Private Twin Scholars

[Nevroza]

A great conglomerate of evil had risen over Nar Shaddaa. Secluded from the hammer of justice, the watchful eyes of the law were blinded by wads of credits and collective greed had lured the rats from the gutters. A pensive meeting of some of the greatest crime lords in the system was being held on the Wichor Yacht orbiting the planet. The Wichor family, rumored to have been destroyed in a devastating attack on their estate decades prior were suddenly alive and proposing a radical organization that could shake the foundation of the underworld. A massive celebration was to be had on their vessel which was hidden from view by a highly advanced cloaking device that ensured the rumors of old wouldn't be renacted.

Invitation was highly selective but wasn't based solely on wealth or notoriety. The Wichor's wanted a...special brand of ne'er-do-well, people who could hold up the ideals of this new alliance. There would be drinks, partying, exotic dishes, and entertainment. Amongst them was a slave auction, captives from far and wide, all across the system and beyond were trafficked through the Wichor yacht and would be sold after the main event for a reduced price. It was a peace offering to the more inhumane individuals attending the party because what good criminal organization didn't have a prosperous slave trade going?

Information regarding the party was scarce and closely guarded, it took a unique set of skills to get your hands on the codes the Wichor's used to run their cloaking systems. A set of skills Nevroza possessed.

A world so steeped in crime was bound to have a population of loose-lipped mongrels and admittedly the sorceress stood out in any crowd but having to retreat to her stronghold after being on the streets so briefly was absurd. There were whispers of a small-time gang who'd received an invitation to the Wichor meeting but they'd never reach the party before they were slaughtered in a back alleyway and a tiny green woman was seen skulking away from the scene.

Nar Shaddaa fell upon her, it was as if the gutters themselves coveted what she'd obtained but the witch was sneaky and quick in her retreat. Before anyone could track her she'd secluded herself within the halls of her stronghold, a penthouse in the industrial district that stood out from the factories and warehouses but was a safe distance from the heart of Shaddaa villainy.

A common criminal or ambitious thug could never find Nevroza and those who could were already invited. Her gamble had paid off and all factors were calculated for...well...save for one. Nevroza leaned forward in her velvet loveseat and closed the grimoire she'd been vigorously devouring for the past hour. A fresh sensation tugged on the fringes of her sensory abilities, a warm and bright aura that stood as a beacon in the armpit of the galaxy, refusing to be consumed by its darkness. They were a Force user, that much was unquestionable...but their presence was unlike anything Nevroza had ever encountered.

Could it be?

Nevroza sat up from her chair and sauntered across the wooden study and over to the wall where she pressed a button connected to a speaker that contacted the lobby downstairs. "Lady Adominable." A voice downstairs garbled, she assumed it was the front desk. "Is everything alright?"

Nevroza twirled a strand of her oily hair around her finger and smirked to herself. "Ohhhh don't you worry, there's no trouble. I'm making a small request of you." Her smile faded and her expression became inquisitive. "There's going to be a visitor there soon. If they ask the right questions...send them up."

The sorceress could almost see his puzzled expression over the line. "I'm sorry my lady I'm...not sure I follow?"

"You can't." Nevroza slid another book off a nearby shelf, leaning on the wall next to the speaker as she spoke. "You were hired to be in that lobby because you have above-average discernment yes? I have faith in your abilities. You'll understand soon enough. Make sure to contact me before you send them up, yes?" Nevroza took her hand off the button and began flipping through her book. How many pages could she read before they arrived she wondered...

Shan Pavond ​

 

[Shan Pavond]

A wretched hive of villainy and scum. Also known as home for the young Mirialan. There was a part of him that had hoped he'd never have to come back here. After all, when your father nearly murders you point blank, you don't exactly want to go back but there had been rumours about something to do with a slave ring. And well, it had raised Shan's hopes of finding out what had happened to his mother. He had taken a break from training and even a lot of social contact, just to get as much news as he could about the situation. So here he was, once again back on the moon that even after all this time still felt like home.

