What Darkness Remembers

[Kay-Larr]

Spoiler

Kay's office hadn't changed since her return and ascension as Queen. The only differences were the added guards and the absence of her ornate green hilted lightsaber that used to sit on the coffee table like an honoured gift. Elsewhere in the newly renamed Royal Palace, one of the Great Halls was being reconstructed into a grand Throne Room with workers building around the clock to get it finished as soon as possible.

Upstairs in her bedchambers, Kay stood by the window in near darkness, watching some of the squads of soldiers as they patrolled the streets of Chasin City. There was no curfew...yet. And the Twin Canyon Mines were not ready to be reopened. But they would be soon.

She sipped her tea, savouring the warmth and flavour. Her love of it was something that she hadn't forgotten and it soothed her, calming her claustrophobia that stirred up every time she walked into a room. At least one door had to remain open at all times. Due to the torture she endured for months on end, a door opening usually signalled that terrible pain was coming. If it was up to her, then all of the doors would be removed, but such a thing was ill advised, due to concerns over her safety. Her changed path to Darkness brought with it many dangers and those that wanted to take her power and her crown away.

She wasn't about to let that happen anytime soon.

[member="Darth Lykos"]

 

[Xevek Nekonis]

As the current leader of the Sith Assassins, Darth Lykos saw it as his duty, although it was by no means required of him, to maintain a health number of individuals under his employ, whether willingly or by manipulation of the mind was unimportant, separate from his Assassins, individuals that would serve as his eyes and ears out within the greater Galaxy, constantly maintaining their facade of standard life while reporting to Lykos rumours and secrets that others would rather not full into the Assassin's purview. His Little Shadows, as he sometimes referred to them both out loud and within the privacy of his own mind. For, indeed, they were Shadows, beings that thrived within the Light when it failed to penetrate reality fully and comfortable in being immersed within the Darkness, indistinguishable.

It was due to this rigid adherence to his perceived duty that lead him to the current situation. Shirtless, exposing the multitude of scars of varying levels of depth that crossed tanned skin and black ink and the dull black cybernetic arm that served as a replacement for his lost left arm, Xavka Duquo - the Iridonian behind Darth Lykos - sat in quiet contemplation as his brunt orange gaze stared straight ahead, unseeing and uncaring. As peaceful and serene as the Zabrak seemed as he sat in sieza, his chest barely rising and falling with each breath, his mind did not reflect such an image. Indeed, within his mind, thought after thought dissecting and analysing everything that he had just seen, from overt body language to the very minute, from spoken words to those left unspoken. He had just watched Lady Kay, a woman known to the Assassin from his younger years, his more naive and overconfident time of being an Acolyte, stand before the people of Commenor and declare her speech, Darkness not so much seeping from the woman as... his mind cast around for the correct word even as he continued to analyse everything. Yes, flare from within, almost unnoticeable to all but those that understood the true Darkness of the Force and those that may have closely known the woman.

Within his hearts, the Zabrak could not deny that he was worried, worried for what this surge of Darkness meant for Kay. It was not that he was upset with her turning to the Darkness, for he knew that progress and power resided within it unlike the stagnation the Light encouraged, but because he knew that those without the proper guidance and understanding held no right to be called members of the Dark and that many of those that tried to shirk such a title through arrogance oft became nothing more than simple husks of uncontrolled anger; a state Xavka, who prided control of himself and others, detested.

Sighing as a course of action settled itself into his mind, pushing him forwards into action once more, Xavka arose from his kneeling position with a creek of bones and armoured leather trousers alike. Striding forwards towards the mouth of the cave he had been kneeling within, Xavka extinguished the candles around him with but a gesture of a hand and would begin to slowly fasten leather armour to his torso from where it lay at the lip of the cave. Looking up at the harsh sun of Iridonia and feeling the shifting sands of her deserts beneath his bared feet, hearing the howling wind in his ears and scenting it in equal measure, a low, raspy chuckle would come from the Assassin. A storm was brewing on Iridonia, just as it was within the Galaxy.

It was a day later that the Phasma Class Interceptor would land on Commenor, unseen and hidden beneath her Stygium Stealth Systems. And there it would sit empty and devoid of any life as the one that had piloted it had long since gone. Indeed, within the Palace, a cloaked form would glide forwards with a soundless grace, feet covered only by the barest strips of cloth making no sounds what so ever. Of course, for someone to even see such a sight would require the figure to be visible in the first place. As an Assassin first and foremost, stealth was the part of being a Sith that Darth Lykos had focused on the most, as such, as he moved through the Palace, not only did the Force cling to him like a cloak, rendering him both unseeable and unhearable, but it also did not reveal his Presence within it as it had been both disguised into a porcelain, blank mask by Quey'tek - a mask that emmited no intent and, as such, rendered his partially hidden from Precognition -, made to blend in with and match the background feeling of the Force through Force Stealth and reduced to nothing more than a pin prick if both of the prior abilities should fail through Art of the Small. As much as Lykos was a Sith, he considered himself in equal measure as a Shadow and was living up to his self belief with ease and grace.

Slipping through an open door after passing his way through a rather upscale office (upscale by his minimalistic standards of decor), the Iridonian was granted witness of the striking figure of Lady Kay stood by her widow, the light streaming into the darkened room highlighting her form perfectly. As he took a few more steps forwards, the room would be revealed to him as the pupil in his eye shifted from slitted to full rounded, granting him vision within the dark. Stopping a few meters behind the new ruler of Commenor, Lykos would let the Cloak fall from his form, rendering himself visible and audible once more. After all, he had come to talk, not kill.

