Ask Lazarus

[Leon Baudelaire]

The simple statement stopped him dead in his tracks.

We’re friends are we not?

Months of torment and isolation had shifted him from the boisterous Jedi to a silent terror. He couldn’t help but feel as if he didn’t deserve her friendship, nor did she deserve to have him as a friend. Leon was a ticking time bomb. He may have figured out the pattern of it, there was still so much he didn’t know about what he was. They may have been friends, but the person she’d met on Starlight died in the hands of Darth Raze on Coruscant.

He was a revenant in corporeal form. A flesh and blood manifestation of vengeance. He didn’t know if it was possible for him to have friends anymore… and based on Vanya telling him Raze was dead… He wasn’t sure he could get vengeance either… So, what did that make him?

“We are,” he decided to answer.

He spent the rest of the walk chewing on his predicament. Where would he start? How would they make any headway in this at all? Then in the back of his mind a little voice of doubt and suspicion whispered, “They’re going to experiment on you…”

Why else would they have so willingly decided to help him? Baudelaire swallowed. He didn’t like how sound the logic was in his mind. His eyes flicked up to Vanya then back to the jungle floor. There was nothing he could do, they were on her home turf, literally, and he was still recovering from his transformation… all he could do was hope… and he wasn’t sure he had any hope left.

The temple was exactly what it’s name implied, Old. Ivy, or something like it, covered large swaths of the porous rock structure. He could feel the force in this place and the light side pressed in on him forcing Leon to bare his teeth in effort. In his weakened state, the innate magical properties of the sacred place weighed on him heavily. There was a distinct feeling of fate in the air as he stared at the temple. The choice was plain, enter or leave. Do or do not. Live or die.

Leon chose to live and against every desire of his exhausted body, he made his way to the temple steps and began to ascend. Looking at Vanya he asked, “So, how’re the Jedi?”

@Phoenix

 

[Vanya]

Vanya was glad to hear his confirmation, though he didn't quite sound sure of his answer. But after all he had been through, she couldn't blame him. He was a different person, she could tell. There was a hollowness in him that hadn't been there before but out of either optimism or sheer stubbornness Vanya refused to believe that he was totally gone or that he couldn't be recovered.

They ascended the steps to the temple in silence, and Vanya muttered a quiet incantation and the large pair of doors began to rumble open, revealing an inside that was at least not quite as dirty as the outside.

They are... struggling, she said honestly. A part of her wondered if she should be telling him this, but... everyone already pretty much knew.

But the Order is going through some changes to re-empower its members to help people again, she said. At least that was her hope.

She came to the top and stepped inside the doors, closing them behind them and heading deeper into the temple. It was ornately designed and even all these years later, the carvings were beautiful. Her people could be excellent craftsman when the time was right.

But we're coming back around, she said, hopefully.

We can settle in here for the night, she said as she came to a pair of rooms across the hall from one another. There were camping supplies in each room and it was clear that people came here at least semi-often to camp out and stay the night.

Do you cook? she asked.

@Zay

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

Leon scoffed at Vanya’s answer to his question, “Sounds about right.”

He’d be lying if he said he didn’t take at least some comfort in what she said. If things were still the same as when he’d been taken, maybe there was still a chance to change things for the better? His mind drifted to Ezra. He wondered what his bestie had been up to. A small smile started to pull at his lips, but it faded as quickly as it formed. Leon wasn’t sure he could bear to see Ezra, or Dash, or Ferrin… or Jayna. He’d failed. He’d failed them all, and on top of that he’d done the most humiliating thing possible, he’d lived. The shame he carried was so great there were times he relished in the fiery vengeance of the dark side.

It was easy to blame everyone else. It was easy to fall into the role of the victim, but he’d made his choice and it had ended badly. All he could do was work with what he’d been given… Now, if only what he’d been given wasn’t the exact antithesis of everything he knew and cared about he might be able to make some progress…

He did his best to give her a reassuring smile when she mentioned The Order coming back around. He didn't have it in him to lie and tell her it would get better. For all he knew it wouldn’t. If the past had anything to say about it, it would be terrible. But his jaded cynic’s opinion wouldn’t be helpful, so he kept his mouth shut.

