Ask Folds and Knots

[Darth Tiamat]

There was a sense of desperation as Lyra looked for something to clean the taste out of her mouth. She felt the stale donuts on the counter were probably just as insulting to her taste buds and grabbed a couple pieces of melon from Emryc's plate. Quickly chewing, she sat with a mouthful of melon for a moment attempting to absorb any of the toxic taste before swallowing. It wasn't completely cleansing her palette but it was a start. She noticed Emryc had taken his attention to the Huttball game playing on the holo that struggled to keep a steady picture. Her assumption lead her to believe she was probably embarrassing him.

After a moment he spoke and Lyra popped another piece of melon in her mouth, confused to his lack of urgency to get back to Dantooine. Her brow twitched and he slid the pamphlet to her, "But what about your ship?" she asked with a mouthful and looked at the article about the mystery boulder.

She read about some of the local accounts of childhood friends and family members had disappeared after a friendly day of exploring or playing games. "I don't think this is a coincidence." Lyra muttered and flipped the pamphlet's pages to find some set of coordinates, but found nothing. She looked around Emryc to see the attendant at the check-in desk; the man clearly must have been watching huttball also, his fist shaking angrily at the small holo that sat on his desk. Standing, she quickly made her way to the attendant, noting the thick cob webs that had gathered in the corners and all over the dated wicker chairs and tables. When Lyra returned though, she was busy writing down the coordinates.

Lyra sat down, "I'm ready." she said pulling out her holopad and typed them in; she was certain it would take them back close to where they were the night before, "It would be best if we don't stay another night, this place smells of sour bantha milk. Its like walking through some Grandma's attic."

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc was too distracted by the game to notice that Lyra was blatantly stealing from his plate. However, the mention of his ship caused him to bristle slightly. He wanted nothing more than to return to his ship, but he also didn’t want to waste the entire trip by not solving for the hypergate. The half sephi simply didn’t bother answering the question, grumpily staring at the Holo.

Lyra knew him rather well by now and moved right on, digging into the pamphlet and investigating the boulder mystery. The game was getting interesting and Emryc only heard half of what she said, giving half coherent grunts as response. His fingers curled on the table as he watched the team perform a play. He didn’t think it was the right call, but it depended on if a particular player bothered to show aggression.

Emryc and the attendant slammed their fists on their corresponding surfaces at the same time as an obvious goal was missed. He sighed as he kept watching the screen, reaching to grab his cup of water. Of course, he wasn’t looking and instead grabbed Lyra’s caf cup, taking a big gulp.

A sound that wasn’t quite human came from him as he sprayed the drink out. He had to fight back dry heaving when he remembered that it was old caf and also Lyra backwash. Emryc grabbed some napkins to dab over his tongue in desperation. He set the napkins down and slowly looked over at Lyra and gave her a menacing glare that would cut right through her.

He looked back at the coffee splatters that now decorated the breakfast buffet table and decided it was probably time to leave. He rose to his feet and silently made his way over to the counter, tossing some credits for the attendant still watching the game. Emryc shuffled out quickly, fuming internally. Externally he was suddenly back to being cool as a cucumber, the demeanor shift abrupt enough to give anyone whiplash.

“We’re not going out there again without camping gear,” He said flatly. They had no way of knowing how long it could take to make the terminal work or even find it.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Lyra was about halfway in her description of the Inn when he had inadvertently picked up her caf mug from earlier and taken a large drink as he watched the Huttball game. The acolyte nearly flew back in her own seat, rescuing her holopad from the table as he sprayed out the drink. She blinked, trying to figure out what he had done when she realized he had her mug in front of him; the look of betrayal and resentment, and the napkins sticking to his tongue brought out a humorous laugh from the acolyte. Her eyes lit up with amusement to the shared misery of the caf, but as he turned to glare at her, the girl quickly bowed her head to avoid eye contact and bit her lip, attempting to muffle anymore laughs that were trying to escape. She was mostly unsuccessful, having to hold her breath until he stood up and went to pay for room.

