All I really want to do is just rp. It's the most de-stressing
activity I have. It gets me out of my own convoluted emotionally
fucked up screwed up head where I'm very aware that I once had a
genius IQ and a rock solid memory and real potential to be someone but am now defined by a mental illness that makes me “that crazy woman” no
one can rely on. It helps me fend off paranoid thoughts, hopeless
thoughts, irrational fears, unbearable memories. It's my greatest
coping mechanism, gives vent to what creativity hasn't been burned
out of me by years of medications and other soul-crushing experiences
that, quite frankly, are none of your damn business, so, no, I won't
go into detail about them here.
It's an escape. It's fantasy. It's better than a movie or even a
good book. It's a game of pretend and make believe. It's a safe place to be.
Now, imagine that I'm in this safe space, relaxed, guard down, and
it's invaded with ooc whispers/messages about how Person A is pissed
with me or Person B is mad at Person C or how someone thinks I'm a
bad person for whatever reason. It chases me out of that safe space
and back into a reality where I'm a bundle of insecurities and
irrational, where my uncontrollable emotional reactions are waiting to
take over. It feels like an attack. It's drama with a capital D. It
makes me want to flee, which I often do quite readily.
This is a game. This is supposed to be where I go to have fun.
Logically, it would seem to me that if I'm not having fun, then I
should go elsewhere. I have enough stress in my real life. I have
enough real drama to deal with. I have real problems in the real
world.
Let me be clear here. If you choose to yell at me, the player, for what my character does, be sure it's for an RP faux paus and not a character flaw. Be sure you know that what my character does is NOT what I would do in a similar situation. For example, if you met Alan Rickman tomorrow in a grocery store, would you yell at him about what his character, Hans Gruber, did in Die Hard? Would you get into a screaming match with Roderick Thorp (the novelist who wrote the book) about how evil the character he wrote is?
If you can't separate IC from OOC well enough that you have an emotional reaction that makes you yell at me in ooc tells about my character's actions, you will be ignored. If you have a problem with someone else that I'm friends with, don't bring it to me, go talk to them, and stop trying to put me in the middle! I can talk things out rationally if you talk to me rationally, but I'm not the villain in your little personal melodrama.
I'm done being sent into tears every time someone wants to yell at me about how to play my characters. I'm not your whipping post. If you need to vent about something, fine, but don't bring me your issues with someone else and expect me to solve them or stop being friends with someone else on your behalf. I don't do that.
So, back the hell off.
5/15/2014
5/08/2014
5/07/2014
5/06/2014
5/05/2014
Veeh'ra Bio
Age: 19
Eye Color: Pale blue cybernetic implants
Identifying marks: Extensive scarring over her scalp
Background:
Severe head trauma caused by crushing damage in a "training incident" (that wasn't her fault), so her entire skull had to be rebuilt. Cyborg tech was used to restore 100% of her motor functions and 75% of the rest of the damage to her brain. This made for a total personality change from the dedicated and good-natured soldier she used to be to a calculating, cold, fearless warrior without a moral compass. She follows her orders completely without regard to right or wrong. She is actually a better fighter than she was before the incident, the cybernetics enhancing her combat skills and abilities. She's blunt and sometimes crude. Her blaster rifle is named Jayne, and it is her most favorite piece of weaponry in the whole universe.
5/04/2014
For Lei and Kraxys
Haven't RP'd them in a while, but still...I hear this and immediately think of them.
5/03/2014
Aliyobi's bio
Name: Aliyobi
Age: 27
Race: Rattataki
Gender: Female
Ship: Vice Hound
Rank: First Mate
Background:
Born to the first mate and ship mechanic of a pirate ship known as the Ravage, Aliyobi grew up surrounded by a close knit crew that raised her as their own, even after losing her parents in a raid when she was about five or so. While she'll claim to know a little about everything after bouncing around a ship her entire life, her true talents rest in the blasters on her hips, and by the time she was sixteen, she was providing back-up fire in boarding parties and was developing a sharp eye for detail that would make her useful in finding those little hidden niches that were likely to be hiding something of value.
Ali believed her entire life would be spent on the Ravage's crew until the ship was attacked by a mysterious Sith Darth. While waiting at a rendevous point with "cargo" recently aquired on a raid targetted against a transport ship registered in the Republic, the unidentified Sith cripled and boarded, slaughtering the entire crew save for the rattataki. All she remembers of the attack is his approach toward her defensive position, then darkness.
When she woke up, Ali found herself on an escape pod, looking out of the tiny porthole at the wreckage that was left of the only home she'd ever known. A day later, she was rescued by a passing frieghter, the captain of which was kind enough to take her to Carrick station with no questions asked. There, she was sort of 'adopted' by a former Jedi named Skyka, who helped her get on her feet and began an unofficial investigation into the attack on the Ravage.
Age: 27
Race: Rattataki
Gender: Female
Ship: Vice Hound
Rank: First Mate
Background:
Born to the first mate and ship mechanic of a pirate ship known as the Ravage, Aliyobi grew up surrounded by a close knit crew that raised her as their own, even after losing her parents in a raid when she was about five or so. While she'll claim to know a little about everything after bouncing around a ship her entire life, her true talents rest in the blasters on her hips, and by the time she was sixteen, she was providing back-up fire in boarding parties and was developing a sharp eye for detail that would make her useful in finding those little hidden niches that were likely to be hiding something of value.
Ali believed her entire life would be spent on the Ravage's crew until the ship was attacked by a mysterious Sith Darth. While waiting at a rendevous point with "cargo" recently aquired on a raid targetted against a transport ship registered in the Republic, the unidentified Sith cripled and boarded, slaughtering the entire crew save for the rattataki. All she remembers of the attack is his approach toward her defensive position, then darkness.
When she woke up, Ali found herself on an escape pod, looking out of the tiny porthole at the wreckage that was left of the only home she'd ever known. A day later, she was rescued by a passing frieghter, the captain of which was kind enough to take her to Carrick station with no questions asked. There, she was sort of 'adopted' by a former Jedi named Skyka, who helped her get on her feet and began an unofficial investigation into the attack on the Ravage.
5/02/2014
Wait...there's one more, you say?
(( The following is converted from RP that took place on 5/1. My eternal gratitude to the player of Darth Ragious for helping me torment one of my most favorite characters in TOR. ))
Darth Ragious waited until it was early morning on Nar Shaddaa before settling into his secured private office aboard the shipyard where his new flagship and it's sister were currently being built. He'd left orders with his adjutant that if he was disturbed by anything other than an all out assault on the shipyard that she would pay a heavy price.
Entering a deep state of meditation, he began to project himself across the vastness of space, zeroing in on Aittera, still able to "feel" her through the Force. Even though the Twi'lek witch's meddling prevented him from hopping directly into her mind, he was able to make an image of himself appear in her room, clad in the simple black robes he had taken to wearing lately. He knew she would be sleeping, so he settled in to watch her until she woke.
When she stirred on the sleeping pallet that was substituting for a bed until she furnished the little one bedroom apartment, it was with a weary groan as consciousness brought the reminder that functional alcoholism only went so far, and she had been drinking too much lately. The headache wasn't as bad as it could be, though, and she pulled herself up into a sitting position to look around the empty room, carefully stretching.
When she saw the projection of the man who'd held her captive and continued to pursue her after her rescue, she drew the light blanket pooled in her lap up toward her stomach. She wasn't nude, of course, but the light shirt and panties she slept in suddenly felt woefully lacking, considering the unwelcome visitor's piercing gaze. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"Waiting for you to awaken so that we could have a conversation. I would have holo'd, but I had a feeling you would ignore the call."
Ragious gave her a smile as the image of him leaned forward in the projection of a chair. "You've met my son, and he did something rather interesting, did he not? He offered you a chance to end the hostilities between us, and to keep both you and your Cathar alive."
Aittera narrowed her gaze at the ghostly vision. "And?"
"I'm here to make you a far better and more direct offer than Khor ever could."
A bitter laugh erupted from the redhead, her response drenched in sarcasm. "Because I can trust you more than I can trust him."
"This isn't about trust. This is about both of us getting something we desire."
"What makes you think you know what I desire?"
"I think you and I both know the other more than either of us wants to admit, Aittera."
Her fists clenched the material of the blanket with a rush of anger that was reflected in her gaze. If he started in on that crud he'd tried to put in her head a few months earlier, she might just put a blaster bolt into her temple. "Say what you came to say, then go."
"I have no desire to continue to fight with you. I have no plans to escalate our conflict further. Believe what you will, but I know when enough is enough. You and I will fight this until we burn everything we hold dear if we continue down this path, and that is something I have no desire to force you to do. The truth is, I wanted you, I desired you when I saw you, and I overreached. I had someone that was able to resist my power for the first time in I can't even remember, and that alone makes you someone I want to preserve."
"So, that's it? I'm supposed to believe that your son is a reasonable peaceful being and you have suddenly changed?" If this was supposed to be as convincing as Khor'deth's performance, it was falling much father short for the redhead.
"I have recently learned something that has caused me to rethink things, Aittera."
"What's that?"
"That someone I thought dead and lost to me was alive. It has made me look at my past mistakes with new eyes."
It was an answer she wasn't prepared for, and a recent conversation with Jean Schramme about second chances came to mind. "What the hell is in the water you Sith are drinking lately?"
"I want you to understand, I am a patriot, Aittera. I won't stop fighting my Empire's war against the Republic, because I understand that it is a war for the very survival of my species. This offer I am about to make, I want to stay between us. I would prefer you cloak it in something else when you tell your Cathar about my visit, but I understand if you have no desire to lie to him."
Aittera rubbed her eyes as a heavy sigh left her. Could this whole situation get anymore unreal? "Wouldn't be the first secret I'd be keeping from him these days, I guess."
"I will limit my engagements to military targets only, unless a group of civilians decides to attack me in which I will take measured actions against only those responsible whenever possible. I will take the dirty out of my fighting. In exchange, I expect you to cease attacking my ships, and I have a job I want to hire you for."
Apparently, unreal was just beginning, and she furrowed her brow as she looked back to the image's face. "I don't work for Sith."
"But you do work against them, do you not?"
"Whenever I get the chance."
"Then consider this a chance. I simply wish you to find out why Jheryth Chrystopher has renewed his interest in me and my pet. I thought the matter settled years ago, but apparently I should have beheaded him then."
Aittera cursed. "Is there some reason the two of you are so intent on trying to drag me into things between you like this? Is this how things started with Renn'a?"
"I don't want to put you in the middle, I just want information. And would you not fight if someone tried to take Selus from you?" As if to drive home the point, he used the Cathar's name for the first time when referring to him.
"Selus isn't a slave or a toy. Your comparison is an insult."
"Renn'a isn't either of those things. That may be the twisted impression that he has decided to portray her as, but she knows exactly how much she means to me."
"Yeah, well...I'm sure you have a lovely relationship, but I won't put an innoc--" She bit the word off with a grimace, chiding herself for not being more careful. Under better circumstances, Aittera would never have let her tongue get so far ahead of her thoughts that she'd even let such volatile intel as Will'a's existence enter her mind.
She'd been trained in ways to conceal her thoughts from Force users in her SIS days, and yet, she wasn't employing a single tactic she'd learned. Hell, part of her was ready to buy the utter crap he was peddling. Let them all go kill each other and leave her and her hangover alone. "No deal."
"You think Jheryth is innocent? Really I thought you knew better."
