Scars of Time

[s'Il]

continued from here (http://www.sw-fans.net/forum/showthread.php?t=15695)



The weeklong journey to Schwartzweld had been spent quietly, activities on the part of both travelers being limited to either sleeping or eating. Neither talked too awful much, as it seemed Zem was lost in his own world of thoughts, and s'Il just about perfectly happy to go about her own less than bipedal endeavors without much of any fuss. The most she ever got was the odd disinterested glance from Zem.

And yet, in some ways it drove her mad. She had tried to talk with him a few days prior, but was only able to elicit a few mumbles of acknowledgement from the man. She had stormed from the cockpit in frustrated exasperation. To her it seemed as though he was closing off with the exception of a few instances, and she was slowly becoming desperate.

As the days passed, the Lupine was becoming aware of how much she was coming to rely on him, and how she had effectively put him upon a pedastal; after all, he was a knight, and she still a padawan. It was only natural that she become attached, was it not? To her, no justification was needed. They had only each other, and that was that.


***

Two hours before they were to drop from hyperspace found her in the cockpit. Not so much sitting in one of the chairs as she was crouched in it, the Lupine stared blankly out at the starlines. Having changed into one of the mechanic's coveralls that she'd found in a utility locker, she spent these last few hours wondering just how much Schwartzweld had changed. She had only been there once, ages ago, and she knew that it was more than enough of a reclusive world for her and Zem to hide on.

Would there be Guardians? Would the planet be completely deserted? Had the ruins of her family's home become buried by overgrowth, rubble, and time?

Nervous, the Lupine bit her bottom lip as she continued to stare at the starlines.

[Zem-El Vymes]

I couldn't wait to get out of here. A week aboard a Cizerack ship wasn't the best time served for anybody who wanted a decent bite to eat. I had to get a little creative at times. Further, I was in want of a shave. My stubble was starting to coalesce into the early stages of a beard. Oddly, I wasn't sure if that was a bad thing.

I'd taken the liberty of cooking up some kind of fragrant herb in the galley in water, and making a tea of sorts. Who was to say if that's how it was intended, but I could drink it and it had enough of a stimulant to keep me up. I made a mug for myself and for s'Il, and headed to the cockpit.

"Made you something to drink."

I passed the mug onto the Lupine as I narrowed my eyes at the approaching planet.

"Gotta be honest, it doesn't look like my first pick for a vacation spot."

[s'Il]

Accepting the mug gratefully, s'Il held it with both hands, blowing at the rising steam every so often.

"Maybe not now, but a long time ago it used to be beautiful. Great stone monuments, statues, architecture to rival Theed's; it really was a wonderful place...

"... a long time ago."

She carefully sipped at the hot liquid.

"Now though, well - you can see what it is now. Centuries of neglect will turn the most wonderful of places to nothing but a shell."

She shifted in her seat, sliding her legs out so that she actually sat down. A sidelong look was sent to him, and the Lupine found herself more than a little amused at his rough appearance, letting a smile cross her lips.

"Only there's alot to find in this shell."

[Zem-El Vymes]

"Hopefully something decent to eat and a hot bath."

I'd had a lot of free time to devote to learning how to actually operate this damn ship, and it was paying off. Not any remarkable capabilities, but it felt good to actually feel like I could do what I needed to do. I'd already engaged the navigational mapping system, which laid out a spread of land with suitable landing sights. As I did this, I also set the interstellar sensors for a quick active ping, just to be on the lookout for any contacts. Not suprisingly, it was dead out there.

"Well, at least we've got some breathing room from the Empire."

[s'Il]

Her smile turned to a smug look of satisfaction.

"Probably because everything associated with this world is thought to be nothing but fairytales. Scary stories to tell children who misbehave. 'Go to bed little Zem'," she teased, " 'or the terrible Lupines will get you with their razor teeth and claws'."

She snorted then, the thought of such threats amusing. To her at least.

Watching through the forward viewport, s'Il sipped at her tea once again. Her nervousness was held in check as the first views of a dead world became more clear.

Great stone temples, surrounded by expertly carved statues of both man and beast; buildings that had once been beautiful examples of precise craftsmanship... all ravaged by time and no one to keep them from degereating into the ruins they now were.

Ominous, yes. But instead of the beauty that they had once conveyed, there was nothing but desolation and the haunted feeling of loneliness.

