly turned to the sating of carnal desires, it had taken some careful arrangement of their posture and positions before they found a workable spot.

Between their minds, there was no need to worry about parity. Lips and tongues were met and everything else lined up to suit their preferences as they gave into that passion that had taken hold of them. It went on for several minutes, before she finally pulled back, her lips raw from his little bit of stubble and pressure. She wanted to fold into his side, to rip the fabric away until there was naught but skin between them so she could find blessed quiet and sooth on his skin. Instead she let her thumb ease across his cheek, stroking it gently as she looked deeply into his eyes.

The melancholy had returned, and a new pain. One she had kept hidden for so many years, ripped open and exposed to the air to throb anew and grief her. She had rules. She had boundaries and this was in clear violation of them.

The mental link was still there, and through it she spoke, her voice soft and completely uncharacteristic of the Sin anyone else was ever allowed to see. She existed in his mind, draped in black silk and sheer, with pale skin showing scars and tattoos. No armor, no metallic rasping, no masks.

<<You tempt me to ruin. What if I cannot give you what you seek?>>

[member="Darth Carach"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Sinistra"]

Introspective was Carach. Studious, pondersome and full of thoughts of may and might. More scholar than warrior, schemer than executioner, his had never been the way of the Cavills, the Varanins or the Reverance's, he had his own path, his own way... a man of inertia then. A constant velocity moving, not budging for any external or internal influence. An old oak, its roots firmly sprawled in the earth and waiting patiently for the blood to seep in and feed him at any opportunity.

Patient.

Carach did not act, unless Carach had an idea. A plan, initiative leading to cause and probable conclusion. At least that was the thought behind it, but this... he could not calculate this - could not figure out Sinistra down to her gears. And perhaps that was part of the interest for him. That very real reality that his action would end in abrupt failure.

It was something to ponder about.

<< I will take what you offer, patiently waiting for more. Live in the moment, my dear, they are short as is. >>

 

[Sinistra]

She wanted to tell him everything, to unburden herself completely the way only romantics can but her tongue held fastly to the roof of her mouth. She forced herself to use her eyes, to push through the visions in her mind to the physical world so she could see the way the light played through his irises to illuminate his soul. She did want this. She just didn't think she could do it.

It wasn't a trust issue, at this point he had dogged her across the stars and back with her unable to shake him from her. She might slip his notice for a short while, but his resources were just as good as hers and eventually, he would come knocking, patient as ever, a feline grin on those finely chiseled features.

It was maddening.

And it was far more than she could have dreamed. She had often wondered idly, at quiet moments looking out over the city of Gerrenthum if the keeper of the blue had looked at all. Carach had been dogged. Tenacious.

She suddenly sat back and carefully rose onto her two feet, allowing blood to flow again past the pinch points in her arm weave. She offered him a hand up as she stood, her eyes looking up into his face as they righted themselves after being on the floor.

<<I need to show you something.>>

Excuses were made, calendars cleared and with as much haste as they could make, they were off Coruscant, some pressing matter of vital importance that they investigate immediately. The jump to Garqi was not very long, towards the Tingel Arm. Sinistra barely spoke a word on the trip, her infiltrator dropping out of hyperspace just out of the orbit of a vibrant purple planet. She piloted the ship down through the atmosphere, outside of the city of Pesktda. The jungles of the agriworld rose up from the edges of a old estate sitting past the boundaries of a large caf plantation. It was secluded and remote and as she set the ship down, she looked with trepidation to him. Her mask was off, most of her armor was discarded when they hit hyperspace.

She set the ship down lightly, he was familiar with her skill behind the controls of this ship as they had taken it on his little raid. Sinistra rose from the cockpit, sliding down the ladder to the cargo deck. She hit the ramp controls, the hydraulics whining as it lowered the heavy metal plating and she gestured to him to head on down to the landing pad. She turned for the specialized compartment where her gear was normally stored.

"Go ahead, I'll be right there."

The landing pad sat just off from a massive estate house. It was clear now that the manor and estate were once the center of the surrounding caf plantation but time and tide had abandoned it until Sinistra had found it.

The gardens were cared for, the house was old but well made. The property seemed to be wrapped in an embrace of summer and the bimiza trees were full and lush around them. Life thrummed here but the estate was dark. No light from the windows, nothing to suggest that anyone took care of the property when she was not there. It was almost eerie in a way.

She joined him after a couple minutes, her armor weave gone, her attire much different, much more relaxed. She wore a long loose black and red maxi dress that touched her curves in the places it should, wide straps on her shoulders. There was nothing but her to view. She had appeared to him as she wished to, without a cover alias or a Sith name to get in the way. The sun was setting behind the jungle, the light breeze stirring her long silver streaked brown hair. Ink and scars were bared on her arms and shoulders, unabashed now.

For the first time, she let her guard down and showed him who truly was behind the spy. The woman who kept an old house on a nearly isolated world with purple trees and the best caf in the galaxy.

If he truly wanted her, he should know what he was getting.

[member="Darth Carach"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Sinistra"]

Silence had settled itself between them during the journey. This did not bother him as much as one might think, though. It were the mindless and the ones without any faith in their own self that needed to fill the time with needless chatter, but they had gone through much and many - the months of courting, play and intrigue had solidified a certain relationship between the two that was drifting as a constant. So whilst Sin guided the little starship through the currents of Hyperspace and beyond the Sith Lord simply rested in a nearby seat, legs crossed, eyes closed and the casual, comfortable robes spun around him.

He was no fan of wearing armor. It debilitated possible movement. Made him lose focus in the key moments during battles, no, better to just stick to the common black robes that were normally associated with Sith Masters.

"Of course." the Voice sounded, as she beckoned him to continue down the ledge and step foot on the surface of the world. As there was more silence than words between them during this trip Carach had not known what to expect. An old manor... was the least of his expectations, but perhaps that was the whole idea behind this mystery.

The Sith Lord breathed in. The air brought clarity, focus and access to power. His eyes colored amber as he looked past the brick and mortar, saw the thin stripes of connection weaving past the currents and towards Sinistra. A place of true meaning to her, then.

"Impeccable taste, as always, my dear." Carach replied to her appearance from the ship.

 

[Sinistra]

"This is where I take off the mask, for the most part. Several years ago, I found myself on the streets of Pesktda and everything I had sacrificed for was wiped out. My government, my work, my apprentice..." She paused, her eyes dragging to the ivy covered walls of the manor. " my love. Everything was destroyed. I was dead to those who had known me. So I came back here and started to rebuild but to do it on my terms so that I would always have a touchstone to keep me true. This is it. This is the Sith I am, the spy I show to the enemy. The woman who has to juggle all of them."

She walked over to him, her tiny form dwarfed by him in the growing dusk. She looked up to him, a delicately arched eyebrow as she spoke.

"I vowed all those years ago that I would never budge again. You have forced me to reconsider my stance on a number of things. So I will not wait for you to decide to plumb my psyche to expose who I am at the heart of it. I am unashamed of the things I have done in the name of the One Sith. I do not fear your judgment for my indulgence of this place. And if you want me, as often as you can have me, then you should know why the very thought of that makes me want to run. A decade old pain tells me that I should stand alone and let that hurt fuel me all the rest of my days. That the only true thing that is constant is this silent tomb of a home that I keep secret."

[member="Darth Carach"]