Private The Looking Glass

[Zlova Rue]

A noncommittal grunt followed Talohn's comment about a roast. "If you want to linger, better if I use the Force as little as possible." She didn't trust whatever had drawn her in was as dormant as the Cathar might think; and Zlova didn't want to find out by ending up where she started. Sooner they were gone, the better. Didn't mean she could flee though. Sith Lords didn't flee.

Golden eyes slid over to regard the man as he admitted his confusion. "A Sith never surrenders, never runs away, and never loses control. They might not be perfect and be forced to withdrawal to reposition for a counter-stroke, but cowardice and a timid temperament inevitably leads to death. So any reason dancing in your head that falls under those categories you can forget." Then again, a Sith Lord would also say all of that even if they were lying out of their tight ass.

"Call it the fourth state of being along side the primitive, ideal, and realistic psyches. Something only a Force User can know. A... method of thinking born from a consciousness that taps into the galactic sphere of influence." Zlova had never really bothered to explain her thoughts on the matter before. Frankly, she hadn't trusted anyone with the knowledge. "What you saw was similar to someone that's lost conscious awareness still lashing out or performing some rudimentary function using a lower level of thought -- or, in this case, a higher one."

"As for my birthday, let's celebrate on yours; with you being the center of attention." The Twi'lek reached over to gently touch the bridge of the Cathar's nose.

Talohn Atar

 

[Talohn Atar]

"If you want us to head out now, that's fine." Talohn looks back at the ruins as they exit hand in hand, frowning slightly. "I talked to the people who came into existence after you ended up in that throne. They...weren't evil by nature. They imprisoned you, so I won't pressure you into helping. I'm probably going to find a powerful force relic and come back at some point to provide them a power source. Cause it's also a shame, y'know? Those beings were ancient. Finding history in the dead stuff is one thing, but getting the history from living relics? That could be priceless knowledge." The cat had a fair point, even if they had imprisoned his girlfriend. He still owed someone a punch.

"My people used to have such sentiments, tenets of a warrior." He nods in response to her words, orange eyes meeting her golden orbs. "Though that sentiment is long gone at this point, replaced by doing whatever it takes to survive in the deserts another day. Even the Rajore Laokai have more spine than some of the remaining clans." He shakes his head.

He goes silent as she continues her lecture on the nature of what had happened back inside the temple. That was a level of the force he was pretty sure he would never com to understand. "Sounds slightly similar to when I discovered force speed. I was about to take a killing blow. Couldn't move out of the way in time. I wanted so badly to live that....next thing I knew." He looks at his hands. "I was behind them." The cathar then turns his head to look at her once more, a brow raised with curiosity. "Is it similar to that?"

By now, they were getting closer to Talohn's ship. Madlad can be seen in the distance, hanging out by the ramp that leads into the vessel. The ever disturbing droid seems to currently be carving strange symbols into the ground. Some dialect of ancient sith. Seems he needed to export some data, and the ground was as good a place as any.

Zlova Rue

 

[Zlova Rue]

Zlova snorted. "Evil. You're an adorable Cathar, Talohn, as usual. I don't care whether someone is good or evil. I care what they do to me and mine." She'd deal with a literal Devil if it got her what she wanted, and sacrifice a planet in the bargain to do it. Whether people thought ill of her afterward wouldn't cause her to lose one wink of sleep. So, being such an open-minded person, Zlova didn't hold it against others -- unless they crossed her.

"If we must," the Lethan sighed. Find a relic to power their little... soul projector? Sounded like a waste. No doubt the man was letting his desire to help people get the better of him again. Well, Zlova would see what came of it. Perhaps they would surprise her. "But if they move against us I won't stop with just turning them back off again." Fair warning. A second chance was more than they deserved; she'd make sure they never got a third.

Her bright eyes fell on the man as he sought to grasp what she'd described. "A start." Arguably an unconscious manifestation of it. Something some Users found by happenstance. "If you could manifest a certain... Knowing of things without sight or sound of them, and could do this without thinking -- as one moves a limb -- that it would be." Some Jedi tried reaching that level of attunement with the Force. Foresight, divination... Some claimed it, but Zlova had yet to meet anyone that truly had the gift for more than educated guessing. Herself? Zlova didn't try reading the future. There was more to it than parlor tricks.

"If your droid is writing down an ancient Sith curse again, Cat," Zlova sighed as she trailed off. Hopefully they'd stop it before it activated. It had been amusing last time up to the point it tried killing them. Not to mention the trouble it took to undo the glyphs.

Talohn Atar

 

[Talohn Atar]

"It's a fair enough policy to have. I can't deny that it makes things easier." He states in response to Zlova giving him a snippet of her moral code. He could certainly see the appeal to it. Not to mention it was an attitude many of the catharese clans on his homeworld had come to adopt has the difference between black and white slowly became grayer. Once again, Zlova knew who she was and what she wanted. Yet another thing he found endlessly charming about the lethan.