So this is what happens to fairy tales when they die...

[Zem-El Vymes]

What a dump. That worked both ways though, because nobody in their right mind would look for two Jedi in a place like this. After a few minutes of descent, we touched down in what was once a courtyard with a soft thump.

"Okay, we're here."

I looked around at the surroundings, and back to s'Il.

[s'Il]

Without so much as a word, the mug was shoved into Zem's hands as s'Il very nearly jumped from her seat.

She was out of the cockpit in even less time, almost running toward the closed boarding ramp. Hand slapping at a sidepanel release button, the Lupine didn't wait for the ramp to hit the ground before she was already trotting down its' length.

Her boots hit a cobblestoned ground, moss growing from the cracks and along each stone's edge. She stood unmoving, simply craning her neck to look this way and that at the broken down and ruined landscape around her.

She could hear the yacht's engines powering down, and in their absence she was struck with the stillness of everything; the noiseless surroundings and the complete desolation of it all. Nothing moved, nothing made a sound. And still she stared, straining her ears to maybe catch the faint whisper of anything.

There was nothing. No sound and no life.

The Lupine furrowed her brows and pulled a face, biting her bottom lip before awkwardly lowering herself down to sit on the edge of the ramp and wait for Zem.

[Zem-El Vymes]

"So what are you looking for here?"

I paused at the top of the ramp, looking out over the courtyard. It was growing wild, with trees sprouting from cracks in stone edifices, and a general theme of nature taking the place back inch by inch. Sort of a bittersweet theme really. Somebody could see this place and see desolation and destruction, but also renewal. Symbolic for our situation for more tha a few reasons.

That as it may be, and as clever a hiding spot as it was, we couldn't stay here.

[s'Il]

She didn't answer for a while, relegating herself to simply staring at the ruins which lay in front of her. A few more moments of thoughtful silence passed before she spoke up.

"I don't know. Somewhere to stay for a bit; rest. Find food possibly, a library, a warm bed," she sighed, then looked over her shoulder at him, "and probably a razor."

[Zem-El Vymes]

"I don't know."

I stroked a hand across my face.

"It's making an impression on me. More than a few Knights take on a beard, and I'm over the hump of being annoyed by it."

I walked near to her, standing alongside at the edge of the ramp.

"The other stuff, doesn't sound too bad."

It had dawned on me why she'd come here. To get her bearings. To find some sort of familiarity in a universe intent on making us lose our way. Maybe that's what I wasn't finding. At least she had a notion of where to start looking.

[s'Il]

Rising to her feet, s'Il dusted off her thighs. From what she could tell, they'd landed in the courtyard of a home. On one side was a large archway, opening up a view of overgrown countryside. A portico occupied the other side; crumbling in more than a few places, but still impressive in its' own right.

She could see a smaller doorway leading into the home proper further back.

"I think you look better without the beard," was her candid response as she began heading for the column-lined porch.

[Zem-El Vymes]

"You're the last person that has the right to talk about body hair preferences."

Part of me wanted to ask her about all of this; about her past. I really didn't know how to approach it. It was an onion, layers and layers of it.

I picked up a small rock in my hand, and hurled it out into the open, listening to it clatter on a stone surface a distance away.

"How does it come to this? Everyone just leaving and such. There doesn't look to be any fighting done."

[s'Il]

"Hurf durf," was the countered response. "My habits as a quadruped in regards to hair don't extend to this form."

She was quiet then, considering his last question as she walked through the pillars.

Pausing at the double doors, she pushed one of them open. It creaked on its' hinges and sent echoes through the deserted home. It was the first unnatural sound to travel through these walls in ages, and she stood in the doorway for a few moments to allow her eyes to adjust.

"Sterility."

And that was the only answer that she gave him before stepping inside.

[Zem-El Vymes]

That didn't really answer anything, and the more I thought about it, the more it irritated me. I knew so amazingly little about Lupines that it was silly for me to even dwell on it, and she wasn't exactly volunteering a thing.

"Remind me and next time I'll just ask one of these statues instead."

[s'Il]

Her attention was split in half, as she caught sight of two smaller statues standing in the center of the room. These, unlike the larger ones that she'd seen in her father's books, were of a normal size. One was a man, dressed in intricate armor and trappings. The other was of a vornskr, standing tall and head held high. They stood side by side, and she recognized that both were depicting the forms of one man.