She followed quickly behind, making sure she did not have anymore giggles left before catching up with him, his stoic features returned as they headed further into the town. He mentioned they needed camping gear and Lyra had no idea where one would find camping gear out here. They passed a few shops, one in particular caught her attention, "Credit General Store..." she read out loud and looked at the signs on the door while they passed, "Everything is five credits or less..." There were stands outside with discounted goods, "Look, they have bantha jerky for a quarter of a cred!" she said digging through the basket and then pulled out a bag of sweats, "Ah! Life Day chocolate!" she held up a faded bag of candy for Emryc to see and then pulled out a second bag. There was an expiration date.

"You think its still good after two years?" she asked, "I've never heard chocolate going bad."

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc completely ignored her giggle fits even though he was well aware of it. He was about to keep walking when she excitedly chirped up about a Credit General Store. Emryc turned to look at the spread of goods, staring blankly at the awful quality of items. He was about to silently keep walking when a quick scan confirmed this was the only actual ‘shop’ around.

He eyed Lyra as she brought up ‘jerky’ that looked like rancid roadkill, followed by years old Life Day chocolates. Emryc said nothing for a moment, blankly staring at her. What had he done to deserve this day? Why was his apprentice asking him if eating 2 year old chocolate was okay? Why was this happening while he was without his ship anywhere in sight?

“There is a bug in the package,” He said curtly, silver eyes flicking down. If Lyra looked down, she would see a crushed bug inside the packaging. Who knew how long it had been dead in there? Emryc stuffed his hands into his pockets and began to walk around to see the other goods.

He asked about camping equipment and was directed to a tarp and a stick to hold it up. Emryc sighed, waiting for whatever nonsense Lyra wanted to buy before he made his way over to ask about renting or buying transportation.

Almost thirty minutes later, Emryc and Lyra were standing next to a toothless old man named Grub. The man wore a wife beater and casually scratched his greasy underarms while talking, “Alls you gotta do is give 'er a lil’ boost and she’ll be purring like a kitty,” While pointing to an ancient relic of a speeder. The back of it looked as if it were going to fall off, “Might skid and hit the ground a few times, but she always picks back up,” Grub gave a laugh that sounded like a donkey’s braying.

He turned to look at Lyra, “And mmmm what a fine thing to be ridin’ on 'er too,” He started reaching for the girl. Before he could, there was the subtlest use of the Force and the faintest crack, and Grub howled in pain, grabbing his hand. He glared down at his thumb which had shifted at an awkward angle, “Damn arthritis actin’ up again…”

Emryc said nothing as he handed over the credits to the man. The man took them and turned to look at Lyra again.

“So are you with this kid? ‘Cause I can show you what an experienced man-”

“Thank you,” Emryc said, watching as the man’s eyes glazed over, “And goodbye,” Grub turned on his heel and walked away. Out of pure spite, Emryc used the Force to draw back the credits he had paid, pocketing it.

He turned to the decrepit jalopy of a speeder before turning to Lyra, “Hop in and try to start the engine. I’ll push from behind and jump in when it gets rolling.”


@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Emryc walked over and Lyra looked at the bag of chocolate more closely, her face contorted in disgust seeing the bug decaying inside the package. Having her answer, Lyra promptly dropped the bags back to the basket. However, that didn't stop her from looking at the other goods at discount price, only finding more expired food the further she dug. Emryc went to ask about camping equipment and Lyra spotted a 2 gallon tub of cheese balls and reached to pick it up, remembering how good these tasted especially with a soda that matched in size. Though when she heard Emryc sigh, she knew what that indicated and the acolyte placed the tub back on the shelf and left it be, following him out of the store with empty hands.

As they searched for another place to buy equipment, Lyra swore they did three laps of the entire town before they were directed to one of the locals. By now, Lyra was becoming antsy to get out of this place and wished Emryc's ship was not on the other side of the galaxy. They stood by a guy name Grub as he described his hoovering junk of a speeder while Lyra counted all the moles on top of his head. 172. He gave a laugh about something, Lyra had not paid attention, but his attention suddenly fell on her and Lyra stepped backwards, the Force twisted around the girl as she was ready to pluck his eyes out with the Force, but his fingers bent awkwardly instead as he tried to reach out to her.

Lyra's brow narrowed and she grabbed Emryc's sleeve, her other hand reached for the hilt of her blade on the small of her back, ready to end Grubs miserable life. Emryc dismissed him though, only to take the credits back that he had given for the speeder. Lyra was fuming underneath and her Master's orders sounded like they were miles away as she focused on the cretin. The pleasure she could take in the pain she could cause him was intoxicating and it would be so quick and easy. It felt like she was pulled in a different time, only to be brought back when she would feel a breeze hit her face and she suddenly felt herself exhale, turning to see what Emryc needed her to do.

