The Angel in Hell (closed)

[Evangeline]

The veiled young woman stared out at the planet that was growing significantly larger with each passing second. As a novice of the Sisters of Mercy, she was supposed to be immune to dark thoughts, only filled with compassion and peace. It was an impossibility in this place, the whole planet reeked of doom. Her doom.

Evangeline had been gently raised behind the closed doors of a small convent. Her whole young life had been devoted to the service of helping others and relieving strife where she could. In less than a months time, she would be taking her vows and be a fully fledged sister. Once taken, she would never again leave the convent walls that she had lived her whole life behind. It was both a calming thought and somehow disturbing.

"You sure you want to go... there, Miss? It dosen't seem like a natural place for a sweet young woman like yourself to be."

"Yes. Quite sure, thank you."

Her last step before her vows was the hardest one yet. Her aunt, the Reverend Mother had set her on the trail of the person responsible for killing her father. It was a weak trail, she had only a description and it had taken her months to get this far, but she was fairly certain she was getting closer. Once she found him, she had only to look into his eyes and.. forgive him. An easy task if one was as full of mercy as a true Sister should be.

Touching down on the planets surface, a ramp was lowered and Evangeline alone departed. "Well at least take this with you." He handed her over a small blade, which she tucked in her skirt pocket. The captain was far too superstitious to wait for her to do whatever she had come to do. She would have to find her own way off the planet.

Watching the ship depart, Evangeline had the most disturbing thought. You vile coward! That wasn't like her at all! She could only attribute her reaction to the dark planet. Almost immediately three pairs of matching eyes shone on her in the departing glow of the vessel. That was not good, not good at all..

Picking up the hem of her long crimson skirt, Evangeline began to move quickly but calmly in the opposite direction. When she heard the footfalls of the beasts behind her, she picked up her pace to a light jog. When they matched that pace, she panicked and took off at a full run. The rushing air ripped the thin veil off her face and cast it to the wind. The beasts in pursuit gave a sound that could only have been described as victory. She saw the shadow of one of them leaopat her and she threw herself to the ground. But to her surprise, the ground easily gave way and she was pitched forward into darkness.

She rolled down a rocky incline, fearing for her life and cursing her aunt for sending her here. Once again, not her usual demeanor. She thudded to a stop when she hit a wall. The jarring was painful, but she stood and dusted herself off. Looking around her, it seemed that this tunnel had been built by hands rather than eroded by time. Stealing herself for the next challenge, she began to walk forward.

[Hurukan]

The tunnels beneath the surface of Korriban were vast and labyrinthine. Immortal reminders of times past, they had indeed been forged, by innumerable hands. From miners to marauders, smugglers to Sith, it was no secret that Korriban had played host to the vilest of creatures. Rumor had it that somewhere, deep beneath the ground, some kind of darkness still lay in wait for when the time was right, when it could rise above and seize power. To the average person, however, the only monsters on Korriban were the feral tuk’ata and shyrack that roamed across the barren lands.

As Evangeline walked, it became apparent that someone else had recently walked in her footsteps. Though they had tried to erase their tracks, to the observant eye it was quite obvious that it wasn’t just animals skulking about in the caves of Korriban – there were humans here too, or at least humanoids. Aside from poorly covered tracks, though, there was no sign of human inhabitation. If there was some kind of subterranean community, it was not clear how they managed to survive in such a harsh place.

After what must have seemed like hours of walking, becoming increasingly tired and frustrated with her inability to find an exit to the maze of tunnels, Sister Evangeline became aware of another presence. In the back of her mind, something was telling her that she was not alone. Patches of shadow seemed to move, as if alive – though when looked upon froze, leading her to believe that it was little more than paranoia. Deciding to take time to regain her strength, she sat down upon a large boulder, and almost instantly a hand fell upon her shoulder, firm.

“Lost?”

[Evangeline]

“Lost?”

At the sound of a voice in a place where it seemed no one should be, accompanied by the firm, if not painful pressure on her shoulder, Evangeline briefly considered going for the dagger. Reason made her think better on it though, she was a novice not a warrior. Scrambling off the boulder she had only recently occupied for rest, Evangeline faced her fears.

She was not trained to hide reactions, so she must have seemed quite comical. Her eyes widened and a hand shot up to cover her mouth. Either fortune had smiled on her and delivered her straight into the hands of who she was seeking or she was truly doomed to share her fathers fate.

She met the eyes behind the mask without a blink. In fact she seemed transfixed by her fathers killer. The calm that settle over her would lead one to believe that the sheltered novice stood in caves speaking to men who garbed macabre masks, as a common occurance.

