Lucid Insanity

[Sreeya]

She had her flower in her hand, the sweet smell reaching her nostrils even though her hand hung at her side. She hummed to herself, not particularly going in any set direction. This was one of the longest corridors within the temple, and she took her sweet time exploring it. She had a light spring to her steps, though there was no reason for it. For all intents and purposes, she appeared uncharacteristically cheery.

As usual, she touched her hand against the wall, trailing it along as she walked. She needed to feel her environment at all times. She felt no immediate presences in the Force, which was why she had no facade on. As she thought about facades, her thoughts wandered back to her fellow acolyte Casimir. He was enshrouded in mystery, almost as much as she was. And it bothered her. The thought left her mind as soon as it arrived.

"Such little beauty.."

She looked around her at the bland walls. Everything about the Sith was gray and depressing. The only dazzling features were the lightsabers.

"Beauty should be everywhere... everywhere..."

Her voice was airy again, followed by a small laugh. She continued walking down the hallway before reaching close to the end. She noticed a window on the wall. She promptly lied down on the floor next to it, watching the moonlight shine in through the window, the ray falling upon her features. She lifted the flower up and held it against the light, quietly admiring it. She hummed the entire time.

 

[Rom]

Prowling through the darkened corridors of the Temple, the stillness of the night air broken only by the light scraping of his tail blade and armor scrapping along the stone floor. His senses were alert and his force presence was completely cloaked - the only way anyone would find him here in the darkness is if they bumped into him. Coming out of the side corridor that lead to the Spire that he had claimed as his domain in the Temple, Darth Vereor glanced around before reaching out with the Force, following the force trace left behind by an untrained Sith of enormous potential.

Coming around the corner and moving past the moonlit windows, Vereor raised the left side of his brow ridge as he listened to the young woman lying on the floor humming as she examined a piece of flora. This slightly insane human lying on the cold stone floor was the source of the power he felt? Reaching out with the Force, the Sith Lord plucked the flower out of her hands and floated it over to his outstretched hand, holding the red blossom delicately in his clawed hand.

"It's rather late, iz it not?"

 

[Sreeya]

She continued humming, closing her eyes. She was half asleep, though fully aware of her surroundings. Her hand remained on the wall, the cold reminding her of the haunting darkness that clung everywhere. She opened her eyes as she felt the presence, but barely. Presences were normally pronounced, but this one was expertly controlled and she got the feeling she was only picking up whatever this being wanted to purposely project. She tilted her head back to look upon the source of the Force, but could not pinpoint him yet. It was not until she felt the flower leave her hand that she saw two gleaming eyes piercing from under the shadow of a cloak.

She tensed as she saw the flower float over to him. It had been difficult obtaining it, and she knew what her Lord did when he caught her with flowers. She expected to see this one promptly crushed to bits and to be called a fool. She deduced that this was a Sith Lord, or whatever the hell those higher ups were called. She simply blinked up at his words, noting his odd manner of speech. She tilted her head some more.

"You..have a tail!"

It was a childish remark, full of curiosity. She did not rise from the ground, finally addressing his comment.

"Late and peaceful. No bickering, no quarreling. Just moon and me. Happy moon, happy flower.."

She grinned, staring at the way the light illuminated the fresh new cuts on her wrists. They hadn't healed yet, a thin drop of crimson blood accumulated at the edge of a thin gash. She looked up at the tailed being again.

"You should lie down too. Very beautiful. No gray, just light and flower. Peaceful..."

 

[Rom]

Twirling the flower in the gentle grasp of the Force, Vereor hissed quietly in laughter at the Acolyte's statement of the obvious. Flicking his tail out towards his left side and slamming the heavy appendage down onto the stone floor with a loud thump. "You would be correct, Acolyte." Even after all his years living amongst humans, the Sith Lord still found himself incapable of understanding their proclivity for not only stating the obvious, but for mental illness.

Sniffing suddenly as the scent of blood wafted up to his senses as he approached, Vereor pushed his hood back and looked down with a scowl. "Why are you bleeding from untreated woundz, acolyte?" Walking over to the young woman, he looked around before fishing two bacta packs out of a small compartment on his belt and dropped them down onto the Acolyte's chest. "Woundz like that, especially on the wrist, can effect your ability to manipulate your hands to control weaponz. Allowing such an injury to fester would be foolish."

Hissing in soft laughter again as the young human invited him to lay down beside her on the floor, he paused to reach out in the Force, the malevolent and hateful aura that showed just a snippet of his true power echoing around him for the young woman to sense if she was paying attention. He felt the approval of the Hungry One in the young human, so he indulged her and shrugged out of his cloak, revealing his inner robes and armor on a frame that looked as if it had been carved from obsidian.