"I think you'd both burn the universe down for your own interests and to hell with the rest of us who might get caught in the blaze."
"Aittera, what do you need me to do to show you that I can be trusted not to misuse what you tell me. I only wish to know why after years of staying off my radar he tried to hire pirates of all people to take me on. I could have easily swept them aside, one of them even owed me their life, why would he out of the blue do that? If you want an example of people potentially caught in the blaze, it is he who is dragging others in."
"Then, why don't you ask your wife!" she growled back through gritted teeth. Screw it. If she'd already flubbed by nearly mentioning what she knew, she might as well make it count for something. Hopefully, Ragious and Kiabe would start fighting, and somehow, Jheryth could use the distraction to kill at least one of them. Hell, if all three of them killed each other, at least they would stop visiting her dreams and bedroom and brain and...damn, she needed a drink.
He seemed to find meaning in her words, whether that was her intent or not, and nodded. "I will, thank you Aittera."
The apparition stood, and the chair it had been sitting in dissipated into nothingness. "Are the other terms of my offer agreeable?"
She glared at the apparition. "If you touch one civilian without provocation, I will make it my life's work not just to stop you, but to kill every damn person you ever even looked at longingly."
Ragious bowed to her and disappeared.
Aittera fell back onto her pillow to glare up at the ceiling, retreating into her natural state of dark sarcasm. "I think I liked it better when he was mucking around in my head."
Darth Ragious waited until it was early morning on Nar Shaddaa before settling into his secured private office aboard the shipyard where his new flagship and it's sister were currently being built. He'd left orders with his adjutant that if he was disturbed by anything other than an all out assault on the shipyard that she would pay a heavy price.
Entering a deep state of meditation, he began to project himself across the vastness of space, zeroing in on Aittera, still able to "feel" her through the Force. Even though the Twi'lek witch's meddling prevented him from hopping directly into her mind, he was able to make an image of himself appear in her room, clad in the simple black robes he had taken to wearing lately. He knew she would be sleeping, so he settled in to watch her until she woke.
When she stirred on the sleeping pallet that was substituting for a bed until she furnished the little one bedroom apartment, it was with a weary groan as consciousness brought the reminder that functional alcoholism only went so far, and she had been drinking too much lately. The headache wasn't as bad as it could be, though, and she pulled herself up into a sitting position to look around the empty room, carefully stretching.
When she saw the projection of the man who'd held her captive and continued to pursue her after her rescue, she drew the light blanket pooled in her lap up toward her stomach. She wasn't nude, of course, but the light shirt and panties she slept in suddenly felt woefully lacking, considering the unwelcome visitor's piercing gaze. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"Waiting for you to awaken so that we could have a conversation. I would have holo'd, but I had a feeling you would ignore the call."
Ragious gave her a smile as the image of him leaned forward in the projection of a chair. "You've met my son, and he did something rather interesting, did he not? He offered you a chance to end the hostilities between us, and to keep both you and your Cathar alive."
Aittera narrowed her gaze at the ghostly vision. "And?"
"I'm here to make you a far better and more direct offer than Khor ever could."
A bitter laugh erupted from the redhead, her response drenched in sarcasm. "Because I can trust you more than I can trust him."
"This isn't about trust. This is about both of us getting something we desire."
"What makes you think you know what I desire?"
"I think you and I both know the other more than either of us wants to admit, Aittera."
Her fists clenched the material of the blanket with a rush of anger that was reflected in her gaze. If he started in on that crud he'd tried to put in her head a few months earlier, she might just put a blaster bolt into her temple. "Say what you came to say, then go."
"I have no desire to continue to fight with you. I have no plans to escalate our conflict further. Believe what you will, but I know when enough is enough. You and I will fight this until we burn everything we hold dear if we continue down this path, and that is something I have no desire to force you to do. The truth is, I wanted you, I desired you when I saw you, and I overreached. I had someone that was able to resist my power for the first time in I can't even remember, and that alone makes you someone I want to preserve."
"So, that's it? I'm supposed to believe that your son is a reasonable peaceful being and you have suddenly changed?" If this was supposed to be as convincing as Khor'deth's performance, it was falling much father short for the redhead.
"I have recently learned something that has caused me to rethink things, Aittera."
"What's that?"
"That someone I thought dead and lost to me was alive. It has made me look at my past mistakes with new eyes."
It was an answer she wasn't prepared for, and a recent conversation with Jean Schramme about second chances came to mind. "What the hell is in the water you Sith are drinking lately?"
"I want you to understand, I am a patriot, Aittera. I won't stop fighting my Empire's war against the Republic, because I understand that it is a war for the very survival of my species. This offer I am about to make, I want to stay between us. I would prefer you cloak it in something else when you tell your Cathar about my visit, but I understand if you have no desire to lie to him."
Aittera rubbed her eyes as a heavy sigh left her. Could this whole situation get anymore unreal? "Wouldn't be the first secret I'd be keeping from him these days, I guess."
"I will limit my engagements to military targets only, unless a group of civilians decides to attack me in which I will take measured actions against only those responsible whenever possible. I will take the dirty out of my fighting. In exchange, I expect you to cease attacking my ships, and I have a job I want to hire you for."
Apparently, unreal was just beginning, and she furrowed her brow as she looked back to the image's face. "I don't work for Sith."
"But you do work against them, do you not?"
"Whenever I get the chance."
"Then consider this a chance. I simply wish you to find out why Jheryth Chrystopher has renewed his interest in me and my pet. I thought the matter settled years ago, but apparently I should have beheaded him then."
Aittera cursed. "Is there some reason the two of you are so intent on trying to drag me into things between you like this? Is this how things started with Renn'a?"
"I don't want to put you in the middle, I just want information. And would you not fight if someone tried to take Selus from you?" As if to drive home the point, he used the Cathar's name for the first time when referring to him.
"Selus isn't a slave or a toy. Your comparison is an insult."
"Renn'a isn't either of those things. That may be the twisted impression that he has decided to portray her as, but she knows exactly how much she means to me."
"Yeah, well...I'm sure you have a lovely relationship, but I won't put an innoc--" She bit the word off with a grimace, chiding herself for not being more careful. Under better circumstances, Aittera would never have let her tongue get so far ahead of her thoughts that she'd even let such volatile intel as Will'a's existence enter her mind.
She'd been trained in ways to conceal her thoughts from Force users in her SIS days, and yet, she wasn't employing a single tactic she'd learned. Hell, part of her was ready to buy the utter crap he was peddling. Let them all go kill each other and leave her and her hangover alone. "No deal."
"You think Jheryth is innocent? Really I thought you knew better."
"I think you'd both burn the universe down for your own interests and to hell with the rest of us who might get caught in the blaze."
"Aittera, what do you need me to do to show you that I can be trusted not to misuse what you tell me. I only wish to know why after years of staying off my radar he tried to hire pirates of all people to take me on. I could have easily swept them aside, one of them even owed me their life, why would he out of the blue do that? If you want an example of people potentially caught in the blaze, it is he who is dragging others in."
"Then, why don't you ask your wife!" she growled back through gritted teeth. Screw it. If she'd already flubbed by nearly mentioning what she knew, she might as well make it count for something. Hopefully, Ragious and Kiabe would start fighting, and somehow, Jheryth could use the distraction to kill at least one of them. Hell, if all three of them killed each other, at least they would stop visiting her dreams and bedroom and brain and...damn, she needed a drink.
He seemed to find meaning in her words, whether that was her intent or not, and nodded. "I will, thank you Aittera."
The apparition stood, and the chair it had been sitting in dissipated into nothingness. "Are the other terms of my offer agreeable?"
She glared at the apparition. "If you touch one civilian without provocation, I will make it my life's work not just to stop you, but to kill every damn person you ever even looked at longingly."
Ragious bowed to her and disappeared.
Aittera fell back onto her pillow to glare up at the ceiling, retreating into her natural state of dark sarcasm. "I think I liked it better when he was mucking around in my head."
5/01/2014
Because there aren't enough men telling her what to do...
(( Thanks to the player of Jheryth Chrystopher for always being a fun collaborator when it comes to mucking up my characters' lives and just being an all around great husband. :P ))
The crowded pleasure barge hummed with conversation as music throbbed from the speakers and seemingly through the guests who were dancing. The party was in full swing, as the saying goes, and the stunning redhead who cut a path through the throng seemed to gleam from within in her white strapless evening gown. She was searching for someone, and now that she'd spotted her quarry, she made her way toward where he stood at the railing with his back to her.
Jheryth Chrystopher rested his full weight against the railing, one hand propping up his chin, the other holding a glass of brandy that was balancing precariously on the edge of the railing. The occasional breeze tossed his hair back and forth across his back, revealing how thick and long it really was. As another gust of wind played by, he took a deep breath, catching the scent of the light, distinctive perfume she always wore. His head turned slightly to the side, the well tailored black suit shifting effortlessly with the motion. Turning back, he rested his arm down on the railing, and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before speaking. “I knew it was only a matter of time until you returned.”
The assault of noises coming from the party seemed to bend away from his voice, making his words heard clearly.
The raucous party-goers faded from the corners of Aittera's vision, and the music died away. She knew without looking back that the barge was now empty save for herself and the white-haired man before her. She stepped to the railing beside him with a wry chuckle and took the glass from his hand to take a sip. "I suppose it makes a certain kind of sense - dreaming about you again after seeing you at a couple of these parties."
As the glass slipped from between his fingers, he turned to face her. That green energy flashed across his eyes, revealing an intense seriousness that the wry grin on his face did not reflect. “This must be of your doing. I would not dream you in such a place.”
He moved his hand away from the railing, motioning down the length of her body before falling to rest at his side, “You wear that halo of yours very well.”
She looked down to take in the beaded, shimmering white material that wrapped around the curvature of her voluptuous form and lifted a reproachful glance back to Jheryth's face. "If the party barge is my doing, this dress is obviously yours," she chided, and a sudden thought occurred to her. "The green dress in the woods - that was you too. Just how long have you been stalking me in my sleep?"
His eyes flashed again, and he turned away from her, staring out over the skyline, “Of course I must be the monster. How else could you absolve yourself if it were you who sought out my company?”
Aittera smirked. "Aww...feeling the martyrdom vibe, are we?" She was not about to let him play the victim card with her. It was beneath both of them. "So, if you're not doing this, and I'm not...who or what is?"
He spun around to face her, his face set, growling, “I DON'T KNOW!” He took a breath, avoiding her eyes, looking around at the surroundings, his right hand clenched. “What we do know of already, it would seem we both are.”
She flashed him an angry look. "Don't be melodramatic. What the hell are you yelling at?"
Jheryth looked back at her, pain written on his face. “I have a lot to be angry about! How dare you presume to know what I'm feeling?” He glared at her. “I am glad to see that your time with him has hardly broken your stride!”
Aittera rolled her eyes at him. "You have a lot of nerve! It's not my fault we're in each other's dreams! Why the hell are you yelling at me?"
"It is amazing how lucky you are. You saunter in here like you haven't a care in the world. Tell me, did you enjoy your stay with Lord Ragious? Because you do not even have a scratch to show for it!”
That hit a nerve. The storm that suddenly shook the air around them in the dreamscape dumped buckets on them as she threw a fist toward his face in a sudden rush of anger.
He rolled his head back with the punch, avoiding a broken jaw, thrusting an open palm towards her rib cage.