A clearing of his throat would be what alerted the woman to his presence within her bedchambers and, when or if she would turn to look at him, she would be greeted with a tall and broad form cloaked in robes that seemed to meld with the shadows. Bowing slightly at the waists, the Iridonian would speak, his voice gravelly, deep and rough - a part of the reason why it was so gravelly being highlighted by the light streaming in as the deep scar that wrapped around his throat would be briefly illuminated. "My Lady Kay, it had been too long."


[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay felt [member="Darth Lykos"] as soon as he dropped his cloak and revealed himself in the Force. She used to hide her signature too, except among the small number of people that knew. However everyone was to know now soon enough. All the more to secure her position.

He was not her Master, that much she could feel, and the Darkness that flowed through him gave her no cause to worry yet. She sipped her tea, paying him no mind until he cleared his throat and spoke. At that she turned, raising a brow slightly as she searched her memories for the familiar voice. There was only one Zabrak that she knew. Xavka. He used to help her liberate slaves. And now he was here, visiting her at her home. Soon she'll find out why.

"Xavka Duquo...It has indeed been a while. Welcome to my Palace. I see that you had no troubles coming in. What brings you here?"

 

[Xevek Nekonis]

"Darth Lykos." His chosen name would hang heavily within the air between the two figures for but a moment before he would go on to elaborate. "Please do address me as Lykos at the very least. Xavka is dead to the Galaxy and I would prefer for as little amount of people to actually know that that name continued to live past the slave rebellion of the Hutt Lugek. I hope you understand?" The more that Lykos spoke, the more evident it would surely become to Kay that this was not the same Zabrak she had known previously, his mannerisms no longer a light hearted as they once were, his tone of voice flat and stoic, devoid of all but the smallest hint of emotion and accompanied by an almost subconscious growl that would rumble out from the very back of his throat.

Falling silent for a short stretch, Lykos would slowly cast his gaze around the room, taking note of even the smallest of details, means of escape and places to hide. Such behaviour had become ingrained within his nature after so long of living within the Shadows, delving deeper into the Darkness. Of course, he would never make it know that that was exactly what he was doing and, as such, his voice would rumble into the quiet once more. "I must say that this is, by far, a much comfortable location for use to meet within again, compared to the last local. And it is very much a pleasure to set my gaze upon you once more, my Lady." For the briefest of moments, a hint of emotion, a teasing quality, would enter his voice as a small smirk would be barely visible beneath the shadows cast by the hood of his robes. "You beauty has only grown, a true example of an Amina-nul." While the compliment would be lost on Kay, for knowledge of Ul'Zabrak and the ancient Zabrak Pantheon was not well known, Lykos knew exactly what he had said. Amina was the Matriarch of all Zabrak, the Creator and Mother of all other Deities. Nul simply translated to daughter. While the direct translation was Amina Daughter, to translate it properly was to say Daughter of Amina; a compliment within the Nomad Clans of Iridonia.

Falling serious again, all emotion draining from his voice once more, Lykos would speak again. "Before we broach the topic as to my appearance here, might we retire to more comfortable setting? Maybe something with a place to sit and some refreshments?" Though it was slight, if Kay was looking close enough, she would see the slight twitch at the corner of his mouth through the dim shadows.


[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay raised a brow ever so slightly as she was corrected, but she bowed her head. It wasn't as though she lost her manners through her transition. "My apologies, Darth Lykos. It seems that we have both gained new titles. I'm not sure of whether or not you've heard, but I am the Queen now."

She sipped her tea while he fell silent, studying him and what features she could see that wasn't hidden by shadows. She didn't attempt to use the Force to pry into his mind, to discover what brought him here to her now. No, that answer would come without her having to go to the effort. It was a special talent of hers, the gift of Influence.

[member="Darth Lykos"] ' compliments was not lost on her. In her own eyes, she was still too skinny after months of near starvation, but now she was unrestricted with her food intake, though it hardly meant that she was going to eat non-stop. It was just nice to know that food was there whenever she wanted it. The yellow speckles in her eyes however was something that she wasn't used to. Maybe over time she will be. Amina-nul? Kay had no idea what that had meant, and he probably knew that. She couldn't even be sure of what language it was. "Thank you. You do flatter me with your silver tongue." It probably meant that he wanted something from her. Over the years she was used to that. It came with being in politics.

At his suggestion of a place to sit, Kay moved from the window, cupping her tea in her hand from the bottom. "Yes, of course, this way. My office is just down the stair. I can have some Commenori Brandy and tea brought up, as well as some light snacks." She led him through the door to the spiral staircase, not looking back to see if he was following. One of the guards patched through her food and drink requests, having overheard. As she sat in one of the chairs by the fireplace, she crossed her ankles and tucked them under the chair. The door to her office was open, though guards were standing on either side of the door. "You seem to have done well for yourself and grown just as I have. What do I owe the honour of this visit?"

 

[Xevek Nekonis]

Bowing his head in agreement, Lykos slipped into step behind Kay as she lead the way down to her office, his Presence disappearing within the Force once more, even if he now remained completely visible. However, even though the Cloak was now gone, even though he was no longer manipulating the light and sound waves bouncing off of or being emitted by his form, he made no sound as his feet would move silently across the flooring. This was why he was the leader of the Sith Assassins, becasue he had trained himself as much as he could for as long as he could to come as close to perfection in the field of stealth that was not reliant on the Force.

