Dance Dance Revelation

[Garuga]

Korriban. Sounded more like the name of an up and coming band, their songs probably filled with angry teenage vocals but just fine instrumentally. Korriban sounded suspiciously similar to the little furry Kushiban, whose sight either caused little children to squeal in delight or gave them a violent allergic reaction. But instead, it was the home base and fundamental core of the SIth Order, the training grounds and proving grounds for prospective Sith. The Sith Lords, who oversaw and ruled the Empire, intending to raise their banner over the entire Galaxy after removing the foul presence of the Jedi and the Galactic Alliance in one bloody and immense heave. Oh it’s a wonder how much you can learn from a tourist brochure, already Qilin was spewing out propaganda for the masses, and she’d barely even been on the planet.

In fact, if this was simply the makeshift setting produced for use in theatre, she would not be able to tell the difference. The place was one huge dust pile, with a healthy scattering of rocky hills and boulders alike, the occasional building or ruin providing some nice dynamic to this most welcoming and hospitable of worlds. It was inside of these structures, where Qilin was now, a central or training chamber of some sorts. Or maybe it was the dormitories, just because the Sith never bothered with beds. A dance floor! Indeed, it seemed likely, peering upwards into the black sky of a ceiling she could easily picture the laser beams and lights bringing some life to this gloomy building.

Either way, dance floor or not, music was what Qilin wanted now. There was no one around her, so why would she bother with a headset? Clicking her tongue as she sorted through the list of songs in her music player, Qilin found a choice she was content with, and the music was forced upon the world around her, whether they appreciated it or not. It was a matrimony between real instruments played by artists and synthetic productions, the real instruments providing the core, and the synthetic providing highlighting and further intensity. In a pair of jean shorts, ending just before her knees, and a black shirt with a splattering of fluorescent aqua patterns, Qilin swayed her neck and nodded her head. With an absent look and a fixed smile on her face, Qilin knew that music in particular always had an effect on her.

Before strolling to her current location, various acolytes, dressed in those dark moody robes, had shot a few wary and contemptuous glances towards her direction. Indeed, she’s seem out of place, but none of them knew her, and few of them ever will. Qilin was her own deity, her own follower and believer.

 

[D.C.]

A predator with half-long, dirty-blonde hair strode down the hallways. Acolytes scurried off as he approached, some acolytes stared after him, standing paralyzed in his wake. They had seen that hungry look in his emerald eyes and knew better than to bother him now. He did not look like one of the most dangerous men in the world, at least not in the way he dressed, but those eyes... o those freaking eyes!

The man (wearing blue jeans, a white t-shirt and a black jacket) turned around the corner. The acolytes felt a wave of relief as he disappeared and quickly ran off, in case he would return. But he didn't, because he was on his way to meet someone. He had been told that this someone was a girl, and that she had only just arrived on Korriban to learn the ways of the Sith. He licked his lips and smirked. Ah, he was thirsty. So thirsty.

The doors slid open with a hiss and the room appeared in front of him. He saw her, with her long dark hair and the scarf covering her mouth. He wondered for a moment what kind of lips she had. He licked his own again and slowly approached her, knowing she was his new apprentice, somehow. He hadn't seen the color of her eyes yet, but he would find out.

Slowly he approached, like a hungry wolf closing in on a helpless sheep. The Dark Aura that always surrounded him became visible and radiated off of his body. His eyes reflected that darkness and slowly turned from light-green to endless all-black pools one could drown in if they looked into them for too long.

'Hello, milady,' he whispered slowly to her, with that warm, low, haunting voice of his. That voice that held such a dark beauty. The smile that played on his lips made him look even more handsome and his black eyes somehow twinkled in the faint light of the room. 'Welcome...'

He reached out with his hand and gently brushed away a lock of her dark hair. Her eyes were grey and he thought they were beautiful. Serene eyes, yet reflecting such darkness that it sent shivers down his spine.

'I'm your new master,' the mysterious man whispered, 'and you are my apprentice. Welcome... to the Dark Side.

'My Dark Side.'

 

[Garuga]

Music offered immersion, but she knew when to exit that state. Even as raw as she was in force potential, even a blind person could detect the arrival of an inferno. A flick of her thumb, and the music’s volume decreased enough to not be a bother, but otherwise Qilin found no reason to turn it off. She stared hard, as what others would call a man entered. How fitting, for the song to suddenly break into a howl, for that was what his polite greeting was to her ears. The room was no longer empty, and the song no longer felt like it was rebounding off the walls. Instead, it was swallowed.