Laying down on the ground next to the woman, his tail snaking out limply to his left as he kept one hand resting near the hilt of his krayt dragon fang lightsaber hilt and the other pointing up at the flower whirling in small arcs through the air above them. "This one iz Darth Vereor... who are you, and why have you allowed yourself to stay wounded in such a manner."

 

[Sreeya]

She curiously blinked up at him as he noted her wounds. She made a move to hide her wrists, but he had already spotted them. His mention of being unable to manipulate control due to the injuries hadn't occurred to her before. She looked back down at the wounds.

"My arms were plain and bland. I made them pretty."

She held them out for him to see, countless scars marring the pallid skin. She looked utterly unfazed by the wounds. As the bacta packs fell on her chest, she looked at them dully.

"Do I...drink this?"

She was utterly mystified, confusedly tossing the packs aside. She pulled her wrist to her lips and licked the blood off. She could never get over that tangy flavor. She watched as he removed his cloak. Her eyes roamed over his armor, something that glinted in the moonlight.

"Beautiful.. when can I have armor?"

She did not pursue the question, doubly surprised when he laid down next to her. She curiously looked at his tail for a moment, grinning.

"That looks like it could get in the way. Looks helpful too.."

As he introduced himself and inquired about her wounds, she remained silent for a moment. She simply looked as he twirled the flower above them. It was almost mesmerizing, and she was surprised to find a Sith Lord perform something so delicately. She finally decided to answer him.

"I am called Andraste. Darth.."

She vaguely pondered on her word.

"Darth sounds like an evil word. Vereor also sounds evil. You are elegant like a.."

She glanced him up and down.

"...a....reptile. With grace. Yes, reptile with grace. You need a pretty name. You twirl the flower pretty, your armor is pretty, you move by barely touching ground. If you had no armor, you would be a shadow."

She nodded in response to her own words.

"Yes, you need prettier name."

She looked down at her wrists again, recalling his question.

"Blood is beautiful. Blood is how I left my family. It was beautiful. Sad, very sad, but beautiful."

She suddenly gasped, looking instantly unhappy.

"I never found my doll again. I dropped my doll in blood. I like cuts because they remind me of blood..and blood reminds me of doll..old life..everything."

She wasn't sure why she was telling him this. Perhaps it was more to herself. Regardless, she found his presence oddly comforting. Her voice was meek and her frame thin and vulnerable. However, deep within her core was an unstable conglomeration of Force energy. It was animalistic power that lay dormant, like a caged beast. She was vaguely aware of it, but only Sith of higher rank would be able to gauge exactly how devastating she was.

 

[Rom]

Muttering under his breath in the hisses and growls of his native language about humans and their inability to comprehend the most basic of tasks, Vereor rolled over onto his side facing her and applied the bacta patches to her wrists and compressed them tightly, causing the patch to seal over the wound and flood the cuts with the cool healing relief of bacta. Starring at her arms, the Barabel scowled. "If you want your armz to be decorated, get tattooz. Harming yourself like thiz makes you weaker in the long run."

Rolling back over onto his back, the Sith Lord flicked his tail out, the long blade at the end shining in the silver moonlight. "It iz a useful weapon, and a constant companion. It haz never been in the way because this one alwayz knows where it is." Vereor nodded at her introduction and muttered almost to himself, his face blank and his eyes narrowed into slits. The gaze of the Hungry One aligned fully on his soul and his robes fluttered in response to the growing Force energy surrounding him, lightning arcing from the tips of his claws into the stone floor with a low crackle. "Andraste.. a powerful name....and a powerful hunter you could become, if you were to apply yourself and get control of your fractured mind."

Shaking his head slowly to clear his mind, rankling in the back of his mind at the abrupt way the Hungry One tended to make it's presence and wishes known. The Devourer of Souls had marked this woman as a person of interest, and only time would tell if it desired her as a servant, or as a sacrifice. Vereor raised his brow ridge at her muttering. "Did you just refer to this one az pretty?" Hissing in quiet laughter at the audacity of the acolyte, the Sith Lord decided that he liked this young woman. She was refreshingly honest to the always blunt and practical Barabel, here in the den of deceivers

He listened as she continued to speak, quietly as if thinking out loud, about the death of her family. She had witnessed tragedy, but as far as Vereor was concerned, her circumstance was a gift. This young woman possessed great power... and the Sith Lord was determined to help cultivate it. The Hungry One demanded it. "You've seen things that shattered your mind. You have a fragile hold on reality. Thiz can become an advantage, a way to ensure your rise to prominence and glory." Gesturing at the flower, Vereor lowered it down onto her forehead. "The time of choice iz upon you, Andraste. Grow now, in the Force and within your own self, and you will progress beyond your wildest dreamz. Stay shackled to your past and your focus on seeing your own blood, and you won't succeed as anything more than a corpse."