Following Kay's lead, Xavka would seat himself opposite her next to the fireplace, a groan of pain falling from his lips for a brief moment as he felt a wound along his back be pulled from the action. Of course, he could of subdued said moan, but had chosen to instead let it be heard, if only to have him begin to be underestimated even subconsciously. Leaning back in the seat, the Iridonian's legs were kept perfectly still, his knees bent just enough that the position looked natural while still allowing him to exit out of said seat as fast as he would be able to do so. However, to offset and obscure the tenseness he felt, he allowed his upper body to visibly relax, steepling his hands across his chest. In doing so, the left sleeve of his robes would fall back slightly, letting Kay catch her first glimpse of his dull black cybernetic arm.

Even as he was addressed, Lykos kept his silence while their refreshments were set on the table in between them. Nodding to the man that had brought them, and keeping an eye him as he left the room, Lykos would speak as he leant forwards over the tea set, ignoring the bottle of Brandy for while he was never opposed to a good drink, he chose to only partake in privacy so as to prevent dulling his focus when he would need it. "The so called honour of my visit is rather simple in manner. Nothing too complicated I assure you. And, to your prior words upstairs, yes I have seen that you have taken the monarchy. Congratulations." His cloaked head would raise from the tea set to bow slightly in her direction before returning to focusing on the movement of his hands. "I am here for nothing more than a chance to talk with you once more, my Lady. Of course, as to what it is we will be talking of, that is much more ... delicate, shall we say." He would finish his words with a gruff chuckle.

While he had been speaking, his hands had been moving with a grace and ease that was not hinted towards in his rather large figure as he set about preparing his own cup of tea. Forgoing the sugar entirely as, even for a Zabrak, Lykos possessed a rather delicate digestive system and sugar was one of the more surer ways to make him dreadfully ill (not that he let anyone know that), he soon had a rather simply cup prepared before him, created using the ritualistic movements of his people. Raising his head, still leaning forwards, Lykos would reach up with both hands and pull back the cowl of his robes before leaning back with the cup and saucer in hand, bringing it to his nose for a rather discrete sniff so as to detect any poisons that may have been contained within through his enhanced senses before taking a small sip.

He held his silence now, returning to stare directly at the human opposite, as he waited for Kay to speak first, especially considering the reveal of his face. While he held no shame over the marks of combat he knew that some could be overwhelmed by them. When Kay had seen him last he had still possessed a face that he considered handsome, however, that face was long in the past. A new multitude of scars crawled their way across his skin, skin which had darkened slightly and was contrasted by the ashen-grey hair that was pulled back into a series of dreadlocks and woven around pointed orat horns. However, they were not the biggest changes. The entire right side of his face was malformed and uneven from where that length of bone had been shattered, to the point of dust in some isolated cases, before being placed back together in a rather rushed and uncaring job, for while the bone had healed fully, it had not healed smoothly. Worse off was his right eye, or, rather, what had once been his right eye. Instead, only one burnt orange coloured iris with a slitted pupil stared at Kay, the right ocular socket empty apart from a layer of rough skin that prevented it from being a hole without a bottom. It was partially covered by the eyelid that was still there, but that did nothing to obscure the shadow filled socket, nor the fact that the right side of it was just as deformed as the right side of his face, as the bone surrounding the socked on that side had been pushed inwards.

A small smirk would pull at his lips as he awaited Kay's words, slowly taking sips of his tea.


[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay didn't give the servant any attention as he brought up the tray and set it down, her thoughts dwelling on the appearance of her guest in some pain, also noting a glint of metal in the low light. She waited for [member="Darth Lykos"] to prepare his own tea before she topped her own cup up. She was always one to just have her tea black. Of course there wasn't any poisons or additives of the sort that would cause anyone harm, unless they were allergic to Sapir leaves.

He was a mystery, that was for sure and certain. She sipped her tea and then couldn't help but stare as Lykos removed his hood and let her see his face. She looked not in disgust, but with her brows furrowed in curiosity. "Who did that to you? What happened?" Kay wondered if she had looked as terrible or worse after some of her torture sessions. One of her hands went above her chest where Sith runes were carved with a poisoned dagger deep into her skin. They had all but faded by now, as well as many of her other injuries sustained during her confinement. Was he turned in the same manner as she was? No. He was dark even before she met him. This was something else.

 

[Xevek Nekonis]

If Kay were to be looking at him close enough, examining him close enough, she might be able to notice the slight quirk of the skin where Lykos' eyebrows should have been. Many who had had the chance to gaze upon his true face, not one covered by shadows or a hood or even an illusion, rarely acted outside of shock, disgust or horror and, if he was to be honest with himself, it was a reaction that the Zabrak had come to expect from many people; barring the specific few whom he had interacted with in a close situation numerous times, allowing him glimpses into who they were at their core. However, as Kay herself was now showing, it was more than possible for him to misjudge people - even if the perfectionist buried within his mind recoiled and growled at such an open acknowledgement of a flaw - and, when he did misjudge the reactions of people, they were more often that not people who were worth the effort it would require on his part to keep his eye upon them.

Recovering from his brief pause of surprise, Lykos would once more chuckle in dry humour - his sense of humour was always dissimilar to others - at Kay's words, raising his cup in a slight toast to her, acknowledgement of the fact that she had surprised him, before once taking a quick sip once more and leaning forwards to place the saucer back on the table before him. The movement itself was calculated to hide the slight flare of power within his eyes and gesture of his hand as his presence would settle over the minds of those that were nearby, guards or otherwise, the time it took for chemical signals to pass along synapses lengthening as the effects of Force Slow would descend upon them. The reason for his actions were, truthfully, actually twofold. First, to ensure the pair would not be disturbed during their conversation. Second, to test Kay's awareness within the Force.