Thankfully, the rain had already rendered the beaded evening gown slick, and Jheryth's palm slid over it, reducing the impact and propelling his hand off toward her side. It slowed her momentum though, diminishing the power she put into a follow-up jab to his gut.
He let out a grunt as her fist landed, the drenched suit offering no protection. He swung his fist under her extended arm, aiming for her kidney, but the telegraphed punch was easily avoided with a quick step to his side, where Aittera sent a kick into the back of his knee.
He felt his knee give way, and he let himself drop down to both knees, Force reflexes already bringing his hands up to meet her swing, aiming both hands to grab hold of her arm. Trying to throw the matted hair out of his eyes with a flick of his head as he looked up at her, he raised his voice over the rush of wind and rain. “Aittera! Look at me!”
She was about to wrench her arm from Jheryth's grasp, but stopped to shoot a look of pure rage at his face. Blinking the rain from his eyes, his hair was a tangled, dripping mess, some of it plastered to his face. He kept a firm grip on her arm, keeping his senses alert for another attack. “He were are, fighting each other – and he's out there, laughing at us! I did not lie when I said you got off easy. I've watched him utterly destroy someone I care about. Twisted her mind, broken her, made her a true pet. Complete with her own cage, whoring her out. She's so broken now, she's just accepted that's who she is!”
The rain was gone as quickly as it had come, though the storm clouds remained, and she was backing away from him with the look of someone begrudgingly conceding a point. "You mean the slave."
He let go of her arm, picking himself off of the ground, "Her name was Renn'a. She was someone I care about. He destroyed that person when I abandoned her to save her sister. And what she went through was far worse than what you or Renn'a had to endure."
"You know there's no record of a sister, right?"
Jheryth nodded. "I am very much aware of that. I have been trying to look into it, but have made no headway. Without ever having met, they share the same last name."
Aittera fixed him with a dubious expression. "Dawes is not an uncommon last name. Sounds like you're reaching."
He smiled calmly back. "That would be a valid point if they were not identical. She believes Kiabe intended to use that fact to replace Renn'a with her to spy on Ragious."
"Wait. Back up. I think I'm missing a few puzzle pieces. Twins? And what does Kiabe have to do with any of this?"
His eyes sparkled with a soft green glow and he folded his arms across his chest. "Of course you are. Until last week, the only two people who knew Will'a existed were Kiabe and myself, and I worked very hard to keep her identity a secret." He looked down at his soaked clothing.
"I guess it's time to start talking then. Who is Will'a to Kiabe?"
Jheryth closed his eyes, concentrating as he lowered his arms to his side. After a few moments his suit melted away, being replaced by a green terry cloth robe. He opened his eyes and looked at her, smiling in satisfaction. "That's better."
Aittera rolled her eyes and stalked back to the railing, folding her arms to rest against it, looking up at the storm clouds. In spite of the rain that had poured on them earlier, she was completely dry, her dress unaffected. Dream or psychotic break, it wasn't her that needed to put on a show. "Are you going to give me a straight answer, or do I need to wake up and hunt you down?"
He sighed as he joined her at the railing. "Of course, Aittera." He looked out at the horizon as he spoke, keeping his face passive. "As I understand, Will'a would have been a tool for Kiabe to use. Allow me to expound on the question. Will'a had been a guest of Kiabe's torture room for about a year before I rescued her."
A hushed expletive left her lips with a look of disgust. "How did you find out about her?"
Jheryth continued to keep his face passive as he spoke. "Completely by accident actually. I was summoned to Kiabe's estate for business. I do not believe she expected me to find out about her. When I happened to see her on a security monitor, I destroyed anyone who attempted to keep me from leaving with her. Leaving Renn'a where she was, and keeping off Ragious and Kiabe's radar was the only way to keep them both safe."
"That explains why you disappeared for so long, I suppose. Why is she wandering around Nar, asking my boyfriend to arrange a meeting with Renn'a if you're trying to keep her off the radar?"
"Because she asked me to give her the truth about her imprisonment, not because she was fully ready, but because Kiabe has found her. I told her it was unwise to seek out her sister, but she is determined."
Aittera nodded with a slight scowl. "That'll be a disappointing family reunion for her."
"I am inclined to agree with you. I am also certain that should she accomplish that, then Ragious will learn of her existence."
"You think he'll decide he wants a pair?" She smirked at her own double entendre.
"As sick and twisted as he is, how could he resist?"
"So, what are you going to do about it?"
Jheryth turned to her with an evil glint in his eyes. "Kill them both."
"Good luck with that."
"I despise everything they are. For all that power they have, they pervert themselves by preying on the weak. They use dirty, underhanded tactics to get what they want. They have hurt people that I care about. Even Will'a understands that the only way to be safe is to kill them. That is my stake in this. You at least deserve the truth, though I'm willing to bet you do not want to hear the rest of it."
Aittera's expression became hardened, and she kept her gaze fixed to a point on the horizon. "I don't care."
"Only one of us is going to speak the truth. I do not blame you. I had hoped I earned at least that much."
Had he? She supposed she owed him something for giving Selus the security codes to the Avenger. "The truth is I can't help you."
Jheryth looked at her with tenderness. "The truth is you would rather run than stay and fight. It does not matter how many others he hurts, as long as it is not you. If that is your position, at least have the courage to admit it."
Aittera growled low, clenching her fists where they rested on the railing. "It's not. My hands are tied. If this was my call, I'd still be going after him like gangbusters until the bastard is dead."
"I truly apologize. If I had not given him the means to rescue you, perhaps this conversation would have gone differently."
"Oh sure. You'd be having this conversation with a dead woman. I bet that'd be useful."
"You misunderstand. I had intended to get you out myself. I chose to give that information to Selus instead."
"You'll understand if my confidence in Selus's abilities overwhelms any I might have in your own."
"His confidence in your abilities seems lacking."
"Kriff you." Aittera spun to face him, the storm raging in her deep blue gaze as intensely as it had assaulted the dreamscape around them. "Do you really think that coming to me with this self-righteous spin on things is going to sway me or get me to help you? You really think I'm so blind as to not see that you're just as selfish and self-serving as you ever were? You saw a girl who looked like the one you lost to your rival on a security monitor and ran to her rescue. What if she'd been a common soldier or a captured Jedi you had no personal stake in? You were already doing business with a damn Sith known for her cruelty and viciousness, Jheryth! I may have shed my ideals for a more realistic view of the universe, but at least I don't pretend to be something I'm not!"
He met her gaze without flinching. "That is why I gave the information to Selus."
"Exactly. That's exactly why I didn't choose to walk away from my partner and best friend for you, and it's why you don't get to criticize him or his influence in my damn life. You forget that I have as much intel on you as I do on Ragious, and all I see are similarities. The only loyalty either of you have is to yourselves and your own self interests. The idea of putting someone else's interests ahead of your own for no other reason than loyalty or honor is a foreign concept."
She cast about for a way to end the dream, finally settling for walking toward the pleasure barge's exit without waiting for a response.
Moments later, she was seething as she sat up in the still unfamiliar surroundings of her new flat on Nar Shaddaa.
The crowded pleasure barge hummed with conversation as music throbbed from the speakers and seemingly through the guests who were dancing. The party was in full swing, as the saying goes, and the stunning redhead who cut a path through the throng seemed to gleam from within in her white strapless evening gown. She was searching for someone, and now that she'd spotted her quarry, she made her way toward where he stood at the railing with his back to her.
Jheryth Chrystopher rested his full weight against the railing, one hand propping up his chin, the other holding a glass of brandy that was balancing precariously on the edge of the railing. The occasional breeze tossed his hair back and forth across his back, revealing how thick and long it really was. As another gust of wind played by, he took a deep breath, catching the scent of the light, distinctive perfume she always wore. His head turned slightly to the side, the well tailored black suit shifting effortlessly with the motion. Turning back, he rested his arm down on the railing, and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before speaking. “I knew it was only a matter of time until you returned.”
The assault of noises coming from the party seemed to bend away from his voice, making his words heard clearly.
The raucous party-goers faded from the corners of Aittera's vision, and the music died away. She knew without looking back that the barge was now empty save for herself and the white-haired man before her. She stepped to the railing beside him with a wry chuckle and took the glass from his hand to take a sip. "I suppose it makes a certain kind of sense - dreaming about you again after seeing you at a couple of these parties."
As the glass slipped from between his fingers, he turned to face her. That green energy flashed across his eyes, revealing an intense seriousness that the wry grin on his face did not reflect. “This must be of your doing. I would not dream you in such a place.”
He moved his hand away from the railing, motioning down the length of her body before falling to rest at his side, “You wear that halo of yours very well.”
She looked down to take in the beaded, shimmering white material that wrapped around the curvature of her voluptuous form and lifted a reproachful glance back to Jheryth's face. "If the party barge is my doing, this dress is obviously yours," she chided, and a sudden thought occurred to her. "The green dress in the woods - that was you too. Just how long have you been stalking me in my sleep?"
His eyes flashed again, and he turned away from her, staring out over the skyline, “Of course I must be the monster. How else could you absolve yourself if it were you who sought out my company?”
Aittera smirked. "Aww...feeling the martyrdom vibe, are we?" She was not about to let him play the victim card with her. It was beneath both of them. "So, if you're not doing this, and I'm not...who or what is?"
He spun around to face her, his face set, growling, “I DON'T KNOW!” He took a breath, avoiding her eyes, looking around at the surroundings, his right hand clenched. “What we do know of already, it would seem we both are.”
She flashed him an angry look. "Don't be melodramatic. What the hell are you yelling at?"
Jheryth looked back at her, pain written on his face. “I have a lot to be angry about! How dare you presume to know what I'm feeling?” He glared at her. “I am glad to see that your time with him has hardly broken your stride!”
Aittera rolled her eyes at him. "You have a lot of nerve! It's not my fault we're in each other's dreams! Why the hell are you yelling at me?"
"It is amazing how lucky you are. You saunter in here like you haven't a care in the world. Tell me, did you enjoy your stay with Lord Ragious? Because you do not even have a scratch to show for it!”
That hit a nerve. The storm that suddenly shook the air around them in the dreamscape dumped buckets on them as she threw a fist toward his face in a sudden rush of anger.
He rolled his head back with the punch, avoiding a broken jaw, thrusting an open palm towards her rib cage.
Thankfully, the rain had already rendered the beaded evening gown slick, and Jheryth's palm slid over it, reducing the impact and propelling his hand off toward her side. It slowed her momentum though, diminishing the power she put into a follow-up jab to his gut.
He let out a grunt as her fist landed, the drenched suit offering no protection. He swung his fist under her extended arm, aiming for her kidney, but the telegraphed punch was easily avoided with a quick step to his side, where Aittera sent a kick into the back of his knee.
He felt his knee give way, and he let himself drop down to both knees, Force reflexes already bringing his hands up to meet her swing, aiming both hands to grab hold of her arm. Trying to throw the matted hair out of his eyes with a flick of his head as he looked up at her, he raised his voice over the rush of wind and rain. “Aittera! Look at me!”
She was about to wrench her arm from Jheryth's grasp, but stopped to shoot a look of pure rage at his face. Blinking the rain from his eyes, his hair was a tangled, dripping mess, some of it plastered to his face. He kept a firm grip on her arm, keeping his senses alert for another attack. “He were are, fighting each other – and he's out there, laughing at us! I did not lie when I said you got off easy. I've watched him utterly destroy someone I care about. Twisted her mind, broken her, made her a true pet. Complete with her own cage, whoring her out. She's so broken now, she's just accepted that's who she is!”