He touched her hair, but it was not the sleazy and insolent touch of an insecure teenager. His eyes were nice, but she knew in better lighting they would look even better. He was a predator, the way he moved, the way he looked, the way he spoke. Perhaps one of the best, perhaps someone that few others could match, dangerous and beautiful. Not what Qilin would ever become, not a predator nor destroyer. A different path would be for her to take, a Dark Judge she would become, one that would only rule when chaos has toppled the balance of the scales.

What better master, than a predator? Losing her existence too early was certainly nothing in comparison to the bleak music that would be played for her failure.

”And no darkness more fitting, you are the master.” Qilin responded, her voice clear, though the rhythm of the words leaving her mouth were odd indeed. ”And I, who steps after it now.”

 

[D.C.]

He looked her straight into the eye for a few moments, as if they were lovers—as if he'd lean in to kiss her any moment—, and then finally took a step back. His arms fell down to his sides and his eyes turned back to their natural light-green.

'The world is such a dark place,' he said in a low, haunting voice, 'but just not dark enough yet. Would you tell me, Qilin, why you have come here? What you are looking for?'

It was a question he always asked new acolytes. The answer would determine if they were ready for the training or not; if they would become a Sith or not. If they would give the wrong answer, he would train them all the same, but it also meant that they would die along the way. There were multiple 'right' answes, but so far he'd mostly heard wrong answers. Yes, he had left dozens of bodies in his wake. Bodies of figures who had once been his apprentices and thought they would become the perfect Sith.

Qilin possessed a dark beauty and he was confident that she would become even more beautiful if the Dark Side within her would truly awaken. It would be a shame if she gave the wrong answer right now...

 

[Garuga]

Not dark enough yet indeed. She was a herald of chaos, but that meant nothing other than its machinations work upon their own accord. Qilin was still nothing, she could not create chaos, only capable of adding upon its random appearances. Yes, the very nature of chaos is unpredictability, but she knew the difference between having played her own part and chancing upon it. Disorder, forged from order.

"I cannot do what I must do without guidance. Others who would welcome me with open arms could not deliver the same. I will serve here, and yet I am released." Qilin responded, truthful in what she had said, and yet there remained what she could not say for now.

"I come in search of progression of myself, but I could not be claimed by these dark forces as one of their pawns."

Hand moving to the scarf around her, Qilin pulled the scarf down enough so that it revealed her entire face, yet remained wrapped around her neck. Cosmetics were not for this occasion, and Qilin had not bothered with such. Her lips were full, but small and round. With a dark cherry natural gloss, her lips moved as the words exited her mouth, perfectly pronounced without flaw.

"I will be as you task, for your dark side holds what I should require."

 

[D.C.]

'Ah, you have that state of mind,' Oseth said, 'you believe the Dark Side can't claim you as a pawn.'

In fact it was all just a puzzle. A game of chess. It was white against black; light against dark. If that was true, then weren't they all pawns? His handsome, wolf-like face cracked into smile. It all depended on who was the King, and who was the Queen.

'Have you,' he whispered, but trailed off. He looked at her face, pondering for a moment. Was she afraid, as she stood before him? He'd come across a great many souls who were, but yet here she stood. Facing him, as if she knew no fear. Perhaps it was a mask. And then, as if she'd heard his thoughts, she pulled down the scarf, revealing her red lips. His heart missed a beat.

Her lips had the color of blood.

'Have you ever murdered someone?' he finally asked. His dark, haunting voice filled the entire room, even though he didn't say it out loud. He looked her in the eye. The Dark Side flooded the room. It would only be a matter of time before Qilin'd drown in the pool of black.

 

[Garuga]

Qilin maintained her stare upon the Sith Lord's face. There was what she was capable of reading, and there were those things that were still beyond her eye of judgement. There were those who opened up their souls like a book, trashy novels that she could skim through and take what she needed easily. That was what she could do well. But this was different still, not for her to comprehend at this current time. Qilin could locate patterns well, piece them together, at times no matter how distant they were from one another. But she could not sort through the darkness now. She could not differ one from the other, and the wolf's presence clouded the room.

Yes, there was a lack of comprehension, she could not judge for now, but she will learn from it. "Murder, whether it's against the law, or against the common good?" Qilin replied. "I have killed. Those that deserved it, some who were there for convenience, and the ones that faced the wrong side of the coin. I have killed and murdered, both on the basis of chance as well as my own extradition to my wishes."