There was something that felt off about this visit. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up on edge as Shan brushed his robes to make sure his lightsaber was somewhat concealed. Most of the locals would have recognised him anyway, from either his childhood here or the number of visits he had taken back here to the moon to see what news he could find out, but that didn't mean he wanted to have his identity as a Jedi just known to everyone on the moon. Who knew what people could be planning? Instead, he just kept his family blaster on his hip, specifically set on stun. It might have been easier to set it on lethal...but knowing his luck, the switch would jam when he needed to change it to stun.

As the Padawan wandered through the grotesque streets, he kept his eyes, ears, and any other senses he could use open. Apparently there'd been a gang that had been slaughtered in one of the alleys. Whilst it could have just been some type of gang warfare or revenge for some kind of crime they did, something about this situation just stood out to Shan. He had a bad feeling about it and thus made his way off to said alleyway. It was clear that there wasn't much in the way of community care on the moon, considering the scene hadn't even been cleaned but that was perfect for Shan as he stepped over towards what he presumed was some of the...leftovers of the bodies. He might have been a bit squeamish in the past, but after having had plenty of experience with helping injured people in warzones, this sight didn't affect him as much.

It was time for him to open his senses, as Shan held his hand out towards one of the bodies, sensing a familiar and rather...rotten aura around them. He wasn't a stranger to being near Sith. After all, he had spent a small period held as their hostage. Of course, he wasn't treated terribly which might have been why he still had some sympathy towards the people. If a Sith was killing gang members though...Well, that was a curious situation and Shan wanted to figure out what was going on. So he followed the aura as much as he could, leading him through various streets and districts of Nar Shaddaa, before he came to a rather fancy penthouse. Or well, fancy for Nar Shaddaa standards. The Mirialan took a look around to make sure he wasn't being watched before stepping into the building, ready to investigate.

Nevroza

 

[Nevroza]

Absorbed in his work, the front desk manager replayed the events of his call with Lady Adominable. She'd always been one to request strange things of the staff, like when she installed a code in the elevator to access the basement and hired her own personal maintenance crew to occupy it. Ever since then, there'd been lots of discrepancies in the manifesto and odd shipments all headed downstairs but he was told not to worry about it, just as he was now.

He'd dealt with his fair share of shady dealings in the past, he lived on Nar Shaddaa after all but what Lady Adominable had going on was an enigma for sure.

The manager had run out of time to contemplate as a visitor walked through the revolving doors and he turned to face him on muscle memory alone. "Good evening. How may I be of assistance?" The manager only then took note of Shan and immediately knew something was off. This wasn't anyone he'd seen before and their attire was odd. A brown cloak and robes and a small holdout blaster around their waist. His initial thought was it was a hoodlum, come to rob them but his expression was too...detective-like.

His hand slipped under the counter and pressed a small red button. Nevroza had installed a silent alert in the top-floor penthouse. Her penthouse. Another of her strange additions.

Two hundred thirty-nine pages in and counting. She'd broken a new record, but now her reading had come to an end. The glowing presence she felt was right below her and the silent alarm had been sounded. Walking over to the speaker the witch pressed a button on the panel which caused a light to flash on the manager's desk downstairs. Green. Whatever conversation they were having was irrelevant now, Shan had been invited upstairs.

The elevator opened with a hiss and a green light flashed on the button leading to the top floor. At the top was a meticulously furnished penthouse with glass walls that gave a view of the murky planet outside and woodwork that gave the home a classic feel. Despite that this place was abashedly sinister in aura, there was a dark sickly presence seeped into the walls and trailed along the floor and into a study at the end of a long narrow hallway. There was someone dark and bespokenly evil.