The rain was gone as quickly as it had come, though the storm clouds remained, and she was backing away from him with the look of someone begrudgingly conceding a point. "You mean the slave."
He let go of her arm, picking himself off of the ground, "Her name was Renn'a. She was someone I care about. He destroyed that person when I abandoned her to save her sister. And what she went through was far worse than what you or Renn'a had to endure."
"You know there's no record of a sister, right?"
Jheryth nodded. "I am very much aware of that. I have been trying to look into it, but have made no headway. Without ever having met, they share the same last name."
Aittera fixed him with a dubious expression. "Dawes is not an uncommon last name. Sounds like you're reaching."
He smiled calmly back. "That would be a valid point if they were not identical. She believes Kiabe intended to use that fact to replace Renn'a with her to spy on Ragious."
"Wait. Back up. I think I'm missing a few puzzle pieces. Twins? And what does Kiabe have to do with any of this?"
His eyes sparkled with a soft green glow and he folded his arms across his chest. "Of course you are. Until last week, the only two people who knew Will'a existed were Kiabe and myself, and I worked very hard to keep her identity a secret." He looked down at his soaked clothing.
"I guess it's time to start talking then. Who is Will'a to Kiabe?"
Jheryth closed his eyes, concentrating as he lowered his arms to his side. After a few moments his suit melted away, being replaced by a green terry cloth robe. He opened his eyes and looked at her, smiling in satisfaction. "That's better."
Aittera rolled her eyes and stalked back to the railing, folding her arms to rest against it, looking up at the storm clouds. In spite of the rain that had poured on them earlier, she was completely dry, her dress unaffected. Dream or psychotic break, it wasn't her that needed to put on a show. "Are you going to give me a straight answer, or do I need to wake up and hunt you down?"
He sighed as he joined her at the railing. "Of course, Aittera." He looked out at the horizon as he spoke, keeping his face passive. "As I understand, Will'a would have been a tool for Kiabe to use. Allow me to expound on the question. Will'a had been a guest of Kiabe's torture room for about a year before I rescued her."
A hushed expletive left her lips with a look of disgust. "How did you find out about her?"
Jheryth continued to keep his face passive as he spoke. "Completely by accident actually. I was summoned to Kiabe's estate for business. I do not believe she expected me to find out about her. When I happened to see her on a security monitor, I destroyed anyone who attempted to keep me from leaving with her. Leaving Renn'a where she was, and keeping off Ragious and Kiabe's radar was the only way to keep them both safe."
"That explains why you disappeared for so long, I suppose. Why is she wandering around Nar, asking my boyfriend to arrange a meeting with Renn'a if you're trying to keep her off the radar?"
"Because she asked me to give her the truth about her imprisonment, not because she was fully ready, but because Kiabe has found her. I told her it was unwise to seek out her sister, but she is determined."
Aittera nodded with a slight scowl. "That'll be a disappointing family reunion for her."
"I am inclined to agree with you. I am also certain that should she accomplish that, then Ragious will learn of her existence."
"You think he'll decide he wants a pair?" She smirked at her own double entendre.
"As sick and twisted as he is, how could he resist?"
"So, what are you going to do about it?"
Jheryth turned to her with an evil glint in his eyes. "Kill them both."
"Good luck with that."
"I despise everything they are. For all that power they have, they pervert themselves by preying on the weak. They use dirty, underhanded tactics to get what they want. They have hurt people that I care about. Even Will'a understands that the only way to be safe is to kill them. That is my stake in this. You at least deserve the truth, though I'm willing to bet you do not want to hear the rest of it."
Aittera's expression became hardened, and she kept her gaze fixed to a point on the horizon. "I don't care."
"Only one of us is going to speak the truth. I do not blame you. I had hoped I earned at least that much."
Had he? She supposed she owed him something for giving Selus the security codes to the Avenger. "The truth is I can't help you."
Jheryth looked at her with tenderness. "The truth is you would rather run than stay and fight. It does not matter how many others he hurts, as long as it is not you. If that is your position, at least have the courage to admit it."
Aittera growled low, clenching her fists where they rested on the railing. "It's not. My hands are tied. If this was my call, I'd still be going after him like gangbusters until the bastard is dead."
"I truly apologize. If I had not given him the means to rescue you, perhaps this conversation would have gone differently."
"Oh sure. You'd be having this conversation with a dead woman. I bet that'd be useful."
"You misunderstand. I had intended to get you out myself. I chose to give that information to Selus instead."
"You'll understand if my confidence in Selus's abilities overwhelms any I might have in your own."
"His confidence in your abilities seems lacking."
"Kriff you." Aittera spun to face him, the storm raging in her deep blue gaze as intensely as it had assaulted the dreamscape around them. "Do you really think that coming to me with this self-righteous spin on things is going to sway me or get me to help you? You really think I'm so blind as to not see that you're just as selfish and self-serving as you ever were? You saw a girl who looked like the one you lost to your rival on a security monitor and ran to her rescue. What if she'd been a common soldier or a captured Jedi you had no personal stake in? You were already doing business with a damn Sith known for her cruelty and viciousness, Jheryth! I may have shed my ideals for a more realistic view of the universe, but at least I don't pretend to be something I'm not!"
He met her gaze without flinching. "That is why I gave the information to Selus."
"Exactly. That's exactly why I didn't choose to walk away from my partner and best friend for you, and it's why you don't get to criticize him or his influence in my damn life. You forget that I have as much intel on you as I do on Ragious, and all I see are similarities. The only loyalty either of you have is to yourselves and your own self interests. The idea of putting someone else's interests ahead of your own for no other reason than loyalty or honor is a foreign concept."
She cast about for a way to end the dream, finally settling for walking toward the pleasure barge's exit without waiting for a response.
Moments later, she was seething as she sat up in the still unfamiliar surroundings of her new flat on Nar Shaddaa.
4/27/2014
4/19/2014
Back on the Wanderer
(( The following is converted from RP that took place on 4/18. As always, my eternal gratitude goes to the player of Selus for being so much fun to RP with. ))
Selus found Aittera waiting in the cockpit when he returned to the Wanderer. He walked over to her, bending down to kiss her cheek, then put a bottle of Corellian Whiskey on a nearby table. "Gift from Renn'a's sister of all people."
She looked up at him with that look that said she was sure she was losing her mind. "Renn'a has a sister?"
"Apparently so. Got my name from a Black Sun contact. Just met with her. Wanted me...or us really, to facilitate a meeting with her sister, and also whatever information we had on Kiabe. Told her we didn't have much on the wife."
"She expects us to just put in a holocall---" Aittera stopped mid-sentence as a thought occurred to her. "Does Ragious know about this sister?" She was on her feet in a heartbeat, though there was no room to really pace in the cockpit. She found herself walking to the viewport window instead as she contemplated the ways this new information could be used against her enemy. She wouldn't actually put the woman at risk, of course, but the potential of using Renna's sister to either compromise the slave's loyalties or even tempt the Darth into a vulnerable position was too much not to consider.
"No. Kiabe did. Will'a was apparently her guest for a time. I tried to explain how loyal Renn'a is to her master, but she still wants to meet her. Not our concern though, after speaking to me she decided that she didn't want our help after all."
"What?" She wheeled around to look at him. "Why not?"
"Because she understood how full we already have our hands."
Aittera opened her mouth to form a protest, but stopped short with a scowl, realizing that she'd be arguing with a person who wasn't even present. A sense of impotent rage had been building since she'd left Khor'deth's lavish hotel room with the feeling that she'd somehow been conned, and now, it had formed a full head of steam. Rubbing three fingers against her forehead, she stomped past him and out of the cockpit, heading for the liquor cabinet.
Selus followed her, carrying the bottle of whiskey he'd brought back. "How was whatever you were doing?"
She had already pulled a bottle from the cabinet when she spied the one in his hand and remembered its existence. With a frustrated sigh, she rocked her head back to roll her eyes at herself and the obsessive swirl of jumbled thoughts that were plaguing her. When she looked back to him, it was with a charmingly sheepish grin and held out the bottle in her hand. "Trade you?"
He handed over the bottle to her and took the one in her hand. "I am guessing that it went okay if you're that distracted."
"I am waiting for risk analysis projections for Ragious's activities from an old friend who owed me a favor." She opened the bottle he'd handed her and took a deep drink as she walked over to the couch. "I met Khor'deth."
The cathar paused when she mentioned Ragious's son, stopping in his tracks for a moment. "How did that go?" He recovered quickly and moved to join her, plopping down next to her to slide an arm onto the back of the couch behind her shoulders.
"Weird," she scowled. "I don't know what to think of him."
"What does your gut tell you?"
"It doesn't. That's part of the problem." She took another hefty drink from the bottle, then shook her head. "If he wasn't a pureblood and a Sith, I might actually like him."
He looked over at her with a shocked expression that quickly formed into a grin. "That's some high praise coming from you."
Aittera smirked, giving him that look that said she could either kiss him or smack him. "Ran into someone I haven't seen since my SIS days at the party. Apparently, he's a pirate now."
Selus grumbled something about pirates. "I hope he's at least going to be a useful pirate."
"If he's not, I'll shoot him."
"Oh! Can I help?"
She laughed. "If you're really good."
He gave her a grin. "I promise." Laughing, he leaned over to kiss her cheek again. "What about the pureblood though? Is he like Ragious?"
The question wiped the grin from her face, prompting another long, deep drink before she answered. "Nothing like him. He's charming, rational, even-tempered and eloquent."
"That is...a surprise. Truly. I don't think I've ever heard of an even-tempered prueblood. Charming sure, rational, even eloquent, but I didn't think even-tempered was possible for any Sith."
"If I hadn't seen it for myself, I wouldn't believe it."
"Guess I really do learn something new every day." Selus once again looked over, this time with another grin. "What the hell did he say to get you so riled?"
"He offered to broker a truce."
"Come again, I don't think I heard you right."
Aittera took another drink, glaring straight ahead as she watched the conversation in her mind yet again, having been replaying it in such a way several times since she'd left the casino. "He would be more than willing to help me cease the hostilities. His words."
"Do you believe him? Do you think he can do that? If so Aittera, I want you to take his offer."
She gave him an incredulous look. "You're joking."
"Not even a little. Angel Girl, you and I are too smart to not know how this ends. Even if we kill Ragious and somehow both manage to survive, which isn't very likely, we then deal with Kiabe, and then someone else, and someone else. I'd rather just go back to living our lives without dealing with the Sith."
She stared at him for a long, silent minute. When she finally spoke, there was an edge to her otherwise quiet voice. "Even if he's telling the truth, what happens if we're in a firefight and realize that it's Ragious's ships we're fighting? Do we tuck tail and run and leave the Republic with two---" She corrected herself with a bitter note--"one less ship working in its defense, or risk breaking whatever treaty we've negotiated?"
"That is why we negotiate. No more personal vendetta."
"He made it personal when he raped me."
"I know, and he deserves to die for that, but not if it means killing ourselves."
"I don't care if it kills me."
"I care. Don't you see that, I don't know how to live without you."
That broke through her stubborn demeanor so easily, it left her with a stricken expression, forcing her to look away from him and down at the bottle in her hand. She almost hated him for saying it and for knowing that it was the one thing he could say that could cut as deeply as it did. The Aittera that walked away from the SIS hadn't survived Davin's death, and Selus knew that.