Death was presumably not an uncommon site on Korriban. Some dealt it brutally, some beautifully. But it was not true disorder. There was bloodlust, personal vendettas and goals. Even for nutritional values perhaps, but the man that stood in front of Qilin now... Death appeared to walk shoulder to shoulder beside him. A most welcoming thought, perhaps.

 

[D.C.]

'I see,' he said. 'Tell me, if I was your enemy... or just your target...' He moved around her, stopping behind her. He gently put his strong arms around her waist and whispered into her ear, his voice so dark and evil: 'How would you kill me, Qilin? How would you do it?'

He smelled her hair, and smiled when he did. He held her as if she was his girlfriend instead of his acolyte, but did it mean anything? Perhaps it was merely a test.

He released her and moved around her again, stopping right in front of her. He gently touched her chin, slowly tilting her head a bit, so he could look her straight into the eyes. The cold stare of a predator, waiting for the right moment to strike.

Maybe he was frightening, maybe he wasn't. Maybe he actually charmed her; seduced her... or maybe she just wanted to kill him and smear his blood out on the walls.

'How would a beauty such as yourself, kill a wolf, Qilin?' he whispered. He let go and slowly stepped back, until there was a safe distance between them. He crossed his arms and eyed her, awaiting her answer. This should be interesting...

 

[Garuga]

Qilin’s grey eyes did not track his movement as he moved behind her. They remained facing forward, when he spoke, or when he paused. She did not blink, when his arms touched her or left her, for it was his words that sought more attention. Indeed, a complete predator then, she did not see wrong. What a question certainly, for the wolf to ask what remained in reach of its’ fangs how the other would react.

“Not my personal target, but if you were a nuisance or obstacle, I’d seek the assistance of others. Not at the immediate moment, so blunt a method would not do. I’d learn alongside you all the same like if I did not toy with such a thought, but I’d put things into motion before I’m significant enough for you to pay half a thought to my intentions. It would not be hard to find enemies, master, predators always have many, as hushed or beaten down as they may be.” She replied, eyes searching for his only when he came into sight once again. “And then you’d die, if you were not aware, but that’s unlikely.”

Well, it was an open question, and Qilin would answer it completely. “If I needed to remove the master for my own reasons, then killing a wolf would be done in one way, internally. Gutting you, perhaps not physically as those are mundane details, but becoming completely devoted by your side, all the while being perfectly aware that you could turn on I with the same dedication. To become utterly loyal, devoted, and enthralled until I could not possibly picture myself harbouring the thought of such an act. By then, I would have achieved what I want, and an idle mind focuses on new possibilities. Obsession is a killer, after all, and why not cherish memories of the one you care for inside your mind, while their physical form crumbles.”

Qilin paused for a moment, clearing her throat. The dusty surface was Korriban was most irritating for the pipes. “Nudging father time aside for this instance, if chaos sets his eyes upon one, whether I act as the executioner or the shoe-wiper, I will be glad to have taken part.”

 

[D.C.]

'Ah,' Oseth grinned, 'that is a good one. You're honest, at least. I won't say whether your 'plan' would be succesful, though. If you want to find out, then you should try, but it probably won't work anymore, since I now know how you'd do it.

'As for a follow up question,' he went on, 'why did you answer the first question?'

That might have sounded odd to her, but if you'd think about it, it wasn't that odd. Unless she'd lied, she'd revealed how she'd work. Oseth didn't think she would really try to kill him, though, just because there really was nothing to gain by killing him. If he was dead, then the Emperor would probably want to replace him, but then again, Oseth didn't hold a specific title other than Sith Lord.

 

[Garuga]

"I answered truthfully, because I can judge you not, and acting without that would be horror, not simply death. If I was intent on the act, then all planning aside, would there honestly be a better chance than moments past?" Qilin replied. It was true, despite her current weaponless state, likewise the wolf had approached, without understanding of what she could or would do. That had passed, and no direct chance such as that would be offered again without the mind registering the possible risk she posed currently, as minute as it might be.

"If my answer could alert and caution one, as truthful as it was, the doubt or alert it'd offer would mean new progression. New moves for I to take, new mistakes for them to make." She finished.

Without chaos's intervention, Qilin would not seek for this one's death. Her answer could force misunderstanding from those of lower minds, perhaps being able to sound like a message of concession to those. But Qilin could see her master, and that he could see through grey clouds much too clearly for that.

 

[D.C.]