 

[Sreeya]

She did not like the effects of healing, as it covered up her pretty art. However, she remained silent as he applied the bacta. She did not thank him, simply staring at the patch. She listened to his hisses and other odd noises he made, finding them fascinating. She had met few non-human species in her short life, and he was by far the most interesting one so far.

"Yes, because you are pretty!"

She listened as he spoke, telling her words she had heard before. She sighed and rose to sit, tugging the flower back to herself.

"You are not the first Lord to tell me this. I don't know what you are referring to. I don't know what I'm destined for. I don't know what you and the others see that I don't. I can only foresee as much as tomorrow.."

She rose to stand then, looking out the window. The moon hung low, illuminating the barren landscape around the temple. The sight was eerily beautiful, though a bit bland. She looked back at Vereor.

"I want to sit out there. The inside of this temple is so stuffy..so full of..."

She couldn't describe what it was. It was the untamed energy within the acolytes. They tainted the Force's perfection with their presence. They were ridges and grooves and tears instead of the flowy smoothness of the energy Casimir and Vereor possessed. She began walking down the hall, glancing over to see if he was coming.

"I think one can rise without bowing to the Force."

It was an oddly out of character thing to say for her, considering her outlandish speech. She looked into his eyes then, suddenly understanding and comprehending. His views on the Force bore into her, filling her with abstract thought and perceptions. She did not voice what she knew, but her eyes spoke volumes. A moment later she turned away, casually humming again, as she made her way to the outside of the temple.

 

[Rom]

Hissing a quiet chuckle and shaking his head, Vereor smirked and quietly pondered if he'd be able to get someone else to follow his own belief. “Otherz would have you believe that Destiny is something that is clearly charted, that we have a path before us that we will always tread on our path to glory. This one iz here to tell you that that iz a lie.” Using the Force to push himself up so that he rose through the air smoothly into a standing position without actually moving himself, Vereor looked her in the eye and thumped his tail down on the ground hard. “Listen well Acolyte Andraste, for this is a lesson that will serve you well; The future has never been set in stone – it iz if anything, a volatile mixture of chance, circumstance, and ability. You have within you a capacity for great ability – a strength that I have yet to see in the other wormz that I address az your peerz. It doesn't matter if you dont know what your future iz... all you must remember iz that you have the capacity to do great thingz, and strive for that unknown goal.”

He stood and walked down the corridor after picking up his robe and throwing it around his shoulders and fastening it at the front with the skull clasp. The Barabel Sith Lord didnt walk so much as prowl, smoothly walking through the darkness of the temple like a wraith; soundlessly, menacingly, and looking for all the world as if he was simply gliding. Looking into her eyes as she turned to face him and mentioned her preposterous belief, he came to an immediate halt, his eyes widening imperceptiably as he felt a connection form between them and his thoughts that he had wanted to say to her about the Force soaring through the link between their minds to hers, filling Andraste's head with information and philosophy that he usually chose not to share with most Sith. Taking a deep breath and delving deeply into his mind to find the root source of the connection, Vereor quickly built up a solid wall of force energy and shielding around the connection – it would be much more difficult for her to get anything out of their connection but the occasional surface thought, but you never knew with these sort of Force connections.

Gnashing his fangs silently, Vereor watched as she seemed to absorb the information from him and then non-chalantly turn away to walk outside. Quickening his pace so that he was walking slightly ahead and on her right, he let his feet take him wherever they wished, his mind instead focusing on this new development. There was no way this human should have been able to form such a deep connection out of no where... it was beyond her ability as far as the Sith Lord could tell, and he had certainly not tried to reach out with his mind towards hers. Clenching his fist and smirking slightly at the feeling of his sharp claws scratching harmlessly off his Keratin scales, Vereor closed his eyes as he walked and sent a simple probe down the connection towards Andraste. “Can you hear this?”

 

[Sreeya]

She stepped outside, into the sand that had been excruciatingly hot earlier that day. It was cool now. She took her shoes off, letting her toes sink into it. It was a strange feeling, one she enjoyed quite a bit. She was utterly oblivious to the tumult of thoughts going on within Vereor's mind. She hopped slightly, almost like a child, thrilled to be out in the desert outside of the temple. She peered up at the sky, gazing upon the endless stretch of blue dotted by stars. It was so beautiful, unlike down here. She was momentarily lost in thought when his voice pierced into her mind.