When she asked about cooking he perked up, “I’ve been known to get down in the kitchen a little,” he said with more than a hint of his former self. How long had it been since he’d eat— Nevermind, that wasn’t something he wanted to think about. Instead he stood and walked over to one of the supply caches and pulled out a few items.

“We hunting, or is there a freezer around here I’m not seeing?” he asked.

@Phoenix

 

[Vanya]

Vanya wished she could have said that there was a better assessment, but she didn't lie about that kind of thing. She also didn't delude herself into false hope, but there was a chance things would turn around.

As he declared that he did cook, Vanya gave a nod. Good, you start getting things ready and I'll be back in an hour or so, she said. She may not have been one of the Clan's dedicated hunters, but she had spent her share of time out on the hunt.

I'll be back in an hour or so. Get everything ready for when I get back, she said. Dathomir was bristling with life forms, and having the Essence made things significantly easier when it came to hunting them down.

And... she paused as if she didn't want to say what she was about to say. Unfortunately, there was not only no easy way to say it, there was also no avoiding that it needed to be said.

...don't wander away from the temple grounds right now. You're safe in here but out there, not quite so much, she said, keeping it vague. Maybe he'd take it to mean that it was just the wildlife that was dangerous. That was... true, but Vanya was more concerned that her Sisters may just end up hunting him down if he went wandering around and was seen as a threat because of it. It wouldn't be that way forever, but for now... it wasn't great.

---​

Sure enough, it was about an hour later that Vanya popped back through the door of the temple, carrying over her shoulders a four-legged creature that was about the size of a large dog.

For Leon's part, he would have found a variety of vegetables and fruits and various other items were still stashed here and somehow he would expect that all of them were going to be very spicy.

Whatever he decided to make with the supplies that were there, the medium sized animal would no doubt be an excellent addition.

@Zay

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

Vanya made it clear she’d be doing the hunting and Leon couldn’t help but feel a little emasculated. He didn’t argue though, he had nothing to stand on, he was stuck here whether he liked it or not. Thankfully, Vanya at least pretended she felt bad he was a prisoner. Her words sank in. With a sigh, Leon resigned himself to his imprisonment. At least he wasn’t going to be tortured, well more than he was inherently.

“Sure,” he responded, when she started to elaborate he stopped her, “I understand, no big deal.”

Before he could be fixed with a pitying look, he turned on his heels and began prepping what he’d need for their meal. A few moments later she was gone. The constant anger he felt pressed in on him. His head swam with fury as he glared at the supplies available to him. With an effort he focused on tasting the veggies and fruits. To his shock everything was spicy. The fruit was spicy, the veggies were spicy, and if he had to guess the fucking knife would be spicy. His tongue sizzled from the burn of the food, but under the heat he was surprised to find a robust flavor palette.

Leon prepped a fire, snapped his fingers igniting the tender with the force, his new favorite party trick, and belgian boiling water. If the water was spicy he was going to be pissed. From there he set to peeling and cleaning the food they’d be eating. By the time an hour had passed, Leon had made a salad and roasted some root looking veggies while boiling the scraps he’d created in his boiling pot of water.

Satisfied with his prep, he decided to fall into his old habits. Back on Ellora when he was surrounded by the light, he’d meditate for hours without a second thought, now… he was afraid to close his eyes. The words of his uncle floated up from deep within the recesses of his mind.

“Better to get it done than live with the fear of it…” he muttered.

Leon knelt and placed his hands in his lap. He opened himself to The Force and immediately regretted it. Flashes of gore accosted him. Images his razor like fangs sinking into flesh, claws rending torsos, spilling guts, and insatiable hunger. He pressed on. There was something in him that refused to be cowed by the visions, but something distracted him.