"What if it is me, Angel Girl? What if it is my life you have to trade to kill him?"
"I wouldn't let that happen."
"But we can't know for certain that it wouldn't. We have an opportunity to end this. Now. We negotiate an end to hostilities, we go back to this being only about the Republic and Empire's war, and get the personal crap out of it."
"Until the next time one of us is captured? In the meantime, he's one of the most effective leaders they have. Think of how many people we could save if we stop his campaigns." Every argument sounded weak in the wake of his statement, and she knew it. 'He's already won,' she thought, and for a moment, she really did hate him.
"As I said, we negotiate. We cease the personal vendetta, not our defense of the Republic. I don't want to take away from the hurt he caused you. It was bad, we both know exactly how much, and what came after. But if we can stop this here and now, with both of us alive, then I think we win."
"He won't see it that way. I'm not sure I can either."
Selus sighed. "I won't make you do this. I couldn't even if I wanted to, but I can't see any downside Aittera."
She took another drink as she contemplated just how much it felt like he was making her give in. "No. No downside at all." The fight drained completely from her, leaving her glaring resentfully down at the bottle in her lap as she gave in. "I'll set up the meeting. You'll want to be there." Defeat number two.
He nodded, cautiously reaching over to take her hand. "I know this isn't the outcome you wanted, but it is the outcome that keeps you safe."
She didn't look at him as he took her hand. "Right."
Selus found Aittera waiting in the cockpit when he returned to the Wanderer. He walked over to her, bending down to kiss her cheek, then put a bottle of Corellian Whiskey on a nearby table. "Gift from Renn'a's sister of all people."
She looked up at him with that look that said she was sure she was losing her mind. "Renn'a has a sister?"
"Apparently so. Got my name from a Black Sun contact. Just met with her. Wanted me...or us really, to facilitate a meeting with her sister, and also whatever information we had on Kiabe. Told her we didn't have much on the wife."
"She expects us to just put in a holocall---" Aittera stopped mid-sentence as a thought occurred to her. "Does Ragious know about this sister?" She was on her feet in a heartbeat, though there was no room to really pace in the cockpit. She found herself walking to the viewport window instead as she contemplated the ways this new information could be used against her enemy. She wouldn't actually put the woman at risk, of course, but the potential of using Renna's sister to either compromise the slave's loyalties or even tempt the Darth into a vulnerable position was too much not to consider.
"No. Kiabe did. Will'a was apparently her guest for a time. I tried to explain how loyal Renn'a is to her master, but she still wants to meet her. Not our concern though, after speaking to me she decided that she didn't want our help after all."
"What?" She wheeled around to look at him. "Why not?"
"Because she understood how full we already have our hands."
Aittera opened her mouth to form a protest, but stopped short with a scowl, realizing that she'd be arguing with a person who wasn't even present. A sense of impotent rage had been building since she'd left Khor'deth's lavish hotel room with the feeling that she'd somehow been conned, and now, it had formed a full head of steam. Rubbing three fingers against her forehead, she stomped past him and out of the cockpit, heading for the liquor cabinet.
Selus followed her, carrying the bottle of whiskey he'd brought back. "How was whatever you were doing?"
She had already pulled a bottle from the cabinet when she spied the one in his hand and remembered its existence. With a frustrated sigh, she rocked her head back to roll her eyes at herself and the obsessive swirl of jumbled thoughts that were plaguing her. When she looked back to him, it was with a charmingly sheepish grin and held out the bottle in her hand. "Trade you?"
He handed over the bottle to her and took the one in her hand. "I am guessing that it went okay if you're that distracted."
"I am waiting for risk analysis projections for Ragious's activities from an old friend who owed me a favor." She opened the bottle he'd handed her and took a deep drink as she walked over to the couch. "I met Khor'deth."
The cathar paused when she mentioned Ragious's son, stopping in his tracks for a moment. "How did that go?" He recovered quickly and moved to join her, plopping down next to her to slide an arm onto the back of the couch behind her shoulders.
"Weird," she scowled. "I don't know what to think of him."
"What does your gut tell you?"
"It doesn't. That's part of the problem." She took another hefty drink from the bottle, then shook her head. "If he wasn't a pureblood and a Sith, I might actually like him."
He looked over at her with a shocked expression that quickly formed into a grin. "That's some high praise coming from you."
Aittera smirked, giving him that look that said she could either kiss him or smack him. "Ran into someone I haven't seen since my SIS days at the party. Apparently, he's a pirate now."
Selus grumbled something about pirates. "I hope he's at least going to be a useful pirate."
"If he's not, I'll shoot him."
"Oh! Can I help?"
She laughed. "If you're really good."
He gave her a grin. "I promise." Laughing, he leaned over to kiss her cheek again. "What about the pureblood though? Is he like Ragious?"
The question wiped the grin from her face, prompting another long, deep drink before she answered. "Nothing like him. He's charming, rational, even-tempered and eloquent."
"That is...a surprise. Truly. I don't think I've ever heard of an even-tempered prueblood. Charming sure, rational, even eloquent, but I didn't think even-tempered was possible for any Sith."
"If I hadn't seen it for myself, I wouldn't believe it."
"Guess I really do learn something new every day." Selus once again looked over, this time with another grin. "What the hell did he say to get you so riled?"
"He offered to broker a truce."
"Come again, I don't think I heard you right."
Aittera took another drink, glaring straight ahead as she watched the conversation in her mind yet again, having been replaying it in such a way several times since she'd left the casino. "He would be more than willing to help me cease the hostilities. His words."
"Do you believe him? Do you think he can do that? If so Aittera, I want you to take his offer."
She gave him an incredulous look. "You're joking."
"Not even a little. Angel Girl, you and I are too smart to not know how this ends. Even if we kill Ragious and somehow both manage to survive, which isn't very likely, we then deal with Kiabe, and then someone else, and someone else. I'd rather just go back to living our lives without dealing with the Sith."
She stared at him for a long, silent minute. When she finally spoke, there was an edge to her otherwise quiet voice. "Even if he's telling the truth, what happens if we're in a firefight and realize that it's Ragious's ships we're fighting? Do we tuck tail and run and leave the Republic with two---" She corrected herself with a bitter note--"one less ship working in its defense, or risk breaking whatever treaty we've negotiated?"
"That is why we negotiate. No more personal vendetta."
"He made it personal when he raped me."
"I know, and he deserves to die for that, but not if it means killing ourselves."
"I don't care if it kills me."
"I care. Don't you see that, I don't know how to live without you."
That broke through her stubborn demeanor so easily, it left her with a stricken expression, forcing her to look away from him and down at the bottle in her hand. She almost hated him for saying it and for knowing that it was the one thing he could say that could cut as deeply as it did. The Aittera that walked away from the SIS hadn't survived Davin's death, and Selus knew that.
"What if it is me, Angel Girl? What if it is my life you have to trade to kill him?"
"I wouldn't let that happen."
"But we can't know for certain that it wouldn't. We have an opportunity to end this. Now. We negotiate an end to hostilities, we go back to this being only about the Republic and Empire's war, and get the personal crap out of it."
"Until the next time one of us is captured? In the meantime, he's one of the most effective leaders they have. Think of how many people we could save if we stop his campaigns." Every argument sounded weak in the wake of his statement, and she knew it. 'He's already won,' she thought, and for a moment, she really did hate him.
"As I said, we negotiate. We cease the personal vendetta, not our defense of the Republic. I don't want to take away from the hurt he caused you. It was bad, we both know exactly how much, and what came after. But if we can stop this here and now, with both of us alive, then I think we win."
"He won't see it that way. I'm not sure I can either."
Selus sighed. "I won't make you do this. I couldn't even if I wanted to, but I can't see any downside Aittera."
She took another drink as she contemplated just how much it felt like he was making her give in. "No. No downside at all." The fight drained completely from her, leaving her glaring resentfully down at the bottle in her lap as she gave in. "I'll set up the meeting. You'll want to be there." Defeat number two.
He nodded, cautiously reaching over to take her hand. "I know this isn't the outcome you wanted, but it is the outcome that keeps you safe."
She didn't look at him as he took her hand. "Right."
4/18/2014
The Star Cluster Casino Penthouse
(( The following is converted from RP that took place on 4/17 just after Krayt/Invicta's party on Nar Shaddaa. As always, my eternal gratitude goes to the player of Untruth for being such a great RP'er. ))
Lord Khor'deth Arren opened the door, clad in exactly what he wore to the party minus the vest; his black boots, black pants and black shirt hugging his body and showing off his muscular chest and arms. "Aittera Timm, I wondered when you would find your way to my door."
The redheaded spacer smiled politely at the tall pureblood, the slightest note of curiosity in her otherwise even tone. "I had a feeling you might be expecting me. Your holopictures don't do you justice, Khor'deth."
He stepped aside to allow her entrance, motioning toward the sitting area. "Would you like a drink? I just opened a bottle of Chimbak wine, though admittedly you weren't the guest I was expecting to drink it with."
She stepped through the door to move toward the indicated area. "I hope it won't be an insult if I decline. I was never a fan of Chimbak." She took a seat in what she could best surmise was the opposite of where he was likely to have been sitting, preferring to keep enough distance between them in case the need for a hasty exit was necessary.
He took the seat opposite her, scooping his glass from the table next to the chair. "No insult at all, I was merely being a proper host." He raised his glass to his lips for a drink, staring across at her. "Now, what exactly are you here for? I can't imagine it is to attempt kill me, though I have to say the aftermath of that may be quite fun. I suspect you're here to see just how much like my parents I am."
She lifted her chin with an appraising smile, her blue eyes sharp as she read his body language, listening for any subtle inferences. "I thought that would be a good place to start. You're aware of my feelings about your father, obviously. Are you aware of the circumstances that led to them?"
He nodded. "I am. You and your Cathar destroyed some of his fighters, and he responded in the only way he knows how."
"I suppose that is a fair assessment. You could say I responded in kind myself for what he took from me."
"He did love that ship." Khor seemed to be living up to his even tempered reputation. "While I don't agree with his actions, and would have taken a different approach, there are many Sith that would not only applaud what he did to you, but would have done far worse."
Aittera seemed to be thoroughly enjoying herself and the conversation. "I'm aware of the latter. What would you have done differently?"
"I wouldn't have started out abusing you. I would have only done that as a last resort. I hope you don't think me arrogant, but I have no doubt that had I been the one to capture you, I would have made you forget all about your Cathar, and the Republic."
She chuckled - though not in an unpleasant or disdainful way - and gave a simple shake of her hair, sending the cascading scarlet waves into motion against her back. "That might be a little arrogant," she teased. "I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and call it confidence though."
He gave her an open armed shrugging gesture, a smile on his lips. "Come now, I see you looking at me, that shake of your head to show off your hair just the right way, you're already flirting, Aittera. The question is, are you doing it on accident, or deliberately?"
"That would be telling, Khor'deth," she answered with a charming smile of her own. Truthfully, she had, of course, been aware she'd done it. It was an instinctive reaction to the inference that she could be so easily conquered. Bring it on. He wouldn't be the first to find out how wrong he was. "So, I guess the most pressing question has to be: will you be getting in my way?"
"That would be telling." He gave her a grin as he leaned back. "Why are you escalating your conflict with my father? You killed his men, he punished you, you blew up his ship. Why not just end it? I would be more than willing to help you cease the hostilities."
