To Catch a Grasshopper

[Zesiro]

The Inquisitor had given her a day or two to recover from her mind being torn apart by the wraith, but had expressed the desire to start educating Zesiro on what she was going to be doing.

He had no idea of where her skills laid so had asked her about her knowledge on the short trip to the spaceport, shuttle and star destroyer. With this information, he knew where to begin.

She woke up, feeling pretty well. Her headache was gone, but her stomach growled now. Going on a quest for some breakfast, Zesiro found a note indicating Skaara wanted to meet with her that day. Luckily it wasn't for another hour and she could find some food.

The destroyer was a large ship and she had to ask a few of the crew members where the galley was. They were all male, at the moment though, taking any of them to bed was the last thing on her mind. Obviously not for them though, if they weren't on duty, she may not have ever found food. With several offers of a meeting after they got off duty, she was eventually able to get the information she wanted out of them and walked into the galley.

Conversations stopped after she had walked no more than five paces into the room and by this point, Zesiro's irritation was rising. As calmly as she could, she walked through the almost silent room...conversations had started back up as she passed, she reached the machines that provided the food and got out her portion with little difficulty.

Taking a seat at one of the empty tables, she soon was not alone. While stuffing her face full of something like oatmeal, she tried to be civil to imperials that approached her. By the time she finished, she could have sworn she had at least 50 offers of a meeting at the end of the day. She put her bowl away and went to find where Skaara wanted to meet her.

Growling under her breath as she needed to again ask for directions, the offers kept coming. She got what the location directions and found herself waiting outside a closed door. She raised her hand and pressed the button to let Skaara know she was there.

[member="Skaara Carlon"]

 

[Graf's Archive Account]

[Theme]​

The blast door would open with a hydraulic hiss, leading into a darkened room with a large meditation chamber positioned in the center of it as well as other luxuries. Currently, the only light in the room was emanating from it, revealing its only inhabitant within, the High Inquisitor. His back to the girl, a mechanism brought down a polished helmet over his head, which was red, and sported several horns, indicating a man of the iridonian species, but the most interesting feature was a large, deep scar across it. Another hiss sounded through the room as the helmet sealed, and once more mechanical breathing filled the air.

The Sith's seat began turning, bringing the man to face the girl, emotionless mask glaring down on her. "I hear the crewmen have been...diverting much of their attention to you...typical of clones..." Skaara breathed, concealing one of his arm, which shined under the light, as he fitted a gauntlet over it.

​

[member="Zesiro"]

 

[Zesiro]

When the door opened, Zesiro walked in not knowing what to expect. What was before was like nothing she had ever seen before and her eyebrows rose as she looked at the massive construction and the man inside.

He was zabrak and Zesiro noticed this. She also saw the large scar across the back of his head, but made no mention of it. The time wasn't right, if it ever was for her to ask him. It made her quite curious though, what kind of man was he? Time would tell.

"Yes, I think I may need to find new clothes or something. These seem to just get me in trouble."

She motioned down to her outfit. The skin tight pants, midriff top that laced up and exposed her large amount of cleavage.

With his mask on, Zesiro was unable to get a read on him, but hoped he might expose his thoughts or feelings by his physical actions. She wasn't thinking about bedroom actions either, just natural actions.

[member="Skaara Carlon"]

 

[Graf's Archive Account]

The masked man said nothing, but someone with a keen eye would notice that his fist seemed to tighten over the arm rest of the chair within the meditation sphere, indicating that there was perhaps something, or someone, more under the onyx mask. "Indeed." Skaara agreed, standing up from his seat as the meditation sphere opened even further.

"I assume you have a basic understanding of the Force? Before I can teach you about the Dark Side, you must know how to channel your powers through meditation." The Sith lectured, his towering figure exiting out of the sphere, looking down on her.

[member="Zesiro"]

 

[Zesiro]

A slight tightening of the grip on his chair. Either her words or actions had effected him. Maybe her clothing, that and her body itself usually took did that.

"Yes, I know many of the basics and one or two skills my first master taught me that I have mastered."

At least she had never seen anybody other than herself use them after her master showed her.

At Skaara's last words though she gave him an odd look and shook her head slightly.

