Private The Prisoner

[Zahari Kaan]

"Just..."

"frakking..."​

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"Budge already!"​

Zahari hissed through grit teeth as she continued to pull upon the barred window to no avail. Eventually her hands slipped, causing her to fall backwards until she caught herself by hooking her feet between the bars.

She crossed her arms and scowled, upturned lekku swaying in front of her face as she stared at the upside room before her. The door across from her, like these bars, seemed slippery in the force somehow. She doubted they were made from real voidstone but couldn't deny they were no less effective against her meagerly trained powers. A true sith lord might have better luck she thought, but Zahari had already tried crush it with her mind and looking back she may have over exerted herself. It would explain why she felt so weak while trying dislodge the window.

Not because she was small or anything...

There was a bed nearby that didn't look particularly sturdy, but that was exactly the issue. The wood could easily be taken apart and from it's mangled remains a makeshift weapon forged, however it would splinter easily and so it was useless as a means to dig into the brick and mortar, and even if used on her captors, they would likely see the ruined bed first and she know what to expect. The element of surprise was, once again, not on her side.

Really, at the moment there was nothing the young darksider could do but be patient and wait for the opportune moment.

And so with a sigh she through her weight upward until with one fluid motion she was upright and sitting in the windowsill again. She sat sidelong then, back slumped against the stone wall and one arm through the bars to feel the cool breeze outside.

There was is lot going on outside this cellar, she thought. Birds singing in the distance, leaves and brush rustled by wind and fauna in nature unbridled, and water lapping against the bank. She could hear all this and more, through her Togrutan montral.

"Lake or sea...?" she muttered

Zahari closed her soft red eyes, trying to picture it all, something... better. Something not here, wherever this was.



Cerys Dyn

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[Cerys Dyn]

"But Brandyn..."

He was already gone. She saw the door close behind him. Whatever the emergency briefing was, it sure must have been urgent, but the secrecy? Why was she not able to be a part of all this? Cerys eyes glanced behind her to the short corridor that led to the cell of their Brandyn's recent arrestee. Was Cerys supposed to just wait here for Brandyn? Were could be the harm in going down to see what all the fuss was about.

Cerys let out a slight harrumph. She was curious. Brandyn had said the Sith was a Togrutan. Cerys didn't personally recall her own people, or her own tribe. Master En-Vala was Togurtan, but she too had been more culturally Jedi that Togrutan. Perhaps the Sith would have some traits more related to her own kind? It wasn't something Cerys needed to be satisfied in life. Oh, not at all. She was just...curious.

Her boots clicked on the stone floor as she made her move and walked towards the cell. For some reason, she found herself adjusting her dark grey-silver tunic as she approached. It was more a nervous tick than any sense of propriety. Sith were deceptive individuals.

Her pace slowed as she reached the shimmering barrier that had been set up between visitors and the prisoner. Leaning over a little, Cerys peered around the corner. Her heart thumped in her chest upon seeing the Sith...dangerous.

She moved back away from the barrier and spun about on her heals. This was not a good idea.

Zahari Kaan

 

[Zahari Kaan]

She could others talking somewhere down the corridor leading away from her makeshift cell. It wasn't until a door closed that she paid much attention, sending pink-red eyes towards the barrier in a sidelong glance. Someone was leaving. The other voice, a young woman most likely, did not sound pleased with the other's departure.

A master and a padawan, perhaps?

She remembered well what it was like to disagree with one's teacher, and be relegated to mundane tasks, such as guarding a prisoner like herself. She imagined it was only nominally less boring then actually sitting in the cell itself, although at least her captors likely had access to the holonet to keep themselves busy. Assuming her now lone guard was confident in her own abilities enough to allow the distraction.

Evidently not, for she heard the distinct click clack of heels against stonework. Her captor was coming this way.

Zahari inclined her head towards the door, still staring from the corner of her eye even as the Jedi came into view, at least for a time. Maybe it would be difficult to see from this angle but the sight of another Togruta brought the thinnest of smiles to her blue lips. Had they sent her to handle the interrogations thinking she'd be more receptive to one of her own? It wasn't a bad play at all, especially after she'd given so little to the human. Though after giving the orange woman a once over, she wondered if perhaps it was already working. Curiosity was an insidious mistress after all, leading one astray and making them want it.

Where once she had hoped to overpower the lone guard if that barrier were to open, now she was merely excited to speak with someone that looked like her.

At least until they spun around like a frightened thimiar.

"Wait..." she called softly.

Zahari slid down from the windowsill, taking slow, careful steps towards the barrier. And with each, the light from down the hall illuminated her face just a little more, her blue skin no longer mingling with the dim cell's shadows, nor the simple black cloth wrapped around her lithe body. Hers was a young face which seemed to be of similar age to the padawan, and looked upon her with wonder and intrigue.