She crouched to her knees, brushing a hand over the base and wiping away layers of dust in order to read the inscription.

Kanon Aulflendte

A Lesser House. It will do, I suppose.

Twisting her body to face Zem, s'Il let herself fall back to rest against the legs of the statue.

"Fine. Then what do you want to know?"

[Zem-El Vymes]

"I want to know you. As much as I can. We owe that much to each other, because without that, the Jedi are going to share the Lupines' fate."

[s'Il]

s'Il was quiet for a short time, mulling over his words. How did one begin to tell such a story? There was just so much.

"There's alot to know," she finally started.

s'Il rose to her feet and wondered if this was how her father felt when he began telling her of their people.

"There are two kinds of Lupines," she walked around to the back of the two statues, letting her fingers traces the sculpture's lines as she went. The room they were in seemed to be a front antechamber of sorts; holding a collection of busts, paintings, and other displayed trinkets. There would be a library deeper within she knew, and it would prove helpful no doubt.

She continued. "Loveloxx, and Losstarot - the two Bloodlines. Call them strains if you want. One was made to control people who used the Force, and the other was made to control the first."

She came around to the front of the statue again, then motioned with a hand for him to follow her into the next room. On her way, she palmed a small carved figure from an ornate table. Its' surface was smooth, hewn from marble, and shaped into a vornkskr.

[Zem-El Vymes]

I followed her along, content to listen to what she had to say.

[s'Il]

This second room was a bit more furnished, though it was in just as much disrepair as everywhere else. The floor had at one time been a beautiful mix of stone tiling and glossed wood. Now however, cracks spread through the tiles like spiderwebs, and the wood had become almost petrified. A once-grand fireplace dominated an alcove off the the right, with the remains of a sofa and chairs before it. A dust-covered glass table, low to the ground and accented with dulled gold corners sat between the chairs and sofa; the cushions of which had all but disappeared to leave aged wooden framework.

A hutch rested behind the sofa, trimmed in gold like the table. On its' surface was a single leatherbound book.

s'Il made her way to the hutch, gently running a hand over the top of it before setting the marble carving down and carefully picking up the book. She didn't open it right away, instead turning it over in her hands, feeling the aged and cracked leather.

"Each Bloodline had Greater and Lesser Houses. The Greater Houses were considered the ruling bodies of the Bloodlines during their years; something like a dynasty. The Lesser Houses were mostly made up of those who'd been changed."

She cast a gaze to the empty fireplace, and wondered when the last time was that a flame had lit its' interior.

"From the start of it all there was fighting, and up until the end it didn't stop. But something happened. Slowly both sides began to stop having children; not out of any lack of desire, but because they simply couldn't. Both women and men were becoming infertile. The ability to change a person failed as well."

She set the book back down without having opened it.

"We were all to die; not from weapons and war, but from our own bodies. As long as a man had a son or a daughter to carry on the Bloodline, he was immortal. With that taken away, there was nothing left; the lineage would end, and the Houses would be lost.

"And they were for the most part. Only the Greater Houses left, looking for worlds to hide upon. It was a shameful thing, to know that your species would dwindle to nothing. The ones that left built citadels on the worlds they landed upon, taking with them the great libraries and any other relic that was revered."

s'Il grasped the marble carving up once more, fingering its' smooth surface. There was more to her abbreviated narrative, but to delve into the specifics; of Townsend Loveloxx and Melkiah Losstarot, the Vials, and the Gaurdians - would take far too much time. She needed to get a feel of this home, find its' library and scour through the books held within it before explaining everything in detail to him.

She tossed the small figurine to Zem.

"And that's the brief gist of it."

[Zem-El Vymes]

I regarded the figurine with an eye for art. A warrior monk such as a Jedi Knight had to have some understanding for art, an order and arrangement according to individual perceptions. The figurine was crafted lovingly. There seemed to be equal reverence for both identities of the metamorphs. Hardly a trait worthy of villification.

"There was no warning? No sign of the troubles?"

There was too much to the Lupines that was simply not understood. They weren't, from my understanding, a traditional race. It seemed to be a symbiosis at best, or some kind of transitionable aberration. The remarkable part of it, though, was that they could come together to bring forth an identifiable culture, and to sustain it for what appeared to be millennia.