Shan Pavond ​

 

[Shan Pavond]

Shan raised an eyebrow as he took in the sight of the penthouse building. He had never actually been able to see places like this when he used to live there. It was way out of his family's budget. Though then again, now that he thought about it, his family budget was basically just his own budget. That wasn't a thought he wanted to focus on however. For now, he was just going to follow this aura, heading over towards the manager, raising an eyebrow at him as they asked what Shan was here for, or well how he could help the Mirialan.

"I'm here for official business. That's all you need to know." Shan was rather simple with the way he spoke, keeping a frown on his face as he spotted the green light in the corner of his eyes, jabbing his finger over towards it for a moment. "Should you be answering that or?..." He tilted his head curiously, before blinking as the manager had told Shan he was invited up to the upper floors. That was going to be interesting...Either way, he decided it was the best place to follow. The aura seemed stronger in that direction.

As he stepped into the elevator and made his ascent upwards, the Mirialan just focused on his breathing. Going through his usual steps when he felt like he might have to deal with a Sith. Mentally shielding himself, making sure his emotions weren't out of control. Just keeping himself calm and focused. Even as the presence in the walls was making its best efforts to bring him down, Shan was a man on a mission. He wasn't going to let anything potentially ruin this for him.

Nevroza

 

[Nevroza]

With each step Shan took down the hallway, the sinister presence he felt only grew stronger until it became indistinguishable from the walls and he undoubtedly had reached the end of the trail. Dark serpents of energy crawled from the dark wooden door before Shan like radioactive waves, a unique signal that all living beings understood, it was a sensation embedded in their very genetic code, a facet of their survival instinct.

The penthouse went deadly quiet like a forest, and no other conclusion existed.

A predator was nearby.

"You've done a good job tracking me down." The door opened on its own and inside was Nevroza, lying across her loveseat with yet another book in her hands, nose deep inside. She appeared completely relaxed but in reality, she'd rushed to the chair at the sound of the elevator and quickly brainstormed the most calmly menacing posture she could.

Finally, she settled on grabbing a random book and lying across her chair because few things were more daunting than an enemy who held little regard for your presence.

"I do have to critique you though. Most prey are smart enough not to seek out the hunter." Nevroza's eyes flickered toward Shan and a tiny smile split her cheeks. "So now I have to ask. What could you want with me? You don't seem suicidal but even if you are there are better ways of killing yourself than as a tortured soul sprawled on a metal gurney."

Nevroza went back to her book and let her head dangle off the chair's arm. Her greasy black hair pooled on the floor as her book covered her face to hide her smile.

"Like that trinket hidden on your waist. The energy cycling through it...could pierce your body easily."

Shan Pavond​

 

[Shan Pavond]

Well. This hadn't been what Shan had been expecting. Though it made sense, from what he had saw of the Sith when he was held captive. They seemed quite showy if he was being honest to himself as the Mirialan glanced around, keeping a steady breath. Mostly making sure there wasn't any little nasty tricks that would be played on him as he glanced over towards Nevroza, breaking out into his own little smirk as he shoved his hands into the pocket of his robes.

"I mean. It wasn't that hard to follow you. The dark side kinda reeks. I could have smelled you all the way from Naboo." Of course it was an over exaggeration, but Shan wasn't going to miss out on the chance to tease a Sith. It was better than rushing in the situation with his saber drawn. Who knows, maybe some of his fellow padawans would be happy at him actually teasing people instead of being serious all the time. Either way, he shook his head, turning his attention back ahead of him as he shrugged his shoulders.

"I was mostly curious as to what kind of person would have slaughtered that gang." the Mirialan jabbed his thumb straight behind him, as if the crime scene was literally right there before shoving his hand back into his robes. "I'd have assumed most Sith would have done something like...make them their servants or something. So I'm curious as to why they were killed."

At the mentioning of the "trinket" around his waist, Shan clipped his lightsaber off his belt and just passed it between his hands. "Yeah. Y'know, that's why I didn't want to carry a lightsaber around for the longest time. They're mostly always used for killing. Makes no sense to me." The Mirialan mumbled to himself, letting himself relax as he let his eyes dart around. As much as he was trying to act as casual as he could, he wasn't going to let his guard down fully.

