It had been some time since Kyo began using the Dark Side and became Nox to deceive Sol into believing his captive had fallen. A ruse he'd been forced into, else the Kel'dor would've killed him, and at the same time it doubled as a potential method for discreetly slipping into the ranks of the Empire by playing the role of an obedient apprentice. As long as he didn't have to commit any atrocious acts or constantly be forced to use more of the repulsive Dark Side then he at least wouldn't have to go back to living off small game and sleeping in the wild. That was, until Nox came across the remote control of his black shock collar, seemingly left unattended on one of the tables in Sol's stronghold.
Rain trickled down from the dark skies and lightly pummeled the obscure structure's exterior. Nox stood with an inquisitive expression across his face. Had Sol deliberately left behind the controller for the captive Acolyte's collar? Was it an accident, or was it even the right device?
"It can't be..." The young man's eyes narrowed further as he spoke under his breath with a hint of disbelief. The small device then whisked through the air and landed in the palm of his hand. He examined it for a moment longer, then hovered his thumb over the button to deactivate and unlock his shock collar. Sure his master seemed a little off lately, but surely he wouldn't have so easily forgotten about the one thing that was keeping the forced apprentice in check.
"Is this a test?" He quietly wondered to himself, aware that Sol was a cunning Sith Master, and that it very likely could've been rigged to explode or shock him upon pressing any of the buttons. However, he couldn't deny that the Kyo hiding deep within him still wanted to be free. Allowing the Kel'dor to finish recruiting him to the Empire didn't really make sense anymore if he could just escape while he still had the chance. It's not like the Order cared about him anymore, so infiltrating the Empire wouldn't do him any good if he didn't have to follow through with the ruse in order to survive.
"Master...?" Nox raised his voice enough to bounce it around the stronghold, calling out for Sol to see if the Kel'dor was even around. After a few moments of no response, the curious apprentice went to tap the button to release himself from the collar's bind, when suddenly the form of Master Kenuk caught his attention through one of the stronghold's small transparisteel windows. The Kel'dor seemed to be heading towards a shuttle that was grounded right outside the building, as though he were on his way to leave.
The unofficial Acolyte hesitated. He could feel the strife that had been building in his master for the last few weeks. Between Sol's missions, through all their training sessions together, every time Nox failed and was punished, the Sith Master seemed to show more and more signs that something was wrong. And now this. Of course, it could also just be a sign that Sol confidently thought he had fully succeeded in breaking the apprentice, and that Nox no longer needed to be a captive any more. That was essentially why he had been acting so obedient after all, to gain enough trust to finally have this chance, and because to have been defiant would've simply been foolish and led to more punishment -- if not death. A lesson he'd been reminded of every night thanks to the traumatic nightmares of the past he still knew so little about.
Kyo dared to drop the persona of Nox altogether. His thumb twitched, ready to break free of his shackles and finally escape, but then his eyes shot back through the window to Sol who was getting further away. Kyo couldn't ignore the fact that the Sith Master had once been a Jedi Padawan, and that if he was actually giving Nox a chance to set himself free, then perhaps there was still a chance to save Sol and bring him back to the Order. Or... Kyo could just remain Nox, and follow through with his plan to subtly slip into the Empire by allowing the Master to think he'd succeeded with breaking the exiled Jedi, not that Kyo actually knew whether or not he'd been exiled from the Order after accidently dropping a wall on the Grandmaster at Ruusan.
Either way, Sol continued to get further away.
Either way, Kyo could no longer wait.
It was time to make his choice.
With a heavy sigh, the young man tucked the small device into one of his tailcoat's pockets, then turned and made his way towards a back door that led to the landing pad where Sol was nearly at the ramp of the shuttle. He wasn't really sure what the Sith Master was up to, or where he was going, but either way, Nox intended to stop Sol and confront him about all of this once and for all.
"Sol!" Nox shouted from the door of the stronghold, uncharacteristically using the Kel'dor's name. After a short pause the deceptive apprentice slipped his shock-glove covered hands into his pockets, then casually began to make his way over to the shuttle and Master Kenuk.
"Leaving me behind again?"
@Nevermourn
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