Ask No Conflict in the Garden

[Param Vour]

Troiken was so peaceful when she wasn't training under Master Thel. After getting in touch with her roots as an echani, she's had a vision for where she's wanted to live. A place of her own. An hour away from her master's house, Xextos were hard at work building a pagoda like building with a surrounding fence. Various forms of plant life filled the courtyard between the fence and the house proper. It was a simple two story building, Param's bedroom would be on the second floor, but the first floor would be filled with sand and be a training arena. At the center of that training arena, a blossom tree was sprouting. When fully grown, it would flood the arena area with it's pink and purple petals. Param had taken care to make sure the architecture was echani from start to finish.

Param herself was out in the garden, spending extra special attention to the creepervine that was meant to guard the plants from anything trying to harm them. The Xextos next to her, one that had become a friend of hers since Bandomeer, Therrin, was using it's many arms to water various flowers. She turned to Therrin. "Hey, when you're done with those can you go take care of the other creepervine?"

The xexto nodded and gave a thumbs up. Param gave him a warm smile and returned to the creepervine. Unlike a certain foxboy (@Sreeya ) pizza was decided NOT the answer. A bit of water, some needed vitamins, and lots of love is all it would need. It was even starting to grow it's mouth. Param caressed it lovingly, a warm, tender smile on her face. Even planting dangerous species of plants was a peace she was welcome to have.

@Xorism

 

[Nevizkas]

It would be the first time that the pureblood had ventured about Troiken for something other than the musings of Master Thel, which was perhaps something she had in common with the younger Echani. The building defiantly caught her eye and its striking architecture was a credit to its creator, compiling something both unique and tranquil.

Carefully, the pureblood traced her route through the garden, admiring the early stages of what might just become one of her favourite places, before spotting the silver haired host. "Your invitation was vague and spelt my name wrong." Her face ironclad with a certain look about her before slightly cracking with a half smile. "But I surmised its purpose and brought you a gift."

Cyutadakyr's gift held out to be dropped into Param's hand was a simple seed, itself revealing nothing of its origin nor potential. "Water and tend it, and tell me what becomes of it." The critter would lie dormant before falling apart with the season change, but in its wake would leave another seed. Of course, with the correct application of the dark arts, its true form could take shape.

In any case, the pureblood stood to admire the rest of the garden as it was taking shape.

@TheDudeMike

 

[Param Vour]

Param perked up when Cyu approached, hearing her voice first, then her footfalls. It was as if Param's face lit up, something that was truly blinding in the sunlight with her pale skin. Her silver eyes stared at the seed in her palm for a moment, wondering what it could be, before encasing it in her fist and flinging herself at Cyu in a sudden hug. "Thank youuuuu!" she sang, stepping back a moment later. "Next time I'll just write Cyu."

Motioning for Therrin to come over, she placed the gift seed into one of his many hands. "Plant this one by the pond," she said. It wasn't quite an order, but the xextos would take it as one. They worked for Master Thel, and he had tasked them with building her a place to live. Therrin was the only one she would consider a friend. Well, more like a buddy.

Param turned back to Cyu, and motioned for the pureblood to follow her. There was a grace in the way Param walked now, almost like she glided across the ground and every movement was fluid. "When I visited Eshan, they took me to a temple in some remote village. It looked almost exactly like this, but bigger," Param said. She lead Cyu down a winding dirt path, every color their minds could imagine on either side of them in the form of a flower, fern, or small tree. When they would reach the pagoda like structure at the center of the complex, they'd walk through the front door that wasn't installed yet and Cyu would see a blossom tree planted in a raised bed in the center of an arena of sand.

"What do you think?"

@Xorism

 

[Nevizkas]

Holding out her hand to deliver the gift, Cyutadakyr was somewhat taken by surprise when the Echani leapt in for a hug. Without protest, she embraced Param for the moment before mildly chuckling at the next comment. By design, she strolled in tandem, as the pair could relax and enjoy the sights together. The stark contrast that this Eshan look alike held against the bosom of Korriban was no comparison.

But as they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And there was plenty of beauty to behold.

The scents blended with the air as they passed by each shrub or plant, producing pleasant smells any which way they walked. She could tell that it hadn't been quite finished yet, but by all accounts the acolyte was well on her way to reproducing her own little patch of paradise.

Cyutadakyr took in all that she saw and smiled. "Its design matches its designer, my dear." Taking a few more steps closer to the arena, she silently slipped her shoes off before gliding her toes beneath its coarse particles. It was a far cry from home, but the happy little memories flooded through regardless. "Like yours, the dunes of my home look like this, but bigger."

The shifting deserts of Korriban were a beauty unto itself and not for the feint of heart. Where life walked hand in hand with death, the blossom of wild flowers came and went like the tides of sand. Pausing for a second, Cyu looked at Param before nodding in agreement with herself. "You need a swing."