"I.. I was looking for you."

[Hurukan]

“Were you…”

The figure replied matter-of-factly. He stood tall, cloaked all in red save for the ghostly white visage that covered his face. A blade hung unmistakably at his hip. His eyes took in the form of the young Sister quickly and efficiently, mentally storing away essential details. Whatever he was, he certainly was not the haggard hermit that one might expect to find living in a murky cave.

“… and why would you do a foolish thing like that?”

[Evangeline]

She was inclined to agree with him. She was foolish. She should have stayed in her sheltered convent and just been denied her rank. Evangeline tilted her head to the side and peered at him, as if by staring at his mask she could lay it bare and see the person underneath, unguarded.

"I had to. I am on a mission of forgiveness. It is my task to forgive you for your sins."

How naive it all sounded now, her holy mission that she had been sent around the galaxy on. To track this man down, confront him, look into his eyes and find the compassion to forgive him. It seemed he would just as soon run her through with his sword. She had tried to ask her aunt of this very peril. What was to prevent him from killing her as well? "It dosen't matter. This is your calling child, if you cannot do the task appointed to you, your soul may find redemption in the hereafter."

All her pride and bravery were faltering. Her eyes dropped to the hem of her skirt and away from his unnerving gaze.

[Hurukan]

“What if I don’t want to be forgiven?”

Unprompted, he moved forwards, as though to further draw out the inadequacies and fear that had begun to run through Evangeline’s mind. His lips, not covered by the death mask, turned into a cold smirk.

“Tell me- how have I sinned against you?”

[Evangeline]

She looked up both appauled and fascinated by his words. "Your desire to be forgiven isn't necessary in my mission. I only have to forgive you, not ask your leave."

When he moved towards her she took a step back only to come up against the wall at the other side of the passage. The tunnel seemed to be shrinking, because there seemed to be no where she could avoid being too close to him. He was already well passed the space that seemed proper to her. A person had to have certain.. boundaries, didn't they? Wasn't that what she had been taught? What do any of your teachings have to do with this place, Sister Evangeline?

Nothing.

She was being haunted again by the strange whispers that had been with her since her foot had set down upon this planet. Do you really want to go back to voluntary service and be locked up forever?

“Tell me- how have I sinned against you?”

Snapping herself back to the present, Evangeline risked another look into his eyes. "You murdered my father, Lord Rayven the Blessed."

[Hurukan]

There was silence. No look of recognition appeared upon his face. The dervish did not doubt that she spoke the truth, however it would have been impossible for him to remember the names of every man and woman he had terminated.

“I see… and do you forgive me for killing your father?”

[Evangeline]

She was so disturbed at this point that she hadn't even considered what it was she had come here to do. The man was still too close, too threatening, too much for her to think straight. She tried to straighten the veil that would sheild her eyes from his probing gaze, only belatedly remembering the wind had stolen it away. Feeling foolish for batting at her own face she forced her hands back to her sides.

Might as well get it over with, Sister..

Evangeline tried to gather her wits about her and remember what it felt like to be shriven. Ridding herself of her own troubled conscious had, at one point, filled her with a pleasant warmth. It had pleased her to know that she was free of whatever dark thoughts may have lingered with her. It was that same feeling she tried to fill herself with now, to forgive the troubled soul before her, so that she could leave in peace, with his blessing.

You are not leaving here. Nor will you get any blessed words, Sister.

Her attemps were in vain. It was this planet. Nothing of warmth lived here, not even warm memories. Some of her favorite pastimes now seemed such stupid trivial things, hardly worth note. She had wasted her life for someone else's whims. The only feelings this place provided to her were as cold and unrelenting as the man before her. She was indeed, a fool.

"No."

Without warning, Evangeline turned into the opposite direction she had come from and ran as if chased by the Dark One himself. She knew she would be pursued, but she was fast and not without some intelligence, although the present situation dictated otherwise. At her breakneck pace, she managed to free the small dagger from her skirt and clutched it for dear life.

He would get no forgiveness from her. She wanted off this rock and someone was going to show her the way, or the fragile girl from the convent who had lived such a lonely sheltered life was going to snap.. in a very bad way.

She needed to catch her breath. She flung herself into and alcove and pressed her body tightly against the wall. She was hidden from the sight of anyone in the passage, but it didn't occur to her either that she was equally trapped. She muted her tortured breaths and waited. She didn't hear the sound of anyone in pursuit, but she hadn't heard him the first time either, he was quite good at being silent. Well.. she could be too. Dagger ready, she waited.