Ask [Telos V] Into The Shadows

[Emryc Thorne]

When Jaikus mentioned that there was nothing to worry about, Emryc outright believed him. The half Sephi nodded in response, staring vacantly at nothing. Thoughts were getting increasingly more difficult to connect together. Strings of ideas began to blur and looking at Jaikus revealed that he was changing colors.

The half Sephi stared blankly at the kaleidoscope of colors on the Marauder’s face, fighting to resist the urge to reach out and touch it. Something must have happened because the smaller man suddenly grasped him by the bicep and tugged.

Or attempted anyway.

Emryc Thorne was a man that was built very sturdy and usually planted his weight equally on his feet. As Jaikus desperately tugged, he barely got the large man to budge, silver eyes narrowing briefly as the spider dropped behind him.

While Jaikus valiantly fought a rock, the beast managed to drop and slam down one of its clawed legs. Emryc let out a grunt as the blade sliced clear down the side of his left arm, tearing through clothing and into flesh. Tattered remnants of his sleeve hung uselessly as rage began to course through him.

With an enraged growl, the half Sephi whirled around and used his other fist to slam it down atop the spider’s head. He didn’t stop there, following up with a full body slam that would have made Bom Trady proud. With the spider half pinned to the ground and its legs scraping in different directions, Emryc brought up the spare leg he was using as a weapon to repeatedly stab into the fleshy mouth and face of the beast. He systematically kept stabbing long after the creature stopped screeching.

It was silent when Emryc finally rolled off the beast, gazing up at Jaikus. The silvers looked slightly more yellow than before.

“Your weapon is better,” He said icily before stepping past the spider and deeper down the path. His mind was still very fuzzy, but the excruciating pain in his arm had anchored him back to reality. Neither men yet knew about the saber hilt that rolled out of sight ahead of them.

In front of them appeared to be a huge amount of rubble and debris. The corner arch of a doorway poked out just barely behind it. With the Force, it would take seconds to remove everything, but of course the men had nothing but their own strength to clear the path. Emryc glanced down at his arm, realizing that blood was flowing freely from the long wound. With a grunt, he used his other arm to begin moving the chunks of stone.

@Altaris

 

[Jaikus Thorne]

Jaikus hadn't even noticed Emryc getting attacked while his back was turned. The Marauder was very focused on the ‘spider’ he had been fighting against, cleaving his lightsaber through it multiple times until he was positive it wasn’t moving. Had it even been moving before? Surely it had. When he finally turned back to face the half-Sephi, he did so just in time to see Emryc roll off the corpse of the actual creature he’d been fighting, leaving little more than a puddle of insectoid pulp in his wake. Blinking thrice, the Marauder shrugged a shoulder at the bloody sight.

“And I thought Huttball was brutal.”

Jaikus followed as Emryc began down the path, carving deeper into the fungal brush until they came across the broken archway. The stones themselves were scrolled with the same runes and markings as most of the temple, as if they had been purposefully broken apart and left to block their path for some unknown reason. That detail seemed irrelevant at the moment, what with this being their only way forward. Even the sound of water had grown louder now, as if flowing just beyond the corner.

While his mind was still clouded and fuzzy enough to justify carrying around the mushrooms in his belt-loops, time had allowed Jaikus to become lucid enough to understand the task ahead of them. With no lack of struggle, Jaikus began hauling pieces of broken masonry from their path, tossing them behind as they tediously attempted to clear their path. Where the Marauder surpassed the Sith Lord in physical agility, he lacked in the pure physical strength and brawn, and it showed in the speed at which he cleared the way. Somehow, though, the Marauder had managed to keep pace with the much stronger Sith Lord. It was only after an extended period of time that he actually stopped and turned discern the reason why, realizing that the half-Sephi was only using one arm.

“Stop.”

Jaikus stepped between Emryc and the hunks of broken stone he was attempting to move, a hand raised out in front of him. The Marauder didn’t make eye contact with the half-Sephi, emerald gaze instead trained upon the open wound that poured crimson into the stones below. “Quickest way to bleed yourself to death.” He spoke matter-of-factly, reaching down to grip Emryc by the wrist of his wounded arm. The Marauder half-expected Emryc to bludgeon him like he had that spider, but the thought clearly wasn’t enough to give him any pause. Either he didn’t care, or the spores were still dulling his better judgement.

Reaching back over his shoulder, Jaikus tore free the long scrap of fabric that clung to his shoulder, all that remained of his previously pristine cloak. It was not ideal, but the makeshift tourniquet would have to do in their current predicament. The only other option would have been to cauterize the wound, and Jaikus had no desire to be thrown across the room like a certain Zabrak by attempting such a painful procedure.

The Marauder paused for a moment, emerald eyes finally rose up from the arm to meet silvers with a mischievous glint. If Emryc somehow thought near-death experiences were going to temper Jaikus’ witticism, the Sith Lord was going to be disappointed. “And while normally I wouldn’t be opposed to having you on top of me,” He clicked his tongue. “..I don’t think I would get very far carrying you around if you pass out from blood loss.” Wasting no more time, Jaikus meticulously went to work wrapping the crimson fabric of his cloak around where the claw had torn through flesh, pulling it taunt in an effort to slow the bleeding.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Moving the slabs of stone was slow and annoying as he attempted to ignore the pain in his arm. It didn’t help that it was his dominant arm that had been injured. Rage was an emotion he knew well when he didn’t have the means to find tranquility through the Force. Rage channeled through him as he forcefully removed the obstruction out of the way, keeping strict focus on the task and barely hearing the man when he spoke.

Emryc turned to look only when Jaikus tugged him by the wrist, sending a jolt of pain through him. A glint of gold reflected in his eyes and his jaw tightened. He almost thought of slamming a piece of rock against the man’s head, preparing to yank his arm out of his grip. However, he was instead granted the curious sight of Jaikus tearing off remnants of his cloak to staunch the bleeding.

His mind was still slow, but he stared down at the action for a moment before recalling he had brought some minor supplies. Emryc reached into his pack with his free hand, applying some minimal bacta and disinfectant to at least prevent infection. Jaikus would still have to use the cloak to bandage it up, Emryc didn’t exactly bring an infirmary with him.

Silver gaze drilled holes as he watched Jaikus bandage him up. He looked up when Jaikus made his second quip about him being on top, but of course it was met with dead silence and a blank look from his eyes. Emryc stood there as Jaikus stepped back from bandaging. After a moment, he flexed his fingers, rolling his wrist to test mobility.

Without a word, Emryc took a step forth and hoisted Jaikus’ leg up, hooking his hand beneath the knee and putting himself on the inside of it. This would likely cause the man to lose his balance and find a way to keep himself standing. Emryc said nothing as he reached for more of the bacta with his injured hand, lining it along the open gash on the man’s thigh that he had also neglected. This was followed by tearing remnants of his sleeve from his shoulder and wrapping the wound. He didn’t look at Jaikus the entire time, working methodically and close to the man. Some bacta was applied to the forearm as well.

He finally looked up at Jaikus, their faces much closer now. Even with the yellow streaking silvers, the vivid chill remained in the stoic gaze, “Perhaps if you wish for it a third time, it will come true,” The frosty and curt baritone responded as Emryc let go of the leg abruptly. Doubtless this would cause sudden discomfort for Jaikus, but the bandaging was done.

The half Sephi said nothing more as he continued to clear the path, working much better without the bleeding. An archway was revealed with some stairs that spiraled up. Emryc ducked his head, keeping himself hunched as he began to climb. The space was extremely cramped and he had to tilt himself sideways to go up. It was almost difficult to breathe, and they had no idea where this would lead.