@TheDudeMike

 

[Param Vour]

Param's cheeks burned at Cyu's compliment. As much as she enjoyed when people thought her pretty, it meant a little different when that person wasn't a man trying to save his skin or court her. Param passed by a red hibiscus plant, plucking one of the flowers by the stem. She walked over to Cyu, putting her feet in the sand of the arena. Slipped out of her shoes and walked out onto the sand in front of her. "I've never been to a desert world before. I bet their beautiful," she said focusing on sliding the hibiscus flower through Cyu's hair just above her right ear. When she was done she stepped back and smiled. "Would you take me?"

The comment about the swing was something she hadn't actually thought about. It would be perfect under the blossom tree, especially when the petals were falling. Param imagined herself when the tree was fully grown, swinging idly under it with a cup of spiced tea. She looked so happy and at peace, even when different people in her life appeared next to her on the swing. Param turned back to Cyu, breaking out of her vision.

"That would be perfect under the tree," she agreed. Realizing that she hadn't yet offered, Param excitedly began offering everything she hadn't yet in an attempt to make it up to her pureblood companion. "Oh do you want some tea? Or drinks?"

@Xorism

 

[Nevizkas]

There were many reasons to visit Korriban, least among them to be visiting family and her ilk. Far greater were the opportunity to network and forge, to smith and craft the foundation of what was coming. Cyu stopped to gently stare at the silver haired blossom, contemplating the certain fun to be had. "I will take you." But it was not without certain preconditions. "But you must keep it a secret, between us."

The last thing Cyutadakyr needed was some meddling from other Sith wanting to mirror her designs or plots, for Korriban and her kin was a prize worth dying for. Of course, she intended for others to do that for her as well. But if Param proved her worth and more importantly talent, such rewards would be found unlike anything she had ever experienced.

Bringing her back down to the pagoda, Cyu nodded. "Tea would be fine, thank you." While they waited for this, the pureblood continued to mess about with the sand beneath her feet, as if remembering fond memories of her youth. "Tell me about your planet." she suddenly spoke, curious and holding her tone steady.

@TheDudeMike

 

[Param Vour]

Param's face lit up when Cyu said she'd take her to Korriban. She nodded, promising to keep it a secret between them. Not that she really talked to anyone about things, anyway. Master Thel would ask her where she's been once in a while, but for the most part he left her to her own devices unless it was time to train. A space trip to Cyu's homeworld sounded exactly like what Param would consider a good time. And from her experience with holocrons, she knew it to be quite an important world for the Sith Order as a whole.

With a light hearted skip in her step, Param made her way over to one of the side rooms. She'd already had a pot of her special spiced tea steeped and ready to go, so she poured two ceramic, handleless cups full and brought them out, handing one to her guest. "It's my special blend. I hope you like a little heat."

When asked about her planet, Param looked down at the sand, and then out to the garden. "Eshan is a lot like this place. It has fields and forests. Out side of the main cities there are smaller villages. Every village has a temple like this, where they do their rituals and duels. I guess the only real difference is most of everyone is pretty close to nude." She paused, remembering her time on Eshan with a soft smile. Though, she suddenly realized that was an awkward way to end the explaination, a rush of color coming to her cheeks. "Uh, echani communicate through duelling, and they believe that anything that restricts movement is bad. So a lot of them duel each other naked."

 

[Nevizkas]

Cyu took the cup from Param and pulled it close to her face in order to sample its aroma. Taking only a moment to stare in response to her comment without replying in kind, the pureblood took her first sip. "Delicious." She softly spoke before listening to the next part of Param's story.

Eshan sounded like an interesting place, a far cry from the warm sands of home and the terrible cold of some other planets she wished to never return to. The galaxy was a vast place filled to the brim with many strange and wonderful creatures. Cultural practices to one might seem strange to the other, and vice versa. Cyutadakyr's mind wandered to imagine a planet of nude silver haired combatants competing against each other.

"Must be hard to focus, with all that communication going on." She remarked, hiding her thoughts. "In my experience, restricting movement can actually be quite thrilling." With a hand outreached, Cyu turned the palm up, curling her fingers into a fist before reversing it.

"Perhaps we could visit Eshan one day."

@TheDudeMike

 

[Param Vour]

Param beamed when Cyu complimented the tea. She'd worked really hard to find the perfect blend of herbs and spices to give it a smooth, rich taste with just enough spice to keep you warm on a cold night. She took a sip of her own cup, enjoying the taste. Her silver eyes fixed on Cyu, drinking her in as much as she was drinking her tea. Param wished she could see what Cyu was thinking, just to sit in her head while she was lost in thought for a moment, but didn't even try. The curiosity was certainly there though.