"Yes."

She confusedly looked over at him. She then realized that she had not only telepathically heard him, but had answered him as well. She hadn't given it much thought, and it was automatic. She simply shrugged, not thinking much of it.

"I wish I could find flowers here. Were there many flowers where you're from?"

She walked over to the edge of a cliff, looking down upon a valley of even more dunes. It was a breathtaking sight at night, under the stars. She gazed out into the sea of sand, raising her hand. The Force extended out of her, coiling around the sand like a snake. The sand rose as a single entity, ascending from the ground and curving around in the air, under the stars. It was a graceful motion, gently swirling around and waving in the air, levitating above the ground. She performed this casually, her delicate fingers moving effortlessly.

"I want to make things pretty with the Force. There is so much ugly here. I don't need to worry about wounds and holding a blade because I can weave. I can weave, create, destroy, command, guide...The Force is me."

The last four words were a whisper, yet piercing. She was as vague as ever, never taking her eyes off the circulating sand. Every last grain was under her control. She finally glanced up at Vereor, though it did not break her mental connection to the sand in the least.

 

[Rom]

Staring up at the stars glittering like jewels in the velvet blackness of the Void, Darth Vereor found himself unable to stop thinking of the young human beside him and their sudden connection. Feeling a small trickle of power leaking through the shields he had placed around the connection within his own mind, he allowed a feeling of being impressed float down through the connection to the Acolyte; to adapt so easily to telepathic conversation was not a skill many could claim, and for the first time Vereor wondered if it was perhaps time to introduce to the Sith the Barabel Force Meld. Shaking himself from his stray thoughts as he heard Andraste ask him if he had flowers on his home planet.

The tall obsidian scaled reptile nearly fell to the floor hissing in laughter, his tail thumping down in the cool sand to give him balance as he considered her question. Flowers, on Barab I? You'd be more likely to find snow on Tatooine or nude sun-tanners on Hoth. Getting control of his mirth, Vereor shook his head and sent along a brief memory through the connection, the view of wide canyons and high cliffs underneath a red sun, the feeling of burning radiation slamming down onto your back and the arid wind leaving your mouth dryer than a bone. “There were no flowerz on this one's home planet... just dangerous animalz and endless mountainz, canyons and tunnelz.” Raising his eyebrow as the Acolyte expressed her belief that she didnt need to worry about wounds or weapons because she could use the Force and she would craft beauty out of it.

Not caring to ask for permission or give any warning, the Sith Lord scooped the young acolyte up into his grip and leaped out off the cliff into the valley of sand dunes below, using a powerful Force push just before he hit the ground to buffet them up higher and end the fall in a gentle and easy landing on a bluff of sand. “There iz much beauty to be found in the Force... the craft of the Hungry One has long been idolized by the mortals who live through his realms. It iz however wrong to say that you don't need to worry about weaponz or woundz. It iz said that there iz beauty to be found in all things... and once you experience it, you will learn that combat has a rhythm and beauty that outclasssez anything in the Verse.”

Waving his hand to forcibly end the Acolytes manipulation of the sand, Vereor walked into the dip in the ground between three large sand dunes. Letting out a deep breath and calling his krayt dragon fang lightsaber to his hand and activated it with a snap hiss, the blood red light shining out eerily in the silver moonlight shining down upon them. He began a series of simple movements, a twelve count pattern that seemed to move in a whirling pattern even though Vereor's feet never once left their spot. Drawing on the Force to aid him, the Sith Lord began to weave his own creation of Soresu lightsaber combat, the Whirlwind of Defense, increasing his speed exponentially until the individual blade was moving so fast that it was impossible to track it's actual location and the barabel's body was completely consumed by a sphere of red humming light. A careful observer would note that the sand itself surround the sphere was beginning to turn into glass, the extreme heat and contact with the ground solidifying the sand.

Darth Vereor continued, taking it a step further as he reached out with the force and unlooped the drawstrings of the pouch hanging off of his belt before lifting out what looked to be twenty marble sized metal balls. The marbles began to orbit his body, dodging and weaving inbetween the lightsaber blade and began to glow a molten orange as they were heated. Vereor barely noticed the head and then, continuing to increase the speed of the movement, dropped his Force Concealment and revealed his full power, the energy wave of hate and rage flowing out of him enough to cause his robes to buffet as if in a sudden wind and threw sand high into the air. Closing his eyes and reaching out with the Force, the Sith Lord pulled more and more sand to him until it circled him in a dome, the red light of the lightsaber's pace continuing as the sand seemed to melt under the combined heat of the lightsaber and his own aura of rage.