"I won't either." The cathar agrees. After the stunt they pulled? They were lucky he had the pity to give them this second chance. Even then, it wasn't for that stupid council. He was doing it for those children who wouldn't get to live full lives otherwise. "Though at the same time, turning them off again might be a fate worse than death y'know." He points out to Zlova. It was true. Zlova could do some mean stuff. But being stuck in the void for all of eternity? Talohn had a hard time imagining worse things than that.

"What you're describing sounds like a miraluka on spice." He comments simply. It was unlikely the cathar would ever come close to grasping what she was talking about. But there was nothing wrong with that! Talohn had plenty of ways to be a force worth fearing. Sure, he didn't have force push or force lighting...but his aim was damn good.

Before Talohn can respond to her comment about Madlad, the droid speaks up for itself. "If it was a curse, it would only effect you." It states simply, standing fully upright once more. "So, you're alive. Good." It then simply turns about to make its way up the ramp leading into the ship. Zlova would find something odd in Madlad's tone. It didn't sound spiteful or sarcastic. It's tone was...neutral, which was about as close to kind that Madlad ever got. One might even take a longshot and bet that the droid was worried.

Talohn notices it instantly, since the droid is his oldest friend. He tilts his head for a moment, then shrugs, deciding not to address it. "By the way." He looks at her, his grin wide. "There's someone that's been missing you just as much as I have." Presumably alerted by Madlad, Zlova didn't have long. Small footstaps dinging on the metal floor of the ship can be heard getting closer.

Zlova Rue

 

[Zlova Rue]

Zlova didn't think turning them off would be as bad as Talohn believed. Could they experience the passage of time and know they were trapped in a box? Maybe. But why settle for might be suffering when you could go straight into tangible and real damnation? Even if it might be short lived enjoyment, at least she'd know they'd never get another chance at freedom they didn't deserve.

Than his comment about Miraluka on spice drew her golden gaze. "Spice?" The Twi'lek smirked. "That only makes you think you see or feel things." A slight shrug followed. "Might be a close metaphor though." Not that she appreciated it being compared to a drugged out experience, but involving the Miraluka was reasonable. One of those rare people that had the greatest chance of understanding the experience.

Madlad seemed a bit snarky about being called out on his creative license. Only enough to make a remark though. A little banter never hurt. A Sith had to keep on top of her skills, even the non-physical ones.

A soft grunt followed the droid's satisfaction she managed to survive her little encounter, however. Of course she survived. Might have been waylaid in a single spot for a time, but it was all temporary. Even if it may have needed Talohn to help trigger the release. And Zlova fully expected someday to die; likely violently. To think Madlad would be satisfied she hadn't though...

Talohn soon spoke up to distract from the simple relief from the droid. Zlova opened her mouth, but quickly closed it at the sound of footsteps in the near distance. Of course. The Twi'lek pushed out her chest a bit, drew her shoulders back, and slowed to a saunter with a smirk on her face. A little swagger begging the question why anyone was making a fuss. She had an image to uphold even if the Catfish knew how rough the life style really was. Alright and maybe an affectionate pat or hug now and again.

It wasn't a strict, traditional Sith upbringing. Zlova excused it on the fact Monari was not being Force Sensitive.

Talohn Atar

 

[Talohn Atar]

"Depends. Some types of spice increase telepathy and foresight in the brain. It's not exactly the force, but it's certainly weird. One of the rodians on my old salvage crew was an addict. Loved glimmerstim. One time when he was high off his mind, he rambled about how I would 'create a monster born of iron flesh'." He looks at Madlad out of the corner of his eye for but a moment before looking back to Zlova. The old rodian hadn't been exactly wrong.

Though Zlova fully expected to die violently, it wouldn't be happening as long as Talohn was around. He would make sure of it. Talohn, far in the future, had plans to retire. Not in a pathetic way that lords do. To their palaces to be cared for hand and foot until they die of a heart attack. No. Talohn's retirement was a lodge out in the wilderness, hunting for his own food and living off of the land, with the occasional trip off world to go wherever he thought it might be cool to go. Maybe taking a light job here and there to keep his senses and reflexes sharp.

The metal footsteps are revealed to be, unsurprisingly, Monari. Her blue furred face lights up with joy as she sees that Zlova is alive and well, and the Lethan would soon find herself with the child hugging around her legs in a tearful hug. "I knew something was wrong! You always call in to check on us." It seems of of Zlova's posturing didn't matter. The kid, likely from the scent she was giving off after sitting in a dirty old chair for so long, could tell that Zlova had been in some sort of trouble. If Zlova had smelled of blood, she'd have assumed everything was fine. She would have also not hugged her. She didn't like being near blood.