In this respect, they seemed less unique. The Jedi held a strange kinship to these Lupines.

[s'Il]

"None.

"There was a period of time where sterility became a problem, but that was solved by introducing new blood. It was the only time both sides worked together, and it was a very long time ago - during the days when madness and insanity had infected the Houses."

s'Il skirted the hutch to sit precariously on the sofa's wooden framework. It protested against her weight, but held.

"Only full blood Lupines could have children, and so inbreeding became the only solution to the problem. Of course this made a whole new different set of issues which had to be solved with arranged marriages between both Bloodlines."

She pulled a face. "Not exactly a bright spot in our history."

[Zem-El Vymes]

"But even the change eventually failed?"

[s'Il]

Unsure of the exact meaning to his question, s'Il answered with a small bit of hesitation.

"Changing itself was never a problem. Turningfrom a human into a vornskr was something that was an undeniable constant. It was those that had been turned; changed from human to Lupine, that suffered. They could not have children due to some unknown impurity, and it made them undesirable. Why would anyone want to take a woman who could not bear children? Or a man who could not make a woman pregnant?"

She shrugged. "Of course eventually the ability to turn a person became impossible even. Whatever impurity had been in a Changed Lupine had spread into the full-bloods."

[Zem-El Vymes]

It was a little difficult to wrap my mind around, so I decided to change the subject. I set the figurine down on an aged table, and looked back at her.

"Why here? If we wanted to run and hide, there are countless worlds we could disappear on. Is there something else that you're looking for?"

[s'Il]

"Why not here," was her counter.

"It's far off the beaten path, and thought of only in bedtime stories. It's the perfect place to stay hidden."

She reached out to wipe a hand over the dusty glass-topped table before her.

"The only thing I'm looking for is a safe world," a half-truth, "... and this fits the bill just fine."

[Zem-El Vymes]

"It may be safe from the Empire, but it's poison. What kind of living can you make in a cemetary? You're one of the last Lupines. You may very well be one of the last Jedi. One of these things you can do nothing about, but the other you still can."

[s'Il]

This caused her to raise her brows. "Poison? Now that's a bit much, don't you think?

"There might be no one here, but it's not entirely dead. There's nothing and no one to stop us from living here; no prying eyes, and certainly no Empire."

She ticked a fingernail on the glass, a terse tone in her voice. "I'm sorry if it's not like your grand Jedi Temple was back on Coruscant, but we can't exactly go back there now, can we."

[Zem-El Vymes]

"Nor would I. There's nothing for us there, either."

Something in her phrasing stuck in me, and I turned around. Your grand Jedi Temple..

"It's yours too, you know. Every bit as mine. Maybe it's easier to see this through a Lupine's eyes than a Jedi's eyes. I wouldn't even pretend to know. But living in the ashes of those we lost won't make us do right by anyone. What Jedi grieve? It's a temptation and I'm not saying I'm above it, but you won't do yourself right through it and I won't either."

I picked up the figurine again.

"It would be so easy to stay here. The pain we've endured is incredible. I've lost everybody close to me in my life within a week, save for you. Why shouldn't we be together, safe, and free to grieve? Because refusing to grieve is hard, as hard as anything a Jedi has to do. It's our lives, and we chose it to be that hard."

[s'Il]

She'd put her foot in her mouth, and she knew it. But the Lupine wasn't ready to give up.

"I never said anything about grieving. I'm talking about rising up from these 'ashes', as you call them."

She stood then, hands balling into white-knuckled fists at her sides. "We had plenty of time to mourn the dead on the way here. What makes you think I wanted to come here and wallow in self-pity?!

"You were the one who wanted to know about me. And so I told you. Just because there's no happy ending to that story doesn't mean we have to go down that same road. And even if this world is deserted, there's nothing wrong with it.

"It's ready for new owners. Or are you afraid to admit that maybe, just maybe, we can stop running?"

[Zem-El Vymes]

"The day we stop running, we turn around and face the Sith. We don't just stop. That might be somebody else, but it isn't you, and damn sure isn't me. We are the Guardians of the Republic. The disasters we've been through don't change that. We have a responsibility to see that through, no matter what. The Dark Side now has unbelievable power, but we've trained our entire lives to stop it. Before you spend a day here, you think about that."