Straightening up, his one eye fixing itself to Kay once more, he would speak to answer her questions. "Who did this is a hard question to answer, unless you would accept the answer of myself. I'm afraid that this is a reminder of the folly that is allowing arrogance to cloud one's mind . As for what? I'm afraid that I must reveal that one cannot fall from the sky onto the edge of a building, near unconscious, and not garner some sort of wound. Even if you might be ensuring a degree of protection through the Force." His final two sentences would be tinged with an infliction of dark amusement and slightly sarcasm as the edge of his lips would quirk upwards slightly.

[member="Lady Kay"]

Note: Sorry for the delay and for the, by my standards, short post. I just thought that it might be best to get at least something up.

 

[Kay-Larr]

His movements were odd, calculated in a way. [member="Darth Lykos"] studied her and that did not go unnoticed while she sipped her tea. Just what exactly was he looking for? Her reaction to his features' distortions was obviously not what he was expecting. Yet she wouldn't be entirely surprised if he had a guess that she would behave in such a way. He was her guest and that demanded respect.

And he was a Darksider. She felt it as he accessed it, yet it wasn't in her direction. It flowed elsewhere. Kay looked up in that direction, though having never come across Force Slow before, she couldn't recognize it. Neither of the guards seemed to be in distress, so she just let it slide while she turned her attention back to him.

Kay sipped her tea while he answered her questions. She imagined the fall, from a ship maybe? And the building seeming to come at him before he struck it hard. The fall must have been from a great height. She smirked at his sarcasm. "A lesson well learned, I'm sure. Through the hard way. Sometimes, that's the only way to learn..." Her eyes grew distant as she thought back on the hard lessons that she had to learn. There was no mercy given. But how else do you rid someone of their weaknesses?

She shook her head a bit, pushing those memories back as she once more focused on her guest. "You said earlier that we were going to speak of delicate matters. What delicate matters will they be?"

 

[Xevek Nekonis]

The rather dismissive manner in which the small burst of Darkness that he had accessed did present a rather intriguing evaluation of the Queen of Commenor, one that Lykos made sure to note and acknowledge, filing it away within his mind for the purposes of drawing upon that information at a later date should the need for it arise. For, after all, even if it did not seem like Kay had understood what he had done, the fact that she was so quick to ignore it and return to treating him with hospitality and not guarded wariness upon seeing no obvious effects from his small flex of power was something he could very well end up taking advantage of further on.

Pushing aside his musing as he finished speaking and Kay took upon herself the task of filling the silence, the Zabrak continued to sip at his tea, luxuriating at the taste, while taking in an analysis everything the high-born lady was saying. Such was his nature, after all, as an Assassin and someone who considered himself to be a part of the shadows. Information, no matter how mundane it may seem to the average citizen, was his trade. Her words on hard lessons being the only way did spark and understanding within him as what might have lead to her embrace with the Darkness, after all, someone could only acknowledge that harsh lessons were needed to ensure that the rot of weaknesses was purged from someone beyond a purely theoretical level so long as they, themselves, experienced those very same harsh lessons that they were thinking of.

Refocusing his mind away from this revaluation, Lykos allowed for a long pause to fill the space between the two Darksiders after Kay's question. It was not so much to build tension, as much as the dramatic tendencies that he harboured sometimes tried to convince him otherwise, but a silence within he was gathering his thoughts, aligning information and judging as to how much he should and how much he shouldn't reveal.

Sighing, the Sith Lord would set his cup of tea atop of the table between the pair once more before speaking. "I did indeed say that I wished to speak on delicate matters. As to what these matters pertain to. Well, I would assume that so much would be readily obvious considering the timing and situation within which our little reunion is occurring within. Your recent embrace with the Dark." Pausing again, Lykos leaned back further within his chair, hands clasped against his chest even as one of his biological fingers would slowly tap against the back of his cybernetic hand, the rhythmic beat of claw against metal ringing out into the quiet room.

"In the time in which we have had no contact with each other, I have grown, both within the Force and outside of the ethereal. Whereas I was once a young man - arrogant, overeager and not in possession of a greater understanding of the new life in which I was living - now I would like to say that I am much more calmer, much more refined. Very much a shadow, for that is where I now operate. Unseen 'till too late should I so wish it. A silent blade in the night." While it may have seemed like Lykos was willingly pealing back the masks that he wore to disguise his intentions, that was very much not the case. Instead, this open and seemingly relaxed persona that he was presenting was just that, a persona, yet another mask crafted to be worn within a social situation. "I had held the hope that it may be possible to discuss a relationship between our stations, myself a Shadow and yourself a Lady, that would very much serve to benefit the both of us."


[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay didn't say anything when [member="Darth Lykos"] spoke of her rebirth into Darkness. He wasn't the first to come to her since she returned to Commenor after her captivity and claimed the throne as Queen. Nor would he be the last. She had an odd gift of drawing people to her, rallying them to her cause like she did when the two of them were rescuing slaves. It was why she was so good at politics.

She sipped her tea, watching him as he drummed his fingers on the back of his other hand. Many thoughts ran through her mind in the silence. Did someone send him to check on her? To see where her allegiance was? Or to give her a warning?

But then Lykos spoke again, this time catching her up a little bit more on what he had been up to since their last parting. He seemed to have gone through quite a journey to get to where he was now.

Kay raised a brow as he brought up the subject of a relationship between their positions in the social ladder. It was not uncommon. She knew that becoming a leader involved others wanting to use her to heighten their own status. Lykos was continuing to be cryptic, however. Perhaps he knew of her fondness for mysteries and puzzles. Or this was just his way. Either way, she was quite curious as to what exactly he meant. "Are you...asking me for a job?" He got into her Palace without any issues, so he would do well for a bodyguard or assassin. But maybe he wanted to train her a bit as well. "I could use someone nearby that I could trust."