His eyes snapped open, sweat covered him in a sheen, as he looked over his shoulder to Vanya. She carried an animal, decent sized, that kind of reminded him of the Malraas that protected the temple on Ellora. Leon nodded to a spot where he’d laid out some processing tools and once she’d dropped the animal he set to work.

A few minutes later the smell of cooking meat filled the room. For the first time in a very long time his mouth watered and he wasn’t disgusted by the feeling. He could feel their time together changing. The pleasantries were starting to fall away as the inevitable became apparent.
“So, how long do I get to enjoy your company, before… ya know?” he asked, with a shrug.

@Phoenix

 

[Vanya]

Vanya went to work when she got back, gutting and prepping their dinner and passing the pieces off to Leon. The idea that he might be offended by this didn't even occur to her.

She was also quite unaware of the distress he felt during his meditation period in her absence.

When he asked his question, he gave her a deer-in-headlights look that said she very much didn't know.

You mean until I leave? she asked. Well... that remained to be seen. They had a precarious job ahead and one that was somewhat uncharted. Or totally uncharted.

I don't know, she said honestly. We're working in uncharted waters here. I want to help you either be rid of this curse or, if not that, then at least control it, she said, looking up at him to see if that was what he wanted as well. She didn't want him to be a prisoner, but she also knew that for the sake of the galaxy he couldn't just be left to wander free.

@Zay

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

Leon’s eyes had grown hard since her return. He knew he wasn’t doing himself any favors by throwing shade, but by leaving him behind Vanya had made two things clear. He was a prisoner and she, and her people, didn’t trust him. After all he’d done for the Order. After all the sacrifice he’d put himself through— Stop, he thought. Vanya wasn’t the problem. He was. She was doing everything she knew to do to help and he was, albeit silently, a piece of shit.

In the back of his mind he knew he’d get worse. He was fully himself right now, and probably would be for a week or so, but it would get harder. Ignoring the anger, ignoring the injustice, the unfairness, the pain. It would all get harder and then whether he wanted to or not, his bones would shatter and reform, his skin would stretch and not tear, his fingernails would extend and his teeth would sharpen and elongate. All the while he’d feel it all. Every bit of it. The agony that came with the transformation was maddening. No matter how badly he wanted to go back to being who he was, he had to accept that it wasn’t a possibility.

So, rather than respond to her question of his question, he let her keep talking. He could hear in her voice she was telling the truth. Leon chewed on her words. He appreciated her lack of confidence. If she’d have tried to paint a flowery scene for him, he would have rebelled, but her honesty kept him there.

“Of course, I want to be rid of this,” Leon confirmed, “But, I’d also like to be an active part in figuring this out.”

That’s when the Hindsnake Cult came back to his mind. Of all the investigations he’d been on for the Jedi, that one was still the most gruesome. That being said, they were a dark side cult that specialized in ritualistic mutilation, maybe, just maybe they’d know what he was.

“I’ll be honest, I’m not sure how much a light side tribe is going to be able to tell us about,” he gestured to himself, “...all this, but I might have a place we could start. I need my ship and my droid. Little guy you met back on Starlight, goes by Peetwo.”

 

[Vanya]

Vanya tried not to be offended when he decided to declare that her Clan couldn't help him. After all, what would that accomplish? It wasn't like she was sticking her neck out for him or anything.

She couldn't quite help the scowl that fell across her face, though she didn't actually say any of that.

She certainly couldn't blame him for wanting an active part in the investigation. She wouldn't want to sit around helpless either if she were him.

I understand. Where are they? Did you have something you wanted to investigate? she asked skeptically. She still wasn't entirely sure she trusted him he seemed... a little too sketchy. The darkness inside of him wasn't something that was going to just stop influencing him.

@Zay

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

Leon could tell he’d offended her. That was fair, but when it came to stopping his transformations he was more than a little prepared to step on some feelings. It was strange. Earlier today he’d practically begged for someone to kill him, but now… now that there was a flicker of hope he couldn’t let it go.