Talohn just watches as the girl hugs onto Zlova, grinning ear to ear.

Zlova Rue

 

[Zlova Rue]

The Twi'lek liked her liquor, but mind-alerting drugs were not something she indulged in deliberately. Not that she hadn't had an encounter or two. One didn't dabble in Sith Alchemy and manage to avoid every noxious fume or miasma. Spice, however? It granted an increase to telepathy or foresight? Somehow she couldn't accept that, or perhaps simply refused to believe it. Maybe some Force Sensitive took it and unconsciously unlocked some latent power behind a mental barrier or some kark. "Lucky guess," was all she said about the Rodian high on drugs.

Zlova watched the youth race toward them, and throw her arms about the Lethan. With a feigned sigh and shrug of the shoulders, her red hands slid down about Monari's back to return the embrace. "I don't call in to check on you," her voice firm, but not hard, "I call to check on where you are. Talohn gets himself into enough trouble while I'm gone; I need to know where to jump." The Twi'lek didn't try selling that excuse with any real effort. As a Sith Lord, however, she had an image to uphold.

With a quick smirk, Zlova looked down at the concerned young woman. "Don't try to deny it. Look at the mess he's gotten involved with now. Helping a species trapped inside their own holo-matrix." A complaint that was as much praise as scorn. No, Zlova wasn't a bleeding heart that'd sacrifice her well-being for some 'poor, trapped souls,' but Talohn and Monari were. Zlova learned to adapt to their strange little family unit. After all, the worst sin was not living according to your own code in the Lethan's book; if saving people was what they needed to do, then why not praise them when they did it?

With a soft snort, her golden eyes slid over toward the Cathar. "You going to take a holo-image of us? You'll be grinning all night."

Talohn Atar

 

[Talohn Atar]

"I thought sith were supposed to be good at deception." Monari giggles, pulling back from the embrace to look up at Zlova with a wide grin. Though she was by no means Talohn's child by blood, they shared the same grin. That smug, knowing, life filled grin. She'd picked up a lot of tendencies from Talohn. Though, there were worse role models to have. Though that grin instantly fades as the matrix is brought up. "Holo matrix? An actual....but the science of that...." She looks to be in some sort of deep ponderation, her expression pensive before she very suddenly hurries back inside.

As Zlova addresses Talohn, he shrugs. "I was about to. But then she scurried off. You uhh..." He purses his lips for a moment. "Kid's taken a liking to you. I suppose it's only natural since...well...you know." He sighs sadly. It made sense that Monari would latch on to Zlova due to her being Talohn's significant other...and the fact that her own parents were long gone. After that's said, he makes his way up the ramp. Madlad, having taken guard duty, remains outside of the ship. Gods, if they existed, would not be able to help anything that tried to pass that hunk of metal.

A pleasant scent would fill Zlova's nose as she enter's the ship. It seems Talohn left some sort of beef stew simmering on the stove while he was gone. Typically, one would not leave the stove running while absent, especially with a child on the ship, but Monari was a different case. Any sort of mundane problem like that wouldn't stand a chance against her highly developed little brain.

Talohn, curiosity poking at his mind, speaks up as he makes his way to the kitchen, carefully taking the lid off of the pot on the stove in order to give the soup a stir. "So....was it like blinking? Did you see anything while you were out cold? Any dreams?" He questions, curious what she felt in the force induced coma.

Zlova Rue

 

[Zlova Rue]

Zlova snorted when Monari scurried away. Gadget gal. Not that the Twi'lek was complaining, it was one of the first things she'd learned and liked about the sprite. Still, it was surprising to see just how excited the young woman got over technology. Now, if Monari wanted to build a holocron... that Zlova would understand.

Golden eyes shifted over toward the Cat as his thought trailed off. As they began to stride toward the ramp, she replied, "I know. Just surprising how much she likes me. I was raised a certain way and there's always that itch... the voice whispering in my ear that I'm being too easy on her." The lack of Force Sensitivity was about as true a reason as it was an excuse. Monari's trauma made being ultra-domineering practically impossible. Mostly because Talohn would flip out if the two of them went at it full bore, which would be necessary to be raised as a Sith. No, the Cat liked a loving, caring family unit not one watching for a moment of weakness with a blade in hand. The number of times Zlova had tried warning Talohn about Sith relationships... and there she was trying to tone things down so it was feasible.

When they reached the top of the ramp, the Lethan caught Talohn's arm for a second. "You started cooking before you came to find me? I've either given you a Sith-worthy confidence," which most called arrogance, "or you're just as mad as that 'Lad' of yours." She lifted a finger to gently bop the man's nose. What if he'd had to navigate a labyrinth? Or fight until the sun rose? Or been forced to take shelter because some supernatural weather event? Honestly.