 

[Xevek Nekonis]

A low hum would transition into a closed-mouth chuckle which would turn into a full on chuckle with his head tipped back slightly. However, that sound of mirth did not last long nor was it entirely truthful. In fact, humour, outside of what he would admit to be rather dry wit and sarcasm, was not something that Lykos felt and the brief show of it was but a facet of the current mask, the current false personality, that he was wearing for this meeting. The reasoning behind this chosen action was actually rather simple: to see if she chose to do something when his eye wasn't upon her; to judge her current character when it came to the time where she would be presented with a hint of an alliance of some manner. And, with his honed senses born from his time hunting within sandstorm ravaged lands he could keep track of Kay without his gaze being upon her, so he was certain that should she chose to act, it would not catch him unawares.

As he returned his attention to Kay, a fake spark of amusement in his eye, Lykos would absentmindedly scratch at his neck slightly in thought, unknowingly tracing the thick rope of scar tissue that wrapped itself around the width of his throat, a scar that would have been revealed fully to Kay when he had tipped his head back (not that he consciously knew that, after all, that scar had been gained long in the past and was one that he no longer really paid attention to.

"My apologies. It is just that I have not had someone as me that for a long time now; since I truly embraced the Shadows, to tell the truth. For some reason, that fact hold amusement to me." Chuckling a fake and faint chuckle again, Lykos would lean forwards in his seat ever so slightly. "But, then, I do suppose that such a question is close to the truth. So, for the sake of simplicity, yes, I am asking you for a job. For the sake of detail, however, I am extended a hand towards you so as to forge an alignment of purpose. Of mutual obvious manipulation and capitalisation of the other. You gain an agent of the Shadows that would be willing to aid you. As an assassin, as a spy, as a bodyguard or more. For a price of course. And I? I gain a contact that is a part of a Monarchy."

As he had spoken, his left hand would gesture loosely, the wrist whiring slightly as the cybernetic limb would twist, serving to add emphasis to his words while, also, drawing attention away from his right hand. That had would slip into one of the folds of his robes and emerge with a single, thin needle concealed against his palm.

"So, what say you on that, my dear Kay? Or do you wish to ... ensure that a further discussion on exacting details occurs?" Like with his prior action of removing his gaze from the new monarch, this question to was an evaluation.


[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay raised a brow slightly as [member="Darth Lykos"] began to chuckle. She smiled a little, though hers showed how unsure she was with him. Was he making fun of her? They clearly didn't think in the same way and she had plenty on her mind already. She made no move to attack him or to search him mind. Instead she just sipped her tea.

The scar tissue around his neck didn't go unnoticed while she watched him closely. How did he get it? Certainly not in that fall. Maybe he was hanged, or had his throat cut. Or maybe he went through some of the same stuff that she did, only she was able to heal her wounds and remove her scars with some help.

Then Lykos answered her. Apparently her question was indeed funny to him. The last time that they had crossed paths, she hired him, so it only seemed natural for her to ask again, especially as he spoke of a kind of relationship between them and their social standings. Another brow was raised while he continued to be cryptic, revealing only parts of his answers and making her try to guess the rest. It was almost as though he was a politician himself, but he was much more than that.

"For a price? What exactly is it that you want from me? And why would my being a Monarch matter?" Deals. Kay knew all about them. Details were very, very important and she knew that this particular agreement wasn't one that she could take very lightly. Lykos had a plan in mind and she wasn't so sure if it was in her best interest, or in Commenor's. Some have already tried to get her to agree to a deal that would make them economically dependant on just one coalition. That would make them too vulnerable, too easy to control. No. She wanted to have control over what happened to Commenor herself.

She had to lighten the mood for herself, in a bid to shake off the sense of foreboding. "You're not trying to propose to me, are you?" Kay smiled and then laughed a little. Though it hadn't happened yet, it would only be a matter of time before a string of suitors showed up wanting to marry into the Monarchy.

 

[Xevek Nekonis]

Humming within the privacy of his own mind as Kay's barrage of questions drew to a close, Lykos ran through what he had determined from his 'tests'. First, she was not the sort to strike at a potential foe, at the least, when their gaze was removed. He only hoped that such a philosophy was carried away from just one on one and also applied to alliances made, that should the other turn their gaze away from her and their deal then she would not seek to take advantage of that- outside of what would be expected of a Sith, of course. The second thing revealed was that Kay was also not the type to accept lose deals, even when they sounded like they were in her favour as he had so carefully worded his cryptic words to hint towards.

His thoughts on his evaluation drawing to a close and going to answer her, Lykos was brought up short as her final question was asked. For a moment, he was silent, his face a perfectly crafted emotionless facade, before he broke his own silence with a sharp and rough bark of laughter. Unlike his earlier chuckles, this laugh, short as it was, sounded much more realistic and, in that moment, Lykos wasn't too sure as to whether or not it was a true laugh, one straight from his core, his true, personality.

Leaning forwards with a small smirk on his lips, Lykos kept his voice slightly low. However, despite the air of control he tried to portray, the sudden question had shaken him just enough to lead to him talking a bit too much about the subject and, yet, not really addressing it either; his awkwardness in such mattered showing within his vocal patterns.

