Wake Up

[Soliath Devin Talith]

Soliael stood on the edge of a small balcony attached to one of the rooms on his massive mountain fortress. The room that lay just beyond the closed doors behind him was lavishly decorated. Four post wooden bed, gold inlaid furniture and chairs, chandelier, marble flooring and bathroom, all topped off with tapestries of silk and weaving of precious cloth.

It was the very ethos of comfort and luxury, and at the center of it all upon a bed of silk and feather pillows lay one woman.

[member="Kira Liadain"].

He had plucked her from a backwater world that Jared and He had crash landed on. Soliael had no idea what she was doing there or even why she would be there, all he knew was that she had been through much.

Her body was scarred, her flesh had been ripped and tucked into different shades and mars. Her abdomen had been torn open and her skin seemed to have been peeled off in places.

Kira had been tortured, that had been easy enough to tell. Soliael would have guessed perhaps by the One Sith or one of the old Empire, he didn't really know, but there was a touch of emotion to some of the wounds that told of detachment. Some of the scars seemed to have been made in anger, while others screamed of cold surgical precision. His eyes focused on the mountain top ahead of him, his gaze shifting down its slope as he thought.

It mattered not who harmed her, only that she had been found.

The False god knew very well that the woman had gone missing from the Jedi Order some time ago. No one had known where she was, and Soliael hadn't really followed up on anything, after all he had only met her once.

Her state however had prompted his action, that and the odd connection born in amusement that the two had formed. That was why she was here now, in lavish comfort, waited on by Soliael.

 

[Kira Talith]

Consciousness came in degrees and the senses would stir. Some would say that scent is the most powerful of the senses, but for Lorrdian it was completely and utterly in the touch. Sight certainly would play a heavy hand, what with being able to pick up even the slightest of twitches upon a brow or the tilt of a head. Yet it was in the training of the body to be able to make such subtle changes that could relay a wealth of information, those subtle nuances that allowed Kira to register the tiniest of physical contrasts.

Much like the decadent touch of silk sheets against her bare skin or the sinking warmth of a luxurious bed. Much like one still in a dream, Kira would stir, confusion growing over her face as she would mentally tick off these new sensations. This was different. She lay on her belly, hands sinking under one luscious fat pillow she'd half clung to like a youngling in slumber.

That blonde head would rise, and she would frown. Her long bangs would hang like a veil over her eyes, and she'd start with a jerk. What is this? Oh boy, here came the panic. White room? No. That didn't have a bed.

Her body would shift, stir and that bedsheet would start to slide off her as she'd push herself into a half sitting position, taking stock of her surroundings and her condition. She was clothed, a blessing at that, though the blouse had shifted some to reveal the puckered pale pink scar over the flatness of her belly.

Where am I? came her sudden thought, mind starting to race through the cobwebs of her mind. The last thing she remembered... the last thing...

Were orange eyes.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Liadain"]

Soliael didn't quite sense Kira's awakening, he didn't constantly watch her nor have her watched. Instead what happened could be attributed to fate, the balcony he stood upon was connected directly to Kira's room, and only seconds after she awoke the Sith Lord felt the stirring need to step out of the cold, and return to his study in order to further his work upon his paradise.

Of course to do so, he had to go through Kiras room.

His steps were quiet, boots crunching on snow for three of them until he reached the doors. They were ornate glass, red and yellows tinted with a hint of purple. They were thick, and adorned with Sith magic, made to withstand even heavy laser cannon fire, it was a fortress after all. Soliael pulled open the doors, pushing snow away and creating slight mounds as he stepped into the warm room.

A small drift of white followed him, sticking to his cloak as he moved into the antechamber. The doors snapped closed behind him, and within only a few short steps he was in the main bed chamber of the rooms, face to face with his curiosity.

Bright Orange eyes gazed at Kira, his face older then when they had last seen each other, his hair cropped and shaved, his face somehow older and more aged, even though his Garhoon heritage prevented such things. His eyes seemed to carry the weight of a thousand worlds, and unconsciously he began to radiate a feeling of calm and complacents. He said one word, it was half greeting, half something else. “Kira.”

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

She'd turn, the sound of crunching boots filling the room along with the chilling bite of the cold. The tiny hairs at the nape of her neck and along her arm would rise, as if sensitive to the power that would radiate from the man -- or perhaps in forewarning from the Force?