@Altaris

 

[Jaikus Thorne]

Despite his characteristically facetious quip only moments earlier, Jaikus seemed to be completely engrossed with his task once he began. He could practically feel the silvers burning a hole into the side of his skull but paid them no mind, emerald gazes unflinching as he wrapped the crimson armorweave around Emryc’s upper arm.

He paused wrapping only to allow Emryc to apply the minimal amount of bacta to the wound, giving a silent nod of approval. It was hardly enough of the substance to prevent the emergence of scar tissue, but the salve would be useful in preventing infection or any venom from the spiders from taking effect. He finished by tying a knot firmly across the surface of the bandage, keeping it held in place until it would be properly dressed later.

“It’s not perfect, but at the very least you won’t bleed to de—"

What Emryc did next completely shocked the Marauder. He expected his impromptu first aid to be met with the same insouciance as his flirty quips, deafening silence and icy stares the only acknowledgement he would receive. Instead, Jaikus was abruptly hoisted up by his leg and pressed against the half-Sephi, the sudden maneuver enough to cut the Axxilan off mid-sentence.

Thrown off balance, Jaikus reached for the only thing he could to keep himself from toppling over. He wrapped his arm around Emryc, allowing the crook of his elbow to catch on the back of the half-Sephi’s neck. While keeping himself upright, it also had effect of the keeping the Marauder’s face mere inches from the Sith Lord. For once, Jaikus seemed at a loss for words. The promiscuous smirk he usually wore had been wiped clean off his face while his cheeks flushed a bright shade of red, green eyes widened in surprise.

He allowed Emryc to reciprocate the gesture of tending to his wounds, silently watching him work. He winced as Emryc took to apply bacta to his thigh and forearm, a jolt of pain traveling up his body. Jaikus had hardly even noticed the wounds before, seeming having been running off of adrenaline and the buzz of the mysterious mushrooms. Only now had he realized the blood had soaked through the armorweave fabric on his leg and forearm, hidden by the crimson dye of his armor. Clearly those stalagmites had cut deeper than previous anticipated.

When Emryc broke the silence between them, Jaikus stared back at him like a Gallaze caught in headlights. “I-I..My Lord—” In a most surprising turn of events all evening, the Marauder stammered, seemingly unable to formulate a response to what was said. It was certainly a far-cry from his usually debonair demeanor, a fact that must have been nothing short of amusing for Emryc to witness, their closeness meaning that he was able to soak in every expression that played across the Marauder’s reddened face.

When the half-Sephi released his leg abruptly, a shallow grasp escaped from the Marauder. The pain was uncomfortable to be sure, but the surprising speed at which the Sith Lord dropped him caused Jaikus to stumble a bit - managing to just barely catch himself on some of the debris to prevent falling flat on his ass. Rising back to his feet, Jaikus immediately dusted himself off and set back to work clearing the path without another word, desperately attempting to salvage his composed appearance. Once the pathway was cleared, he followed behind the Sith Lord as they climbed the stairwell.

As they reached the end of the stairs, Jaikus and Emryc were greeted to the sight of an open, spacious chamber. Unlike the previous rooms which had come before, the one they now found themselves in was well-lit - ancient candelabra on the walls still burning as if they had been lit only hours before their arrival. The chamber was circular in appearance, smooth walls carved with pictograms and possessing no apparent doors or passageways to continue forward. In the center of the room was a pool of murky water, flanked by six colossal statues wrought in black stone. Each statue was expertly carved in the visage of their hooded forebears, no doubt ancient Sith Lord's who lived near the birth of their order. Despite his passion for archeology, Jaikus could not discern the likeness of any of them. Interestingly, each statue faced in a separate direction. Five male statues faced out towards different points on the wall, while the only the female statue was turned toward the pool, her stony eyes gazing down into the murky water.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

The brief moment where Jaikus had an arm wrapped around him would almost have been adorable if not for the decay and stench around them enhanced only by the half Sephi’s icy demeanor. If there was any particular reaction to watching the normally smooth-talking man get completely and utterly flustered, it certainly did not manifest externally. Emryc dropped the leg and abruptly ducked out of the marauder’s grasp to continue on the debris.

The half Sephi’s focused remained on clearing the path, not bothering to look over even when Jaikus abruptly stumbled and worked to pick up the pieces of that superficial wall he always layered around himself. Emryc continued moving slabs of rocks, glimpses of the vibrant emeralds against the tan skin that rapidly flushed to red lingering on his mind longer than he cared to ever admit. There was just something different about the way man looked when he wasn’t simply playing a part. Emryc wordlessly began the trek up the stairs, both men entirely silent along the way.

Emryc ducked through the doorway to take in sight of the new room. He noticed the lack of a passage forth, but he did notice the depictions engraved into the walls. And naturally, he noticed the statue of the first Sith Empress Andraste standing before them. He regarded the various other statues, noting how they all faced different directions.

“Siris….Evandrus...Kravos…” He muttered quietly, spotting the specific figures. The others he did not recognize immediately. The base of the statues looked curious, red grooves circling the bottom to indicate they could be spun with enough of a push. The half Sephi stepped forth to touch one of the statues and spin it.

“That’s far enough,” A voice called out behind both men.

Emryc whipped around, deeply irritated that his sharp ears hadn’t picked up anyone arriving. He internally blamed Jaikus for being distracting, seething with rage as his fingers curled into fists. He never should have allowed that insufferable Marauder to join him.

“I have waited a long time to get into this place,” The man that addressed them stepped into the room from the way they came, “I have spent many years in exile... stripped of all my possessions, waiting for this chance to return to the Eternal with a relic that would undo my past and allow me to return to the rank I once held.”

The shadowy man gave a ghoulish laugh behind his mask, circling around them as he talked, “You’ve both done such a great job figuring out the way in,” The figure’s head tilted to regard the injuries both Emryc and Jaikus carried, “But I’m afraid your little adventure ends here.”

With that, the man reached back and flipped a switch, the familiar hum of a lightsaber erupting in the room. It was especially familiar to the half Sephi as he recognized the blade as his own with a bitter taste rising swiftly in his mouth.

The man was no taller than 5’4, slim and already light on his feet. Without warning, he abruptly darted forth, practically gliding across the ground towards Jaikus. Saber in right hand, he arced the red blade in from his right to left in a high horizontal swing. However, this would prove to only be a feint to force an elevated defense, the man abruptly switching off his saber and dropping low to sweep a kick towards the marauder’s injured leg to make him drop. The attacker’s shorter height would be his greatest ally, the warrior moving nimbly and merely a blur to behold.

@Altaris

 

[Jaikus Thorne]

As they began exploring the chamber, Jaikus couldn’t help but marvel at the towering statues that surrounded them. His attention had been particularly drawn to the one depicting a female Sith, though her name was something that admittedly alluded him. He reached out to touch it, noticing the red grooves that indicated they could be rotated..

A voice..

The sound of a foreigner’s voice caused Jaikus to snap back to attention, eyes narrowed in the direction where it had come from. How long had this new figure been following them? Had their lack of connection to the Force left them both so blind that they could not sense him? The thoughts raced through Jaikus’ mind at lightning speed, barely hearing the hooded figure’s grand speech above his own internal monologue.

Slowly but surely he crossed the room as the hooded figure circled, closing the distance between himself and Emryc until they were standing side-by-side. Glancing to his right, it was only then that Jaikus realize that Emryc did not have a lightsaber of his own, the half-Sephi only armed with the spider leg from earlier. He reached down to grab one of the spare ‘sabers’ the Sith Lord had armed him with, only for his heart to stink into his stomach when he felt the sponginess of the fungus between his fingers.