The acolyte tossed her pack into the back of the speeder after removing her holopad, pulling up the coordinates for their journey. After climbing into the driver's seat, she hit the ignition as Emryc pushed from behind; at first Lyra did not think it would even start, but as the Sephi gained some momentum, the engine finally stirred, kicking up dust and sand as Emryc jumped inside.

The speeder moved at a casual pace, she thought they could make better timing if they would just get out and walk and wished they were going faster so she could think about other things other than beings like Grub. Her own features hardened and she fell back into silence, only relying now on Emryc to point her if she was going off-course.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc began to push the speeder, the vehicle groaning in protest as Lyra tried to kickstart the engine. For all his missions, this entire experience was a new one...and one he hoped he wouldn’t repeat. The engine sounded vaguely like a dying cat before the back of the speeder abruptly backfired. Flames licked towards Emryc, along with a giant plume of black smoke. However, the speeder was moving at the end of it.

The half Sephi rushed behind the speeder and leaped up to land in it, causing the speeder to bump into the ground from the impact. He moved forth to sit down next to Lyra. His face was covered in soot and one of his eyebrows was singed half off. Emryc calmly stared ahead, blinking slowly.

“Not a word,” He said simply, having little desire to discuss his ridiculous appearance. For all that work, the speeder was putt-putting across the field at a glacial pace. Walking was probably comparable, but he had little desire to carry Lyra after she gave up a half mile in again.

Emryc focused on the coordinates for a bit before glancing over at Lyra. He hadn’t missed her tensing when Grub was acting up, and he knew what she had begun to do.

“Not everything warrants a display of brute strength or causing a scene,” He said after a moment, “There is no point in training your powers if they control you instead of the other way around.”


@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

It had been more than dust and dirt that kicked up from behind the speeder and Lyra had to do a doubletake when Emryc climbed into the front seat. He warned her not to say a word and Lyra opened her mouth, clearly to speak, but paused, grinning as she took her attention back to...well nothing but wide open plains. She had to take a few more glances at Emryc as though she had to made sure his face was how ridiculous it looked. It even looked as though he was missing an eyebrow.

Emryc then spoke up again, addressing the incident. The girl listened, but did not speak or argue, she knew he was right, it was one of her first lessons with him. Instead she just let out a long sigh, there was plenty she wanted to say in return, to justify her actions and speak how she really thought, but could not find the right words.

The speeder would glide over a hill, the backend scrapping as they hit several rocks covered by the grass and Lyra grimaced, the speeder now made a new sound as it continued onward. Lyra glanced at Emryc, "It just makes me so mad that others can say those things to me." she couldn't hold it in anymore, the thought clearly festering for the past mile or so, "It feels like the harder I try not to be noticed, I am seen."

Lyra fell quiet and the speeder started to slow, the exhaust spewing something brown. It would not break down, but instead moved at a crawl's pace. Lyra started flipping switches to divert power, but nothing seemed to be working let alone connected as even one switch fell out of its socket. The speeder was still moving when Lyra just stepped out and grabbed her pack, "This is ridiculous, you look ridiculous, I feel ridiculous, how much further to that rock?" she more demanded than asked as she swung her pack over her shoulders.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc heard her words and pondered for a moment.

“The harder you try to force something, the more it will resist you,” He said as he gazed ahead. He adapted to a situation based on reading the room. It was a skill that very few Sith possessed. They normally fell into their aggressive nature and the desire to exert control. This only served to alienate them from true strength that came from being far more insidious.

The jalopy completely went to bits after a while and it was clear it finished serving its purpose. Emryc was about to call out to Lyra when she walked out of the speeder, but he couldn’t exactly argue with her. He jumped off and watched the speeder continue to lazily coast and sputter through the field.

He turned to look at her after she displayed exasperation at the situation. His expression was blank as always as he blinked at her. He stopped walking. His face was covered in soot. He was missing half an eyebrow. And now Lyra was complaining. He slowly exhaled.