Nevroza

 

[Nevroza]

Nevroza's eye twitched at Shan's comment, he didn't seem fearful at all and even worse he felt comfortable enough to mock her. HER! She'd rarely encountered anyone with such a high level of bravery...or stupidity. Definitely stupidity. No intelligent person would mock her she told herself.

"Are you implying that I smell bad? Like I said, there are better methods of suicide."

The witch quickly sat up and reached out with the Force, pulling the saber hilt into her hand as it passed between Shan's. Her movements didn't seem overly aggressive just yet, instead, she merely ran her fingers up and down the weapon as her eyes inspected the craftsmanship. During her training, she was allowed to craft her own Jedi weapon but chose not to in favor of a different murder tool.

That's all it was. A murder tool. That's how she saw all weapons really, that seemed to be the only thing she and Shan had in common apart from their green skin.

"You wanted to see who'd slaughter a gang like that? Foolish of you to follow a path of blood. Now that you've met me, you'll wish you hadn't." The witch continued devouring the blade's design with increasing intrigue. Her eyes twinkled a bit and she pursed her lips before turning her attention back to Shan. "It's a pretty design, almost ornamental, but I could have designed it better. Wood isn't the best choice for a plasma weapon and I can tell that it can't ignite underwater."

Nevroza held the blade by the pommel with two fingers and tossed it at Shan. She pretended to gag as if the weapon offended her before she smiled at him and reached into her dress sleeve where a tiny grimoire was hidden. She flipped through the pages off muscle memory while keeping her eyes fixed on Shan.

"You are a Jedi, aren't you? I've never met one before. I hope I'm not under arrest..." She cooed.

Shan Pavond ​

 

[Shan Pavond]

"I'm implying the dark side smells bad. If you want to say that counts you, that is your prerogative." His eyebrows went up as his lightsaber was pulled mid throw over towards the Sith and shrugged his shoulders, listening to her talk whilst Shan brought out his hand and started to count on his fingers.

"There are plenty of other ways to commit suicide, yeah. Chopping your arm off when it gets infected by a plague...Or at least getting ready to. Tackling someone off a cliff." Shan said completely casually, as if he had attempted those things himself...Probably because he had attempted that before. A small chuckle as he thought about the good ol times before shaking his head and looking back at her.

"More like why you'd slaughter a gang like that." Shan just used the force to pull his lightsaber back to his hand, almost clipping it back onto his belt straight away. Whistling to himself as he started to examine the room, running his hands along the walls carefully. "You'd be surprised. Wood can be surprisingly useful. One of the Jedi Knights I know of wears like...a jacket that uses wood fibres. Plus having a wooden lightsaber lets me stay more closely...attuned to it. It's not cold and dead metal."

Shan spun around on the heel of his foot to face Nevroza, waving his hand dismissively with a chuckle. "Nah. You aren't under arrest. At least...I don't think I need to arrest you. I just wanted information, and it's gonna be hard to get information if you're going around killing people. Just need to figure out what the gangs here are doing..." He broke out into a rare frown at that...before shaking his head afterwards and breaking out into a small grin again.

Nevroza

 

[Nevroza]

"I see..." Nevroza had a sly, almost sultry expression as a frown flashed across Shan's face before being wiped away by that simper of his. "You have an aversion to murder. At least one greater than your peers. That weapon is mainly for show, a last resort, you'd prefer if you'd never had to use it at all."

The grimoire's pages stopped flipping and on the page was a large rune that resembled a lunar cycle. "You wouldn't have had to kill those thugs. Not that I had to either but I unlike you prefer to end things more...definitively." Nevroza sat the grimoire down on the loveseat and stood up, slowly stalking toward Shan. The man was just a bit taller so she couldn't tower over him, instead, the sorceress lifted her chin just a little to give the illusion she was looking down on him.