My fist balled white around the figurine, and then relaxed.

"Our light is faded and dim. It isn't out. There's a chance that we'll have it put out if we keep fighting, but there's a certainty that it'll be out if we don't."

[s'Il]

In all of their time together, this was the first time that s'Il was growing angry with him. Mild frustration at best had sometimes invaded her thoughts, but nothing like this. To her the solution was simple. Stay here and rebuild.

"I don't care about the Dark Side or the Empire right now. I care about us being safe. Maybe I think like that because I'm just a little Padawan and you're a Knight, but to leave this place is stupid.

"We need to stop and look around, get our bearings. I don't know how long that will take, but it has to be done."

One hand went out to indicate the expanse of the room they stood in. "This is the best I can offer. It might not be the most ideal, but it's something. It's away from those who would kill us or worse.

"Please don't refuse my hospitality and my confidence."

[Zem-El Vymes]

"I want to take you up on your offer."

I relented a little, speaking in a lower tone.

"I just don't think I could live with myself. Live with what I am."

[s'Il]

Live with what he is?

It made her pause, and s'Il said nothing for a few moments.

Finally, "... and that being... ?"

[Zem-El Vymes]

"Lok, I really don't have anything to say. What you see is what you get."

I gestured slightly to myself.

"I don't even know where I came from. Roots-wise, you know? I'm this."

I tossed her my lightsaber.

"Not making any excuses, just saying that's how it is. It's my life. If I'm not a Jedi, and I don't walk that walk, then that'll be a day I don't ever want to see."

[s'Il]

She caught the sabre easily, holding it in a loose grip. There was nothing the Lupine could really think of to say, and so she half-heartedly settled for looking down at the weathered floor.

Crossing her arms across her chest - sabre still in hand, s'Il looked up to him. Anger and confusion were both in her eyes.

"If we aren't to stay on a safe world, then what would you have us do."

[Zem-El Vymes]

"We aren't the only ones in danger. These are dark times for everybody. We need to do right by those we can help. I'm not saying we'll turn the Emperor back alone, and I'm not setting terms about it, but we've committed ourselves to helping others, and that remains even if the republic doesn't."

[s'Il]

Pulling a face, s'Il began heading for the far doorway which led deeper into the house.

"We can barely help ourselves. I'd like to think that we'd want to make sure we can do at least that before going off to help others."

[Zem-El Vymes]

"You're right. We won't do anybody a favor if we don't make sure we're okay. I just don't want to lose perspective. We're more than a little overwhelmed, so it would be easy."

[s'Il]

The Lupine nodded as she walked through the doorway into what looked to be a hallway. It was wide, with pedestals lining both walls. Some had busts resting atop them while others were empty. It was easily apparent that time had had its' way with everything here.

She had still not returned his lightsabre; instead holding on to it as she stopped at the first empty doorway towards the middle of the corridor. There were hinges, which meant that at one time there had been a door, but that was now gone.

Peering inside, s'Il let her eyes sweep over the room's interior.

[Zem-El Vymes]

I still couldn't tell if she was going through this home with a purpose, or just wondering aimlessly. She had a sense of being familiar with the place, and yet never seeing it before. I wanted to ask what, if anything, she was looking for, but I was content to let her tell me that in her own time.

[s'Il]

What exactly was she looking for? The library that she knew every family kept no matter its' size? Or maybe simply the collections of artwork that surrounded her now? It had been so long since being surrounded by anything of her own kind. Her foster father, even though he himself was a Guardian, had never discouraged her from delving into her people's past... but there was nothing quite like walking the halls that your ancestors had lived and breathed in.

Perhaps she simply wanted to be enveloped by the memories of her own race. Who knew.

Pausing in the doorway to another room, the Lupine let out a protracted sigh. She let her body lean against the doorframe.

Maybe Zem was right? Maybe this worl truly was poison? But still; it was her world. Still.

[Zem-El Vymes]

I pulled a book gingerly from a nearby shelf, and opened up the cover. The spine cracked, and a few pieces of brittle paper rustled to the ground.

"Damn."

[s'Il]

The sound of a book spine cracking caused s'Il to blink, turning on her heels to look back at Zem.

She pursed her lips, the fingers of her hand tightening momentarily around his lightsabre.

"What'd you find?"