Grinning widely, he lashed out at the marbles as they passed at high speeds, cutting them in half and watching as the 40 pieces of molten metal punched cleanly through the glass without cracking the rest and left several air and viewing holes for anyone inside the opaque glass dome to see out of. Cutting out a doorway and stepping through, Vereor turned and looked upon his creation – standing at more than 9 foot high and about 3/4ths as wide,the glass dome was a sight to behold. The Force and his lightsaber had combined to create the foggy glass tinted with red, the dark side flowing off of it in waves. Cracking ten glow rods from his pack, the Barabel tossed them into the hole and watched as the dome lit up, looking like a beautiful beacon of civilization out here in the wastes. The glass shined beautifully, and the streaks of red within the foggy glass only seemed to highlight the view.

Looking over at Andraste, not even breathing heavily, the Barabel smirked and allowed his white fangs to show, glimmering in the light provided by the Dome. "Combat training allowed me to come up with the technique - providing the entertainment and reason to do it was another, and entirely on you.

 

[Sreeya]

She gasped as she was abruptly whisked away. Within seconds, they were sailing through the air, and for once she was a bit terrified. She clung to the Barabel, though with nothing but smooth scales, it was more her clawing and scrambling to find a grip. By the time she managed a hold, they were already on the sand. She looked down, terrified, before he set her down. She remained silent as he walked away, drawing his saber. She smiled at the red glow, always finding lightsabers to be fascinating. She wanted to own one, but not because she wanted to use it.

As he began his dance, she took a step back, watching the display. It was mesmerizing, and unlike anything she had ever seen. She had to step back even further, the wind whipping her hair. She could not look away, however, finding it difficult to believe that he was doing this with a plasma blade and not by bending the Force. She watched as the dome began to take shape, as if made from nothing. He was creating with a lightsaber! She was genuinely fascinated, silent and transfixed until he emerged from the dome. He was not worn out in the least, though he created something so magnificent. She could say nothing for a long moment, her jaw visibly hanging open.

"How did..."

She walked towards the glass dome, her feet digging slightly into the sand. She peered into it, the eerie glow from within reflecting upon her countenance. She looked back at his saber, to the dome, then to the saber, and then back to the dome.

"Im..possible.."

She whispered the words and then looked down at her hands. She knew it would be much more taxing to apply the Force to do such a thing. She glanced back at the saber in his hand, staring at it for a long moment.

"You can make..things beautiful with the saber.."

She looked at the dome for a long moment, mystified. There was nothing but silence, with the occasional brush of wind causing particles of sand to flow against her skin. She finally turned to him again, her eyes wide with wonder.

"Teach me! Can you teach me?!"

She was like a child, excitedly clapping her hands together.

"Please?!"

 

[Rom]

Hissing in quiet laughter at her awestruck reaction, Vereor considered the acolyte before her. Contained within her fragile mind, trapped under her own strange definitions and outlook, was a great power. If it were cultivated... if the potential within this human was sharpened and trained, she would prove to be a most powerful ally in the coming war against the Jedi. Shaking his tail slightly, scattering sand as he looked upon his creation with a slight smile, Vereor glanced down at the tiny (in comparison to his own tall and muscular frame) human next to him and cast out with the Force, seeking guidance from the Hungry One as to what he should do, whether he should take part in molding this powerful Force, or whether here and now, alone in the wastes without any witnesses, he should remove the possible threat to his power and mission in fulfilling the Hungry One's desires.

The darkness surged around him, and for a moment if Andraste was looking, she would see his eyes turn almost entirely black, a pinprick of his yellow iris standing out in sharp contrast to the emptiness of his soul-less gaze. The Barabel's vision began to cloud and he swayed as the full power of the Dark Side pressed in around his mind, shattering his shields and nearly knocking him to the floor.. He began to see things, cloudy visions of the young woman before him growing into a powerful Sith in her own right, wielding a blade of fire and using her powerful hold on the Force to create terrible beauty and death around her. He saw himself standing victoriously over a field of Alliance and Jedi corpses, Andraste at his side with that half insane smile on her face. Most of all though, he felt what he could only describe as glee and approval from the Devourer of Souls.

Clenching his clawed fists and slowly withdrawing his hold on the Force, Vereor looked down at Andraste. "This one could teach you... but it would be hard work, and you would need to be willing to obey and to learn, even if what you're learning doesnt suit your own ideaz. Finally, you certainly cannot continue to harm yourself az you have been."