“Do you ever kriffing just stop whining?” He asked, hints of genuine irritation bleeding into his words in a rare display, “This hasn’t been a picnic for me either. I came here for you. I carried you across the field. I looked out for you. I’m doing all this because it’s important to you,” He walked till he was much closer, staring into her eyes, “And all you can kriffing do is act like a toddler the entire time.”

Emryc glared down at her, “So if you want to hit me now because you’re so mad and test out your powers, go the kriff ahead. Just do it if it gives you an outlet to clear your mind. Whatever you want to do, do it now, because I'm kriffing over this."

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

She never knew what he was thinking about, his outward demeanor never betrayed his inner thoughts until now.

Bracing against the storm, Lyra curled her fingers into fists, her nails dug into her palms as he snapped and chastise. There was hurt in his words, finding injustice for all the things he had done for her and she was too selfish to see that. He approached her, his eyes locked with her own as he continued, giving her an open invitation to take out whatever it was on him.

For a moment, Lyra considered it, her own mind was fuming from not only how things were going, but now with Emryc's dissatisfaction and irritation with her behavior. She raised her hands in front of her as though she readied to push him, there was certainly an anticipated satisfaction she could have if she did hit him, but she withdrew, squeezing her fists tightly and she stepped back. He had just spoken to her about a show of force. Instead Lyra grabbed her holopad and turned until she found the direction they-or at least herself, needed to go.

"This mission is important to me." she stated, but she was not convinced he did all those things from the kindness of his heart or because he saw her potential. No one did that in her experience; there was always a catch to helping or doing something for her. He saw weakness in her and yet blamed her for when he succumbed to them; she wondered how many cuts he gave himself for carrying her and the idea he would hurt himself because of her, fanned the flame that was burning inside.

"And because this is my mission, I'm going to whine!" she snapped back and let out a long exhale, still clearly irritated. Lyra begun walking, they only had a couple more miles, but she was still processing Emryc and she stopped mid-step and turned to face him. "Do you do those things to make me weaker? Do you do all those things for me so I cannot surpass you one day?"

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc knew the mission was important to her. That was precisely why he came. He could tell she wanted to shove him, and he braced himself. However, it never came. Instead she began to storm off after announcing that she would keep whining. Emryc was left with his own thoughts, still processing his outburst.

He normally had an excess of patience, and yet Lyra managed to test it on a regular basis. He didn’t move for a while, wiping some more soot off his face. He had avoided it to further stain his nice hoodie, but that was shot now. Emryc met her gaze when she whipped around to look at him and fired off questions she had asked before.

He was quiet for a long moment, feeling little tendrils of anger flare. However, none of it was directed at her, but it was all at himself. He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly, attempting to find tranquility once more. His eyes slowly opened as they met Lyra’s again.

“You are not weak,” He said as he began to walk towards her, “Because you can have someone be genuine with you and still manage to spit in their face,” His expression was blank as he spoke. He didn’t stop walking, deciding to go in the same direction so they could get this over with.

She had learned the most important lesson of all without Emryc intending it.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

He approached her, speaking, reassuring that she was not weak, his cool outward demeanor had returned. His reasoning was sharp, his words were like a dagger that he slipped into her chest as he walked past. There was pain, but all she could feel was the numbness.

Lyra didn't speak and stood silently, watching him continue in the general direction of their boulder. She glanced at her holopad and then back to the hilly, grey horizon, her thoughts were at a stand still, not wishing to hear the words he had just said because they were the truth and it stirred feelings of regret, embarrassment, anger, and sadness. The acolyte felt her shoulders drop and she slowly followed behind; she felt she needed the physical distance.

Occasionally checking the holopad, she knew they were closer to the boulder when the spires of stones could be seen. Instead of ruminating on their argument, Lyra took to her studies, feeling herself fall into a completely different persona. Clearly one without vulnerabilities, one she could defend with facts and numbers, and clearly one she felt herself more comfortable as she did when she would be on the dance floor. Eventually she passed Emryc, leading the way as the holopad would take them directly to a large boulder that matched the image in the pamphlet. The area itself was rocky, not as much tall grass as there were small bushes, sandy soil and rock.