"My dear, if I were trying to propose to you, then you would now. I would not be so subtle in my proposition on a matter such as that. As beautiful as you may be, my dear, I do follow the customs of my Clan when it comes to taking a Mate. You see, every male Zabrak a encoded aspect of a pheromone-scent that they will react to. When they react, their bodies begin producing pheromones also and a rush of sexual design will run through them. As they take in more of the pheromones of the female that they are reacting to, the more.. enticed they become. In a bond between Zabrak, female's release more pheromones upon scented a male's, leading to a feedback cycle that quickly devolves into, well, rutting. In a bond between a male Zabrak and a non-Zabrak, the effect is slower to peak, but it is there. As is custom in my Clan, you will find that I will only seek to bed those that I react to, that I am biologically compatible with. A Mate Bond, which would require the bonded pair to be exposed to the other for a long period of time, is the only form of matrinomy I will accept. So, yes, if I were pursuing marriage, I would be by no means subtle in my advances."

Clearing his throat slightly, regaining control of himself - even if doing so was not reflected on the calm expression he portrayed, Lykos continued to speak. "But, to return to business. What is it that I want from you?" He would fall silent for a moment, simply staring, organising his thoughts, before continuing. "Power is the thing that all life, should it be aware enough, seek. What desire their conscious minds assign to this drive is irrelevant, Power is sought to find freedom within this life; just as the Code states. There is one true Reality, one Truth, yet none can see it. We are misguided, our perceptions altered, by the False Truths pressed upon us by those with more Power. So, we seek to advance past these False Truths, to move ever closer to the Truth and the illusive goal of Perfection, by gaining power and shrugging of the chains of illusion set upon out shoulders by those above us. It is a natural evolution of character."

Leaning back in his chair, Lykos paused for breath and to ponder the wisdom within his decision to reveal that much of his world-view, but, in the end, shrugged it off as he had the impression that he would have to inject true belief and passion into his words to entice Kay and should this reveal be enough, then he would not be revealing any detrimental to his plans. "One thing that many fail to grasp is that Power is not brute strength, not the number of bodies you leave in your wake. Power comes in many forms. There is the Power of Anonymity, that which I wield. That which allows me to escape the notice of those that would wish to chain my perception, to pass and strike within impunity, manipulating the False Truths of others. There is Political Power and Emotional Power, that which your position of Monarch give you. I seek to marry our Powers," a small smirk would tug at the corner of his lips at his hint towards Kay's last question, "to align them so that we might strive closer to the Truth. Alone, it would be possible. But, I have access to a Power you do not and visa verse. That is what I seek."


[member="Lady Kay"]

Spoiler

OOC Note: The post was so long I decided to split it in two at a point where it makes sense to do so. So, yeah, he's not fully done explaining the details of what he's seeking. Just pausing to see how Kay responds to what he's said so far.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay smiled as her latter question had caught him off guard and did as it was supposed to. It lightened the mood of the room. She listened to his explanation of Zabrak biology and nodded. She wasn't quick to bed anyone either. It had been nearly fifteen years since her husband had died, but still she had remained loyal to him, turning down the advances of those that had a new girl for every day of the week. She held herself and her heart in higher regard than that.

Then [member="Darth Lykos"] got back to her real question. What did he want from her? She gave him her full attention while he answered, the previous topic no longer in her mind. What he had first spoke of made sense. Her Master had wished to mould her in one way, almost like a loyal bodyguard. But as soon as she gained her freedom, was brought home and took the crown, her path took a different turn. Commenor was a different world than most expect. She knew how to make it succeed without destroying it. She was playing a chess game with the Galaxy's superpowers, but was the sort of piece that was rarely used and at times forgotten. It gave her the freedom to do more of what she wanted, rather than what she was told.

She smirked as he continued on and chose the word 'marry' instead of 'ally', but she continued to hear him out. Through all that he had said, he still did not answer her question. "It's nice to see that you still have a sense of humour. I hope you never lose it."

Kay set down her tea and clasped her hands togther on her lap, interlocking her fingers. "An alliance between us would work very well. But earlier you spoke of a price that would need to be paid for this. What would that be?" Sometimes if things were too good to be true, they usually were. And she had every right to be suspicious of everyone's motives.

 

[Xevek Nekonis]

Chuckling softly, though there was nothing humourous in Kay's words, it being a false chuckle for the sake of filling the quiet while his mind span what he would need to say into understandable sentences, Lykos copied Kay's pose, his clasping in his lap. A seemingly useless action considering that Kay had addressed a rather pointed question and he had no need to think over what his answer should be.

The reason for that action, though, was simple and complicated in equal measure, really. Lykos knew that he was intelligent, knew it just as much as he knew he was no genius. However, his mind was more aligned with matters of battle and forging than anything else, even if he did possess some not inconsiderable amount understanding of other subjects. However, one flaw of his would always be in speaking. Within his own mind, his thoughts were often chaotic and random, ideas bouncing off of each other randomly, birthing and killing each other in equal amounts, as such, his note-taking and natural speech patterns reflected that. It was easy for him to fall into a rant with trains of thoughts cutting off halfway to make way for new ones, never discussing the core reason that would have lead to him speaking even if, mentally, he had addressed it already. As such, when it did come to where he would depend upon his oratory skills, pausing and distactors oft accompanied his words.

"If you will permit, allow me to tell the story of a title. 'The Wolf That Guards'. It is a title known only recently by the Nomadic Clans of Iridonia. One of the Clans were slain, butchered to the last child, by another Clan. While these actions have occurred in the past, they occurred under the banner of a Blood Feud, wherein such actions are allowed as the Feud ends with the decimation of one Clan or their surrender; after all, on Iridonia, there is but one rule: The strong survive while the weak are culled from the masses. The Wolf, though, earned his name soon after learning of his Clans fate. He returned to the Sands and stood before the Matriarch Council, the collection of Matriarchs and Elders of the Nomad Clans, formed to relegate Blood Feuds and matters of strife between the Nomads.