"...don't go." she hummed as if trying to calm a wild animal.

"Please...? It's so boring in here. Nothing like the brochures."

Zahari chuckled softly, placing her hands against the barrier as she finally reached the shimmering field.

"It's okay, you're safe there. I don't bite." she afforded her a typical Togrutan smile, an otherwise warm expression marred by rows of teeth like glinting cutlery.



Cerys Dyn

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[Cerys Dyn]

Cerys froze in her spot. The voice of the Sith was nothing like the had expected. All the ones she had met so far had either been cold, lifeless of arrogant in their tone. This one sounded simply bored, just like she had said. Well, bored and maybe a bit mischievous. that mischievousness along was enough to cause some reason to continue to be cautious.

She snapped about on her heels and glared at the force field, which glowed with intensity around the Sith's hands. The very tip of her lekku vibrated with alarm. This Sith was forward, and seemed almost too approachable. Cerys stepped towards the cell, but made sure to be as far from the barrier as possible without bumping into the stone wall behind her.

"Don't bite? Or can't currently bite?" She said with narrowing eyes.

Her head tilted to the side.

"You are the one called Zahari Kaan. You are clearly not a strong Sith if you were captured by..."

...my Master. Sorry Brandyn...

"...captured so easily."

Zahari Kaan

 

[Zahari Kaan]

"So perceptive!" her smiled grew into a wicked grin, intrigued that the young jedi saw through the technicality. It would serve her well, she thought.

The padawan's next choice of words however caused that grin to fade. Not vanish, merely thin into a soft smile, though a particular flavor of smug remained. Not entirely forced, but certainly a little diminished. There was a reason to this, Zahari reminded herself. A purpose behind putting up with capture and ridicule. And so she would do nothing to change the jedi's opinion, allow them to assume her weakness.

"Aw, well I suppose he wouldn't have trusted you to guard me otherwise." she chuckled teasingly at her captor, then sighed.

What a rude little jedi...

"What's so important that he had to leave you all alone here anyway? I mean... guard duty? That's a soldier's job."

"You're just a padawan, aren't you." she hummed quietly.

"My age, I think. Fit, somewhat experienced maybe..." Zahari continued her observations.

"...but still only enough to land guard duty for little ole me? Tragic... Oh well, at least you landed one of the more interesting prisoners, hm?."

She giggled.



Cerys Dyn

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[Cerys Dyn]

The Sith was trying to get under her skin. It wasn't working. Well, it wasn't working too much. Cerys kept her expression fairly neutral. "I am not guarding you. I was merely curious. Unfortunately, my curiosity has not been greatly rewarded," Cerys said calmly.

The smaller Togruta shrugged her shoulders. She was not just a padawan. She was a good padawan. Pretty much a Knight. Cerys managed to keep her slight annoyance from her face, almost.

"You will not get far with mocking my status in the Order," Cerys said calmly.

It was becoming quickly apparent that this Sith was not going to be straightforward nor honest with her. Why Cerys would expect anything approaching decency from a Sith was probably more surprising than anything else. "You have little interest to me save the information that you are propertied to possess."

She maintained control of her posture, standing at rest with hands held behind her back. "You know of this organisation called the Unblessed? Tell me what you know."

Zahari Kaan

 

[Zahari Kaan]

"You will not get far with mocking my status in the Order," Cerys said calmly.

"You started it~" Zahari hummed with a knowing smile.

"Don't forget, I came out with the compliments, perfectly content to speak with a fellow Togruta at last."

"But of course, you're a Jedi. Just had to ruin it by being so rude didn't you?"

She sighed, leaning against the barrier with her shoulder now, arms crossed.

"Hm. But if you're not the guard, and you're not the interrogator, why so curious?"

"Oh!" she mockingly gasped.

"Could it be...? Is the student trying to prove her worth to the master by doing the job for him? I bet he wouldn't leave you in dumps like this anymore if he thought you could get juicy leads for him, huh."

"Such a classic tale." Zahari smirked.

Even if it was wrong, all she really wanted from Cerys was a reaction. Every little statement, every act of preconceived superiority, and every subtle movement of the brows and lips in frustration told Zahari quite a bit about her captors. And information, it seemed, was power.

"Tell you what..." she sighed.

"Maybe I'll bite- figuratively- if you give me something in exchange. I'll be good to you if you're good to me. Give and take~"
Zahari spoke the last few words slowly, in a lower, huskier tone.

"It's been a long day... I need a little caffeine. A soda will do nicely. In a can, not a bottle, I swear I can taste the microplastics."

She stuck her blue tongue out in a blegh expression.

"And before you ask, yes, coffee is too much! I'd be talking your montrals off all night."



Cerys Dyn

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