Oh.. Fuck me.

The Marauder wasn’t given much time to mull over the slightly embarrassing situation, met by the frightening sight of the mysterious figure dashing toward him. He stepped in front of the saber-less Emryc, recognizing that he would be facing the enemy more-or-less on his own.

Jaikus leaned his weight forward and gripped his lightsaber with both hands, keeping the crimson blade pointed vertically and positioned to the left of his body. When the mysterious figure carved his saber – or well, Emryc’s – upward, Jaikus rotated his wrist and brought his own saber to clash against it, narrowly avoided being bisected at a forty-degree angle. When the blade deactivated, though, it caused the Marauder to go wide-eyed. Jaikus fell for the feint doltishly, the crimson blade of his saber continuing downward with the sudden lack of resistance, awkwardly thrown off balance by the maneuver. When the sweep against his leg hit, a loud yelp escaped from the Marauder – the strike making contact where the stalagmite had carved deep into flesh. It was enough to knock the Axxilan off his feet, momentarily falling flat on his ass with a grunt and sharp exhalation of the air in his lungs.

He was very clearly at a disadvantage, both due to his enemy’s speed and also his own injuries. Still, Jaikus resolved that at the very least, he wasn’t going to make it a quick fight for the hooded figure. He deactivated his saber and quickly rolled back on his shoulder, pushing up off his hands and springing back to his feet, putting a few feet of precious distance between himself and his opponent. As he landed, his leg buckled slightly before locking into a steady stance – hinting yet again at the exploitable weakness.

Instead of the standard Ataru opener he defaulted with, Jaikus rotated his body so that he faced the hooded figure turned sideface, his bad leg pointed in front of him while he leaned his weight back onto the other. When he reignited his saber, he kept it held in his left hand with the blade pointed toward the ground, waiting for the hooded figure to strike once more.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc barely paid heed to the intruder, his gaze flicking with concern to the fact that Jaikus rapidly reached for a mushroom as his defense. When did those mushrooms get there? Why did he have a belt full of them? He glanced down. Why was he holding a spider leg? His head throbbed painfully, but he shook it rapidly to focus.

He was fully prepared to meet the new arrival in battle when Jaikus abruptly stepped in front of him. This was a sight that gave the half Sephi pause. The taller man was always used to putting himself in danger, and he certainly didn’t have much care for the preservation of others. He had always been self-serving, which was exactly why he had fully accepted his fate when he fell from the jump. Jaikus had surprised him then by dropping down. And now he was doing it again when he could have let the half Sephi take the strike to give himself a much safer opening. Why was the marauder so infuriating?

His thoughts cost him as Jaikus dropped from the initial hit from the figure, narrowly avoiding being sliced. Emryc pivoted around the Marauder, whirling in with a harsh kick to the attacker that was still lowered to the ground. This sent the much smaller man flying back, but he whipped around and skidded back in a crouch.

And then Emryc did something he had never done before - he walked towards a statue and slammed his fist into it with all his might. As a devoted man of history, he always gave more respect to ancient relics than he did the lives of most people. He cracked and broke a statue that he knew wouldn’t be a part of the puzzle. The strike shattered the old stone along the statue’s hands, freeing the ancient Sith blade that had been held by it. Raze yanked the blade free as debris fell away. He gazed at the intruder as the smaller man slowly rose to his feet, still rasping from the harsh kick from the much larger Sith Lord.

“If he is to die by my blade,” The Sith Lord hissed as he pointed the ancient blade at Jaikus while approaching the intruder as he tossed the spider leg aside, “It will be with me wielding it,” He rushed at the smaller man then, the attacker shifting focus to Emryc now.

The two men met in a powerful blade lock, and Emryc shoved his blade counterclockwise and easily overpowered the man and shove the saber aside. This allowed him to slam a fist towards the man’s head with his injured arm. The man was too fast, dropping again but Emryc was prepared. The punch having been a feint, his left arm instead curled around the back of the man’s neck in a clinch while his knee was driven up to slam into the face. The man stumbled back reeling, but quickly recovered with the saber to block before Emryc could land a blow.

Injured and not using his dominant hand meant the half Sephi was not as skilled, and the lingering effects of mushrooms certainly didn’t help. At some point the man got a strike along the side of Emryc’s torso, the graze eliciting a pained grunt from the Sith Lord as rage coursed through him. He whirled in and slammed a fist into the man’s solar plexus, bodily sending him flying back to collide against one of the statues. The man coughed and wheezed, but he launched himself once again at Jaikus, springing forth like a viper to slash at the man's legs.

@Altaris

 

[Jaikus Thorne]

Rising to his feet, Jaikus was more than a little surprised to see the half-Sephi step between him and the hooded Sith. He had expected the Sith Lord to linger on the periphery of the duel, waiting for an opening to engage their mysterious enemy while Jaikus kept him occupied. If waiting for such an opening meant allowing the Marauder to get decapitated in the process, then so be it. That certainly would have been the rational thing to do – it was what most Sith would have done.

Instead, he was stunned by the sight of Emryc slamming his fist into a piece of ancient Sith history, freeing the enchanted blade to engage their attacker. Jaikus tilted his head to the side when the half-Sephi spoke, dark brow arched inquisitively. Slowly but surely, the Marauder’s lips widened into a wicked grin, a small laugh rolling up his throat.

“Such flattery, my Lord.”

Quite frankly, it was the closest thing to a compliment that the Marauder had received from the Sith Lord thus far - and he wasn't even wearing his party finery. It took a concerted effort on Jaikus’ part not to push that point further – to make some clever quip or flirtatious remark at Emryc as he brutally dueled with the hooded Sith. The temptation was near-irresistible, but given their disadvantages already, distracting the Sith Lord seemed to be an unwise idea. Instead, Jaikus began to circle the room where the pair dueled. Like a predator stalking its prey, the Marauder waited for an opportune moment to lung forward. It was an admittedly difficult task, as the Sith Lord and their mysterious opponent wrestled and fought at such close range. They left little space for the Marauder to maneuver without risking their faster opponent using their dulled senses and clumsiness against them.

Luckily, the Marauder was not left wanting for long. With only a split second to react, the hooded Sith had suddenly spun around and fixated back onto the Marauder – onto the less-skilled opponent. This time however, Jaikus was significantly more prepared, keeping his weight pushed back onto his back leg with saber pointed forward and down in one hand. As the hooded figure came within striking range and slashed towards his legs, Jaikus rotated backwards in a Shun-style spin, narrowly dancing around the aggressive swipe at his knees. The speed and ferocity of his opponent kept Jaikus on the defense, progressively forced back as he worked diligently to dodge and parry the blur of lightsaber strikes that threatened to remove limbs at the slightest misstep.

Jaikus narrowly dodged a wide, horizontal swing across his torso by bending backwards, eyes to the ceiling as the whir of crimson plasma cut through the air where his head had just been. While the display of flexibility had been enough to avoid his opponents swing, it left his center open, the Marauder rising back from his bend only to be greeted by the hooded Sith landing a hard kick directly into his chest, sending him flying back against the statue of Andraste. With the Marauder’s back to the wall, the hooded Sith sought to end it all with an overhead strike, lunging at him like a Nexu going for the kill.

As before, Jaikus pushed off the statue and narrowly spun to the left, pivoting out of the way as his opponent’s blade instead cut deep into the Empress’ likeness. This time however, the hooded man proved a touch quicker than Jaikus had anticipated, clipping the Marauder in the thigh with the end of the downward slash. Plasma cut through an inch of armorweave and flesh, carving a molten channel across the surface of Jaikus’ good leg. A scream of agony escaped from the Marauder, jaw clenching tight in a mixture of pain and rage.