The chill of the brief wind from the doors would blow her hair from her eyes just before he closed them. Her hands would attempt to find purchase as she'd shift back, only to find herself sinking further into the sea of blankets. An unlikely prison, but a prison just the same. For now at least.

Her mouth would go dry, but not in fear. Well, at the very least, not in fear of him. Again, it was the memory. Orange eyes so similar to those of the one who'd snuffed Oliver's life with glee.

The pink tip of her tongue would dart across her chapped lower lip, chin would rise. It would be a wonder if it was done in courage or in defiance of that nagging voice in the back of her mind fighting a confusing battle of wills.

"Sparky." The nickname spoke of many things. Remembrance, acknowledgement, caution, along with that edge of confusion. Her entire body was a thrum of kinetic volumes relaying more than what words could impress.

"...been a while crocodile."

Ah, there it was. Some of her old spunk -- along with the dart of blue eyes that would warily scan for the nearest exits.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Liadain"]

Some relief crossed over his features. He had been unsure if Kira would recognize him. The two had hardly ever been great friends or companions and neither of them had known much about each other. In fact they had only ever met once, just long enough to become curiosities. Most would have forgotten, most would have simply let the memory float away, but it seemed that Kira still held it within her mind, even after all that had happened to her.

He hoped that was a good sign. He hoped that she was still herself.

“It has.” His voice was soft, but firm, an echo of what it had been on Metalorn but far more matured. Again, something that should not have happened, yet it had. “Do you remember where you are?”

She had awoken briefly once before, though she had been in a haze. It had been when the healer had treated some of her more dire wounds. Soliael had tried to explain to her at the time what had happened, but she was hardly lucid. That had been a few days ago now, she had practically been comatose ever since.

Perhaps it was her first time in a real bed since...since whatever had harmed her.

His warm orange eyes watched her, carefully studying her with the same interest someone would have held for someone they held close who had been recently injured.

Interesting that.

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]


Do you remember where you are?

Do you remember...

His words would sift through her mind like leaves through a sieve; not quite fluid, tangled up in the web of semi conscious and that sickly sweet scent of bacta.

Her skin would feel cold, and self consciousness would rise to have her hands tug and smooth over the silk of the sleeping blouse, hiding the scars that lay under it. Lids would lower, mind racing, trying to make sense.

Kira.

I won't hurt you.

There was a growing ringing at the edge of her hearing. Almost like static, drawing a growing shaft of pain from the right side of her head.

Do you remember?

Where you are?

The crackling sound would grow louder, and like an approaching migraine would bloom a dull ache between her eyes. Her fingers rose to pinch the bridge of her nose. Where was she? Home. No. His home. Safe. You're safe.

Or was she?

Hey chick-e-dee.

Kira. kira. I won't hurt you. Kira. Kira.

Parlay?
KIRA.

That's when her hand fell away from her face, a sudden revelation dawning upon her. Brows scrunched up, and she asked in stunned surprise.

"How do you know my name?"

They met only once. On Metalorn long ago. She saved his life. He saved hers. And while he'd given her his comm frequency, she'd never told him her name.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

Soliael smiled slightly.

“Jedi aren't as secretive as you might think.” He had found out Kiras name ages ago, it hadn't been hard after all. There weren't many of them, just a few thousand. Having her description and her general attitude helped a great deal. “There aren't many Jedi. At least compared to the number people in the rest of the galaxy. I knew what you looked like and where to find you. “

He shrugged slightly. “I wanted to make sure I didn't give my comm-frequency to a stalker.”

Poking fun. Perhaps it was not the best thing to do in this situation, but hopefully it would put her somewhat at ease. He realized what he had done was slightly creepy, but by nature Soliael was a curious creature, plus he was also a Sith Lord so the lines of creepy were rather blurry.

 

[Kira Talith]

His Zeltron nature, unknown to her, had managed to sooth the panic she'd originally felt. Nice little gift he had there and lucky he'd used it.

"Here I thought it was one of those one-eight-hundred-fake-comm-frequencies." she'd quip back, watching him intently where he'd go if he'd move, reading the shrug of his shoulders, the lines of his face. The look in his eyes. Everything was a clue, a piece of the puzzle.