'Very well,' Oseth said, 'I know what I must know. I believe you've spoken the truth. You have killed before, and so you can stand your ground. If you've lied about that, then it's your own stupid mistake and you will die, but I believe you.

'Walk with me, now, Qilin,' he said, 'for there is a place I want to show you. A place where your true journey to the Dark Side begins. We won't spend much time in this academy, because here you can only learn the basics. We will journey into space very soon. We will kill very soon. There is just one thing left for us to do here.'

He turned and walked out of the room. He strode down the corridors, ignoring the weak acolytes that scurried off when he passed by. He finally walked up some stairs and stopped in front of a door. He opened the door and slipped inside a big, empty room, only dimly lit by a few lamps. He held the door open for Qilin.

 

[Garuga]

"Yes." Qilin replied simply, following the Sith Lord's path, always at a respectful distance away. Korriban was ever unfamiliar to her, but it was interesting to note that he intended for them to leave it's premises soon. Her vision occasionally flicked to note some corridor or statue, but otherwise they remained focused directly in front of her. There were more acolytes strolling around this area than she had expected, but Qilin wondered how many of them she'd ever spot again. Lives are claimed much too easily, from all angles and sides.

When the man stopped, so too did Qilin. She eyed the contents of the chamber for a quick moment, then gave a curt bow to her master. Where they were, once again she had no idea. Taking three steps into the room, Qilin turned and faced her master, silent as she waited for him to proceed.

She had not began the journey to the Dark Side then, the Sith had previously held no influence for her acts. Now it would change.

 

[D.C.]

Oseth walked into the room, after closing the door behind him. Perhaps Qilin hadn't seen him at first, but there he was; a poor Human guy cowering in the corner of the room. He was locked up inside this room by Oseth himself. The Sith Lord grinned when he saw the coward.

'That bloke over there's supposed to be a Sith,' Oseth said, pointing at the coward, 'but he's shown his weakness way too often. He is not worthy of being a Sith. He never will be.'

The Wolf stopped in the center of the room, glancing at Qilin. He crossed his arms in front of his chest. A dark, sadistic smile played on his lips. He nodded with his head in the direction of the man and said: 'Go on, sweetheart. I want you to tear him apart. Rip his kriffing heart out!

'I want you to show me what you are capable of.' He chuckled. 'I want to feel your anger!'

The human, cowering in the corner of the room, desperately searched for a way out of the room. There was none. The way out was blocked. He was trembling of fear and he was crying. Anyone who wasn't sadistic, would immediately feel sorry for the poor fellow.

'Make it bloody.'

 

[Garuga]

So this was it, the Sith Lord’s reason of bringing them into this chamber. Qilin had barely gazed towards the being on the floor, focused on Oseths’ words more than the perhaps unusual sight. Evidently the former Sith prospect had done nothing to please her master, his reaction as Oseth entered the room was certainly one worth recording. Qilin listened closely, and at the end of the word ‘bloody’, she barely glanced towards the pathetic thing before nodding in affirmation.

Slowly, but surely, QIlin’s red lips formed a small smile. It was genuine, not one of scathing cynicism. Subtle and classy, not the roaring lunatics of a berserker who finally scored a kill. It was joy, and satisfaction. She understood a kill for what it was, nothing more and nothing less. Significance? To a certain degree, but this was wiping away mundane rubbish. The kill, to some degree, could be a test, to see whether her previously displayed attitude was simply a facade. She held no anger for the crying being, and neither did an ounce of sympathy emerged from her heart. A death was what it was, he had angered one greater than him, and she was simply accelerating his progress through time and life itself.

Turning to face the focus of this fuss, the man briefly recovered from his horrified state, repressing his sobs for a brief moment. Who was this woman? Barely a young adult, must be another prospective Sith... But, why was she at Lord Oseth's side?

Smile gone now, Qilin took a few steps towards the crumbling man before changing her mind. She knew what he was thinking perfectly. Where was she headed? Why was she walking towards the torch stand? Why was she ripping it out from the wall? Why was sh- Oh...

Grasping the still flaming torch in her right hand, Qilin continued her march towards the man, who now began to crawl backwards on his knees in renewed fear. He had witnessed the sight of the Sith Lords’ eyes before, and terrible they were indeed. But this girl was just an acolyte, but had seemingly not held a single moment’s worth of deliberation within her mind before strolling leisurely towards his, her intent clear. He continued to back away, but the room only extended to that fixed distance. He wanted to run, he wanted to fight back. Who would want a 20 year old girl to be their own murderer? But he couldn't, her eyes held him in silent contemplation, and he knew she was judging him indeed.