"Enough of my blustering, I'll answer your question. You see there's a 'convention' happening tonight. Only the most dangerous of sorts are invited and the hosts made the mistake, or the wise choice depending on your outlook to not invite me. Normally I'd have more decorum than to crash a party but tonight I make an exception. There's something there I want to get my hands on and I needed an invite so...I stole it."

Nevroza's hand slowly waded in front of Shan's face before a silver scalpel was drawn into her hand via the Force, the witch had a stockpile of them hidden on her body.

"They were easy to dispatch as you likely noticed but my plan isn't fully realized yet. One piece is still yet to fall into place, but this puzzle will be fully formed soon enough."

The scalpel vanished back into Nevroza's clothing and she eyed, Shan inquisitively. "You came all the way here just to learn you can't get what you're after in time. Bummer." She pouted in mock sympathy. "But even if that weren't the case I can't imagine why you'd pursue the criminal world in such a fashion. You don't intend to bust them, do you? Even someone like you should know you'd surely die if you attempted."

Shan Pavond​

 

[Shan Pavond]

"I mean, murder is pretty pointless. No-one can change if you just kill them." Shan shrugged his shoulders at that, raising an eyebrow at how Nevroza seemed to turn her chin up at him...and he couldn't help being a little shit as he just raised his hand to pet her on the head. "I'm used to Sith looking down at me. So if you think this is going to frustrate me, I'm sorry." it was true. He had to be a waiter for them when he was captured. Maybe that's why he was being so annoying now. It let him get out the frustrations he had during the time he was captured.

Either way, his eyebrows raised at the sight of the scalpel, breaking out into a bigger grin surprisingly. "Those are pretty good at saving lives, y'know. Most people see scalpels as tools to cause pain and suffering, but they can also just as easily cause lives to be saved. Surprised a Sith would carry them." He kept a grin on his face, still working at teasing away. He was just trying to twist his own perspective around at that, though he tilted his head at the mentioning of a convention. Well. If it involved criminals, it was clearly the kind of convention he wanted to keep an eye on...he probably should have called some form of back up for it, but he was confident in himself.

"At the end of the day, anything we do could lead to our deaths. Trying to bust a criminal "convention" is as good as any. Though in all seriousness, my reasons are my own. I know how you work. Poking and proding, trying to get as much information as you can." He narrowed his eyes at that, letting his joking drop for a moment before shaking his head. "The way I see it, you're the one who is going to have more problems in this place than I am." He didn't elaborate on that, just shaking his head afterwards

Nevroza

 

[Nevroza]

"Of course, I'm going to have problems." Nevroza snarled before taking Shan's hand by the wrist and forcefully pushing it away from her, she made sure to cut him with her fingernails as she did and her disdain for him made itself known through her expression.

"Because as it stands, I am the only one in this room who will be attending the convention. You seem to misunderstand your role in this. Right now, I am the only one who can get you onto the Wichor vessel. As we speak they are up there, galavanting and socializing about their criminal exploits. I of course am fashionably late."

Nevroza pushed the hair out of her face and sauntered away from Shan and toward a bookshelf. "You need me, Jedi, and yet you behave so rudely. You've tracked me all the way here and stepped into the jaws of the beast and haven't even had the decency to introduce yourself. I'm not so sure if I should even be speaking to you. It might be better for you to remove yourself or perhaps I'll have one of the guards in this penthouse do it for me."

Nevroza's threat was immediately suspicious as there was no one else Shan could sense on this floor. At the same time, Nevroza's words didn't have a hint of dishonesty to them. Curious.

"You came here for information, didn't you? Well, you aren't very good at collecting it. At least try threaten me or something, but then again someone like you wouldn't follow up."