Lyra set down her pack and pulled out a couple pieces of her equipment and walked up to the boulder. She frowned seeing all the signatures carved into the stone by visitors. Following the chimes of one of the sensors, she walked around the boulder, her fingers feeling along the surface until the numbers on her sensor begun to increase. Grinning, she looked at Emryc, ready to tell him something, but recalling current feelings, she instead focused back on getting the gate activated.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc followed the sounds of Lyra’s sensors, applying the same search they had done before. He had observed how she had done it then and where she found the terminal. He was focused entirely on the boulder, feeling around and moving closer to where the beeping began.

He laid down on the ground, shifting beneath a part of the boulder that stood a few inches off the ground. Beneath it, he could see that similar ancient terminal. He grinned to himself as he fiddled with it just as they had back on Dantooine. After a moment, that same translucent bridge extended out from the boulder.

Emryc shimmied out from underneath the boulder. He rose to stand and dusted himself off. The walk appeared less intimidating this time without a huge gap underneath. He didn’t waste time, giving a quick jut of his chin for Lyra to come along. There was no awkward hand holding this time, just confident strides to hopefully take them back where they were.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Lyra paused, looking up and down the stone, feeling with her free hand for any sign of creases. However, Emryc seemed to be acting on an idea as he had pulled himself underneath a gap that rested below the boulder. She knelt down next to him, watching and then heard the hiss of the terminal opening. Her lip curled into a small smile and waited for him to crawl back out, but he did not. Instead, she could hear him fidgeting beneath and as much as she wanted to tell him to move so she could do it, she internally sighed and let him work. Part of her did not want him scolding again, yet there was another that did not wish to see him so distraught.

However, whatever he had remember to have done, it worked and Lyra shot up, seeing the shimmering blue and violet hues of their portal, hopefully back to Dantooine.

She tucked her devices back into her pack, her eyes glowed with the elation she first had when encountering the portal on Dantooine. Emryc walked past, giving his signature chin jut, signaling it was time for them to go and Lyra wouldn't hesitate, walking beside him, and if her calculation was correct, to take them straight back to the cave on Dantooine.

Once more they would walk through the portal, the light of the tunnel seemingly stretching for miles as they crossed through the fold of time and space. Within seconds, their surroundings grew darker, the air grew cooler and they were back in Dantooine crossing the intimidating gap to the stone ledge. Lyra's heart fluttered in the accomplishment.

"It worked..."

...and there were more in the galaxy...

She leaned against the wall of the tunnel, palm pressed against her forehead, her mind trying to process the magnitude of this discovery and what it would mean if they were able to find more...or even learn to replicate the technology. First of course, "Your ship..." she said to Emryc, walking past him, feeling an urgency to get back in order to record everything before she forgot.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc looked around and made sure they were actually back before he visibly relaxed. The journey felt as if it had gone on forever, and the whining and tension certainly didn’t help. He was disappointed in himself for the outburst at Lyra - that had been out of character for him. He would meditate for hours to clear his mind and find tranquility again, free of any distractions.

He was pulled from his thoughts when Lyra mentioned his ship and began to shuffle towards it. Emryc didn’t speed up, walking his same pace as he thought about the ramifications of finding hypergates. His head began to spin as he thought of mobilizing forces and troops. They were not his problems to solve, but this information was huge.

He didn’t help Lyra on the way up as they climbed up along the cliff. Emryc was light on his feet, easily jumping up and making his way over now that there was no storm. He was silent as they made their way back to the speeder bike. He hopped on, deciding to drive this time, as he waited for Lyra.

It would be a short ride back to the ship, and he was beyond ecstatic to see it again. The only evidence of that would be a glint in his eye along with the usual blank expression.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Lyra was absolutely relieved it had stopped raining. It had made the climb significantly easier as she trailed behind Emryc, following his path up the cliff and over onto the salt plain. Large puddles were still present from the rainstorm giving some of the segments a glassy appearance; she wished just to spend more time here, but knowing Emryc was super concerned about his ship, she did not linger and climbed onto the back of speeder, hanging onto him a little more tightly than she usually did.

She rested her head against his back, her thoughts moving through several ideas at once. She was glad none of those thoughts were about how good Emryc smelled, and in fact, it was pretty clear his clothes had picked up on every scent on their journey. She knew she probably did not smell like a rose either, though being meticulous for neatness, she knew it was probably annoying him.