"How?" Param asked, tilting her head. Restricting movement meant one couldn't dance, or jump around, or flex in certain ways. Fighting in nothing but a silk wrap was actually freeing compared to fighting with her normal clothes, she had found. The entire week she'd spent on Eshan with the echani elder, she'd spent in essentially amounted to underwear.

@Xorism

 

[Nevizkas]

Finishing the tasty cup of tea, Cyutadakyr smiled with delight.

"We are so often assuming control in every aspect of our lives, our independence and freedom tied to this." The pureblood drifted the cup out of the way while paying close attention to her. "If your freedom is taken, you will grow resentment. But to enjoy it, you must willingly give it." Cyutadakyr wasn't in the business of the former.

"How does one communicate through fighting?" She then inquired, pausing. "Or does any movement speak volumes?"

@TheDudeMike

 

[Param Vour]

Param was used to seeing sinister smiles from her fellow Sith. Though this time it was odd, as it was accompanied by a graceful use of Force instead of murdering something. She finished her own tea, using the Force to gently stack her cup onto Cyu's as she moved it away to a counter.

Cyu's words however, gave her pause. They deep, dripping with meaning that Param was quite sure she understood. How could one willingly give up their freedom? Param had spent so long building up enough power, enough confidence in herself to kill her own enslaver and free herself. She'd enjoyed gaining her freedom, enjoying feeling the life of the person who had taken that freedom originally die by her hand. Even calling Master Thel 'master' for the first time was tough for her.

"How do you enjoy giving up freedom?" she asked, curiosity getting the better of her. Param almost regretted asking the moment it left her lips. With blushing cheeks she moved on to answer Cyu's questions. "It's less about talking and more about learning your opponent. You can feel their emotions and feelings in their strikes. Not restricting movement is just based on the martial arts part of it. It focuses on speed and agility."

@Xorism

 

[Nevizkas]

Cyutadakyr looked directly into the Echani's pure eyes, before smiling softly. "You let me know when you figure that one out." Lessons of life were never free nor were they something the pureblood would offer right now.

"Sounds difficult to master, if you're getting punched in the face I'd assume they're mad." She chuckled. Of course there was more more finesse to the relationship between an Echani and their dance, and Param would sense the lack of malice behind her statement.

Looking at the sand training arena gave her thought. "Would you like to learn a dirty fighting trick?" For this Param would need her saber.

@TheDudeMike

 

[Param Vour]

Param gave Cyu a little growl at her playing coy, puffing out her cheeks. So cryptic! She let it go, though. The ladder she had to climb to gain her own freedom wasn't worth giving up. Even Master Thel had to preface her apprenticeship to him with the fact they she wouldn't be a slave. Memories of the auction house, the way she sat there a seethed while she waited for Trael to do his mission, the way she snapped when he had told her to let loose. A sad frown crossed her lips, if only for a moment.

"It's not too difficult!" she said, the frown replaced by excitement. "It's not the strike itself, but how strike. Are they wreckless? They're probably conflicted by something. The power they put behind it, whether they follow through or pull back, everything tells a story of how they feel. The old echani say that you don't really know a person until you fight them. When I take you to Eshan I'll teach you."

Realizing she was excitedly nerding-out about her people's rituals, she stopped, clasping her hands together in front of her. "Anyway. I'd love to!" she agreed, rocking back and forth on her toes and heels in the sand.

@Xorism

 

[Nevizkas]

With a slightly exaggerated expression, the pureblood turned to face Param. "You'll need your lightsaber to actually do this but the principal is the same." With one hand held as if Cyu was holding her own and the other in reserve, she began coiling the first.

"Move to strike me with the blade." Cyutadakyr watched intensely, building tension with her stare. The moment Param came into range, the pureblood swung her sword arm down and across the sand below, purposely dragging its tip through the grains.

In a simple motion, the Sith utilized a small force push to pick up the very same layer of sand, sending it hurling toward her. The million tiny grains would brush aside without harm if they found their mark as they lacked the speed to do otherwise.

"Throwing material into your opponents face is not a winning move in of itself." Cyu's words of teaching were without emotion. "But touched by the saber, these grains of sand become molten, searing bullets and glass that will cut and hinder them if done right."

Of course she'd have to practice to get the timing right, but the trick wouldn't win a duel on its own.

@TheDudeMike

 

[Param Vour]

Param paid attention to Cyu's stance, imaginary weapons appearing in her hands. She followed her instructions, going to strike, only for sand to be kicked up and blown into her face. It wasn't enough, or powerful enough to blind her or hurt, but some did get into her mouth, sending her into a spitting and coughing fit to get the sand out. When she was done, she looked up at Cyu. "I don't recommend eating the sand."