Talohn slipped into the kitchen to check on his handiwork as Zlova followed him inside. She wound her arms about the man's midsection and looked over his shoulder. "No dreams. Being their... focusing crystal held me in a sort of stasis. I remember most of what I did when I woke up, even if I wasn't really aware of who was present or why I acted the way I did." Zlova hummed in a sort of purr with her chin on his shoulder. "In that state... I don't consider them dreams. Visions, perhaps? Far off places. Faces I've never seen before. Wars waged I've never heard of. The Dark Side loves suffering, after all."

"Why don't you tell me what a brave Cathar thinks of on his way to valiant deeds?"

Talohn Atar

 

[Talohn Atar]

Talohn can't help but give a sympathetic nod in regards to her words, trying to then provide some sort of explanation for why Monari warmed up to her. "You're reliable. Zlova. You know what you want, what you need, and what you plan to do. You're not wishy washy about anything. If you say Monari needs to do her laundry, you make sure she does it. If you say you'll take her out for ice cream at some point, you actually do it. To you and me, it might seem basic...but not a lot of parents in the galaxy provide the sort of consistency that allows their child to completely believe in their words. It goes a long way." It seems he found out about the ice cream trip. "I suppose I can understand why you feel like that. I feel like it to an extent myself. I was already killing giant bugs with nothing but a wooden spear when I was her age. Coming of age test and all that. But she requires a different approach. Plus." He shrugs. "I've always been a fan of charting my own course. Where's the fun in continuing the status quo and being a subject to your family's wills, eh? Well, not family...in your case but...you know."

The cathar raises a brow as she catches him by the arm and lightly scolds him about leaving the stove on. "I left it on a timer. Would have turned off on it's own if I didn't come back. Plus...Monari could take that oven apart and put it back togerher in it's sleep. She would stop any problems long before they managed to arise." He grins. Monari was a child, yes. Except for when it came to technology. Then she outclassed a fair amount of adults. She would outshite talohn by a wide margin someday. He just knew it.

Talohn leans against her slightly as her arms go about him so that she can rest her chin on his shoulder while he checks on the stew and gives it a nice long stir before giving it a taste. He looks pensive for a moment or two before holding a spoonful up to Zlova's lips for her to have a taste. "Do you think it needs more salt? Maybe Yavin garlic? I can't decide what it's missing." He then listens to her description of what it was like to basically be a living power source. "No dreams? Both boring and horrifying. That's a true hell." He lets out a 'Hm' at her usage of the term 'visions'. "Maybe you were channeling the memories of those people? You were the conduit after all. Their memories likely had to go through you before they came back to life. If we're thinking about this in a...technological way."

Then she asks what someone like himself thinks on the way to do heroic actions and he turns to look at her with the widest, silliest grin. "Something along the lines of 'Ah fuck. I left the stove on'." He could have gone on about how he wanted to make sure the girl he loved was safe, or how he missed her...but she already knew all that.

Zlova Rue

 

[Zlova Rue]

"It isn't about the status quo," the Twi'lek replied calmly, but dutifully, "it's about personal strength." If anything, Zlova was furthest from someone that wanted to maintain The Status Quo of the Sith in the modern galaxy. It wasn't even tradition that drove her. It just didn't seem the best way to establish true power by literally burning entire planets to ash and then claiming victory. Yes, yes, you conjured an apocalyptic spell or you commanded a scourge of Super Star Destroyers, but when you were all said and done purging the galaxy of most of its life... what then? Ride off and find a new galaxy? Build upon the ashes waiting a few millennium until any decent amount of populate returned? In short: be utterly bored and inevitably killed because of your complacency waiting for something interesting to happen. Not that anyone would care to remember your great feat of annihilating practically all life -- once you were gone everyone would do everything possible to erase your name from existence. Your successor would never want anyone to think there had once been someone as great or greater.

Ah the plight of being "Evil." Zlova quite liked being "Evil," but she was no monster.

Once they were aboard ship, the red woman found Talohn to be a more than adequate resting pillar for a time. The smell of food as it cooked did make the ache in her stomach grow painfully so, however. She might have been hungry. A little.

"Yavin garlic," Zlova snorted after sampling the Cat's goods. "Korribani pepper is better." She slowly plucked the salt up to drift it over toward Talohn. Just because she wasn't Palpatine's Greatest Fan -- being a Darth Traya Fan, herself -- didn't mean she had to celebrate the Return of the Jedi. Even if their return had been inevitable. Just because you accepted something didn't mean you had to like it.

With the appropriate mixture of droll sarcasm, Zlova replied to Talohn's epic rendition of his thought process, "My hero. No thought about having forgotten your Tux and Spartan Helmet?" A jest, of course; reminescent of their first encounter at a party with the Cathar in the oddest attire. "Well, I can forgive you... provided you still remember how to cook."

Talohn Atar