Praising the speeder gods for a functional speeder, they had made it back into town in no time and there was mild anxiety about his ship being in one piece. Her thoughts drifted to the idea of his shipped picked apart by scavengers or bored teens, and then any remain parts sprayed with profanities. However, Lyra would let out a long exhale to see the ship in one piece and enter onboard. Dropping her pack in the hall, she sat in the cockpit with him as they took off; she tried to think of what she wanted to ask him first or if she even wanted to ask questions because he did not always answer. Lyra mulled over what flew through her mind, trying to find what was the most urgent, and she did not find her question until they entered hyperspace.

"How do I tell the Dark Council about the hypergate?" she asked him, uncertain of how to even find such high ranking entities. She did not think they were the kind of individuals who just loitered around the bases.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc hadn’t even ventured to explore the what ifs of anything happening to his ship. Even a thought to hint at anything there was enough to send him into a fiery rage. He simply didn’t think about the ship till he saw it intact and was walking into it. Emryc rolled the bike into the cargo hold, content to finally return to familiar settings. It had been a taxing few days and his face was still covered in soot.

If Lyra thought they were going anywhere near the cockpit and taking off before he had a chance to clean up, she had a few more things to learn about him.

Lyra’s question gave him pause. He said nothing for a moment, and it would appear as if he were ignoring her question. He said nothing as he walked further into the ship, casually tossing his shirt off as he walked towards the refresher, “You won’t. I’ll do it on your behalf,” He called out. Emryc stopped before the door, turning to look at her with a blank stare while his hands worked to undo the belt of his pants, “Don’t even think about trying to fly the ship,” He said icily before he finally slipped into the refresher and shut the door.

The holocron was humming once again, though he barely noticed at this point. Emryc wanted nothing more than to stop being grimey and get the soot off himself.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Lyra slowly leaned in, not realizing she was growing closer to Emryc as she waited for his response. She almost thought he was not going to give her an answer. She fell back into her seat as he got up and started walking away. Instantly, she felt herself grow irritated and got up to follow for her answer to the question. She wasn't going to look like a fool asking others and trusted Emryc to guide her. Though any further thought disappeared immediately as she watched him take off his shirt and toss it to the side, answering her question.

The acolyte's cheeks grew several shades red as her gaze fell to his waist while he worked the belt on his pants. Her heart fluttered and she didn't even think she heard him entirely regarding the dark council or taking a detour to elsewhere. She leaned against the wall as she watched him close the door to the refresher, finding she could focus on other things now. A long exhale escaped her lips, "Don't use all the hot water!" she hollered so he could hear her and shuffled back to the cockpit, falling into the chair with enough moment to spin her back to the console. Lyra sighed and looked over the different buttons, trying to decide what purpose each one served. She should be writing down her notes, but she felt she could not focus until she had a shower and change of clothes.

Her eyes hovered on one of the switches that she didn't recognize and debated to flip it quick enough that it shouldn't cause a problem. Her hand hovered over the switch, and quickly pushed it. The cockpit suddenly filled with the beats of some remix that she swore the bass almost thumped the ship off-course. Grimacing, Lyra quickly turned it off and sat still, listening and feeling for Emryc to come storming in to tell her not to touch anything. However, as she focused, she heard the hum; remembering it from their journey from Tatooine. It was back...and it was on this ship still.

Emryc had said it was a Jedi holocron and she knew to leave it. She turned and saw the hallikset from earlier and picked it up, plucking the strings gently as she listened to the different pitches. The hum of the holocron continued though and carrying the hallikset with her, plucking the strings and humming, she strolled closer to Emryc's quarters, pausing every other step to feel the device until she reached his door.

Standing just outside, she continued to still feel its song, pressing and strumming the strings until she met the pitch she heard. Lyra debated to enter, glancing at the refresher and then back at his door, repeating the action until she made her decision, trying the handle on the door.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc’s room was perfectly neat and organized. His bed was made and his room was mostly sparse. There was an open closet nearby with an assortment of clothing that ranged from Sith uniforms to a few suits. The top shelf also had a row of Huttball caps, a huge poster of the Ryloth Rancors peeking out from in between his clothing.

The room smelled strongly of incense leftover from his rituals and prayers and also his cologne. There was a platform next to his bed that had various figurines on it that could be recognized as Kravos, Andraste, Vader, Siris and a few others. There was a bag on the ground next to it, one of the bladed edges of his whip poking out.