The pain was immense, but the greedy attack on the part of the hooded Sith had provided Jaikus with a momentary opening. With his opponents lightsaber still pointed toward the ground diagonally, the Marauder immediately brought his own down to clash against it in a bladelock, keeping the hooded Sith’s saber pinned low to the ground. With his opponent caught off guard by the sudden movement, Jaikus drew back his left fist and slammed it hard against the stranger's mask, hitting him right between the eyes. Jaikus didn’t possess half the strength of Emryc, but the blow was enough to cause the hostile Sith to stagger back ever-so-slightly, allowing Jaikus to lift the bladelock and carve his saber in an upward diagonal slash across the man’s torso – slicing across the armor he wore and perhaps even grazing the flesh underneath if he was lucky.

“Attacking us together, was a mistake.” He hissed, only now allowing his leg to buckle slightly from the pain.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc was beyond infuriated at seeing someone waving around his saber. And he was even more aggravated at now sporting an injury from his own blade. The half Sephi darted towards where the other men were engaged, but they moved lightning fast. He began to swing out with his blade, hesitating because he was more likely to decapitate Jaikus by accident and help no one.

The half Sephi was calm until the Andraste statue was attacked.

“NO!” His voice roared thunderously as the statue wobbled slightly, the top half of it threatening to topple over. Their path would likely be ruined without that statue still standing.

Meanwhile, Jaikus found purchase with his strike, his saber cutting through the man’s armor and through flesh. The hooded man cried out in pain, stumbling backwards right into Emryc who unceremoniously grabbed him by the back of the head and smashed his face into a lesser statue.

“Do. You. Know. How. Valuable. Andraste. Statues. Are?” He yelled, smashing the man’s face against the statue with each word. The mask had long since cracked and the smaller man was no match for Emryc’s brute strength. His only reprieve was when he attempted to swing the saber and the half Sephi finally released him.

Dazed and wobbly, the hooded man stumbled to the side and prepared to attack, spitting out a glob of blood and several teeth on the ground.

“I’m...going...back...Eternal..” The man hoarsely spoke, Emryc gazing at the now revealed eyes. He mustered the last of his strength to charge at Emryc with the saber a mere blur of motions. The half Sephi adapted accordingly, clashing their blades as he parried and struck back. The man’s counters were more sluggish but he still held his own.

After a moment, Emryc began to realize that he recognized the blade pattern. He continued to engage in the pure sword duel, both men spinning and clashing blades as if locked in an elaborate dance. After a few more spins, the half Sephi swept the leg of the shorter man, making him topple back on the ground. Emryc didn’t hold back, slamming down directly on top of the man.

The man coughed up blood, wheezing as Emryc glanced down at him, a grin on his face behind the face wrappings.

“So this is what became of you,” He said to the man. He reached a hand down and yanked the saber hilt from the man’s grip, “Thought I’d show you everything I learned.”

The man’s face displayed sudden recognition as he gazed into the frosty silver eyes. However, he soon curled his lips in disgust and spat in the half Sephi’s face, “You were nothing but my greatest failure, Em-”

Emryc ignited his blade beneath the man’s jaw, the saber piercing up through the man’s skull. The half Sephi stared down at the display, calmly wiping his face off, “I’ll be seeing you in hell, master.”

With that, Emryc rose to stand and half stumbled over to Jaikus. He had only then become aware of the various saber wounds he carried on his own body from the fight - thigh, side, back and shoulder. The half Sephi stared at the Marauder for a moment. Without warning, the Sith blade came up in the blink of an eye, the blade flattened with the point sliding beneath his chin. Emryc used the blade to tilt Jaikus’ face up to meet his gaze.

“You act like a fucking Jedi,” Emryc growled at the man, silver eyes narrowed. He stared at the man for a moment before the point slid along the Marauder’s neck, just enough to almost break skin but not quite. The blade continued to travel along the collarbone and towards the shoulder before it hooked and cut through the very last remnant of the cloak that was still attached there. Emryc kept his gaze locked with the Marauder’s the entire time, the bit of cloth languidly falling away.

He said nothing more before the blade was withdrawn. Emryc then worked silently to push the statues all to face towards Andraste before she collapsed. As soon as the arrangement was done, there was a lot of rumbling and it was clear a new pathway was formed. Unfortunately, that path was cleared in that pool of water and beneath the surface. This meant they would need to jump in, swim underground and come up at their next location.

@Altaris

 

[Jaikus Thorne]

Jaikus watched with clear bemusement on his face as Emryc spoke down at their opponent, taking the time to actually converse with the creature they'd been fighting. They know each other? His mind raced with a thousand different possibilities, each playing out a different scenario that explained the creature's identity and connection to the Sith Lord. Time seemed to move at a glacial pace in that moment, the gears in Jaikus' head turning as he grasped for an explaination.

I’ll be seeing you in hell, master. When the Sith Lord spoke, Jaikus finally understood what was playing out before him. It was the story of so many Sith and their apprentices, a bloody ritual which had been a key tenant of their order for centuries. Rarely, though, did such a spectacle occur with another there as a fly on the wall. The abrupt silencing of the half-Sephi's name before it was fully spoken did not escape the Marauder's notice either, a dark brow arched in their direction. Intriguing.

When their opponent finally lie dead on the floor, Jaikus allowed himself to relax – his toned frame falling back to lean heavily against one of the non-relevant statues. His knees wobbled slightly, the pain resurfacing as the adrenaline in his veins began to subside. Forearm, thigh and torso had all been nicked by the grazing of a saber of sliced during their unceremonious tumble from the treetops. Although he could not see it, Jaikus could tell by the ache in his chest that the other Sith had likely cracked a rib with his kick. At the very least, the wretched bastard had been repaid in kind by the half-Sephi.

The Marauder had taken to closing his eyes when Emryc approached, emeralds widening suddenly as he felt the edge of a blade press to his throat. When he realized the hooded Sith had not risen from the dead and that it was in fact Emryc who threatened him, Jaikus meet the half-Sephi’s gaze unflinchingly. If Emryc had meant to intimidate the Marauder, he failed completely as Jaikus’s lips curled into a faint, almost smug grin. The striking yellow of his eyes had long-since faded to polished emeralds, but the same mischievousness and lack of fear burned behind them.

Still, the words that were spoken gave Jaikus momentarily pause. You act like a fucking Jedi. Perhaps there had been some truth to that statement. It was true, Jaikus never quite behaved as most Sith typically did. He took no pleasure in the unnecessarily cruel antics of his colleagues, nor did he go out of his way to indulge the nearly fetishized torturous habits that they often took pleasure in. It hardly made him a Jedi, but it was a step above most. Moreover, the Marauder saw no value in needlessly betraying those around him. He was not above manipulating his peers to get what he wanted, but Jaikus had been genuine when he claimed that neither of them would last long alone in this place, and recent experiences seemed to only reinforce that hypothesis. When the stakes were this high, cold apathy and disinterest in cooperation were of little value.

Still, those logical conclusions were not explanations for his most recent actions during the fight with the hooded Sith. Jaikus was surpassed in both skill and strength by the Sith Lord, and had clearly been outmatched by the other duelist as well. The smart choice – the rational choice – would have been to wait in the wings and allow Emryc to take on his own master, only intervening when the opportunity presented itself. Instead, the Marauder had practically thrown himself in front of the half-Sephi despite the risks. It was a primal, visceral reaction that went against all his calculated maneuvers and planned tactics, putting his neck on the line on the Sith Lord’s behalf. Why? Loyalty? Affection? Something else?