"There, before the ruling females and their advisers, he claimed the position of Patriarch of his Clan. Us Iridonians, we are matriarchal by nature and, as such, it is rare for their to be a Patriarch. In the past, that position has only been held when a Matriarch died with no successor and their Mate held control of the Clan 'till a new Matriarch was found. However, with him being the last son of his Clan, The Wolf claimed the title before spilling his own blood upon proof of the traitorous Clan's actions, declaring a Blood Feud. He soon vanished from before the Council and, by the next day's dawn, blood had been spilt in equal amounts, near for every body of The Wolf's Clan that had been left to rot, a body of the traitorous Clan was left beneath the sun; only the babes and children spared.

"These actions gave The Wolf his name as it derives from two titles. 'The Wolf That Guards His Blood's Honour'. For he, a lone Zabrak, lay waste to an entire Clan to avenge his Kin's honour, so that they may rest easy within Nath's embrace. And, 'The Wolf That Guards His Vengeance'. For he had known of his Clan's deaths before he stood before the Council, yet had bide his time, waiting 'till the time was right to strike." At this point, Lykos had shifted to lean forwards, his elbows on his knees and eye boring into Kay's gaze. "If you have not guessed, a title of mine is 'The Wolf That Guards'." A truly feral smirk would blossom across his features for but a moment before his face relaxed back into its neutral mask and he leant back into his seat.

"Why do I tell you this? To show you what I will provide within this alliance, so that you might understand why I ask for the price. I would serve as someone on your call, to a limit, as an assassin, guard or however else you may have use of me. I would also re-earn my title should your honour be impugned whilst this alliance stands or should you end your time on this mortal coil. All that I would ask in return is support from yourself. Nothing obvious, I assure. But, support none the less. The freedom to move across Commenor. The freedom on animosity whilst on this land, no records of myself to be kept by yourself so that none would learn of me. An exchange of knowledge between ourselves, me teaching and you doing so also in return. That is what I would ask to be the price. Please know, though, that I will not ask for monetary support. I will not ask for freedom to do what I wish to your people; after all, in the end, I do so despise useless acts of violence. I will not ask for you to betray your people for myself. Nor will I ask that any army be raised in my name by you should there even be a need for it. In the end, I ask my demands to you, Kay, to the Ruler of Commenor and not to Commenor or its people."


[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay raised a brow as [member="Darth Lykos"] copied her position. Was he mocking her? Or was it some form of friendly affection? It could be subconcious as well. Either way, she listened to his story about the Wolf that Guards. Family/blood feuds were non-existant on Commenor. It was an interesting tale. Honour was important to Lykos and it was important to her too. Her late husband was the same way. Honour and loyalty. She wanted to surround herself with both.

His talk of a Patriarch and Matriarch societies made her wonder about her own position on Commenor. She was it's Queen yes, but she wasn't married, had no suitor, nor was she able to produce an heir if she had one. And it wasn't as though she was getting any younger either. What would happen to Commenor if she were to be killed? That was a situation that she needed to resolve. Right now there was no one that she could trust, not even her own Master. She had no confidants, no friends. Her only visitors were ones that wanted to make deals or to scold her for her Rebirth. At times it felt as though she was merely a ghost wandering the Palace with unfinished business that prevented her from leaving.

Then Lykos laid it out, his terms to act in the way of his story on Commenor and against the Commenori if need be. But from the way it sounded, he proposed attacking them to be a last resort and wanted to escape punishment for doing so. Teaching, sharing knowledge, all of that was enticing.

After a moment, she bowed her head. "The price you ask for is one that I am willing to pay. I accept your offer and hope that it's fruitful for the both of us."

 

[Xevek Nekonis]

In a mirror to Kay once more, Lykos would bow his head, a smirk of satisfaction crossing his lips for the briefest of moments only for it to be gone as his head would rise so that he could affix his gaze to Kay's once more. As much as an sentiment of trust did exist towards Kay from past experiences, Lykos did not have friends nor did he wish to find them. As such, his victory in achieving this alliance was one that was very satisfactory. Still, even if he did feel said satisfaction, he would not chose to show it. Mask upon mask hid his true emotions, feelings and thoughts and none had ever dug past them all and that was the way it was always going to be so long as he existed as he did, so long as no force sought to change him.

"I thank you, my lady. And, I do also hope that this alliance bears advantageous to the both of us."

While he had spoke, his eye hadn't flickered from staring into Kay's own once. Something that he had always found interested was that someone was to state into some else's eyes, then that some else would often be reluctant to break such contact, pulling their focus away from subtle movements and actions just outside of their proper frame of view. Like for example, movement of a wrist or hand.

With but a twitch, an action born from hours of practice, the needle that he had previously palmed would pierce through the air before sinking into the flesh of Kay's neck. Through practice alone, the main artery there would be missed but the needle would have entered in such a way that the poison coating it would rapidly take effect.

"Please do forgive me but such an action is currently necessary." The words would be sighed out as Lykos levered himself out of his seat to stare down at the paralyzed form of the ruler of Commenor. "What you are being subjected to is a poison extracted from one of the more nasty plants on Iridonia. The toxins work by rapidly paralyzing the body, as you are already aware, before spreading throughout the body's systems, shutting them down one by one. Luckily for you, I have worked to minimse the effects of this particular poison when coating it upon a number of my throwing needles. All you will be subjected to it but five minuets of unconsciousness."

By now, Lykos was crouching next to Kay, his biological hand pressed against the side of Kay's next without the needle while his cybernetic hand would come up to remove the needle. Bringing the needle up to his lips, he would run his tongue along the metal, taking in the mixture of blood and poison before running his tongue along the inside of his teeth and spitting into his empty cup.