Shan Pavond​

 

[Shan Pavond]

"Shame. That's all you Sith have. Problems, problems and more problems. Just learn to relax." Shan gave a small shake of his head at that, letting his disappointment be clearly known to Nevroza, though he couldn't help but let out another chuckle when she mentioned that she was going to be fashionably late. "Typical Sith."

"I don't necessarily need you. You're being far too presumptuous Ma'am. I, Shan Pavond, do not require a Sith's help." He couldn't help but chuckle away to himself at that, shaking his head afterwards. "I presume by guards, you mean one of those creepy sithspawn things? Eh. I've dealt with them before." The Mirialan just rubbed his hand against his robes, to make sure the cut from the fingernails wasn't going to be that bad, before looking back over towards Nevroza, raising an eyebrow when she said he should at least try to threaten her.

"Nope. There's no point in threats. It's wasted energy. Plus negativity attracts negativity. A positive attitude and outlook is more likely to get you what you want at the end of the day. So even if I don't get what I need from you, I can get it from someone more useful. I have my own little...contacts on Nar Shaddaa, I could ask for assistance. Who knows? Maybe I'll be even more late than you."

Nevroza

 

[Nevroza]

"If by late you mean missing the party entirely, Shan. Then yes you will be later than me." Nevroza frowned as she pulled a book from the shelf with one hand and pointed toward a green wax candle in a tray on the other side of the room. Green flames conjured around her finger before leaping from her hand and onto the wick, lighting it on fire with a sinister emerald glow. Nevroza did the same to several other candles in the room until around seven or eight of them were lit.

"You surprise me, Shan. Most people are unaware of Sith machinations, let alone dealt with them. Even still, you have never encountered creations like mine. You can't irritate me by claiming you'd go to someone 'more useful.' If you could you would have went there because I highly doubt asking a Sith for information was your first plan of action. Even if you had better contacts you don't have the luxury of time and I Nevroza, can sense how personal this is for you."

The witch raised her chin a little and shot Shan a wry smirk. "You're looking for someone on that Yacht, aren't you? I answered your questions truthfully so why don't you answer one of mine?"

Shan Pavond​

 

[Shan Pavond]

"What can I say? I've had a few experiences with the Sith. So I'm not completely blind to it all at the end of the day." Either way, Shan shrugged his shoulders, watching as Nevroza did some of her little sith magic and sorcery, Shan just rolled his eyes at the sight of it. "I mean, I could have went elsewhere though. Since y'know, like you said. A Sith wouldn't be my first choice of call. But...It could be worse."

Shan frowned at the aspect of having to answer truthfully to a Sith. It went against his nature to think about giving an honest answer to them, not out of spite. Mostly because of the way that they could use the truth against someone...but he sighed, running his hand down his face. There wasn't that much time that he could risk wasting right now.

"Fine. It's my mother, alright? She got taken captive by a gang a while back. So...I feel like this information could be useful to me. Okay? Happy?" The Mirialan grumbled to himself, rolling his eyes afterwards as he folded his arms along his front. He wanted to just get to this party and see if he could get the information he needed...but that meant playing nice with Nevroza. So he did his best to keep his cool.

Nevroza

 

[Nevroza]

"And now it makes sense." Nevroza studied, Shan's withered expression and the reluctance with which he answered. A sense of triumph washed over her and for the first since they started talking, she'd become genuinely intrigued by why the Jedi had sought her out.

"Your mother is the one at stake here. I never had a mother so maternal instincts fall flat on me, even still I'm a biologist so the dichotomy piques my interest." Nevroza's attention was now placed firmly on her reading. This was certainly a wayward experience for her. Under normal circumstances, she would have attempted to destroy Shan simply for the principle of it, after all, it's one thing for a rabbit to be so naive as to seek out a wolf to find its mother but it's a different matter entirely for the rabbit to mock the wolf all the while.

She should have despised him. She did despise him, and yet all she could feel concerning him was...curiosity. He presented a special study opportunity, a rabbit unfearful of the hunter. By all accounts, it should've been an open and closed study, an organism with such defective survival senses wouldn't survive...and yet Shan was uniquely dangerous.