Quite frankly, it was a topic that puzzled him almost as certainly as it puzzled Emryc. Jaikus didn’t have a rebuttal to the assessment by the half-Sephi, nor was it something he particularly wished to address any further. At least not until he had time to reflect upon it himself. And thus, he banished his racing thoughts to the back of his mind – instead focusing his attention upon present.

Rather than shrinking away from the weapon held to his throat, he practically challenged the Sith Lord to make good on the threat. The Marauver lifted his boot to take a half-step forward, pressing himself against the razor’s edge and bringing his face a bit closer to Emryc’s – knowing full well the slightest flick of the half-Sephi’s wrist would mean a bloody and painful death, his body left alongside that of the fallen master and forgotten to history. It was defiance. Flippant, unabashed defiance. Emryc had seen it momentarily back on Serenno not long ago, and once more it was on full display now the Sith Lord had him in a compromising position. If he meant to do the Marauder harm, Jaikus wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing the panic play out on his face.

He remained perfectly still as the blade withdrew from his jugular and slid down to his cloak. In its absence, a thin red line had appeared along the Marauder’s neck – the faintest sheen of blood from where the skin had broken. When the Sith Lord hooked and removed the remaining scrap of cloak from his shoulder, Jaikus responded to the move with a low hum, bringing a hand to dust off his shoulder – eyes never breaking contact with silvers. “Just the cloak? And here I thought we were getting somewhere.” He tilted his head to the side, flashing a toothy grin at the man. It was a dangerous little game he played at, but Jaikus played it all the same.

“Missed opportunities indeed.”

Turning on his heel as Emryc withdrew, Jaikus said nothing more as he went to work helping to turn all the statues to face the Empress. The statue of Kravos rotated with his urging, its imposing frame spinning on its axis until it silently gazed upon the likeness of Andraste, the room thereafter filled with that familiar rumbling and grinding of stone. For a moment, Jaikus looked around the room anxiously for the sight of a new door – expecting to see the stone wall part and give way to some hidden passage. When it didn’t, the Marauder was forced to eventually turn his gaze down upon the pool in front of them. An audible, deeply annoyed growl escaped from the Axxilan as he realized what would have to come next.

“I do hope you can swim better than you can jump.” Despite his irritation, Jaikus never seemed to miss the opportunity to poke at the Sith Lord with his unnecessary little quips.

Perhaps the half-Sephi would bludgeon him after all.

Swallowing his hesitation and the rising concern for his garments, Jaikus brought his hands over his head and dived into the pool of water – his slender frame gracefully dipping below the surface. With only the air in his lunges to sustain him, Jaikus didn’t even look back to see if Emryc had joined him – instead immediately starting to forge a path ahead. The space was uncomfortably narrow, a circular tunnel of flooded stone that made the experience more akin to crawling through a sewage pipe than going for a brisk swim in the lake. For Emryc, it would have been even more cramped – his larger frame doing him no favors in the confined space – but barely wide enough for him to swim effectively.

At the end of the tunnel, Jaikus could see the glow of light shining down into another pool – almost identical to the one they had just dove into. What awaited them there remained a complete mystery to Jaikus, but what choice was there but to swim towards it and the promise of another breath.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc didn’t move the blade even as Jaikus stepped forth to allow that thin, red line to form. The action was bold and defiant on the Marauder’s part, but it almost reminded the half Sephi of his own transgressions and the pain he put himself through as a result. Silver gaze flicked down to watch the way the cut extended across the bronze skin before the cloak fell away. He had already stepped back by the time Jaikus made his flirtatious quip.

“I am a gentleman,” The baritone smoothly rumbled as Emryc moved the Siris statue, “You will take the rest off when you so desire.”

Silvers flicked back towards the Marauder’s face after he spoke if only to catch the inevitable burning flush he would once again find there. Emryc’s eyes betrayed nothing before he went right back to what he was doing. The half Sephi stood in silence with the Sith blade casually resting on his shoulder as Jaikus made yet another quip about his jumping abilities. The Sith Lord offered no satisfying remark or reaction in return, just the usual blank stare.

Emryc jumped in after Jaikus, swimming through the very cramped tunnel. Navigating with the injuries and the sith blade was awful, and it took him a while to push through. He came up to the surface after a moment, clutching the edge of the pool and hoisting himself up. He felt a bitter chill at once. He gazed up and saw…

The sky.

The half Sephi whipped around to see the temple entrance behind them. The tunnel opened up to an exit or perhaps what used to be an entrance. They were back outside. They had taken the wrong doorway when they chose their path inside the temple.

The half Sephi didn’t even bother to stand from where he had peeled himself out of the water. He simply plopped on his back on the ground, staring up at the gray sky and feeling the biting cold against his wet skin and clothes.

“....Fuck.”

@Altaris

 

[Jaikus Thorne]

When Jaikus made his quips, he wasn’t sure what sort of response he would get. So far each flirtation and remark had elicited a different kind of reaction from the Sith Lord – most of the time it was silence, but once or twice the half-Sephi had been more forceful and direct in turn. When Jaikus made a condescending remark about Emryc’s less-agile jumping, he was almost waiting for the Sith Lord to knock him flat on his ass for it. While a continuation of the Marauder’s usual tongue-and-cheek demeanor, it had been the most impertinent joke of the evening, one which he was expecting Emryc to discipline him for.

Instead, Jaikus was shocked to hear the half-Sephi reciprocate his continuous flirting. It was enough to stop Jaikus in his tracks, whatever he meant to say next catching in his throat before he could vocalize it. As before, the Marauder could feel a flush of heat on his face – that familiar shade of crimson serving for Emryc as a window past the reinforced walls that the Marauder worked so desperately to maintain. The persona that truly lie beneath was one that was rarely glimpsed, and yet the Sith Lord had do so twice in a matter of hours. Part of that flustered the Marauder, while another part of him was heartily annoyed by it.

Swallowing a lump in his throat, Jaikus could do little more chuckle under his breath, looking as if he had forgotten what he was doing in that moment. “I...” He exhaled, flashing a faint smirk. “All in good time. The suspense often results in a sweeter payoff, doesn’t it?” It was the best response he could muster, refusing to allow himself to stammer so meekly as he had before. Whether or not it was convincing was an entirely different story.

Pushing that particular subject to the back of his psyche, Jaikus continued on and swam through the frigid water of the pool, forging a path forward. He moved through the water gracefully enough, his smaller frame allowing him to maneuver a bit more comfortably within the confined space, each stroke fueled by a will to survive. He refused to remembered as the Sith who died drowning in the equivalent of a sewage pipe.

Hope momentarily flashed as he breeched the surface of the water, eyes shut as he immediately took in a breath of cold, frigid air. Fresh air. All that hope died when the Marauder opened his eyes to the world, greeted to the sight of the towering peaks and snow-capped vistas of Telos’ mountains as he pulled himself out of the water.

“..Are you kidding me?”

When he turned back to towards Emryc, the Sith Lord could see that those natural emeralds once more had been buried deep, replaced by the vivid citrine that he recognized from before. Now outside of the temple, its Force-dampening effects had almost entirely faded – feeling like a weight had been lifted off their shoulders that they never knew was there and allowing the Dark-sided tint to reappear.

“Are you FUCKING. KIDDING ME!?”