[Zem-El Vymes]

"Old books?"

I crouched down to examine some of the pages. They were yellowed and brittle at the edges, and the fading ink on the pages were in a language I couldn't read. I handed it over to s'Il and tried to handle the book with a more gentle touch.

[s'Il]

Taking the book in her free hand, she held it with care. Her eyes went over the text. She knew that Zem was unable to read it, so she translated bits and pieces, paraphrasing as she went along.

"It's a story book mostly; ancient parables it looks like." She used the tip of the sabre to point out an illustration that accompanied a block of foreign text. "This one is about a young man who who left home in search of a secret treasure. He'd been given a map by his father, and told to wait until histwenty-fifth year before looking for it. The day of his twenty-fifth, the son left to find the treasure. He followed the map precisely... "

She remembered this story; she had it in one of her own books back at home... on Coruscant.

She continued after a small pause. "Turns out the treasure was a suit of armor. Not really a treasure, but more of a gift. It was from his Great-Great Grandfather."

She tapped a fingernail against the sabre hilt. "Not really like the normal parables that we normally keep. There's no real moral of the story, it's just a tale of searching, and the hardships the son had to endure in order to rediscover the glory of his past."

[Zem-El Vymes]

"Very history-centric. Even the artifacts are referencing times before."

I scratched at the back of my head and handed her the rest of the book.

"Did anybody write about tomorrow? About today?"

[s'Il]

She bit the inside of her cheek, carefule in her handling of the book as he gave it to her.

"Not particularly. It was and always has been about preserving the past. I mean, there were always the constants; the feud with the Loveloxx, but that was just a given; a certainty. We could never coexist peaceully with such wild people. And after it became known that we were all dying out, the future became null. Everything done was to the preservation of the past; documenting everything we had done. It was all we could really do."

She exhaled, making a face. "It was shameful, to know that your own species was dying out and there was nothing you could do; no way to continue your Bloodline. It was the ultimate defeat, and we wanted to record it all; all of the things we had done. No one knows what we did to deserve extinction, but when faced with it, all we could do was tell our story before slowly fading away to become nothing but scary stories and fairytales."

[Zem-El Vymes]

"Did any of these stories have a moral?"

I looked around the study and couldn't help but feel pity. For the Lupines, partly for s'Il.

[s'Il]

"Most of them? Yes. Perserverence, strength, courage, faithfulness; alot like religious texts from other cultures. Only ours were centered around honoring those that came before us, and adding to their memories and strengthening the Bloodline.

"Others were simply stories of searching... of traveling and self-discovery."

She indicated to a shelf of white-stained leatherbound books. "Those though; those are family trees. Pages upon pages of a famil's lineage, with illustrations of their family members, their homes, their own stories, and of course the House Brands."

She hadn't yet told Zem of House Brands, and at the look in his eyes, she went on.

"House Brands are like crests. A design that a House takes on as their own." She set the book on a nearby table, laying the sabre atop it.

With a smooth motion, the Lupine turned her back to him. Unashamedly she slipped the top portion of her jumpsuit down her shoulders to her waist before pulling her blonde/brunette hair over on shoulder.

Between her shoulderblades was what looked like a crescent moon, partially intersected at the bottom by a much smaller crescent, its' edges pointing down both sides of her spine.

"Every Lupine recieves a House Brand before they reach seven cycles."

[Zem-El Vymes]

"Ouch."

I quirked an eyebrow at the strange brand, stopping short of running my fingertips against her skin.


"Seems a bit redundant to me. With a nose like yours, seems like keeping track of your relatives would be the least of your priorities."

[s'Il]

"Well, it's a status symbol. The fewer brands one had, the more pure your blood was.

"It wasn't for finding relatives, but distinguishing which house one came from, and what status and prestige you were given."

[Zem-El Vymes]

"These are two different symbols. I take it then, you're looking for something a bit closer to home?"

[s'Il]

"This home belongs to House Aulflendte. I'm not a member of that family."

She looked around longingly. It might not have belonged to one of her family, but it was a Losstarot Lupine's home, and even the ruins left over reflected as much.

She wasn't entirely sure whether his words meant that he was willing to help her find her own House's estates, and so she gingerly tested the waters.

"... finding my own family's lands would be a welcome undertaking."

[Zem-El Vymes]

"And when you do? Are you writing the last book to put on that shelf?"