“Coruscant, I was there right after the abominations went wild,” he took a breath, “I don’t have any idea what it’s like now, but if we can get to my ship, I have info on a dark side cult I was hunting. They specialized in… similar stuff as what’s happening to me,” he shrugged, “I don’t know if we’ll actually learn anything, but I can’t think of any other option.”

Now, the ball was in her court. So far, Vanya had been nothing short of amazing, but he knew everyone had their limits… It was then he knew if they tried to keep him here, he’d do his best not to hurt anyone on his way out, he was already a prisoner in his own body he wouldn’t be one here on Dathomir.

@Phoenix

 

[Vanya]

Vanya looked like she was less than thrilled about his idea to go to Coruscant.

That's a terrible idea, she said, still her same, direct and perhaps overly blunt self. It's still at the heart of the abomination forces. Even if we weren't likely to get killed landing there, who knows if it will just trigger you to transform the minute you set foot there, she said. It was a valid concern. Their chances of surviving the trip onto Coruscant was not great and it was even worse with a potential Raze-slave.

She shook her head. There had to be a better way.

No Dark Sider is going to help us cure you. If this cure is going to come... halfway through her sentence she trailed off. Her thought process about how to cure this gave her an idea... a really, really terrible idea.

She thought of the Forgemasters they had learned about on Byblos and figured that if anyone outside of Raze knew something about this it was either one of them, Darth Virious or Darth Tiamat. The latter two, however, she had no idea how to find. The former... maybe there was one on Coruscant.

She hated this idea.

Look, even if we managed to find someone who knew how to reverse this - and I'm not sure anything short of burning it out with the Light will work - how are we going to get them to help? They're not exactly the giving sort, she said.

@Zay

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

Leon couldn’t help but acquiesce when she flat out said that was a terrible idea. He had all the emotions roiling just underneath the veneer of his current scowl. His brow was pinched tight as he tried to think of anything that could be helpful.

To Leon’s surprise, Vanya seemed to be considering his idea more than he’d expected. Her pause mid-sentence ment she was really contemplating this. So rather than try and win her over, he let her do the talking for a moment.

“Wait, say that again,” he said, his expression suddenly alert.

“Burn it out with the light…” he mused, considering what the implications of said procedure would entail. “That couldn’t be worse than transforming into a ten foot monster every month.”

Leon had no hope of returning to the light. No matter how hard he reached for it, it was like the power went out of its way to avoid him. Then he remembered the plane of existence he and the other Scrub Squad members had managed to stumble upon, he closed his mind focusing on the experience… If he was going to be saved he needed to reunite with his family and stop hiding.

“Would it be possible for me to… make a call?” he asked, totally aware of the irony of the question. Afterall even prisoner’s were given one phone call, right?

@Phoenix

 

[Vanya]

Vanya was surprised when he asked if he could make a call. She had no reason to deny him that, and in her mind he was far less of a prisoner than he thought he was.

Yeah, sure, she said. You can relay off of my ship, she said, handing him her comlink so that he could boost the signal from her ship's long-range transmitter.

Who are you gonna call? she asked out of curiosity, though if he declined to tell her, she would respect that.

As they finished up making their food, Vanya plopped into one of the chairs that had been left at the "campsite" and began to eat, waiting for him to make his call and pondering this... strange situation. What if they couldn't get the infection out of him? What would that mean? Would that mean he would need to be an actual prisoner? Or worse still, that he would need to have the death that he had originally asked for?

Vanya didn't like those thoughts.

Do you have any family? she asked him when he was finished. The truth is, she didn't feel like she knew him all that well. Yes, she considered him a friend, but she had a feeling that whatever change was going to happen in him was more likely to happen from within than from without.

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

”The ghostbusters,” he replied with a small smirk, then added, “I promise not to call long distance,” he wasn’t sure why he was avoiding saying who he was calling… Maybe he was afraid Ezra wouldn’t pick up. Maybe he was afraid of their conversation. The fact that right now, he could confidently say Ezra was his best friend, but a single call could change all that. A single call could prove just how irredeemable he really was.