Her expression grew serious, but he'd gained her respect already, so she spoke candidly rather than continuing the charade of 'playing nice'. "His punishment didn't end when Selus took me off of that ship."
"Allow me to help you then, Aittera. The way I see this ending is bad for both of you. It puts in danger everyone dear to you both. I know you and my father can never be allies, but you and I have no bad blood between us. Let me stop this for you before it goes somewhere that you don't want it to. Let me be your ally, your friend and help you move past what was done to you." Khor was either the best liar and actor she had ever seen, or the concern he was showing for her was genuine, and everything in any training she has had on body language was telling her that he was showing true concern.
His reaction caught her off guard, making her bristle with a sudden discomfort. "Why would you want to do that?" she asked, just barely keeping the suspicion from her voice.
"Because I do not wish to see your family, or my family destroyed when I could have prevented it. I do not come at this completely unselfishly. What you and Selus did to the Avenger took a lot of bravery, and intelligence to pull off, and gaining you as an ally is much more appealing to me than having you as an enemy."
"I couldn't do anything that might lend itself to hurting the Republic down the road."
"I would never ask an ally to betray their ideals, Aittera. The Empire has enemies beyond the Republic."
"As long as he's acting against the Republic, he's a threat."
"We're at war, Aittera, at this point I'm a threat to the Republic. Are you going to draw one of your pistols and shoot me?"
He stood, and removed his belt, letting it and his sabers fall to the floor before opening his arms. "If you truly feel that way then you should shoot me now."
She watched his belt fall to the floor, then looked up at him, truly perplexed. Why did men continue to insist on telling her to shoot them? "You're nothing like I expected."
"Everyone seems to say that." He continued to stand there like the perfect target.
It was damned unnerving to her. This entire conversation. She finally stood from her own seat, shaking her head in a futile attempt to reconcile what she was experiencing with everything she believed before she walked in the door. "What do you think you can do for..." She shrugged, a hand gesturing outward, palm up. "...making this go away."
"Quite a lot. I was the one that kept him and the Armada from coming to blows after Jheryth Chrystopher tried to set them against each other. I give you my word that as long as you do not attempt any further escalation of your conflict that my father will forget you ever existed."
"What about Sky?"
"My father's interest in her waned when he met Katina."
"You're just going to snap your fingers and make everything go away?"
"Not exactly. I am heir to two Sith households, Aittera. Both my father's house, that he has no claim to, and my mother's which she allows him a large amount of control over. Due to the deal I negotiated with Krayt, I have been given much leeway in speaking for him. He would never dare go against any deal I have made, because of the power I am able to bring. Making this deal with you will strain my relationship with him for a long time to come, but it is that or watch you and he destroy each other. Because I tell you this with certainty, if you were to continue on the path you are on, either you or Selus would have to sacrifice your life to end my father's."
She considered this in silence for several minutes, weighing her desire for revenge, the nightmares she still had, the sense that still came to her - even with the protection Sky had given her mind - of Ragious's presence. In fact, it was almost as though she forgot Khor was standing there at all as she turned to pace in the open space beyond the seating area.
Khor sat there in silence as she paced, allowing her her deliberations for the time being, hoping his last words sunk in because of everything he has just told her, he is most certain that the destruction of his father will come at the cost of her or Selus' life, everything he can read from the force having told him so. Finally, after several moments of silence, he spoke up again. "I promise you, whatever way you are thinking he will still use to circumvent me and get to you, I will stop him. While you don't know a lot about me, when I give my word it actually means something, and I will give you my word that you will never have to worry about my father again."
Aittera finally stopped pacing, her back to the strange enigma born of two of the most violent Sith she'd ever run across. Her voice was quiet, contemplative. "I need to speak to Selus about this. He's just as involved as I am. It wouldn't be fair not to include him in my decision." She was waiting for her gut to weigh in, starting to wonder if Khor was having some kind of influence beyond simple conversation that she just couldn't detect. Damned Force users.
"Of course. When you are ready to give me your decision then you know where to find me. I have this room permanently reserved for the foreseeable future. It comes with comped chips for the casino, and I would invite both you and Selus to take advantage of them as I myself do not do my gambling with games of chance."
She took a further moment to pull her thoughts back to the immediate, then turned to face him with a nod, extending her hand to him. "I'll be in touch. Thank you."
Khor stood and moved to take the hand as he bowed to her, once more giving her an open and undefended target should she choose to shoot him. At that point, it would have just been cathartic to shoot someone. Negotiation was not one of her stronger qualities unless one counted her ability to out-drink most people she met.
She gave him a slight smile. "You certainly have the distinction of being one of the most interesting men I've ever met."
With that, she turned to head for the door.
Lord Khor'deth Arren opened the door, clad in exactly what he wore to the party minus the vest; his black boots, black pants and black shirt hugging his body and showing off his muscular chest and arms. "Aittera Timm, I wondered when you would find your way to my door."
The redheaded spacer smiled politely at the tall pureblood, the slightest note of curiosity in her otherwise even tone. "I had a feeling you might be expecting me. Your holopictures don't do you justice, Khor'deth."
He stepped aside to allow her entrance, motioning toward the sitting area. "Would you like a drink? I just opened a bottle of Chimbak wine, though admittedly you weren't the guest I was expecting to drink it with."
She stepped through the door to move toward the indicated area. "I hope it won't be an insult if I decline. I was never a fan of Chimbak." She took a seat in what she could best surmise was the opposite of where he was likely to have been sitting, preferring to keep enough distance between them in case the need for a hasty exit was necessary.
He took the seat opposite her, scooping his glass from the table next to the chair. "No insult at all, I was merely being a proper host." He raised his glass to his lips for a drink, staring across at her. "Now, what exactly are you here for? I can't imagine it is to attempt kill me, though I have to say the aftermath of that may be quite fun. I suspect you're here to see just how much like my parents I am."
She lifted her chin with an appraising smile, her blue eyes sharp as she read his body language, listening for any subtle inferences. "I thought that would be a good place to start. You're aware of my feelings about your father, obviously. Are you aware of the circumstances that led to them?"
He nodded. "I am. You and your Cathar destroyed some of his fighters, and he responded in the only way he knows how."
"I suppose that is a fair assessment. You could say I responded in kind myself for what he took from me."
"He did love that ship." Khor seemed to be living up to his even tempered reputation. "While I don't agree with his actions, and would have taken a different approach, there are many Sith that would not only applaud what he did to you, but would have done far worse."
Aittera seemed to be thoroughly enjoying herself and the conversation. "I'm aware of the latter. What would you have done differently?"
"I wouldn't have started out abusing you. I would have only done that as a last resort. I hope you don't think me arrogant, but I have no doubt that had I been the one to capture you, I would have made you forget all about your Cathar, and the Republic."
She chuckled - though not in an unpleasant or disdainful way - and gave a simple shake of her hair, sending the cascading scarlet waves into motion against her back. "That might be a little arrogant," she teased. "I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and call it confidence though."
He gave her an open armed shrugging gesture, a smile on his lips. "Come now, I see you looking at me, that shake of your head to show off your hair just the right way, you're already flirting, Aittera. The question is, are you doing it on accident, or deliberately?"
"That would be telling, Khor'deth," she answered with a charming smile of her own. Truthfully, she had, of course, been aware she'd done it. It was an instinctive reaction to the inference that she could be so easily conquered. Bring it on. He wouldn't be the first to find out how wrong he was. "So, I guess the most pressing question has to be: will you be getting in my way?"
"That would be telling." He gave her a grin as he leaned back. "Why are you escalating your conflict with my father? You killed his men, he punished you, you blew up his ship. Why not just end it? I would be more than willing to help you cease the hostilities."
Her expression grew serious, but he'd gained her respect already, so she spoke candidly rather than continuing the charade of 'playing nice'. "His punishment didn't end when Selus took me off of that ship."
"Allow me to help you then, Aittera. The way I see this ending is bad for both of you. It puts in danger everyone dear to you both. I know you and my father can never be allies, but you and I have no bad blood between us. Let me stop this for you before it goes somewhere that you don't want it to. Let me be your ally, your friend and help you move past what was done to you." Khor was either the best liar and actor she had ever seen, or the concern he was showing for her was genuine, and everything in any training she has had on body language was telling her that he was showing true concern.
His reaction caught her off guard, making her bristle with a sudden discomfort. "Why would you want to do that?" she asked, just barely keeping the suspicion from her voice.
"Because I do not wish to see your family, or my family destroyed when I could have prevented it. I do not come at this completely unselfishly. What you and Selus did to the Avenger took a lot of bravery, and intelligence to pull off, and gaining you as an ally is much more appealing to me than having you as an enemy."
"I couldn't do anything that might lend itself to hurting the Republic down the road."
"I would never ask an ally to betray their ideals, Aittera. The Empire has enemies beyond the Republic."
"As long as he's acting against the Republic, he's a threat."
"We're at war, Aittera, at this point I'm a threat to the Republic. Are you going to draw one of your pistols and shoot me?"
He stood, and removed his belt, letting it and his sabers fall to the floor before opening his arms. "If you truly feel that way then you should shoot me now."
She watched his belt fall to the floor, then looked up at him, truly perplexed. Why did men continue to insist on telling her to shoot them? "You're nothing like I expected."
"Everyone seems to say that." He continued to stand there like the perfect target.
It was damned unnerving to her. This entire conversation. She finally stood from her own seat, shaking her head in a futile attempt to reconcile what she was experiencing with everything she believed before she walked in the door. "What do you think you can do for..." She shrugged, a hand gesturing outward, palm up. "...making this go away."
"Quite a lot. I was the one that kept him and the Armada from coming to blows after Jheryth Chrystopher tried to set them against each other. I give you my word that as long as you do not attempt any further escalation of your conflict that my father will forget you ever existed."
"What about Sky?"
"My father's interest in her waned when he met Katina."
"You're just going to snap your fingers and make everything go away?"
"Not exactly. I am heir to two Sith households, Aittera. Both my father's house, that he has no claim to, and my mother's which she allows him a large amount of control over. Due to the deal I negotiated with Krayt, I have been given much leeway in speaking for him. He would never dare go against any deal I have made, because of the power I am able to bring. Making this deal with you will strain my relationship with him for a long time to come, but it is that or watch you and he destroy each other. Because I tell you this with certainty, if you were to continue on the path you are on, either you or Selus would have to sacrifice your life to end my father's."
She considered this in silence for several minutes, weighing her desire for revenge, the nightmares she still had, the sense that still came to her - even with the protection Sky had given her mind - of Ragious's presence. In fact, it was almost as though she forgot Khor was standing there at all as she turned to pace in the open space beyond the seating area.
Khor sat there in silence as she paced, allowing her her deliberations for the time being, hoping his last words sunk in because of everything he has just told her, he is most certain that the destruction of his father will come at the cost of her or Selus' life, everything he can read from the force having told him so. Finally, after several moments of silence, he spoke up again. "I promise you, whatever way you are thinking he will still use to circumvent me and get to you, I will stop him. While you don't know a lot about me, when I give my word it actually means something, and I will give you my word that you will never have to worry about my father again."
Aittera finally stopped pacing, her back to the strange enigma born of two of the most violent Sith she'd ever run across. Her voice was quiet, contemplative. "I need to speak to Selus about this. He's just as involved as I am. It wouldn't be fair not to include him in my decision." She was waiting for her gut to weigh in, starting to wonder if Khor was having some kind of influence beyond simple conversation that she just couldn't detect. Damned Force users.