"I'll admit it. You piss me off, Shan. Excuse my language but typically my vitriol is expressed through action." Nevroza sighed, collecting herself as a thin smile parted her lips. "However, you intrigue me Jedi. So much so that I have a proposition for you, one that works to both our benefit." Nevroza walked away from the bookshelf and back toward the loveseat where her grimoire lay open and held the tomme and the book from the shelf in her hands.

"I'll bring you to the party but in return, you are going to help me with a simple experiment."

Shan Pavond​

 

[Shan Pavond]

"Oh what? Me showing up normally didn't make any sense?" Shan rolled his eyes at that, folding his arms along his front. There was every chance that this could go wrong for him...and he was more focused on moping around as opposed to actually trying to get out of the situation. Sighing instead as Nevroza went into detail about caring because of the biology of it all.

"I don't want to rescue her just because she's my mother. I've...moved on from her anyway. I have a new family. It's more...unfinished business." He said rather matter of factly and was being quite stern and professional...Up until Nevroza said that Shan pissed her off and Shan just broke out into a fit of chuckles at that. It was a good way to have brought a smile to his face, even if that hadn't been Nevroza's intentions whatsoever.

"As long as the experiment doesn't require any part of me being used in a test tube or experimented on, you have a deal." Shan waved his hand up and down himself. He didn't fancy being experimented on, or turned into some kind of abomination. There was a part of him that was concerned about what kind of experiments she'd be wanting to make as well...but as long as it wasn't bothering him, Shan wasn't too concerned.

Nevroza

 

[Nevroza]

"Don't worry, supplicant." Nevroza waved away his concerns dismissively. The way he chuckled so comfortably in her face made her blood boil, she couldn't stand being so blatantly disrespected...it was so exciting. Just how much of his jiving could she endure before she reached a breaking point? How exhilarating.

Nevroza raised a finger to her mouth in case her habit flared up again but after deciding she was safe, the woman continued. "If I was attempting something that'd harm you I wouldn't ask for consent. Trust me." Nevroza chuckled darkly before the pages of her grimoire spontaneously burst into flames yet didn't damage the book. "It's very simple, even you should understand." Nevroza sat down her second book so that her hand was free and she was able to slap the page with her palm, emerald flames licking her flesh but not burning it. Her wrist jerked up and her index finger flicked a tiny gout of flame toward Shan which collided with his forehead before quickly extinguishing.

On his forehead was a fist-sized dark circle which remained on his skin for a few moments before vanishing, the magic seeping inside. Nevroza touched the green pyre once again and this time applied the same mark to her own forehead which quickly vanished as well.

"That seal will allow me to track your progress. And if you think I'm going to apply some harmful effect to you don't worry. Anything I could do to you with that seal will happen to me as well since I've been marked with the same one." Nevroza slammed the grimoire shut and extinguished the flames before slipping the tiny journal back inside her sleeve.

"Your mission as fate would have it is beneficial to the content of this experiment. I'll help you find your mother, Shan. Meaningless as it is. I do have to ask though...from what little I understand about the order, Jedi are forbidden from having attachments, aren't they?"

Nevroza turned away from Shan and walked over to a walk-in closet inside the study, opening the door and stepping inside. "If that's the case, why would you risk your life on the Smugglers Moon to come save her?"

Shan Pavond​

 

[Shan Pavond]

"I mean...you don't really need to track my progress. You could have just found it out yourself." Shan shrugged his shoulders at all of the fancy smancy Sith sorcery being done, rolling his eyes afterwards. He wasn't the biggest fan of it if he was being honest. Well, it was more the fact he wasn't a fan of Sith stuff in the first place. It's the kind of stuff that he'd be worried about getting in trouble for, but he shook his head, stretching his arms out instead and cracking his neck mostly out of boredom. Somehow it was going to help with Nevroza's experiment, and so he wasn't going to complain that much about it.