Wisps of hair would flank her pale face, and she'd brush it away, the sleeve sliding back to reveal the discolored mars of scars over her wrists. They would appear and just as quickly fade from sight, her hand lowering, a finger twitching in question along with the quirk of a brow. Lorrdian in kinetic communication asking the universal 'why?'

Why did you do that? Why am I here? Why did you bother to find out my name?

"Most guys give a name first."

Standard investigative procedures. Kira had always been a talker. Talking would lead to more information or even be a distraction. both in this case, as she was still getting the lay of the bedroom she was in, registering it all to memory.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

"If I remember correctly you already gave me a name.” He had many names, Soliael, Devin, Neth, and a dozen others that he had used across the decades of his life. Of course his real name wasn't exactly a closely guarded secret, many of the old Sith Guard knew it and those close to him knew it as well. It was not his first name that often garnered attention however, usually it was his surname...or one of them anyway.

The calm continued to flow through the room, an unconscious act on his part now.

Were he a Lorrdian he would already have been explaining to Kira about his curiosity, about why he had gone through such lengths and why he found her so fascinating. To him, knowledge was everything. Enigmas and puzzles were things that he loved, mysteries enthralled him more than a beautiful woman ever could, and to him, Kira was a puzzle.

Someone who should have by all rights killed him, cut off his head and ended him, but had chosen not to. Indeed someone who had instead bantered and spoken with him like an old friend. To someone like Soliael, whose family was stern, serious, and deadly, it was utterly fascinating.

He took a few steps forward, no sudden move or threats in his gait, a simply action taken in order to get closer to her.

 

[Kira Talith]

It was there, for a brief moment. A flash from the past, that jovial mischievous smirk, that spark in her eyes.

"Sparky McSparky?" her right eyebrow would perk as if amused, his Zeltron wiles continuing to emanate a sensation of calm that would wrap itself like a thick warm blanket.

"It does suit you just fine," that was her shtick, nicknames. Terms of friendly affection used to connect on a more personal level. Jokes and banter that would put the younglings in her care at ease. Why be stuffy and boring? When a good bout of humor could ease the pain.

"Along with the haircut." she'd continue, watching him as he'd slowly amble his way towards her. In the back of her mind, a small voice would rise in alarm, but dulled by the sense of calm. "Must be easy fix in the morning."

"Oh, and you owe me new shoes." she'd say, recalling that the last time he'd sliced the tip of her only pair of shoes back then. Funny, how the simple act of empathic manipulation can bring forth a facet of Kira that hadn't seen much of the light since her kidnapping. Granted, there was joy in her that would remain in constant battle with Nememe's torture, forever locked inside with a stubborn sense of willpower the maniac had not been able to touch.

And one never forgets to tell horrible jokes.

"The Order doesn't hand them out like sugar cookies you know."

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

He eventually found himself only a few paces away from the bed, his stance still that calm sort of arrogance that carried well on his shoulder, his lips turned upward into a slight smirk, and his eyes warm as could be. At this distance the calm feeling would be enough to effect a raging bantha, and indeed Soliael himself felt at a state complete contentment. Odd how it sometimes effected him as well.

“I don't think shoes will be a problem.” Soliael gestured to the room. There was lavish gilded gold, silver cups, and a wide range of other expensive things that even a king would not scoff at. The same could be said for every other bedroom in this Fortress, save for Soliaels own. Oddly enough that room was bare as could be, with only a bed and a single painting hanging upon the wall.

He ran a head over his scalp.

“You didn't answer me though.” His eyes focused back on her. “Do you remember where you are?”

He felt the need to let her know that she was in fact not a prisoner. He had already guessed from her extensive wounds that she had been in some sort of prison, and generally when one came from something like that it was best not to make them feel trapped.

 

[Kira Talith]

"I-" there it was, the confusion again. Only this time it was with this conflicting blanket of emotion. She shouldn't be this calm. Why was she so calm?

Do you remember where you are?

Her face would scrunch a bit comically. That voice deep in her mind would start to shake against mental chains. The one locked in that white room. Day in. Day out. The silent screams.

It was utterly bewildering in the face of utter contentment emanating from [member="Soliael Devin Talith"].

"I'm--" Her eyes would drop, falling to rest upon her hands. Slowly she would curl and uncurl her fingers.