"Of course. When you are ready to give me your decision then you know where to find me. I have this room permanently reserved for the foreseeable future. It comes with comped chips for the casino, and I would invite both you and Selus to take advantage of them as I myself do not do my gambling with games of chance."
She took a further moment to pull her thoughts back to the immediate, then turned to face him with a nod, extending her hand to him. "I'll be in touch. Thank you."
Khor stood and moved to take the hand as he bowed to her, once more giving her an open and undefended target should she choose to shoot him. At that point, it would have just been cathartic to shoot someone. Negotiation was not one of her stronger qualities unless one counted her ability to out-drink most people she met.
She gave him a slight smile. "You certainly have the distinction of being one of the most interesting men I've ever met."
With that, she turned to head for the door.
4/10/2014
The Next Step
Aittera looked up from the communications console of the Wanderer, which had become something of an office for her since losing the Devious Hope. Frowning, she turned to look over at Selus in the captain's chair. "I think we should go to Nar Shaddaa first."
Turning to look at her, Selus got a curious expression across his furred face, his blue eyes narrowed. "Why there?"
"I just heard from a contact there that puts Ragious's son at a party hosted by a pirate armada twice in the last month. I want to get eyes on." She paused for a moment, thoughtful. "I'm also short on usable intel. If we're going to keep up the offensive, I need contacts that can get inside Imperial space without rousing suspicion. This party might be a good place to put out a few feelers."
"Yeah, but pirates? Really? I hate pirates." He frowned and grumbled but it was clear she had his support as he dropped them out of hyperspace and began making new jump calculations to take them to Nar. "I didn't know we were going to keep up the offensive. I figured we'd see what he does with us blowing up his precious ship."
She smiled at his protest, leaning in to kiss his cheek as he began his calculations. "I think it's better if we don't give him room to retaliate. If he couldn't have the decency to die on our first try, we need to hit him again as soon as possible."
Selus frowned as he nodded, not wanting to give voice to his worry just yet. "So we'll go to Nar and see if we can't scope out his kid."
She noted the frown and offered, "Gives me an excuse to wear something pretty."
"At least you can find the silver lining." He grinned at her, leaning over for a kiss as he pulled the control lever to send them back into hyperspace.
Aittera kissed him deeply before turning back to her console. Their time away together had been rejuvenating, and she was returning with the single-minded conviction that Darth Ragious was going to suffer at her hands for what he'd done to her - to them.
Turning to look at her, Selus got a curious expression across his furred face, his blue eyes narrowed. "Why there?"
"I just heard from a contact there that puts Ragious's son at a party hosted by a pirate armada twice in the last month. I want to get eyes on." She paused for a moment, thoughtful. "I'm also short on usable intel. If we're going to keep up the offensive, I need contacts that can get inside Imperial space without rousing suspicion. This party might be a good place to put out a few feelers."
"Yeah, but pirates? Really? I hate pirates." He frowned and grumbled but it was clear she had his support as he dropped them out of hyperspace and began making new jump calculations to take them to Nar. "I didn't know we were going to keep up the offensive. I figured we'd see what he does with us blowing up his precious ship."
She smiled at his protest, leaning in to kiss his cheek as he began his calculations. "I think it's better if we don't give him room to retaliate. If he couldn't have the decency to die on our first try, we need to hit him again as soon as possible."
Selus frowned as he nodded, not wanting to give voice to his worry just yet. "So we'll go to Nar and see if we can't scope out his kid."
She noted the frown and offered, "Gives me an excuse to wear something pretty."
"At least you can find the silver lining." He grinned at her, leaning over for a kiss as he pulled the control lever to send them back into hyperspace.
Aittera kissed him deeply before turning back to her console. Their time away together had been rejuvenating, and she was returning with the single-minded conviction that Darth Ragious was going to suffer at her hands for what he'd done to her - to them.
4/04/2014
Riukii's bio
(( Posted this to Krayt Armada's forums and realized I hadn't cross-posted here. Should probably look to see if I forgot to cross-post Ali's while I'm at it. ))
Name: Riukii (pronounced Roo-key) Talsyn
Age: 24
Race: Human (with cybernetic implants)
Gender: Female
Ship: Rydge's Dust
Rank: Captain
Background: Riukii grew up on Tatooine, the youngest member of a moderately sizable but tragically poor family, with one thing on her mind: getting the hell out. It made her a tad misunderstood by her parents and siblings, who genuinely believed she'd grow out of her somewhat problematic adventures that seemed adorable at 6 and dangerous at 14, but they did the best they could to love and protect her throughout. In retrospect now, their over-protective nature would have likely been better served with the application of a firm hand, of course, but it was what it was. When she was 15, she was visiting Anchorhead with one of her brothers when she looked up in time to see an old, beat up Lethisk-class armed freighter preparing to land at the spaceport.
It didn't take her long to find the pilot - a tall, muscular ratattaki with piercing eyes smooth-talking his way through customs - and it was love at first sight. Rusok Talsyn was an enigma to the young, impressionable girl, and their relationship was like riding a tornado for the next four years. He taught her everything from flying to fighting as they took bounties, mercenary jobs that he called challenging (which were often simply insane), smuggling jobs, or chased after rumors of treasure and quick credits.
When Riukii finally realized that her lover and business partner was perhaps a little too out of control, she tried to make a clean break of things and leave him behind, but Rusok wouldn't hear of it. For the next year, her life became something of a nightmare as he stalked her, terrorized her, and showed just how much of a psychopath he could be. In the end, he died in what she jokingly deems 'a malfunctioning airlock incident', and she inherited his ship.
Now, she works for herself, and she wouldn't have it any other way. She's learned a lot about the Dust's violent and storied history, and if you get a drink or two in her, she'll bend your ear about it for hours. She's a free spirit who basically goes where the credits are, and joining Krayt was both about making more money and finding strength in numbers after her last contract with a Sith cabal renewed her silly paranoid notion that she'd like to live to see her 30th, 40th, and even 50th birthdays.
Age: 24
Race: Human (with cybernetic implants)
Gender: Female
Ship: Rydge's Dust
Rank: Captain
Background: Riukii grew up on Tatooine, the youngest member of a moderately sizable but tragically poor family, with one thing on her mind: getting the hell out. It made her a tad misunderstood by her parents and siblings, who genuinely believed she'd grow out of her somewhat problematic adventures that seemed adorable at 6 and dangerous at 14, but they did the best they could to love and protect her throughout. In retrospect now, their over-protective nature would have likely been better served with the application of a firm hand, of course, but it was what it was. When she was 15, she was visiting Anchorhead with one of her brothers when she looked up in time to see an old, beat up Lethisk-class armed freighter preparing to land at the spaceport.
It didn't take her long to find the pilot - a tall, muscular ratattaki with piercing eyes smooth-talking his way through customs - and it was love at first sight. Rusok Talsyn was an enigma to the young, impressionable girl, and their relationship was like riding a tornado for the next four years. He taught her everything from flying to fighting as they took bounties, mercenary jobs that he called challenging (which were often simply insane), smuggling jobs, or chased after rumors of treasure and quick credits.
When Riukii finally realized that her lover and business partner was perhaps a little too out of control, she tried to make a clean break of things and leave him behind, but Rusok wouldn't hear of it. For the next year, her life became something of a nightmare as he stalked her, terrorized her, and showed just how much of a psychopath he could be. In the end, he died in what she jokingly deems 'a malfunctioning airlock incident', and she inherited his ship.
Now, she works for herself, and she wouldn't have it any other way. She's learned a lot about the Dust's violent and storied history, and if you get a drink or two in her, she'll bend your ear about it for hours. She's a free spirit who basically goes where the credits are, and joining Krayt was both about making more money and finding strength in numbers after her last contract with a Sith cabal renewed her silly paranoid notion that she'd like to live to see her 30th, 40th, and even 50th birthdays.
3/27/2014
Riukii
(( This speaks to Riukii's background for me. Her first relationship was with a mysogynist psychopath who stalked her and outright tormented her when she tried to walk away from him. Until he was in that unfortunate airlock accident on the Rydge's Dust, of course. The relationship was intense and crazed with extreme highs and lows, and I imagine that there are still times she thinks about the great sex and the better highlights, and in the kind of relationship where everything is so intense that even when you've been fighting, you fall into bed, the misery has it's own addictive qualities.
Riukii herself comes across as such an up person that it's hard to tell that she likes walking that edge, but I think it's because she came out the winner in that first relationship. It puts a confidence in her that she carries well...right up until she's walking the edge again with the next guy. ))
Riukii herself comes across as such an up person that it's hard to tell that she likes walking that edge, but I think it's because she came out the winner in that first relationship. It puts a confidence in her that she carries well...right up until she's walking the edge again with the next guy. ))
3/26/2014
Some thoughts (OOC Post)
Lately, writing has no appeal for me. I went from writers block in the fall to writers apathy, I suppose. It's also entirely likely that I've been pouring so much into RP in the last month that there's nothing left to write. In CoH, that would have led to posting converted logs, and I wish I could do that in TOR, because I'm really happy with everything that's going on IC.
Anyone who knows me well knows that music is where I live, and I love so many different styles, genres, what-have-you. I was born singing. I spent the first half of my life singing. It was my passion. Even after I left it behind, I kept music close. I wake up with it in my head. Unless we stop to watch something on tv, it's a constant in my home. I connect with it, through it, to it, depending on where I'm at personally.
Lately, I can hear characters in music. Sometimes, it's an expression of where they're at. Sometimes, it's about something in their past or in their makeup. And sometimes, it's like "Ask DNA" making me strut through the room like I see Riukii so clearly in my head as she bounces onto the party barge on Nar.
So, that's what I'm going to be posting for a while, I guess. When a song makes me go "how fitting!", I'll toss it up here and try to at least give an ooc explanation of the why.
When I feel like writing again, I'll write. I might convert some logs from RP outside of TOR if I can write enough of the in between that takes place in game to give them some consistency at some point, as well.
Anyone who knows me well knows that music is where I live, and I love so many different styles, genres, what-have-you. I was born singing. I spent the first half of my life singing. It was my passion. Even after I left it behind, I kept music close. I wake up with it in my head. Unless we stop to watch something on tv, it's a constant in my home. I connect with it, through it, to it, depending on where I'm at personally.
Lately, I can hear characters in music. Sometimes, it's an expression of where they're at. Sometimes, it's about something in their past or in their makeup. And sometimes, it's like "Ask DNA" making me strut through the room like I see Riukii so clearly in my head as she bounces onto the party barge on Nar.
So, that's what I'm going to be posting for a while, I guess. When a song makes me go "how fitting!", I'll toss it up here and try to at least give an ooc explanation of the why.
When I feel like writing again, I'll write. I might convert some logs from RP outside of TOR if I can write enough of the in between that takes place in game to give them some consistency at some point, as well.
3/20/2014
So Riukii
((I swear this is perfectly timed with the way I see her walk in my head, complete with hip swing. ))
Home
The diminutive figure stood in the doorway, leaning against the door frame with her head tipped to the side so that the top of her head rested against it above her shoulder. Light bathed her from behind, but the room itself was dark, leaving her face in shadow framed by a blue halo of unkempt hair. She watched the sleeping figure on the bed with a solemn air about her without fidgeting or shuffling her feet - something that would strike anyone who knew her as unprecedented for the usually hyper-active sugar-fueled spacer who once flitted around Carrick with an infectious grin.