"Meditation?"

He slowly climbed out of his sphere and walked down to her. He was almost a foot taller than her and she was no short woman herself.

[member="Skaara Carlon"]

 

[Graf's Archive Account]

The Sith nodded, "You are already connected to the Force, but it is a minuscule amount of your true potential. When you meditate, you leave the worries of reality behind, and enter a trance where all that is left is you, and the Force, enhancing your control over your emotions and garnering heightened awareness." He stated, pacing around the girl, his equally dark cape swishing behind him as he examined her form.

"Sit, attempt to hear nothing, to see nothing, to think nothing." The High Inquisitor commanded.

[member="Zesiro"]

 

[Zesiro]

Zesiro listened to what Skaara said and had more questions. He instead told her to sit and think of nothing as he walked around her. Though he was masked, he must have been looking at her.

She sat down when he requested her to and closed her eyes. Breathing in and out, she tried to find the silence he said was there.

"How can I not think?"

Opening her eyes, she looks at him.

[member="Skaara Carlon"]

 

[Graf's Archive Account]

The Sith Knight stopped in front of her, looking down. "Breathe. Just breathe." He uttered "Ignore the sounds of the mortal world, ignore the ambiance, ignore my breathing. Focus on your connection to the Force." Skaara sat down in front of her, even through the mask there was the slightest hint of eyes staring deeply into her own. "Your past, your present, your future. Think none of it, all that matters if that the Force is with you, and you are one with the Force."

Carlon would begin to meditate himself, watcher her intently as he himself was lifted several centimeters off of the ground by the Force.

[member="Zesiro"]

 

[Zesiro]

He gave her suggestions on what to do. Ignoring the sounds wasn't a problem, but that brought her back to thinking about her distant past and first memories. The silence of the pitch black room.

He joined her on the floor and they were close enough Zesiro could see his eyes within the mask. Not clearly, but enough to know he had them and they were looking at her blue eyes.

Skaara hit the nail on the head when he told her not to think of her past and she just shook her head and let out a small sigh. Closing her eyes again, she tried to push it all from her mind.

That lonely room where she went nuts was there waiting for her though and that drove her from meditation. When she opened her eyes, the inquisitor appeared to be a few centimeters off the floor and she could just blink her eyes at this.

"I don't think I'm going to get this easily."

[member="Skaara Carlon"]

 

[Graf's Archive Account]

A small mechanical sigh emanated from the mask of the High Inquisitor. "Your past, it's scarred, I can sense it." He assured, the thought of the past, more importantly, his past, brought him out of his meditative trance. The Battle, the dreaded battle, flashed across his eyes, the very same battle that he had lost his arm and gained scars, both physical and emotional.

"It is impossible to forget the past, but you can draw your power from it. Revenge, think of absolute revenge, the Dark Side draws power from these feelings, of anger, of hate, of fear. Control them, keep them working in tandem, use your passion to fuel your powers."

[member="Zesiro"]

 

[Zesiro]

Zesiro looked away from Skaara and to the ground as he spoke at first about her scarred past.

"Yes, I was locked a pitch black room for I don't know how long. Whoever it was that kept me there, then added in sound and light. I went crazy, but I broke out one day."

She looked back at him when he mentioned revenge.

"Oh I got my revenge. One day I returned to that master and killed him."

Another of his words hit very clearly and she smiled a little.

"Passion is something I have full knowledge of."

A slight twinkle grew in her eyes as she said that.

"What do you know of passion?"

[member="Skaara Carlon"]

 

[Graf's Archive Account]

He knew what she was playing at, he actually almost rolled his eyes for once in two years. "One of the strongest emotions, nigh uncontrollable. My passion is for the Empire, They gave me a home, and I root out those that seek to end them." He answered simply. It was coming back to him again, left for dead as a stormtrooper.

"What is your definition of passion?" He queried, returning the question.

[member="Zesiro"]

 

[Zesiro]

This man was good. He answered her question and fired it back at her. Zesiro sat forward slightly, looking at him. All his armor meant to intimidate, but under it all was a man. The armor did its job, but not this time. Not with her right now.