Though then she mentioned about how not having attachments wasn't allowed in the Order...and Shan once again broke out into a fit of laughter, shaking his head at that as he doubled over, resting his hands against his knees as the Mirialan tried to catch his breath. "You're kidding me right? I have a partner. And my Master has a wife and kids. By the Force, they're part of the Jedi council." The idea of not having attachments was especially ridiculous to Shan, since that's one of the main reasons he even did his job. Shaking his head afterwards as the Mirialan just shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Well. Anything else you need to get out of the way? The sooner I get your weird seal off the better if I'm being honest."

Nevroza

 

[Nevroza]

"Excuse me for not believing that someone like you could have a partner." Shan couldn't see it since she was in the closet but Nevroza was rolling her eyes with a grin.

"There is something I'd like to get out of the way though. You will not be seen with me looking like that. Like a peasant, a scoundrel, a Jedi. And before you argue consider this; if the Wichors discover your identity the whole convention will halt to hunt you down. You'd never find your mother."

Stepping out of the closet, Nevroza changed outfits and now wore a sleeveless gown made from dark navy blue feathers. She styled long black gloves reaching past her elbows and her hair, now tied into a high bun, glistened under the emerald candlelight. With a wave of the hand Shan's legs were swept from under him by a chair as he was forced to sit and Nevroza quickly did the same in a chair she pulled over to sit across from the Jedi.

"Talor!" Nevroza clapped her hands once and after a moment of silence, wheels could be heard treading on the wood leading up to the study. The door flew open and...something wheeled inside.

Immediately noticeable was the clear container holding a brain suspended in light blue liquid with cords and various mechanics wired into its gray matter. Stacked on top of the container were several cylindrical mechanisms with several metal arms extending on each side. Each appendage had a different tool on the end, one had clippers, another a can of hairspray, and another had makeup tools. Was it possible?

"This was, or I guess still is my tailor! Isn't he handsome? Of course not! He's hideous. But amazing at his work. So amazing in fact that I decided that he should focus on it...indefinitely. That's what I do. Take amazing things and make them better. Maybe I'll make you better one day too. Now sit back and relax."

Leaning back in her chair, Nevroza allowed the tailor to get to work applying her makeup while the other half of the...cyborg? Would that even be the right term? Either way, the tailor got to work combing Shan's hair, washing his face, brushing his teeth, measuring his body, the whole works and all without his input. The abomination finished its measurements and wheeled over to the closet to find a suit in Shan's size. Nevroza cracked an eye open at the Padawan and smiled, it almost seemed genuine but he knew better than that.

"Well well...the Jedi cleans up nicely. I can almost believe someone would want to date you now. Almost." The organic machine came back in with a suit and handed it to Shan to try on. Even in undeath, the tailor was vigilant in spirit. Not that he could do much else now.

Shan Pavond ​

 

[Shan Pavond]

"I get it, love and affection is a strange thing for Sith. I'm surprised you even know what a partner means. I don't mean in crime." Shan couldn't help but tease Nevroza some more. After all, it was better than fighting her. He didn't want to fight anyone right now, though it was going to happen sooner or later, whether he liked it or not.

One thing he didn't like was the whole tailor experience. Being dressed up all formally just wasn't who he was. Hell, he had learned that after trying to dress up all smart for Colette. It's why he started to rely more on dressing the way he liked to dress, instead of caring about how people saw him. Shaking his head afterwards to try and stay calm, even as Nevroza said she'd make Shan better one day. He doubted that would ever actually end up happening, as Shan just went to work getting the suit on, trying his hardest not to start grumbling away.

"There. Happy?" He rolled his eyes as he brushed down the suit, making sure that everything was alright. There was a part of the Mirialan that didn't think he was actually going to get any news out of this incident, but it was better than nothing.

Nevroza