As Vanya started preparing her food, Leon followed suit. He let her go first, not for chivalrous reasons, but because in all honesty… he still wasn’t that hungry and that nearly made him sick. He decided it might be best to make that call after all. Leon stepped out of their makeshift campsite in an attempt for privacy. He was aware she could just force listen or whatever, so he assumed she wasn’t that worried about him being just out of sight.

Leon keyed in Ezra Throne’s number and made the call… It went to voicemail. Leon could feel his emotions threatening to close his throat as the tone let him know he could leave his message. He cleared his throat and said, “Uh… Hey Ez(@Sreeya), it’s Leon, aka Neon Montoya,” he laughed awkwardly, “It’s uh, been a minute,” he said clearing his throat, “I’m on Dathomir and could use some help… So, when you get this… uh, just give me a call back? Oh, this is a Squad thing–”

An automatic message cut him off, “Are you satisfied with your message?” Leon couldn’t bring himself to do it again, so he confirmed the message with a dissatisfied sigh and rounded the corner back into the campsite.

Leon made some food and sat across from Vanya. He was wrapped in his own self pity when she asked if he had family. His brow furrowed as flashes of Cartann City in flames slammed into his mind. He closed his eyes and took a breath.

“I don’t know…” he admitted. “My first transformation happened on my home world, so anyone that cared about me there… well, It’d probably be weird if they still did,” he answered with an awkward laugh.

“What about you– Oh! Your village was beautiful by the way. I know my hackles were raised, but it’s clear the light is abundant there,” he cleared his throat, “Sorry, what about you?”

@Phoenix

 

[Vanya]

Vanya regretted asking the question if he had family as she heard the answer. A tactical foot in the mouth was always only a step away for Vanya of the Singing Mountain.

Vanya laughed a little bit as he complimented her village, though. Glad to have the topic changed from what she had brought up to something else.

Thanks, but I know it's not to everyone's taste, she said. Dathomir as a whole was not to everyone's tastes, and part of her felt self-conscious about bringing people here. Particularly someone like him, and she wondered - or worried was probably the better term - if her Clan would be angry with her. She had always brought some contentious actions to the Clan, and she was sure this would be added to the list.

The Clan is my family, she said. The entire family structure of the Nightsisters was different than the rest of the galaxy.

Some I'm more close to than others. Mother Therrit pretty much raised me and trained me until I left the planet, she said.

She scarfed down the remainder of dinner and set the plate aside.

We can figure out where we're going to go tomorrow if you don't want to stay here, she said. It was a delicate line they walked, and Vanya didn't know what the right thing to do was. Part of her wondered if death wasn't the preferable thing for him and the safest thing for everyone else, but... she just didn't want to. Maybe it was a double standard, but she considered him a friend, and the idea of letting him die made her feel sick.

@Zay

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

Leon couldn’t help but glance at the food they were eating when she mentioned taste. He knew she meant “Dathomir” wasn’t for everyone, but truthfully there was something about the planet that called to him. Now, whether that was a good thing or not still remained to be seen. Instead of trying to comfort her, he swallowed the bile in the back of his throat and took a bite of the food.

Holyshitfuck… it was amazing. Maybe spice was the key to getting around the nauseating memories? That was weird right? Tentatively he took another bite. Still good, no tummy rumbling. Huh, noted.

“ I think that’s really cool,” he said, finally a little of his old amiability starting to peak out from behind his scowl.

“ I could see the admiration in your eye when we met The Mother,” he considered his next words a moment in between bites, “You’re lucky, she seems very wise.”

Okay, that was kinda lame, but what the hell else was he supposed to say, he’d only just met the lady and the best thing she’d done for him was just not kill him, which he wasn’t even sure was the smartest thing to do in this situation.