"Pardon. Make that ten. It seems I overestimated how weakened it was."

At this point, Lykos knew that Kay would have gone beyond not being able to move and passed into feeling like her head was being pressed between a vice, her vision would be going hazy and sound would be like it was coming from a long distance away. After all, he had subjected himself to the very same poison numerous times so as to build up some sort of resistance to it.

"Now, relax, my dear. And when you wake, do not panic. That is truly the best advice I can give."


[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Again [member="Darth Lykos"] copied her. It was almost as though he was playing some kind of game. Thraxis would have done that, the Jackal that had tormented her for a long time and was now her own prisoner to torment. She held onto Lykos' gaze while he spoke, smiling a little at his words.

Then she felt it. No sooner had the prick of the needle come, then her eyes were directed to his held out hand that had flung the poisonous barb. Her hands went up to try to pull it out, but they only got halfway there before the poison took effect. Kay could only glare at Lykos as he spoke to her. Iridonia? She had an alliance with them. Why would they try to kill her??

He just wanted to knock her out? For what? It was getting more and more difficult for her to focus on his words. She tried to fight the effects, tried to will it to stop, but those attempts were fruitless.

Kay felt herself slipping away then, being lost in a fog. Her head ached as she still tried so desperately to move, to break free. Relax?? Don't panic??? Did Lykos have any idea of what he was saying? Oh but her head hurt. She wanted to yell at him, hit him, all of the above. Honourable? Ha! He attacked her for no reason, lured her with a fake alliance and....and....

Like a warm cloud rolling over her, Kay's mind finally went to sleep.

 

[Xevek Nekonis]

As Kay's head rolled forwards, a rattling sigh would fall from Lykos' lips as he pushed himself up from his crouch. Running his biological hand along the unconscious Monarch's hair in a subconscious, caring action as he did so, an action that hearkened back to his life before Sith and Slavery, to a life wherein he had cared for a pair of younger cousins that had ended up accidentally poisoning themselves while preparing for their turn at Res'selenoren. Taking the moment to act, Lykos set about first tidying up the tea set that still lay upon the table before him, careful movements clearing everything away as he allowed the meaningless movements to drive his mind away into thought as he began to go over his already formulated plan.

Setting the last of the set down, Lykos turned to stride over to the guards that stood outside of the doors, their bodies still frozen in place from the effect of his Force Slow that still entrapped their minds within a single second. Placing the palm of his hand against the forehead of the first guard, Lykos set about planting and nurturing an illusion within the guard's mind, allowing the seed to growing and encompass the man's mind before leaning bending forwards to whisper words tinged with power to him. "The Queen is in a meeting imperative to a future alliance that would benefit her. Due to the secrecy of this meeting, the doors are not to open for any reason or anybody unless the Queen herself orders otherwise. Any sounds heard within are to be ignored unless those sounds are the voice of the Queen."

Drawing away from the first guard, Lykos set about preforming the same feat on the second before reentering Kay's study, closing and locking the doors behind him as he allowed to Force Slow to evaporate from the guards' minds. It would not do for someone to come along and discover Kay missing and the guards that were meant to be protecting her locked in place. Striding over to Kay, taking note that only two minuets had passed, Lykos would place his hands upon her shoulders before, with a tearing within the Force, the chair that Kay had sat in would be empty as would be the place where Lykos had been standing. The only sign of their presence was the neatly put away tea set and indentations within the seat cushions.

Six standard minuets later, leaving only two until she would awake, would find Kay's unresponsive body resting upon a rather simple bed, not one of luxury like in her rooms but more one that would belong to someone who enjoyed the more simplistic pursuits of life. The room in which the bed was in was cave-like, rough stone walls curving up into a roof, with the only lighting being from embedded lights along the walls. Along one wall was a transparent cabinet that held an array of small weapons, a good fraction of them throwing needles like the one that Lykos had chosen to use of Kay. However, at the base of the cabinet, was a finely crafted, curved metal sword. The cabinet itself was locked by a biometric system, however, the small shrine-like structure next to it held no such lock. Atop the shrine was a long, doubled bladed sword with ancinet Zabrak runes carved into the metal, a traditional Zhaboka. Bellow that were the folded robes that Lykos had been wearing upon meeting Kay and, bellow that, was a set of thick leather plate armour that was designed to be worn on the torso. Outside of the bed, cabinet, shrine-like structure and a desk covered in flimsiplast with line of Ul'Zabrak scrawled on them with an empty shelf next to it, the room was empty.

As for Lykos himself, having situated Kay upon his bed and removed his weapons, robes and leather armour, he stood naked from the waist up in a large room a short distance from the cave-like bedroom. The majority of the room looked to be like a cave also, rough walls leading to relatively high roof, but one side of the room had no wall, exposing it to the deserts, heat and sunlight of Iridonia, bathing the room in light and covering the floor in sand.

With a gesture of his hand, a click would ring out as the small machine off to the side would light up, activated through his use of the Force. Letting his eye slide closed and bringing the polished wooden violin up to his shoulder, settling it in place and raising the bow to rest against the strings, Lykos would let the beginning notes ring out, loosing his thoughts into the Force before running the bow along the violin, the sound of the violin adding to the piano, causing a rather haunting melody to ring out into the room and echo along walls until it would reach the room in which Kay lay.

Before loosing himself to the dips and dives of the song, before letting his mind meld with the strings of music, Lykos had one last thought. 'Now, I wait. Your move, my dear.'


[member="Lady Kay"]

Spoiler

The music that Lykos is playing can be found here (starts at 1:08). Full credit goes to the amazing Taylor Davis for this song.