The half-Sephi had seen Jaikus angry before – hints and glimpses of frustration that surfaced in moments of strain or when the situation had given reason for it, but this was something different. This was unabashed, pure anger on full display – the likes of which put his debonair manners to shame as the Marauder came to the realization that it had all been for nothing.

The Marauder had turned in Emryc’s direction before, but only now did he actually look at what the half-Sephi was doing – realizing the man had taken to lazing about in the snow. The sight of it infuriated him. How could he possibly be so calm, after everything that they just went through!? Multiple near-death experiences, fights with rogue Sith and murderous arachnids and a mushroom contact-high that still had Jaikus’ head buzzing. All of it had been for nothing, and he had the nerve to just lay there, indifferent to the situation? Jaikus wanted to strangle the half-Sephi in that moment, his fists balling and brow twitching.

His face was a sea of emotion, tumultuous and violent like a typhoon. Rage, despair, confusion and panic all bubbled from deep within him, each fighting for dominance as they flashed across his expression. Jaikus forced himself to tear his eyes away from the Sith Lord, gazing back out towards the abyss. The Marauder searched, frantic for someone – something – to vent his anger upon before it exploded like a cannister of rhydonium in his face.

He brushed his hand against his hip, looking down to realize he still had his mask with him. By some miracle, the bloody thing had managed to stay safely attached to his hip, seemingly undamaged throughout the fighting and unceremonious tumbles they had taken over the course of the last few hours.

Unclipping it from his side, Jaikus brought it up to his face to inspect. It was a featureless thing, grey metal delicately molded to the contour of his face with only a straight line where his lips where and almond-shaped slits over his eyes, each painted over with a swipe of red paint. He stared blankly at it for a few moments, only for his face to once more contorted with rage, roaring out at the abyss as he suddenly threw the item over the edge of the cliff, sending hurtling hundreds of meters down into the snow.

It was an admittedly pointless venting of emotion, but it served well enough as an outlet of his frustration. His voice echoed across the rolling mountains for the briefest few seconds, only to fade and be supplanted by deafening silence. Out of things to throw, Jaikus faced out and stared at nothing in particular, his chest rising and falling with the howling of the wind.

What felt like an eternity passed as Jaikus posed there in the cold, allowing his anger to boil over and roll off him in waves. With their connection to the Force re-established, Emryc would have been able to feel the emotions radiating off the Marauder, like heat radiating off sun-baked stone. Finally, the Marauder forcibly took in a breath, slowly but surely picking up the pieces and restructuring his composure.

The sea of emotions that had previously been on full display slowly cooled, what had once been violent waves turning to glaciers behind the Axxilan’s eyes. Turning on his heel, Jaikus sauntered over and sat down beside Emryc, allowing his body to stink into the bed of snow. Another long pause passed, wordless silence filling the space between them.

“Y’know perhaps we should have let him kill us after all.” The Marauder finally broke the silence, citrine eyes trained up to gaze at the sky. Having spent hours within the cramped darkness of the temple, there was something admittedly peaceful about watching the clouds lazily meander across the pale blue heavens. “At least then, our ghosts could have seen the look on his face when he got to this point.” His witty remarks had tempered significantly, but still an attempt was made to lighten the mood. Perhaps it would be effective, or perhaps it would be met with silence. To be honest, the Marauder had said it aloud for himself as much as he did Emryc.

“What now?” He finally pulled his eyes from the sky to look at Emryc, regarding the Sith Lord once more. It was a genuine question, one that Jaikus was actually hoping he’d get an answer to.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

With the Force back at his command, the effects were almost instant. His mind found that familiar calm, the tumultuous ocean once again a frozen sheet of ice that was unwavering beneath whatever storms raged above. The half Sephi didn’t need to look at Jaikus to feel the almost tangible rage from the Marauder. The Dark Side blossomed within the other man, pulsating and teeming with life. It was even more pronounced so close to the nexus, negative emotions festering and supplying it with sustenance.

The half Sephi didn’t react to Jaikus’ outburst beyond his ears reflexively twitching, hearing the rage in his voice. Silver gaze stared up at the skies as he reached for a cigarra, attempting to wipe the box off to salvage any that may have survived the swim. After giving up, he instead reached for his electric cigarra that he used when he was blind. Jaikus had stomped off by then, giving him the space to lower his face coverings and quietly smoke.

He moved his arm up to rest beneath his head, giving him enough elevation to quietly watch the drama that unfolded before him. Emryc took a drag from the cigarra and exhaled as Jaikus threw a temper tantrum, stomping around, grabbing an object and hurling it over the cliff. The anger and rage washed over him with the comfort of warm, summer rain against the frigid chill that surrounded them. The beast within Emryc thrived on rage, and it relished every bit of the chaos that unraveled before him.

He was done smoking by the time Jaikus stormed right back. Emryc noticed the lack of the emerald eyes, instead replaced by vibrant yellows. He would never admit that the greens had actually begun to grow on him. The half Sephi looked back at the sky when the Marauder angrily plopped down next to him. There was nothing but silence for a few moments until Jaikus broke it.

Unfortunately, this was met with more silence. The half Sephi was cold, they were both shivering and their soggy clothing clung to their bodies. On top of that, Emryc sported several injuries, the snow beneath him tinted pink with blood from him laying there. The ice against the skin felt surprisingly nice.

After a long moment of silence, Emryc kept his gaze up at the sky and spread his arms out by his sides. He waved his arms up and down while moving his legs in and out horizontally against the snow pile he laid on. He continued doing so until arriving at the desired shape. Emryc stopped then, face scrunching up slightly.

“This is decidedly more underwhelming than portrayed in Holomovies,” He declared quietly to himself. For all intents and purposes it would appear as if he forgot Jaikus was there. He instead made a snow angel as he gave himself a break before taking on the other pathway inside the temple.

@Altaris

 

[Jaikus Thorne]

Jaikus settled into the snow, watching the half-Sephi with a hint of anxiousness. For once, he hoped that the Sith Lord would behoove himself to respond when the situation was important enough. Instead, Jaikus' joke and very serious question fell entirely upon deaf ears. The fact that his Sephi physiology guaranteed that he physically heard Jaikus, and was purposefully ignoring him, made the Marauder silently rage even more.

While Emryc found comfort in the snow, Jaikus hated it. He hated the bloody cold, he hated the fact that his armor was ruined and he was beyond sore from the multiple injuries he had received. Even if the ice against his wounds might have felt nice – and it did – the Marauder was simply too annoyed to relish the sensation. Citrine eyes followed Emryc as he rose from the snow, hope momentarily flashing across his expression as he assumed the half-Sephi intended to do something or make a statement or otherwise give direction to their seemingly hopeless situation.

Finally. Maybe now..

Jaikus’ internal monologue was abrupted halted as instead of turning back to the temple entrance, Emryc flopped over onto his back and began waving his arms up and down – carving an angelic likeness into the several inches of snow that hugged the ground.

..Is he serious?

Jaikus watched in utter disbelief at what played out before him, having been completely sidelined while the Sith Lord – the imposing, looming figure in every room that stuck fear into the hearts of Marauder’s and Acolytes alike – waddled in the snow. Once more a pang of rage ran up his spine, but more importantly a question reared it hideous head in his mind.

Have I ever made a snow angel?

The answer of course was a resounding no. First and foremost, it didn’t actually snow on Axxila – the ecumenopolis’ weather patterns being strictly controlled by the governing authority. Second of all, anyone who had actually been to Axxila would conclude that rolling around in anything that made contact with the urban planet’s surface was the quickest way to contract some terrible disease. Gods only knew, AMS probably grew out of the stagnant puddles of Axxila’s slums. Another question popped up in his mind.