It was within this same bag that the holocron was located. It hummed with power, and it had the markings of a time long forgotten. If Lyra reached for it, it would hum and almost vibrate in her hand, teeming with an energy that conflicted directly with what she was. There was nothing stopping her from opening it.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

It opened and Lyra froze, she listened for any change in movement such as the refresher door opening, but none came and Lyra stepped inside. She inhaled deeply of the incense and continued to strum the strings as she heard the holocron, she went up a step and a half on the instrument, and then one more step with her own voice to fall in harmony with the holocron and the hallikset. She grinned as the tone filled Emryc's room. She stepped quietly, looking at all his different clothing pieces, neatly hung and wondered if she could make her closet that nice.

Her gaze turned upward to the Huttball caps and poster, and then turned to look at the space around his bed. She changed chords, but still strummed in harmony with the holocron as she bent down to look at the figurines of past Sith Lords and then she saw the glint of the bladed whip and her strumming stopped, heart sinking to see such a tool she knew he used on himself. She flirted with the idea to hide it and set down the instrument on the bed to pull the whip from the bag. However, inside was also the holocron.

Lyra sat down with the holocron, feeling the energy of the device vibrate in her palm; it was stunning, meticulous in its craftwork, much like the Sith holocrons she had seen. It held the Light though and it made her wince in its power, opposite from her on the spectrum. However, she heard its hum again, and Lyra hummed with it, closing her eyes, forgetting for a moment where she was and who she was with, as she was drawn in by its magnificence.

The acolyte touched it with the Force, welcoming it to open and speak.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

The holocron clicked open slowly. It only needed a Force user to unlock it. Though it belonged to the Jedi, it would open for anyone gifted with the Force. Whispers began to echo and a powerful aura hummed from the artifact. Parts of the holocron detached and began to swirl, threading with Lyra’s connection to the Force. A small projection of Wyck, who Lyra would have learned about, appeared.

There was great sorrow in the way the Jedi Grand Master appeared and spoke. He began to speak about the state of the Order, and he began to speak about a once promising young Jedi padawan. It was to be a cautionary tale of what could happen when Jedi were seduced to the dark side. He began to tell the story of Alais Drast.

The holocron contained several secrets, but one of its first lessons was the nature of the Light Side and understanding how to resist temptation. Wyck began to speak on how not all battles were to be fought, how a Jedi’s life was sacrifice.

The teachings continued with Wyck’s soothing voice as he took Lyra through a time long past.

That was precisely when Emryc happened to waltz back into his room, towel wrapped around his waist and hair still slightly messy and wet. He was about to take the towel off when he heard the quiet voice and saw the shock of red hair on the opposite side of his bed. Emryc froze in place, a sudden rage that he almost couldn’t contain suddenly flashing through him as he realized what was happening.

Without a word, Lyra was bodily yanked from where she was, slammed into the opposite wall of his room. She would feel the Force beginning to constrict around her throat as she hung several inches off the floor. Emryc waved his other hand and quickly shut the holocron, his gaze fixated on Lyra.

It didn’t matter that he was only in a towel, his eyes and face were more terrifying than she had ever seen them. He slowly walked towards her, the Force pressing on her with more power and strength than she could even begin to combat against. Yellow danced in his eyes as he closed the distance between them. It took every ounce of his being to not lash out and kill her right there. She had stepped into his domain, she had violated his privacy, she had betrayed him in a way.

Emryc simply held her there, letting her slowly choke and feel pure misery. The silvers slowly changed to yellow almost entirely, the Dark Side pulsating enough to where the holocron was vibrating and protesting against it. The air had an icy chill and Lyra would feel on the brink of death. Her eyes would water, and she would turn various different shades of color.

“You will repent,” He said after a long moment, his voice shards of ice that pierced through her. He said nothing more as he released the grip and allowed her to collapse like a heap on the floor. Emryc would stare her down, the eyes still flashing yellow.

She knew him. She knew his way. She knew she would have to pay for this. And she knew he would let her choose how. He wasn’t kind enough to tell her. He wasn’t kind enough to show her. He wasn’t kind enough to decide for her. She would do it. She would own her transgressions just as he did. Because she was his apprentice. Because this was their way.

@GABA