The lesson wasn't lost on her though. It was a dirty trick indeed, but a useful one. She could imagine pelting someone with molten bullets, the small particle melting through flesh and bone. The mental image sent a shiver up her spine. "Have you ever used it on someone?" she asked. Her silver eyes meeting Cyu's. "Like for real I mean?"

@Xorism

 

[Nevizkas]

The pureblood simply shook her head. "No, but I have heard it used before to great effectiveness." An older record she'd seen spoke of Darth Tempest herself being the victim of such a play, long ago when she was merely a champion. Not long after, she had lost an arm and thereby the duel - a lesson in of itself.

Brushing a little sand off her own tunic, Cyutadakyr looked around the small arena before looking back to the silver haired pretty. "Teach me something." The pureblood, vague as she ever was, did not indicate what if anything, she had in mind. She left it up to Param to decipher her words, whether cryptic or plain.

@TheDudeMike

 

[Param Vour]

Param titled her head. Cyu was at least three times more powerful than Param, what was she supposed to teach her? There was really only one thing she knew that Cyu didn't, and that was how to listen without the Force. A devious smirk appeared on Param's lips as she raised a hand to flip a switch on the far wall. A large metal dome on the ceiling whirred to life, and Cyu would find herself suddenly cut off from the Force.

She walked up to Cyu and grabbed her hands, looking in to her eyes. "Trust me," she said. She placed a hand over where Cyu's heart would be. "And listen with this, fight with this." Param stepped back, shedding clothes until nothing remained. "Go ahead," she urged, nodding toward Cyu to do the same.

"Fight as if your heart were on your sleeve," Param said, dropping into a traditional echani stance, right foot forward, right hand forward. "The goal isn't to win. Tell a story," she explained. Param would wait for Cyu to undress and adopt any form of fighting stance.

@Xorism

 

[Nevizkas]

The mischievousness of Miss Vour would know no bounds. Taking the cue, Cyutadakyr would refrain from using the force in their little duet and would rely on beating the pretty little flower the good old fashion way.

Taking the other's hand, Cyu listened. Their hands marching to the beat of her heart, a cautious tale as old as time itself.

Of course, Param had earlier said that the Echani fought near naked. Watching silently as each article fell, the woman before her refrained from modesty with confidence in stride. Without breaking concentration, Cyu began to mirror the other and unclasped her own robes, in turn joining the others upon the cool sandy floor.

Fighting naked wasn't entirely a new concept for the pureblood, although this technique certainly was. In the former circumstances, there tended to be less acrobatic hooks and kicks, and more choking and biting, but I digress.

Assuming a fighting stance, Cyu looked forward for a moment before her concentration lapsed just briefly. "Tell a story, you say." Concentrating on what this could mean, her mind began to wander and ponder how she could apply this in the fight ahead.

But this came at a price. It would be impossible for Param to miss the crimson woman stealing a glance, and she, too, would also learn that a pureblood could indeed blush, albeit for a moment.

@TheDudeMike

 

[Param Vour]

Param gave Cyu a warm smile, letting her know she'd be fine. She noticed a slight blush, but she wanted Cyu to tell her with a strike, not with her cheeks. She hoped Cyu would understand. It was a dangerous game, duelling a Sith, especially one well beyond her own powers. Param's concern wasn't for her own safety though; she had a genuine wish to teach Cyu something of her culture, and in turn, she also wanted to be able to say she knew Cyu's soul without Cyu ever having to speak it. The time to think was over for Cyu, and Param let it be known by closing the distance delivering a chop with her right hand aimed at Cyu's shoulder.

It was at full power, without the Force of course. Regardless of if Cyu blocked it or let it hit, if she was listening, she would feel the restraint behind it, as if the chop was trying to break free from an overpowering oppression. The next strike, a punch with her left hand toward Cyu's chest, would be rash and dangerous, fueled with anger and hate, and a willingness to to do anything to escape.

The entire time, Param's eyes would be set on Cyu's, hard in concentration. The smiles from before replaced by a deadpan.

@Xorism

 

[Nevizkas]

It would take a little practice before Cyutadakyr would be able to pick up all the subtlest movements and their multi-faceted pronunciations. Param moved with precision and skill, each movement speaking a language that she struggled to follow.

But the reverse wasn't true.

Cyutadakyr telegraphed her feelings without even realising how she was doing it. The first strike from Param landed uncontested, as if demanding a due punishment, an acceptance of failure and misery that had been tying herself down. The punch landed too, rolling into it to ensure it landed squarely, as if she could only feel life through pain.

In retaliation, the pureblood launched a counter-attack. Wrapping her arm around Param's punching arm to grapple, as if attempting to crush the damning feelings of failure. Before swinging her other arm, at the woman's exposed kidney, with misguided malice meant for another, a frustration burrowed deep within and burning her very soul.

@TheDudeMike