Vanya doused his worry of being a prisoner by letting him know they had the option to leave if he wanted. For the first time in months he had a choice. He’d been so consumed by the urges of the dark side that having a choice felt impossible. He didn’t even know where he’d want to go when they could. Empress Teta held a top spot in his mind, but he knew that was selfish.

Jayna was better off without him. He’d been a liability to her as a Jedi, as a monster… well, that was a line of thought he wasn’t prepared to consider.

His body was still weak. He could feel the massive hole in him where the fury and rage of the beast resided. He knew how the cycle worked and knew that they’d only have a couple weeks max to figure this out before the Beast caught wind and he started fighting them rather than helping. The whole situation was fucked. All of it.

With a smile Leon bobbed his head and asked, “ Where can I wash up? I can’t imagine I smell good, and I’d love to get the blood of the innocent out from under my fingernails,” like a veil being pulled back his smile took on a different light, there was a deep rooted cynicism there.

@Phoenix

 

[Vanya]

Vanya nodded, smiling slightly and involuntarily. She was proud of her Clan and she loved them. They were one of the things that warmed her heart and made her feel anchored in a galaxy that was flooding.

She is, she said. I was her understudy for many years. Someday, it may fall to me to lead the Clan, she said. As the First it was often part of the expectation, although times changed and Vanya's life had started taking a different direction. There was value in exploring the rest of the galaxy before returning one day. Or perhaps that time would never come.

Everywhere Vanya looked she saw responsibility, and the more responsibilities she accumulated, the more she thought of wanting to just... run away from them. She thought of what Ezra had said about "Grandmaster Vanya" being her whole personality... and he was right: it was exhausting.

Apparently she had been too caught up in her thoughts, and in short order Leon was asking about where he could clean up.

Two doors down on the left is one of the underground oceans, she said. Likely, it would come as a surprise to him that Dathomir actually had massive subterranean oceans that served a critical role in the Nightsister society.

I'm going to turn in for the night. We can figure out the next step tomorrow, she said. She didn't mention to him that she planned to put some simple runes of protection around her room. It wasn't that she didn't trust him, but she didn't trust the darkness inside of him. In many ways, he wasn't the same person he used to be.

---​

The next morning, Vanya got up early to clean up and make up a small breakfast for herself, heading just outside the temple and sitting on the steps, pulling out her Dathomirian pipe and playing a quiet, somber tune as she let her mind sink into the Force.

The minutes stretched by as the red sun rose over the mountains ahead, and Vanya felt... content. All the galaxy that crashed around her but in that moment, she felt she was precisely where she needed to be. Uncertainty and even fear pulled at her mind, but she let it wash away, releasing it - or at least trying to - as soon as it appeared.

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

Graciously Vanya didn’t comment on his grime covered visage. Instead she seemed far away, and her response carried an absence he couldn’t help but find familiar. He couldn’t possibly imagine how busy she was, or what other responsibilities had been thrust on to her since he left. Before his change, he and the Scrub Squad were some of the only active members of the Order. Things were just starting to make an upswing until he got unceremoniously cut off.

Leon followed her directions, thanking her again before leaving the room. He stripped down and waded out into the water. It was cold, goosebumps broke out across his skin, and he could tell his body wanted to shiver, but he controlled his breathing and took a moment to acclimate before submerging.

Once clean he toweled off and slipped into some clothing that was either left behind or forgotten. It felt fitting and surprisingly enough it fit. For the first time in his career as a Jedi he was wearing robes. He pushed his wet curls from his face and knelt.

“Come…” said a voice both alien and familiar. Leon didn’t pull back from the voice. Instead he opened himself to it. The torch on the wall casting the room in a pale yellow light flickered violently.

“That’s it, give unto me that which is mine,” Baudelaire’s brow pinched as if in pain, but he didn’t shy from the voice.