 

[Sreeya]

She watched him for a moment. Her smile disappeared the second she got hints of his thoughts. It appeared only for a moment, fleeting and almost too quick to catch. It was a trace of the notion of killing her. She stood her ground, and did not voice her thoughts on the choices he played out in his head. She simply turned away, glanced up at the stars and sighed. And here she thought she was beginning to have a friend. The truth was crushing, though she did not display it. Friendship did not exist here. Her lord had been correct. She tilted her head to look at him as he spoke.

"I am willing to learn.."

Her heart sank as he mentioned she could no longer cut. She shifted uncomfortably, looking down at the gashes on her wrists. It was an addiction, a powerful desire she could not control. To have to subjugate it completely? It sounded horrible, never to see her crimson blood run as she smoothly glided the tip of a blade across her pale skin. She said nothing about the agreement, nor did she disagree. She answered with silence. She had missed his vision about her standing by his side in the future, and had only caught that he had entertained the notion of killing her. She remained silent, not displaying her discomfort.

---​

She was back at the dunes, before the glass dome Vereor had created. It still remained erect, shimmering under the sun and glinting under the moonlight. The stars hung above her as they did that night, a gentle breeze brushing against her ebony hair. She stood like a ghost, her pallid features making her stand out against the endless sea of gray sands. She waited for the Barabel, unsure what to expect. She had attempted to wield a blade in an earlier training session, and it had gone horribly.

She looked down at her wrists. She hadn't cut for two weeks now, and it bothered her to no ends. She scratched at the scabs, opening them up again. She had kept her word and had not cut, but that didn't mean she couldn't open up the wounds again. She looked around, hoping he hadn't seen her. Hopefully, he would simply think she took an infinite amount of time to heal. She curled her toes in the sand, using them to draw circles in the desert. She started slowly spinning in circles. As she spun more, the sand began to rise around her, also spinning with her.

She was highly amused at this, entertaining herself by manipulating the sand. She made the sand snake around her, twist, whirl around and flow all around her. It was a mesmerizing display, and it took a minimal amount of energy to conjure. She would stop as soon as she sensed him.

 

[Rom]

Standing on the summit of the cliff, Vereor looked down upon the shining glass dome far below him surrounded by dunes. He was wearing his armor and inner robe, forgoing his usual cloak due to the heat and carried a plain unadorned lightsaber hilt at his belt along side his own dragon fang hilt. Gathering the Force and spreading it throughout his body, the Sith Lord leaped off of the clip and soared high into the air, arching up above the pale figure inside the twisting sand cyclone before falling down with meteoric force towards the sandy surface below, pushing out with the Force to slow his descent, he still landed hard enough to create a crater in the middle of the large sand dune off to Andraste's right.

Shaking himself off and hissing in laughter, the Barabel stalked over to Andraste and looked at her through the swirling storm of sand. "Greetingz Andra...Acolyte." Scowling at the slip up, Vereor reminded himself that he was here in the role of trainer, and had to present a serious front in order to ensure that the young human understood just how important this training would be towards her future in the Sith and as a living being in this Galaxy. Gesturing for her to follow him, Vereor ducked down into the Dome and dug into the trunk he had brought into the Dome the week before. Pulling out a light weight curiass made from the same krayt dragon scales as his own armor he had sized to fit Andraste, along with a kama and pair of vambraces, Vereor turned to Andraste and offered a fanged grin "You mentioned you wanted armor, and this one assumed combat training was az good a reason az any other to supply you with some." Pulling the saber off of his belt, Darth Vereor handed it over with a flourish "This will do until you make your own." Leaning back against the glass wall, Vereor waited to see if she'd need any aid with the armor or if she had any questions.

 

[Sreeya]

She yanked the Force back to herself as soon as she saw his shadow emerge. Not a second later, he landed with grace, the impact rippling out in the sand off to the side. The sand cyclone collapsed around her, though none of it got on her. She smiled when he spoke, but frowned when he corrected himself. She blinked for a moment.

"Hi..master.."

It was a gloomy tone, as she had been pondering on his thoughts of killing her. Despite that, she followed him into the dome, marveling at the glow emitting from it. She accepted the vambraces and put them on, thrilled to have some armor. She took the training saber and looked at it for a long moment.

"I'm ready."

She blinked dumbly before looking down and realizing that she was holding the saber the wrong way. If it had been a real one and she would have pressed the emitter, the blade would have gone right through her. She coughed and turned the hilt around, hoping he didn't catch that. As she looked down at the saber, she quickly remembered something.