[s'Il]

s'Il reached out, picking up his sabre. She held it, her eyes going over its' lines as her mind went over his words. It was a sobering thought; that should she choose to write of her own life, that it would be the last and final installment to the legacy of her people.

It hurt to even think about, and the Lupine ground her teeth while handing Zem his sabre. Inhaling, she set about retracing her steps; she'd seen a bedroom in her wanderings, which meant that a wardrobe was within, and it would be nice to change out of the jumpsuit she now wore.

[Zem-El Vymes]

"If you still have the ink in your pen, you can help me write an epilogue for the Jedi also."

I picked up some ornate thing, which fell apart in my hands. I glared at it and let the pieces fall out of my hands and back to where I'd found it.

[s'Il]

She'd already begun heading for the room she'd seen.

The upper portion of her jumpsuit draped over her waist, the sleeves swaying with her stride, and she called over her shoulder before stepping through an open doorway.

"The Lupines had the Vials, and they failed us. Jedi have the Force; we can't be fully abandoned."

[Zem-El Vymes]

She still had faith. It was a strange thing. It grew on itself. Faithful people consolidated themselves among each other.

"You were Master Windu's student. I know he was a firm believer in the Prophecy. Are you?"

[s'Il]

She mulled that one over. Having found the wardrobe, s'Il almost gleefully perused its' contents. If nothing else, the sight of the garments helped to ease the loss of Master Windu.

Some of what she saw was unwearable, but thankfully most of the fabric had been preserved well enough.

"I don't know. He taught me alot about the Force, and how we lived with it, but I didn't get to learn very much about the history." She pulled a long, light blue half-skirt out. "As far as the Prophecy though, I guess you could say I was a little on the skeptical side. I wanted to believe, but I also needed more than just words to convince me."

A cream-colored leather corset, amazingly intact and still supple, was pulled out next followed by a revealing top; also light blue. She smiled, glad that whoever had once owned these had also had their brand on their back.

A second skirt, a darker shade of blue with frayed slits up along both sides was next to come out. She smiled at the sight of the gold ornaments still attached sporadically along the lower hem.

"I believe in the Force, but I was hardpressed to believe in something that was yet to come. My people never had that - at least not that I know of. Everything had always been either past or present."

She shed the jumpsuit quickly before pulling on a pair of leather-trimmed trousers. They fit surprisingly well, and she tied them off.

s'Il reached for the light blue half-skirt. "What about you?"

[Zem-El Vymes]

"I've always considered it a messianic fairy tale. I've met Anakin Skywalker. He's a formidably impressive Jedi, but he's a man. He is as real as you or I. If he brings balance to the force, it will be because he is in the right place at the right time, but I don't think of him as a Messiah. I think the story is the most important thing. It keeps our minds sharp, and our hopes hungry. In our eagerness to meet the prophecy, we all fulfill it."

I sighed, and looked back at her, this time in a different light.

"I think we could all use a little focus, and a little direction. A little hope.

Where did you leave off, in your training with Master Windu?"

[s'Il]

She moved the lighter blue garment aside in favor of the darker. A simple clasp - also gold - held the piece together, and she undid it easily. It wrapped around her waist, over the trousers and she closed the two ends; the click was surprisingly loud in the silence of the empty house.

Her answer was given in an absentt one, as her mind was preoccupied with fitting the top on over the corset. "Master Windu had been teaching me meditation mostly. And combat - there was alot of that. If I wasn't meditating than I was dueling; and if I wasn't dueling than I was meditating."

And it was true; the Lupine had taken to her sabre lessons like a mynock to a starship. She smirked just a little at the memory. Hours of practice with remotes; day after day. And when there were no remotes, she was practicing with either Master Drallig or Master Windu.

"Master Windu was always making sure that my mind be at peace and focused. There were alot of lessons about being able to defend against the Dark, and to detect it in those who hid it. Not much Jedi history except for the very basics, though." The metal adornments on the shoulder straps clinked against eachother. "So mostly it was just all about the Light and the Dark - and learning... " she had to pause for a moment to recall the name Windu had used, "... Vaapad, I think it was."

[Zem-El Vymes]

"I've seen it. It's unorthodox."