Do I want to make a snow angel?

Absolutely not. Not only did it look horrifically cold, it would sooner rain on Mustafar before Jaikus gave Emryc the satisfaction of indulging some shared curiosity when he was still incredibly annoyed with the half-Sephi.

What did he want? He wanted to hit Emryc. Badly. For a man that prided himself on maintaining a level head and cool demeanor in even the most dire situations, he was failing at that current endeavor miserably, the weight of all that which had occurred thus far finally getting to him. Whereas Emryc had expressed his rage and frustrations openly multiple times during the expedition, Jaikus had buried them deep within his psyche – not allowing himself to vent and simply projecting his external debonair wall – one which was rapidly cracking. Quite frankly, the snow-angel was the straw that broke the Eopie’s back.

Admittedly, hitting Emryc when his back was turned was a markedly terrible idea. Jaikus had seen what happened to those who succeeded in annoying the Sith Lord, and now that the Force was no longer dampening their abilities, he had no doubts the half-Sephi was fully capable of sending him hurtling away in kind. Fighting every fiber of his being to stay his hand, Jaikus decided he would compromise for something in between.

The Marauder bent down, raking his glove through the blanket of white snow that Emryc was so enjoying. It was the perfect temperature to mold – not so powdery that it fell apart, but cold enough that it didn’t turn to slush in his hands. It made for the perfect snow angels – as well as forming smooth white spheres.

While Emryc marveled at his own creation with subtle disappointment, Jaikus packed snow together in his palms and drew back his left arm, flinging a snowball into the back of Emryc’s skull. Unless the half-Sephi could manage to dodge at close range with only a split-second to respond, that clump of snow would make contact with a muted thump, exploding in a powdery shower of ice crystals – remnants left clinging to the man’s gelled hair.

“Well, that certainly lived up to expectations.” The Marauder declared, a mixture of his annoyance with the half-Sephi and newfound amusement lacing his words. Perhaps he found something new to throw after all.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc stared at the snow angel he created. While the wingspan of the angel was impressive, his own footsteps destroyed the bottom of it. He began to theorize on different ways to rise up after creating the shape to possibly preserve it better. The half Sephi curled a fist under his chin, staring down and musing to himself.

Thwack!

The half Sephi whirled around to glare at Jaikus, silvers visibly narrowed. What did the man throw at him?! He reached back and dusted off the snow, feeling it cake into his jet black hair and melt against the strands. Emryc could tell Jaikus was still seething with rage and he weighed various different options before he finally acted.

The Force abruptly tugged at the Marauder’s legs to yank them from under him and make him fall flat on his ass in the snow. By the time Jaikus toppled on his back, Emryc scooped up a bunch of snow and dumped it right on his face and chest from above. The half Sephi stood above where Jaikus was laying, staring down at his handiwork.

“Yes, this is sufficiently more pleasing,” Emryc stated rather matter of factly. He began to eagerly glance around for more things to drop on Jaikus to make a pile.

@Altaris

 

[Jaikus Thorne]

Oh, that felt good. Chucking his mask over the cliff? A momentary venting of frustration, one that left Jaikus just as annoyed and grouchy as he had been before – arguably moreso with another piece of his ensemble abandoned. But this? This was so, so much more satisfying. Something about the way the snowball had thwapped against the back of Emryc’s markedly thick skull, exploding into powder and leaving a debris field on the back of his scalp. Absolute perfection. The look on his face when he spun around, eyes narrow in confusion at what had just happened? Marvelous. The best glitterstim in the galaxy could not possibly compare to the relief that flinging snowball had given Jaikus.

Triumphantly, the Marauder placed a hand on his hip and smirked at the Sith Lord. He could feel his mood improving already. “Now, if you’d like to return to—Wugh!” As quickly as it appeared, that disgustingly smug expression was wiped clean off the Marauder’s face, suddenly flat on his back in the snow. Conveniently, the sudden flapping of his arms as he fell inadvertently served function of crafting a crude snow angel beneath him. A mere coincidence, of course.

Before he could admire his work of art, Jaikus went wide-eyed as the Sith Lord dumped a pile of snow directly ontop of him. “No no no no—” The half-Sephi was significantly larger than Jaikus, meaning that his scoop of snow was enough to practically bury the Marauder – not to mention what he was soon to continue piling onto him.

Touché.

Jaikus made no attempt to rise to his feet, laying the back of his head in the snow while Emryc tried to bury him with the same fervor that some people tried to bury their problems. While his torso kept still, Jaikus was hardly going to allow himself to go undefended. Emryc wanted to employ the Force? So be it. While he pilled snow onto the Marauder, Jaikus reached out with one hand, the force coiling around the ground and abruptly pulling a pile of freshly fallen snow towards Emryc – shaping midair into a rough oval shape. It hurtled at high velocity towards the side of his face.

"Significantly."

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Growing up in a space station meant that he never really experienced natural phenomena occurring on most planets. He could still vividly recall the first time he felt blades of grass beneath his feet, the first taste of saltwater, that first splinter he had to dig out. It had been overwhelming back then after knowing nothing but cold, sterile walls and artificial lights. There was nothing but the vastness of space stretching out in every direction with the same stars dotting the galaxy.

While this entire exchange may have been simple and silly, to Emryc it was outright fascinating. He had seen snow only a handful of times in his life, and he had never taken the time to actually feel it or touch it. While the Emryc side of him found this entertaining, the Raze side of him was driven by sheer curiosity at this strange natural occurrence.

Jaikus’ arm flapping carved an impressive snow angel shape that was significantly better than Emryc’s. The half Sephi stared down at the snow pile covering Jaikus’ face and torso, leaving only his lower body exposed. Emryc began to scoop more snow and prepared to dump more to build a mountain on the Marauder.

Out of nowhere, another glob of snow came from the side to smack him in the face. The action made him drop the pile of snow on his own feet instead of Jaikus. Emryc could hear Jaikus’ muffled response from beneath the pile still on him. The half Sephi didn’t even bother wiping the snow from his face.

Without warning, Emryc leaned down and slid one arm beneath the Marauder’s back, the other below his knees. With the pile of snow on his face, there was no way for the man to have expected this. The half Sephi effortlessly scooped the man up bridal style and bodily tossed him clear into the frigid lake they just crawled out from.

“I would like to return,” He called out to the Marauder, “You know the way back.”

Emryc chuckled quietly to himself before feeling a sharp pang of pain in his arm. A glance down confirmed that his wound had opened right back up and began to bleed from hoisting the other man.

@Altaris

 

[Jaikus Thorne]

That familiar thwap was heard even beneath the piling of snow that Emryc had laid ontop of the Marauder, taking pride in the fact that he had landed yet another solid hit on the Sith Lord. “Hah!” His boosts were comically muffled beneath the snow, the only thing visible being the palms of his hands and his lower half from the thighs-down.

Whatever victorious perspective Jaikus operated from was soon silenced as the Marauder was abruptly hefted up out of the snow, eyes widened with shock by the gesture. Confusion played across his face for the briefest moment, only coming to realize what the Sith Lord intended when he began to swing the Axxilan in the direction of the pool.

“No no! You fuc—”

Jaikus desperately tried to cling onto something sturdy, digging his hands into the half-Sephi’s shoulder-blades in a futile attempt to save himself from the bone-chilling water. It was all in vain, unable to quite establish a hold on the Sith Lord before he was thrown like yesterday’s old trash into the icy pool – landing with an overdramatic splash. When his head popped back up out of the water only seconds later, a string of profanities followed – a mixture of names being hurled at the half-Sephi and very colorful adjectives to describe the cold. For a moment, it was hard to determine whether the Axxilan was actually angry or not.