"Oh! Ver- um..master.. I made you something.."

She fished into her pockets and brought out a very tiny object. It was the perfect glass replica of a dahlia flower, down to the last, thin details. She had crafted it from the sand. It had taken hours and had been taxing, but she did it anyway. She half expected him to simply crush it, as her lord often did, but she decided to hand it to Vereor anyway.

"Your planet does not have flowers. But wherever you go, you can have flower with you! Everything's a bit more beautiful with a flower."

She beamed at him. At the very least, if he killed her, at least he would have something of hers. The thought whirled in her mind, enough to where he would be able to pick up on it. She was oblivious to this, walking over to pick up the cuirass. She confidently put it on backwards, and so that the slightest bit of motion would make it all fall apart. She gazed at him seriously, holding the saber up.

"Right! Now I'm ready!"

 

[Rom]

Raising his eyebrow ridge at her gloomy tone, Vereor decided not to comment, assuming that there had been some altercation with another Acolyte. Allowing some of his fangs to show in a satisfied smile as she accepted the vambraces and put them on, Vereor struggled to hide a small hissing laughing fit at the sight of her holding the lightsaber blade backwards. Shaking his head to remove the mirth from his mind, the reptilian Sith Lord looked down in confusion for a moment as he watched her pull out a tiny well crafted flower made of glass, looking suspiciously like the dome that surrounded them. Holding the delicate glass delilah blossom into his hand, he looked down at it and smiled for a moment, appreciating the craftsmanship of the flower and feeling her powerful Force signature throughout the flower. “This one will treasure it, Acolyte. Thank you.”

Looking down at the flower for a long moment, the Sith Lord carefully placed it into a cushioned compartment of his utility belt usually used for holding glass capsules of poison and acid before looking back up just in time to see her standing with the armor on. Falling to the floor in a fit of sissing laughter, Vereor tried to stand twice and failed; every time he caught sight of her ridiculously tiny frame held tightly together in the barely held together armor, he would fall back into hysterics. Wiping his eyes, Vereor got to his feet and, still sissing in laughter, walked over to the Acolyte and lifted the armor off of her before putting it back on, tightening the leather thongs and metal fastenings securely to ensure it wouldnt slip off during combat, the armor would stay snug.

Leading her outside of the dome, Vereor looked at her and started to speak, his voice falling into an almost euphoric tone. “You are about to become a student of Soresu. It iz very important to remember one key thing about this form; Soresu requirez you to embrace simplicity and defense. You are never the aggressor with thiz form; you are to react, and use the opponents movementz against him, until he has exhausted himself. It is then, and only then, that you strike!”

Jerking his head up and stopping mid lecture, he siezed on a thought that echoed through their connection. His voice took on an incredulous quality as he looked at her with a raised eyebrow of concern. "Why is it that you think this one intendz to kill you? You must understand, this one requirez your trust and honest in order to train you correctly.""

 

[Sreeya]

Andraste jumped a foot, completely shocked as he abruptly began laughing. Her jaw dropped open.

"What?! WHAT! WHAT IS SO FUNNY!"

She attempted to speak over the hissing and sputtering accompanying his laughter. She looked down at herself, completely baffled as to what caused this outburst. She finally scowled at him, impatiently tapping her foot till he rose from the ground. Andraste blinked curiously as he lifted her armor up, wondering why he would take it off after asking her to put it on. Before she could say anything, he put it back on and she finally realized her error. Her face flushed red from embarrassment.

"I...did that..on purpose..."

She cleared her throat and followed him outside of the dome. The air was slightly chilly, making her hug herself. She ran right into him, colliding with his armor as he abruptly stopped. As she rubbed her jaw, she realized what he said. That was when she looked into his eyes, her face devoid of emotions. Her mind was suddenly very difficult to read.

"Trust and honesty does not exist within the Sith."

Her voice was suddenly different, far from her usual quiet, meek inflections. It was powerful, the voice of someone much older. The Force accumulated around her, embracing her in its bosom. It was a shadow that loomed around her, as a tall figure that was molded out of the life and existence within the very air they breathed.

"I am the Force. I am born to be a god of malignancy, a messiah of chaotic debauchery. Do you understand how devastating that is? You understand it perfectly, Teryn. I know why you want to kill me.."

She chuckled softly, looking away from him. With her exhale, the shadow dispersed, catching onto a breeze and fading into nothing. There was a moment of silence that hung, and she finally looked back at him, blinking curiously.

"What are we waiting for? You were telling me about Soresu? Teach teach!!"