"...Your home." she'd finally squeeze out, her voice dropping an octave. Her brow would furrow deeper, and she'd lift her face to look at him once more, the fringe of her bangs tickling the length of her eyelashes.

"Why?"

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

Was Exocron his home? Was this fortress his home? That was an interesting question he had to ask himself. Strangely he had always considered Onderon to be his home. It was where his mother ruled and where for the most part he had been raised and trained, it was the one place in the galaxy he could say he was truly familiar with.

Perhaps Exocron had taken its place.

For a moment he considered her other question, thinking about how to best explain it. “I found you, or I suppose you found me, on an abandoned world in wild space. You attacked me, and in the confusion my friend managed to subdue you to stop you from harming me, or yourself. When I saw the state you were in it hardly seemed right to leave you there, and I doubt the Jedi would have taken too kindly to me waltzing into their midst with you in my arms. So I brought you here, to be healed and taken care of.”

Oddly, it really was that simple.

Soliael had no ill will towards her or any Jedi really. Had delivering her to the Jedi Order been an option, he likely would have taken it. After his recent encounter with the Grandmaster of the Order and his breaking from the Ossus temple...well he doubted they would take kindly to him.

 

[Kira Talith]

"I attacked you?" Why would she do that? Everything was in a bit of a haze. Cloudy.

'A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack.' the words would unknowingly be said aloud, her head dipping as it fell forward, deep in thought.

What did she do?

Pieces of the puzzle were slowly coming together. Black outs were common with her now, much like when the chip that had once been implanted in her brain. Parts of her mind that wanted to shield her for her protection.

Her eyes would lift to his again. Aquamarine met bright a fiery orange to match any star.

Hello Kira.

A soothing tone, almost a purr came to whisper from the dead into the shell of her ear, prompting a startled jerk. Yup, there was that conditioned response.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

His eyes narrowed almost immediately as she jumped, his gaze following and his feet carrying him an involuntary step forward. He didn't need to be a master of reading people to see someone who was reacting to something unpleasant, but what could it be?

Soliael guessed a haunting memory, a flash of what she had done, or what had been done to her.

It was impossible to guess really.

“Perhaps you thought me an enemy. It doesn't matter.” He shook his head slightly. “No one was harmed and no damage could have been done to the world that we were upon that had not already been done before.”

He wasn't quite sure if those words sounded soothing, but as he dropped back into a more relaxed stance his gaze shifted slightly to a revealed scar on her upper arm. He didn't address it directly, but his next words were chosen carefully. “It's a response I would have expected had I seen you more closely.”

There was no anger or judgment in his tone, it was more understanding, empathy.

Oddly enough, her scars only added to the curiosity he felt.

 

[Kira Talith]

A faint trembling would take to her now, her fingers twitching anew. Lorrdian panic at its finest as her body would relay what words could not.

But he wouldn't know that.

Her mouth would feel dry, as if stuffed with cotton, her tongue thick. Control. She had to get her control back.

"I'm sorry." would come the strained apology, genuine as if ripped from her soul. Fingers would rise and then her face would rest in her palms, hands rubbing as if the act would aide her in gathering her bearings. It was quite a frustration sensation in the wake of the calm that would lay heavy in that intangible empathic blanket.

His comment about taking a closer notice of her prompted the rise of her head, fingers slipping from her eyes to come to rest over her mouth. The light of the room would shine against those pale pink scars around her wrists. If anymore blood could drain from her face, it would have then.

"I know better." would be her simple muffled reply, as if saying that would allow her to cling tighter to her code. To what had managed to allow her to retain a measure of her sanity in the midst of it all. Or was that a reply in regards to something else entirely? She wasn't quite sure.

She'd attempt a half smile through the web of her fingers. Her nervous habit to make light of things. Jokes. Banter.

Anything but the truth.

"It's all once upon a dream, chick-e-dee."

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

Soliael moved closer again, sitting himself down on the edge of the bed. His cloak swept up behind him and rested uncomfortably on his shoulders, pulled by its heavy weight. His hand came down and rested on the silk sheets, His blazing Orange eyes dashed over towards her scars, taking them in for the fifth time.

His lips turned down.

Though he was a Sith, Soliael had never been one for torture. Oh sure he had killed, he had murdered and maimed without a second though, but torture had always been rather...off putting to him. His abilities allowed him to get information he needed without effort, and his strength in the force meant that people often didn't even bother resisting him that far.