“Oh, has being around a comrade strengthened your spine, little lost one?” asked the voice. The light in the room darkened, not in its light but in its hue. The pale yellow sank to a deep red, the color of blood, and out of its murky shadows stepped a being clad in all black. Bare arms crossed over a muscular chest that was covered by an ornate vest of black and gold. Their skin was ashen, their eyes molten lead. Tribal tattoos similar to those of the Nightbrother’s, but rather than trails of black, their ashen skin was covered in lines of radiating crimson.

Leon knew who this was, they’d met before. The being before him went by many names, but the two that were most prominent were, The Brother, or The Son. Leon didn’t speak, he never did. Not because he was subservient to this creature, but because the pressure they produced was so crushing it nearly squeezed the breath out of him… but this time would be different.

“What do you want?” asked Leon.

The Son’s brow cocked and a sneer spread across his crimson lips, “I was starting to think you mute,” the smile soured into a snarl, “Now, come to me. Seek me, find me, I will make you whole, I and I alone will complete you.”

“No,” Leon responded. “You’re a liar. You are the darkness personified, you want to consume me–”
“I want to set you free!” cut in The Son, “I want to destroy the chains that bind you, I want to unleash your potential…”

The Son reached out a hand, the palm was up and beckoning to Leon, “Come to me. You know it’s the only way, your friends can’t help you, your friends will revile you, they will hate you even as the girl with you hates you.”

Leon swallowed, his fears were laid bare. Loss, loneliness, desperation. All of them were a part of him. They always had been. He felt them when he called to the darkness, he felt them now as his mind and soul warred for a resolution. Then he felt it. Under the pain was love. He’d been loved by Hera. He’d been loved by Ezra, by Dash, by Ferrin, and by Jayna. Their love had propelled him into challenges he never dreamed of facing and that same love had seen him through.

“That’s okay. I’m not who I was, but that doesn’t mean you’re my only option,” Leon couldn't believe what he was saying. Or that he was saying anything. Something had changed in him and he wasn’t keen to let it go, not again. A small smirk landed on his lips, the kind he used to wear. The kind he was known for. The smirk spread into a grin and he stood. The Darkside was so palpable in his vicinity that his clothing moved as if underwater.

Leon breathed in saying, “I breathe in, believing the force to fill my lungs,” he held the breath a moment and slowly let it out as he assumed an open hand highlighting stance, “and it does, now come, take what you desire or begone. The only way forward for you is through me and I’ll be damned if I’m gonna let you hurt anyone I care about!”

The Son’s jaw opened too wide for his humanoid form and he let loose an ear splitting screech as his body burst into a cloud of black smoke that rushed toward him like a tidal wave— Leon’s eyes snapped open. He was still kneeling in the same position he’d been in after his bath. His hands shook, sweat glistened across his brow, and his breath was ragged. He felt like he’d climbed a mountain, but nevertheless he rose.

Baudelaire stepped out onto the landing behind Vanya. The music coming from her, uh, flute thing(?), was melancholy, but enchanting. It was fitting, it felt like a funeral song, and after all wasn’t that what had happened? The Beast of Adumar was on it’s deathbed and before it’s next cycle, Leon would either find a way to burn it out or he'd kill himself.

He was done being a slave.

As the red sun of Dathomir rose across the sky he sat down next to Vanya, “I’m ready.”

@Phoenix

 

[Vanya]

Vanya finished up her song shortly after Leon emerged, looking back at him over her shoulder. He looked like a new person in more ways than just he'd cleaned up. He looked like he really was ready. Like the words he spoke matched the ones in his heart.

Vanya really didn't know what this path was going to bring, and there was a pang of sadness and anxiety in her heart. She could feel her heart skipping a beat just slightly as she thought about whether this would end in his death.

Good, she said, but didn't get up immediately. She felt... sad and almost drained.

You seem... refreshed, she said as she pushed herself to her feet. So where did we decide to go first? she asked. You think we can actually get any Dark Siders to help us? she asked, her voice dripping with thick skepticism.

 

[Ezra Thorne]

He had only heard of Dathomir, but it never registered as a place to visit. Ever. He knew his father - as Raze - had a deep connection to the planet. He knew it was a place of war where the Empire clashed against the Nightsisters. How the planet still remained standing was a mystery.