She excitedly waved the training saber around.

 

[Rom]

Raising his eyebrows and growling under his throat, Vereor went to explain to Andraste that being Sith didn't matter, because clan-mates and brothers in arms have that trust and honesty as a matter of necessity, forged through the fires of war. His voice died in his throat though as a sudden swirling of dark side energy emanated from the young woman before him. Suddenly, a looming shadow rose above them, the bright afternoon dimming to a near twilight as a saner and more powerful voice than the usual far-off voice of the young Acolyte. The pure rage and hate that the voice conveyed and the pressing feeling of the Force surrounded him, shocking the Darth as it said his name and accused him of wanting to kill her.

As suddenly as the voice began, it ended, the shadow dispersing like a sudden rain cloud in the Spring. Shaking himself out of his shock, Vereor filed the strange occurrence away for a second as Andraste didnt seem to remember that anything had happened. Narrowing his eyes, Vereor began to consider the implications of such a powerful manifestation and how to get it to occur again before perking his head up as she asked him about Soresu.

“Ah yez.. .Soresu. Well, Soresu is simplicity. You react to the flow of combat, using your opponents strength and ferocity against them – you can block the strike, you can turn it aside to get in their guard, or you can simply dodge in a way that conserves the most energy. Because you're not focused on the attacking constantly, it gives you a chance to use your environment to your advantage.”

Activating his fang saber with a snap-hiss, Vereor easily dropped into the basic opening stance of Soresu, his blade held high and angled across his body, legs spread with his right foot planted into the sand and his left foot leading,his clawed toes digging into the ground as his heel lifted up, leaving him ready to move quickly. Looking at Andraste, the reptilian Sith Lord instructed her to adopt the same pose, his eye watching for any particular issues in her stance. Moving in behind her, he wrapped his arms up inbetween her arms and corrected her grip and position of her arms while his tail slid over and smacked at her calves until she her legs moved into the diagonal and her feet were in the spots they needed to. Stepping back, he nodded and got into the opening stance again before moving through a series of 6 steps and swings, his blade humming through the air as he ended, looking as if he was batting aside the swings of an invisible opponent and ending the kata with a circular motion designed to push away a jab into his center mass.

Looking over at Andraste and helping her get the third swing right, Vereor narrowed his eyes and hissed "Defend yourself!" before moving in the same kata, expecting her to block his strikes and spin her blade to block the final stab.

 

[Sreeya]

After various instances where she almost tripped and fell on her face, he was finally satisfied with her stance. She was completely oblivious to the incident that had just occurred, but she could tell his thoughts were preoccupied. With a sinking feeling she decided it must have been him weighing his options. She sighed as she stepped back, holding the training saber and looking into his eyes. Her face was difficult to read. At once, he burst into a flurry of motions, once again marveling her with his reptilian fluidity. It was something she could never hope to accomplish.

Her mind was in a fog as she attempted to remember every last maneuver that went into the kata. She stepped back as he prepared an assault. She watched his move, every last scaled muscle rippling as if he were in slow motion. It was sight through the Force, something she had done involuntarily. Though she saw it, she did nothing to stop it. She did not move, her thoughts weighing down on her heavily.

'He wants to kill me. Let him. Let the blood spill in the sand. It will be glorious.'

With a sigh, she motioned as if to defend, but abruptly lowered her saber. She left her torso open to attack, which would most likely let him slice right through her. She half closed her eyes, as she was torn between wanting to avoid seeing the saber cut in and wanting to see her own blood splash out. She only hoped it would be quick.

 

[Rom]

Swinging his saber up high and reversing it in the practiced form of the Kata, moving slower than he usually would since it was Andraste's first time and he didnt need to hurt her for no reason, Vereor ducked under her parry and ended the kata with a powerful stabbing motion, the blade in the trajectory to skewer the young human in the middle of her breastbone and out her back. Suddenly, Andraste wasn't defending. Her saber was off to the side and her eyes were closed, as if she was accepting a fate that he had not intended.

Cursing under his breath in Barabel, Vereor immediately switched off his saber using the trakata technique to his advantage, the bar of red energy disappearing into the hilt just before he slammed the tip into Andraste, his momentum carrying the hilt forward until the emitter was pressed directly into the center of her chestplate. Snarling, Vereor force pulled the training saber out of her hand and clipped his own to his belt before grabbing the young human by the shoulders and shaking her lightly in frustration, not realizing that in his anger and frustration he had picked her up off her feet and left her hanging in the air as he started to lecture her. "Are you insane?! This one could have cut you in half! What do you think you were doing, Andraste?"