Torture seemed completely worthless to him, even harmful. Had someone done this to Kira to gain information from her? Or had they simply done it for fun. Soliael knew a few of those types, more than a few actually.

The taste in his mouth soured.

“Sometimes, Confusion overtakes knowledge.” He said the words as though he spoke from experience.

Given that Soliael himself had nearly torn apart half a planet in order to find one of his family members, he more than knew what rage and misunderstanding could do.

 

[Kira Talith]

Kira felt the bed sink under his heavy weight, the respective plush of the bed lifting her slightly in response. She'd blink slowly, watching him study her and the subtle nuances that would play across his angular face.

She could read disgust in his body language along with the curiosity. The flutter of empathy would follow in the shift of his eyes, the curve of his back, the set of his shoulders. A commonality.

The tips of her fingers would lightly press against her lips, sensation a tangible gift that she could only feel on the the unmarred skin that remained. The length of time it had taken to acquire proper medical care in the wake of Nememe's torture had certainly done a number on damaged nerves. Ever lingering gifts.

"So then one trusts in the Force," she'd say with a faint tremble, trying her best to show a strong front. All guts and glory, that's her. Doing things by the seat of her pants. There came the warmth of calm again, stronger now. It was easier, the closer he came. Oh if she'd ever gone to Zeltros, that would have been a heck of a test in empathic control. "Or in a parlay."

Another joke, a crack of a smile that struggled to reach her eyes. Words would stamp in the back of her mind, reminders through the fog of his unconscious manipulation of her senses. She hadn't been alone on that planet. Where were the other scouts? Had she known of his Garhoon heritage as well, it was no wonder just how much of a perfect predator [member="Soliael Devin Talith"] is.

Had she known, would she have been afraid?

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Liadain"]

For a moment he didn't quite know what to say. She made another joke, but it no longer seemed to fit right.

There was an odd sensation within him, a thirst for vengeance. Of course Soliael didn't know that it was his sister that had done this, and he didn't know that in a way Kira had already been avenged. Nemene lay in the ground, killed and torn apart by thousands of slaves. His reaction if he found out would surely be an interesting one, though there undoubtedly would be no mixed feelings.

He had never been very fond of his sister.

His gaze fell down to some of her scars, and unconsciously he reached out. Stopping himself suddenly before pulling away.

Touching her may not be the best plan.

“What happened?” Again, his voice was not commanding but soothing, a soft question asked to probe for more information to perhaps help. Though helping was likely beyond him.

 

[Kira Talith]

Good thing she wasn't the empath here, but as a Zeltron, so would his emotions bleed at the edge of it all. Vengeance.

Something odd would lurch in her chest, a heavy weight as she caught the sudden pause of his hand at her direction. No, it was a descending sensation, as if she were falling down although she was on a level. Sadness.

What happened?

The question would plague her mind. So many ways to answer that. A Sith? But that was a blanket statement. Got tortured? Well that was pretty blasted evident.

Her fingers would lightly thrum over her lips, tension filling the air. What happened?

Hello Kira.
I am Nemene, and this is my Sister Evelynn.

Another subtle flinch. The white room. Oliver. Bright crimson splattered against all that white. Pain. His. Hers. Her failure. His death. Then the chip that would take her back. How when the inevitable violations came, how she'd done her best to release herself from her skin and bones. It had been so much more bearable when she could rise into the air, higher and higher until she would bounce across that ceiling, a mere cloud of herself.

But sometimes she couldn't free herself, sometimes she had to endure.

What happened?

The sadism of a an out-of-control, petulant child that couldn’t stand anyone else having better toys, more wealth, or greater power or, in Kira's case, being more epic than her?

There came the subtle upward twitch on the corners of her mouth, as if attempting to reassure the man instead of the other way around. Odd.

What happened?

There came the bloom of a young face. Listless eyes. Dark hair. A broken mind. Oliver.

"Oliver." she'd finally say. "I tried to help him."

Ultimately, this story wasn't about darkness. It was about light. In this case, it solely revolved around Oliver and her failed attempt to save him. Her hands fell from her lips, knees rising to come up to her her chest so her arms could wrap around them.

"But I ran out of time."

Nememe made sure of that.