Every time she'd given in to exhaustion, she'd fallen asleep beside him only to wake up a few hours later, screaming about how her father was still alive and that there was no escape from him, reliving the trauma she ran away from in her childhood. She hadn't slept in two days this time, waiting each night for him to fall asleep before creeping out of the bed and wandering the large house that had been his family home.
He'd brought her to Chandrilla to heal.
He'd called it home. "It will all be okay Kel. I'll get you out of here, back to our home. I'm going to take care of you. I'm not leaving you ever again, I promise."
To fix her.
She wondered if this time, there was no fix. At the very least, she wanted to run away again. And again. And again.
It was too quiet, too peaceful, and she needed to stop replaying the attack over and over in her head. She needed to remember how to be a survivor, because her mysterious assailant had made her a victim again. She needed her family.
Every time she'd given in to exhaustion, she'd fallen asleep beside him only to wake up a few hours later, screaming about how her father was still alive and that there was no escape from him, reliving the trauma she ran away from in her childhood. She hadn't slept in two days this time, waiting each night for him to fall asleep before creeping out of the bed and wandering the large house that had been his family home.
He'd brought her to Chandrilla to heal.
He'd called it home. "It will all be okay Kel. I'll get you out of here, back to our home. I'm going to take care of you. I'm not leaving you ever again, I promise."
To fix her.
She wondered if this time, there was no fix. At the very least, she wanted to run away again. And again. And again.
It was too quiet, too peaceful, and she needed to stop replaying the attack over and over in her head. She needed to remember how to be a survivor, because her mysterious assailant had made her a victim again. She needed her family.
3/12/2014
The Death of Jheryth Chrystopher
Jheryth
defended himself from the crowd of attackers he had gathered. He was
surrounded, barely able to deflect the onslaught of blaster fire, not
able to find the advantage on any one target. He saw Aittera closing
the distance between them, determination set on her face as she tried
to her best to land a shot, squeezing the trigger as quickly as her
blaster could manage. He made his mind up then, using the force to
hurl himself at her. He thrust his saber forward, stopping just in
front of her. A sensation like nothing he ever felt, burned in his
chest. He looked down between the two of them, seeing his saber in
her hand, the blade illuminating the point where it protruded from
his chest. He looked back up at her, noting the emotion swirling
behind her eyes, but not understanding, as she seemed to fall away
from him.
A kaleidoscope of colors burst in his vision, and he threw
his arms around her shoulders to steady himself. He saw the crystal
blue waters of her eyes, feeling a cool breeze caress his face, the
smell of sea mist filling his senses. She watched as his eyes dawned
with clarity, like he received an answer to a question. He touched
his lips to hers, then fell to his knees. She watched as a simple
smile spread over his lips. And then he laid himself down and was
still. She shut her eyes, refusing to show any emotion, letting the
saber hilt fall out of her hand, clattering to the ground. She opened
her eyes and walked away. She was dimly aware of someone asking what
to do with the body. Some else replied, "Leave him with the rest
of the trash." And the crowd dispersed.
Several
minutes later, a young woman moved into the street from the shadows,
her hood sliding further down around her face as she looked down at
her former master. She found him exactly as she expected. She knew he
told her this was to happen, but she let a tear fall for him anyway.
She removed a burial cloth from the pack on her shoulder. She held
out her free hand, lifting his body, and willing the cloth to wind
its way around him, making a conscious effort to make his arms fold
up around his chest. She lifted him higher, then laid him over her
shoulder, letting his way sink down upon her. This was her burden to
bear...
She
lowered him into a boat, waiting on the shore of Alderaan's east
coast. She arranged him on the boat, bright orange locks escaping her
hood, falling down against her check. She removed an oil lamp from
her pack, lit it and placed it on his chest, between where his hands
were folded. She let the current pull the boat away, watching as it
moved itself further out on the current. She motioned her hand, and
the oil lamp broke, setting occupant and boat ablaze. She watched the
flames spread quickly, feeling the breeze tug at the loose strands of
her hair. She heard footfalls in the sand.
She looked down as a young
boy looked up at her, a mane of long red hair falling down his back
as he stared up at her. "Where is my father?"
She
stared into those piercing green eyes for a moment, then looked back
out at the water, the boy turning his head to follow her gaze. The
wake of the sinking boat reflected an emerald green glow, then faded
and the spot returned to it's normal color, becoming as still as if
nothing had happened upon the surface.
"Your father cannot be
with you now. Come with me, and I will tell you everything about
him."
Jheryth's
eyes flew open. The stone he was levitating burst, spraying pebbles
across the meditation room. His heart was beating fast, but an eerie
calm settled over him. He had to blink twice to get those blue eyes
out of his vision. He looked up to see his tactical officer crossing
through the doorway into the room.
“My
lord. Decker has found something that you will want to see.”
Jheryth
blinked again, trying to process what he had just seen, “How is
she?”
His
tactical officer looked wary, but spoke with confidence, “We have
lost track of her my lord. Our sources confirm that she is unharmed.”
Jheryth
nodded and then rose, motioning for his officer to lead the way. He
followed, making his way to the conference room, where large computer
station stands where the table would be.
Decker
swiveled around in her chair, her lekku twitching with excitement,
“My lord! You will not believe what I have found. You have to see
this!”
Decker
tapped a few keys, and the holo-screen came to life, showing the
aftermath of an attack an archaeological dig site. A reporter was
interviewing a Jedi Sage.
“...it
has still not been confirmed, and the attack and theft of the
datacron does not lead credence to it's existence. The Aether Axiom
is still a myth, and will remain a myth....”
Jheryth
tuned out the drone of the Sage, looking at Decker, “There are very
few who haven't heard the myth. It doesn't sur...”
“My
lord, “ Decker interrupted in her excitement, “I know. Even us
thieves have heard of it. It's like the ultimate treasure! I also
found this.” She tapped a few buttons, and the screen switched to a
bunch of different websites.
Jheryth
looked at the screens blankly, “Ok, what am I looking at?”
Decker
motioned to the different screens, “Well, to you it's a bunch of
random stuff, but to someone like me, it's a trail. Someone's got
that datacron, and they are making it known. Hopefully I can track
'em down.”
Jheryth
nodded, “Keep me updated.” He turned to his tactical officer,
“Aven, keep an eye out for her. Let me know when she resurfaces.”
3/08/2014
Chrystopher Legacy-Chapter 4: Chaos
Jheryth
watched the man become semi-solid in front of him. “How is this
possible?”
The
man smiled, “It is by no means easy, but it is something you have
encountered before. You remember the young twi'lek, apprenticed to
your enemy. What was her name? The blue one.”
Jheryth
cocked his head to the side, processing this information, “Temivi?”
“Yes,
that one. So you see, there are those of us who can remain, even
after death.”
Jheryth
looked at him accusingly, “So you mean to possess me?”
The
man's smile faltered slightly, “Of course not. Let me properly
introduce myeslf. I am Na'ethyn Jadett. I am your ancestor.”
Jheryth
quirked a brow, “My ancestor?”
Jadett
nodded, “The Chrystophers were once Jadetts. Politics and alliances
shift, as you know. I myself became disillusioned with the Empire, so
I broke ties.
Apart from the Empire, I became even more powerful. Others learned of this power, and and tried to take it for themselves. I destroyed anyone that came after me, so it was made to look like I was a threat to the Empire. As more people aligned themselves against me, I knew it was time to hide my knowledge, preserve my legacy, so one day a true Jadett would reclaim it!”
Apart from the Empire, I became even more powerful. Others learned of this power, and and tried to take it for themselves. I destroyed anyone that came after me, so it was made to look like I was a threat to the Empire. As more people aligned themselves against me, I knew it was time to hide my knowledge, preserve my legacy, so one day a true Jadett would reclaim it!”
“What
about the Chrystophers?” Jheryth inquired.
Jadett
scoffed. “The Jadetts ran like rats - trying to distance themselves
from the political backlash - assuming that the tide would turn
against them as well. They went so far as to forsake their own name.
They wormed their way onto Alderaan, jostling and marrying into
nobility where they could. You are the first force-sensitive the
Chrystophers have produced in ten generations!”
Jheryth
shifted his weight from one foot to the other, absorbing this
information, still wary. “So why haven't you been more present?
Been my master instead of leading me to Korriban?”
Jadett
motioned to the crystal hovering above the dais, “My essence is
stored in that crystal. It keeps me anchored to this existence.
However, I am only an echo of what I once was. I can watch you with
little difficulty, but manifesting takes a lot of energy. I can also
monitor things from this computer station. When I found out that a
Chrystopher had been accepted to the Academy, and then expelled, I
knew you were the one I needed.”
“Needed?”
Jheryth asked dubiously, folding his arms across his chest.
“Yes!
To reclaim my legacy! Bring the Jadett name back. To make the
universe fear us! Take the power I'm offering you. We can make the
universe tremble. After everything I've done for you, you still don't
trust me?”
Jheryth
narrowed his eyes at the apparition. “No.”
He
lunged at the crystal, grabbing it with both hands. It showered the
room in green light, energy traveling down through his arms into his
chest....
Victory
Five months later...
In the cockpit of the Wanderer, two figures sat in the captain's and co-pilot's chairs, their hands clasped and hanging in the space between them. They silently counted six detonations - each representing a charge one of them had planted - and their resultant explosions along the underbelly of a ship known as the Avenger, a Harrower-class dreadnought that presumably carried it's owner, the Sith known as Darth Ragious.
"You know, this will be a great story."
"It's too bad that no one is ever going to believe it."
He had taken three days of her life, her ship, and in the months that had followed, a piece of her sanity; as he'd used the Force in ways Aittera hadn't known were possible - appearing so that only she could see him, influencing her thoughts, visiting her in her most vulnerable moments. He had tried to manipulate her into believing that submitting herself to him was something she wanted somehow. When that didn't work, he threatened Selus and her friends, and he even went so far as pursuing the one woman who had helped her the most by using the Force to shield her mind from his influences.
And now, Aittera and Selus had struck a blow in return that he would not be able to ignore. She didn't let herself hope that they had gotten so lucky as to have actually killed him. That would be nice, but her luck had never been that good. Blowing up his flagship while he was on it was a hell of a message though.
And she was just getting started.
In the cockpit of the Wanderer, two figures sat in the captain's and co-pilot's chairs, their hands clasped and hanging in the space between them. They silently counted six detonations - each representing a charge one of them had planted - and their resultant explosions along the underbelly of a ship known as the Avenger, a Harrower-class dreadnought that presumably carried it's owner, the Sith known as Darth Ragious.
"You know, this will be a great story."
"It's too bad that no one is ever going to believe it."
He had taken three days of her life, her ship, and in the months that had followed, a piece of her sanity; as he'd used the Force in ways Aittera hadn't known were possible - appearing so that only she could see him, influencing her thoughts, visiting her in her most vulnerable moments. He had tried to manipulate her into believing that submitting herself to him was something she wanted somehow. When that didn't work, he threatened Selus and her friends, and he even went so far as pursuing the one woman who had helped her the most by using the Force to shield her mind from his influences.
And now, Aittera and Selus had struck a blow in return that he would not be able to ignore. She didn't let herself hope that they had gotten so lucky as to have actually killed him. That would be nice, but her luck had never been that good. Blowing up his flagship while he was on it was a hell of a message though.
And she was just getting started.
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