Before he could gather another thought, Qilin pulled her arm back, and struck forward with the handle side of the torch. The metal smashed into the man's nose, extending the nostrils for one shred of a second before the nose itself was forced to one side, irrevocably broken. Blood started to leak out, but the man could not shout in pain before the handle impacted upon his rib cage. An empty cry escaped this time, the pain and damage lungs silencing the sound to a degree.

Qilin changed her grip this time, at her own pace as the man continued to squirm, ever trying to push past the un-budging wall to escape. This time, the flaming side came down, catching the man cleanly on his face. Fire singed his hair, though any passerby would probably have remarked that it looked no less worse than before. Still, it was only a torch, and the skin and flesh could not be roasted within an instant. Nevertheless, he howled indeed, fingers grasping at his scalded face. He was fluttering about enough to be a nuisance, too distracting for Qilin to continue. The torch handle went down a few more times, into the ribs and ankle until she was sure he couldn't move away again.

By now, the torch handle had been twisted and bent by the force of the impacts enough to have a visible sharp point to it. Enough to thrust into flesh certainly. Into the neck and shoulders the sharp point went, considerably more blood covered his body now, adding to the existing total from the nose. Well, her master had asked for a bloody ending, this was probably sufficient. Bending down, Qilin attempted to force open the man's mouth, but he still had the energy to fight hard, even attempting to bite onto her fingers. Mercilessly, she struck solidly again, dislodging the jaw from it's natural position, as the man still could not tear his gaze away from her eyes.

With her left hand, Qilin wrenched his mandible downwards, the gap between his two rows of teeth now being large enough for what Qilin intended. With the fire in her hand, Qilin ignited what remained of the man's clothing, and was pleased to see that his skin was burning adequately to match. Even still, it was likely that if she left him in this state, he could still live. Even as low a being as this one was, the human was certainly capable of tolerance and endurance. Qilin bent down once again, and positioned the flaming side of the torch directly above the horribly extended mouth. Her grey eyes met his till the end, where Qilin finally walked away from him once the full length of the flaming torch had been thrust down into the man's throat.

The body rested amongst a splattering of red, as the familiar aroma of burning flesh would greet those around this area. Fire consumed the nameless one, from both the inside and the outside. Qilin made her way towards her master, the light from the fire failing to make their mark upon the grey glow of her eyes.

 

[D.C.]

Oseth watched, laughing gleefully. It was that mad cackle of his. That 'wooooaaaah-hahahaha!!' that reverbered throughout the room. Finally, when there remained nothing but a flaming, bloody mess of the failed Sith, he looked to Qilin.

'How did that make you feel, Qilin?' he asked her.

 

[Garuga]

"Satisfying." Qilin said, by her master's side once again. "I did not forfeit what was my opportunity. He was meant to die." Prior to this, adrenaline had silenced her pain, but now Qilin took a look at the source of the stabbing sensation. Her hands, burnt from the ordeal, the fire that she used herself was not picky when it came to targets. Her enthusiasm had lead to a aesthetically pleasing display, but her skill needed to be able to match it.

"It was enjoyable, yet it showed me I need to learn from such things." Qilin finished, blowing some air from her mouth to the two mirroring stripes of a hot searing on her two hands.

 

[D.C.]

Oseth saw her hands and his smile faded. He carefully took her hands in his and let the Force flow through his veins. It flowed from his hands into hers and would fill her with a nice, warm sensation. The pain would fade and as would the burns.

Finally, he let go of her hands and there was not a sign of the burns. 'You saw what you had to see. You did what you had to do. You are my apprentice, Qilin, and I will teach you the secrets of power. I will teach you the secrets of fear. Of darkness.'

He put his right hand on her shoulder and his eyes met hers. He smiled faintly, his eyes twinkled with insanity. It was a wolf's grin. It was evil.

'We might return to this desert world in time,' he continued, 'but, for now we will go somewhere else. We will travel, Qilin. We'll travel across the galaxy and I will show you everything I need to show you. I'm sure,' he said, touching her cheek and looking her straight into the eye, 'we'll have a great time, you and I. Meet me in hangar #5 tomorrow morning. Good night, my apprentice...'

The Wolf turned around and left the room, disappearing in the shadows of the academy.

----
((OOC: It's ok if we go into the galaxy already, isn't it? Don't wanna be stuck in a dusty training room XD))