"Ah my experience in passion is quite personal, intimate and active. It is the act of two people sharing an attraction and giving voice to that. My passion is not one to kept to myself. It must be shared to be let out. It an all consuming emotion and once tapped leaves something lasting."

She never looked away as she spoke to him, not raising her voice, just answering with her heart.

[member="Skaara Carlon"]

 

[Graf's Archive Account]

Maybe the Force just hated him that day, because all of his training to become a Sith Lord, to become a High Inquisitor, failed to prepare him for that very moment, he was an battle hardened bladesman, adept at almost all of the classical Lightsaber forms, and could use the Force to a high degree.

But he never knew how to handle social situations, emotional ones, such as this. Skaara composed himself and forced out an answer that sounded rather choked "An interesting response for an emotion." He stuttered.

[Member="Zesiro"]

 

[Zesiro]

It appeared her answer caught him off guard and she tried very hard to hold in a smile, but likely failed to. If it didn't show on her, it did in her eyes. He might he a well versed fighter, but not for one of this kind. This wasn't even a fight, just a conversation. Skaara must be used to being in control and Zesrio could respect that. In the private arenas where nobody else could see is where her strength was.

For a moment, it appeared he was at a loss for words. When he spoke, it was with slight stutter and sound difficult for him to give voice to them.

"Don't you think each emotion will be met differently from person to another? You desire to end those that would stand against this Empire. While I can get fully behind that and join in that crusade, my part would be more subdued than leading from the front.
"As I said, I could have that desire as well and go in behind their lines and take the leaders out before you ever got there. Passion can do such interesting things."

Still looking at him, Zesiro did not back down. Her posture showed no anger nor was she trying to challenge him. Her actions more to show his armor did not scare her.

[member="Skaara Carlon"]

 

[Graf's Archive Account]

It was as if a light turned on in his mind, he knew what she was doing, why hadn't it come to him before? The Sith questioned himself this multiple times, taking note of what she did to break past his defense.

"Perhaps; you have the body of an assassin, the mind of one, but you lack certain skills that would prove advantageous, passion definitely not being one of them." He assured, smirking under his mask even if she could not see it.

[Member="Zesiro"]

 

[Zesiro]

Zesiro had found out, even very recently just how lacking she was in skills. His smooth transition from the conversation about passion to one more on par with training caught her off guard. She did not have the luxury of a mask so had to keep her emotions hidden. If Skaara was at all empathic though he might pick up on the fact he had just derailed her.

"But passion can be very useful in a situation such as that. Get a man by a particular piece of his anatomy and he is helpless..."

Sink your teeth into that! Hoping it a good comeback, she thought that to herself.

"Get in a killing blow when they least expect it."

[member="Skaara Carlon"]

 

[Graf's Archive Account]

Skaara furrowed his eyebrows, surprised to hear this "Sleeping with an enemy is not the only path to completing a mission, as much as some of us wish to believe." He warned, letting the words trickle from his mouth in a light, but booming voice.

"No...there are alternatives, besides, what if a man were to have guards, you would not wish to be... overwhelmed...would you?" The High Inquisitor struck, some of his ferocity returning.

[member="Zesiro"]

 

[Zesiro]

They were still close enough for Zesiro to see his eyes through the mask though she could not read them. She noticed his word caught surprised him.

"No, of course it's not the only way to complete a mission, but it is the most pleasurable."

She drew the sound of the last word out slightly, accentuating the syllables.

"If I might get overwhelmed, that is where my other training could come in useful. My first and now dead master taught me a skill I haven't seen anybody else. I make like a mirror image of me that takes the hits...even acts like it, while I run away and escape with my skin intact."

The pitch of his voice had changed, like he was regaining some of the confidence he had lost when she walked in the door. She could see just how it would work in his favor. However, she was not yet intimidated by him.

[member="Skaara Carlon"]

 

[Graf's Archive Account]

Small shudders seemed to surge through his skin, accompanying the woman's voice as she drew out the last word of her sentence, what in nine hells was going on?

She seemed to still have a glint in her eyes as she spoke about her ability. "A sound strategy, but how useful is that ability against the Force?" He challenged, making a pinching motion with his fingers that would cause a feeling of being choked to begin building up.

[member="Zesiro"]