And then he laughed.

Emryc had heard the Marauder laugh before, of course. The polite exhales through his nostrils or the low chuckles that usually accompanied one of his witty quips were a core component of his debonair mask, a facet of that persona that make him seem approachable and friendly and not half so intimidating on the surface. It was useful when it came to getting what he wanted out of people. This sound was something different, fueled by the amusement of their silly little game.

Sitting at the edge of the frigid pool, Jaikus began to laugh with all the breath in his lungs, a wholesome sound laced with a mixture of boisterous howling and fits of giggling and unceremonious snorting that left him practically toppling back over into the snow, wheezing when he was out of breath. It was a curious sound, reactionary rather than forced, it was everything that what came before it hadn’t been.

It was genuine.

When the Marauder was finally capable of willing himself to silence, he forced himself out of the frigid pool, eliciting a shiver to running down his spine. Gazing down at his own figure, Jaikus ran his hands down across his body, attempting to press out the excess water that the armorweave held like a sponge. Once satisfied that he had done as much as he could, be moved to rejoin Emryc, catching up to the Sith Lord without much difficulty and only accelerating to a light jog.

Once they were side-by-side, a moment of silence passed between them, Jaikus lingering within his own thoughts for a while longer before he decided to speak up. “You never asked, but I had arrived some hours before you. I had enough time to set up camp within the Jedi structure before the entrance.” The Marauder shrugged his shoulders, jutting his head in that general direction. “I have some supplies. The food.. Isn’t good, but it will serve.” His gaze eventually fell upon the Sith Lord’s arm, a frown subtly tugging at the corners of his mouth. “And that can be addressed.”

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc was inspecting his bleeding wound when he caught the sound of laughter. The fluted ears twitched slightly. He had heard laughter before, but he hadn’t heard it from Jaikus, and certainly not like that. The sound cut through the air like windchimes heralding the arrival of a storm. It was an oddly pleasing sound to his ears and he caught himself blankly staring at the other man. The Marauder’s face lit up in ways it never had before, the display far more human. The yellows looked closer to a gentle honey instead of the predatory gaze of a dark side corrupted monster.

The half Sephi’s thoughts drifted back to his days on the space station. He thought of those emotions he had been forced to suppress. He thought about tears he had shed back when he had only been a small child and how that almost held the punishment of death. He thought about the first time he picked up the barbed whip to strike his back. He thought about those first lashes, the metal claws digging and cutting into his flesh. He thought of how many times he struck himself to force himself to stay on the path and abandon those things that made him weak. Those things that were naturally him. He had been forced to break himself over and over again. Everything he was today was a crude job of putting the jagged pieces back together.

Seeing humanity displayed so lightly and without a care in the world was a fascinating concept to him. It was something he couldn’t participate in easily, but it reminded him of all those things he had vehemently tried to squash. And it always found a way to survive. It was that single flame that just barely danced amidst a blizzard. No force whether he himself or external factors could kill it. To see it embraced so openly before his eyes filled him with a sense of envy.

He didn’t even realize when he began to smile behind the face coverings. His eyes were too cold and haunted for the smile to reach them where Jaikus would see it. The Sith Lord was poised as a statue, calmly and quietly staring at the most beautiful violation of everything people like them had twisted to become. Was this the perversion? Or was the perversion the incessant attempts at defying raw and fundamental humanity? Was Jaikus a weaker Sith for embracing his emotions or was he more powerful because he knew exactly what he was for better or worse?

The laughter evolved into something absolutely ridiculous and at some points sounded more like braying, but Emryc kept that smile behind the face coverings through it all. He forgot all about the blood that streaked down his arm and fell into drops to collect in the snow beside him. To Jaikus, it would simply appear as if the half Sephi was blankly standing around waiting for him to get his act together.

Emryc began to walk a moment later, slow enough for Jaikus to catch up next to him. The half Sephi remained silent even after the Marauder spoke. He quietly walked with him towards the camp, withdrawn and detached as always. Silver gaze was trained ahead as they arrived at the camp.

“That sound you make,” The baritone cut through the silence abruptly, “Where you sound like a puffer pig,” He stated curtly without even looking at him, “I like it.”

@Altaris

 

[Jaikus Thorne]

As he laughed and toppled over into the snow, Jaikus hadn’t even noticed that Emryc had taken to staring at him from afar – far too consumed in his own amusement to pay attention to the world around him. There was no reinforced discipline as there was for Emryc or subliminal conditioning that dictated his behavior. Even that debonair persona and the walls that Jaikus projected had melted away in those moments, leaving only the most raw and natural expression of the Marauder’s emotions visible.

More than just a marvel for Emryc, what Jaikus had devolved into in those moments was something of an enigma for most Sith. Those who walked the path of their order almost inevitably lost their humanity along the way, pieces and bits of themselves discarded in the pursue of greater power until all nothing remained of what had been before. For better of worse, Jaikus had resisted this change in himself – clinging to his humanity despite all that he had become each past ten years. Many would have seen the Marauder as he was and called him weak for it, but Jaikus clung to it all the same.

When he finally managed to get himself together and rejoin Emryc, Jaikus began to lead them back inside. They passed the threshold of the Jedi Temple, turning down its long corridors and twisting hallways until they came upon the sealed doors of one of the temple ancient dormitories. Willing the door open with a swipe of the Force, Jaikus gestured Emryc inside.

What had once been the residence of some Jedi knight or Padawan was now littered with the belongings that Jaikus had brought with him. A sleeping mat had been laid out in the center of the room, alongside a stack of loose pages, tomes and scroll had been neatly organized. The collection of books likely represented everything that Jaikus had used to get himself to this point, brought with him as reference material for trying to breech the structure below.

In the corner of the room was a small stack of M.R.E’s which had been laid out across a small table, the only source of food that Jaikus had actually brought to this remote location. Disappointingly, anyone who actually ate the damned things would quickly realize that the Marauder had selected possibly the worst options on the market – a tell-tale indication that while Jaikus had the good sense to pack them, he had little-to-no experience actually consuming the military-grade meals.

“If your hungry,” Jaikus jutted his head towards the stack of particular disappointing meal options, his attention instead turning to another corner of the room where he’d organized what limited medical supplies he brought with him. A roll of bandages, a needle and bobbin of suture thread. While the Marauder had brought a small amount of bacta spray with him, an additional check would reveal the cannister was almost empty and likely to be of little effect in dealing with the half-Sephi’s arm.

This will have to do.

Walking back over to Emryc, Jaikus initially didn’t say anything as he grabbed the Sith Lord by the wrist, inspecting the wound which had opened, only pausing as Emryc broke the silence. “A puffer pig?” The Marauder sounded deeply offended, citrine eyes narrowed sharply upon the Sith Lord as a result of his less-than-faltering comparison.

He maintained the annoyed expression for several tense seconds, only for it to fall to pieces when the Marauder broke and started to laugh. It was a significantly tamer sound when compared to his howling only a few minutes ago, but it was no less genuine – a confirmation that he had only been feinting offense and that, for now, the Marauder’s exterior walls were still relaxed slightly.

“I suppose that’s fair. At the very least, I don't have ears like a Gundark." He smirked, meeting the Sith Lord’s gaze as he began to remove the crude dressing of the wound so it could be properly stitched and bandaged. For the briefest moment, Emryc could almost see the tint of green pulse beneath the citrine. “But I'm glad to hear you like it. Perhaps you will be treated to the sound more often.”

@Sreeya