However, when he got that called from Leon, Ezra paced back and forth, weighing his options. He hadn’t heard from his best friend in a while and he could only guess at what he had become. He was still in the middle of an internal debate when he realized that he was on autopilot and already in his ship punching in the coordinates. Well, that was that.

It took some time for him to get to Dathomir, and he navigated himself down to the surface instead of relying on the droid. One look at the planet and he already knew this would be miserable. His chest began to pang and he winced, feeling that surge of pain shoot through where he knew Raze’s mark was in the plane of the Force. He could never completely get rid of it.

After parking his ship, he was able to track where Leon’s call came from, making his way over on a speeder bike built for any terrain. Ezra zoomed through the forests, hovering a few feet above the ground until he arrived near the village. He was stopped right away, his eyes narrowing as Nightsister scouts began to question his arrival, some even bringing out weapons. However, after a moment, some of the older women squinted as they looked at him, their gaze flicking towards his chest.

Ezra winced as pain shot through his chest, but he gritted his teeth, looking up, “I’m looking for someone,” He said gruffly to the women. He wasn’t exactly a pacifist - he would fight them if it meant getting to Leon.

@Zay @Phoenix

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

To his dismay, his arrival seemed to be the end of her song, and he couldn’t help but note the tone. It almost seemed like a mourning song. Ironic. He noted her weariness and wondered if his presence, and with it the dark side, was taxing her. He couldn’t imagine what she was going through, and he’d never be able to repay her. Well, never, was a long time. Maybe he’d get the chance to repay the favor, if he was still alive of course…

“Actually, I was wondering if we could make a pit stop?”

He needed to swing by Ellora. He had supplies there, parts for a lightsaber. He’d refused to allow himself a saber while lost… but now, it felt necessary given their possible trajectory, plus maybe it would lead to something? Ellora was deeply rooted in the force and the place he’d renovated might have a clue, or maybe he was just trying to tie up loose ends before the inevitable, at this point he really wasn’t sure. He knew he wanted to try, but he had to be realistic about this. He refused to live through another transformation. Ever.

Leon would relay his idea to Vanya. They made their final preparations and then took their leave of the temple. Before they could get more than a few feet away from the temple’s steps a familiar face burst out of the dense brush. Instinctively Leon took a fighting stance, then relaxed as confusion replaced his half snarl.

The woman didn’t even bother looking at him, instead looked to Vanya and bit out, “Come, another of your friends has arrived.”

Leon’s confusion melted into surprise, then grew into suspicion, “Wait, another like me?”
The woman shook her head and spit to the side, “No, not like you Shadow Walker, this one is blessed by the Winged Spirit,” Then back to Vanya she said, “Keep up, I shall not slow and we must return as quickly as possible.”

Baudelaire fell in step behind Vanya and the other Nightsister as they tore through the forest. Luckily, for Leon, Ezra hadn’t wandered too deeply into the village before being stopped, so once they came out of the treeline it was a straight line to where Ezra was. Leon slowed, he’d not been allowed entry before and knew he could put everyone in danger by not honoring Mother Therrit’s order.

So, he pulled a Leon by cupping his mouth shouting, “Ez!” Over the growing hysterics. He had no doubt Ezra would hear him, Sephi super hearing and what not. Ezra was currently crowded by a growing number of members of Vanya’s tribe, some watched with weary expressions, some had weapons drawn, and those left made sure to vacate the vicinity with great haste.

Leon’s heart was in his throat. Shame blossomed as the idiocy of his mistake was finally laid bare before his closest friend. Even now he knew he would have rather lived his life in tortuous solitude than to be stuck awaiting Ezra’s rejections. One he was positive would come, because how couldn’t it? Stuck in place by the invisible wall barring him from the village he looked to Vanya, “He might need a little help,” he said with an apologetic shrug.

@Phoenix @Sreeya