That was an understatement. I had unease with the technique, and it toed the line far too close for my taste. As old as its roots were, it had a suprising 'new age' appeal within the order, and anything a swordsman like Windu adopted carried weight. That said, it troubled me.

"I've spent too much of my time in Soresu, and it may contribute to my views."

[s'Il]

"Soresu is good; teaches a person to be cautious and mindful of their body."

Nearly finished, s'Il rummaged about for a few minutes in one of the wardrobe's side-drawers. She pushed a gathering of metallic rings to the side; favoring instead the necklaces and arm bands. Most were brushed in a silver color, accented in spots with gold, and she picked a few out from the drawer.

Another larger drawer was opened, and the Lupine found herself replacing what she had previously picked through. The contents of this drawer were much more to her taste, and much more useful as well; plated bracers, leather guards, neck coils - yes. These would work well.

It was such a welcome distraction to immerse herself in the trappings of her people, and in those few moments everything around her seemed to be a million miles away.

[Zem-El Vymes]

"The style mirrors my beliefs. It is defensive and lacks ostentatiousness."

It felt odd. Almost as if she were patronizing my fighting technique. While hardly the master swordsman, I was well enough accomplished, and she seemed as if she were ready to give me a lesson on what I already knew. It was amusing.

[s'Il]

She snapped closed the clasp of a neck coil, admiring it in the milky reflection offered by one of the mirrors on the wardrobe door. It was a simple adornment that functioned as both protection and beauty. This one had been layered, giving it the illusion of many small coils wrapped around her neck. Most were fashioned in such a way, which was what they had derived their name from. It encased her neck almost from her jawline to her shoulders while allowing a surprising amount of movement, and the Lupine tested this by turning her head this way and that.

Seemingly satisfied, she chose a complimentary pair of bracers and began fitting them to her arms. "It's not a bad thing; just not something I'm most comfortable with. The best way to live through a fight is to destroy your enemy straight-away. Least, that's how I feel."

Satisfied with her appearence now, s'Il turned to finally face Zem. She very literally beamed - for once, since this whole ordeal began, she felt happy.

"And that's the beauty of the fighting arts; there's something for everyone."

[Zem-El Vymes]

"It is something that occasionally must be done. If there's any beauty in the motions, that is tempered with what the result becomes."

I tossed my saber between my hands.

"Beauty is never having to use one of these."

[s'Il]

"There's a certain beauty in death, though. The cause of it, the reason behind it." She paused to wrap the half-skirt around her waist, tying it off at her left hip.

"If someone dies while fighting for a noble cause, than it makes their death meaningful; and sometimes beautiful.

"At least, that's what my father used to tell me whenever he told me stories about our people."

She shrugged, leaving the wardrobe behind to approach Zem. "But I suppose that could also be a byproduct of a culture that revolved around bad blood and wars."

[Zem-El Vymes]

"Perhaps so."

I looked around everything. There was a lot of culture here, and storied romanticism would likely be easy to find. Perhaps it was what was needed. The sugar to go with the medicine. I wasn't sure if I would ever really understand it, or Lok s'Ilancy.

[s'Il]

She refrained from putting her boots on; instead opting to carry them. Her toes curled ont he cracked marble floor, and the cool surface felt wonderful after having to endure a week on the decks of their stolen yacht.

"You know," stepping past him, the Lupine left the bedroom, "you're starting to sound a bit like Master Windu."

[Zem-El Vymes]

"In what way?"

If there was a comparison, I wasn't seeing an apparent link. Maybe there was something in the man that she had seen and I had never gotten to know.

[s'Il]

"I don't know; just... "

She began heading back the way they'd come. "Like what you say about there being beauty in not having to fight. And if there is beauty in combat, it is dulled by the outcome."

[Zem-El Vymes]

"I didn't know Windu well. It strikes me as odd that a proponent of Vaapad would have a similar philosophy."

[s'Il]

"Yes well, I guess I was a bit of an over-achiever when it came to combat."

Another shrug.

"I got alot of lectures on being careful and thinking my actions through."

[Zem-El Vymes]

"Perhaps I am just the opposite."

I smiled thinly at her and shrugged.

[s'Il]

This stopped her, his words confusing.

"Meaning?"

[Zem-El Vymes]

"Combat was never my high priority. Of course I spent a lot of time learning the trade, but I had other loves."

[s'Il]

Her ears perked at that last bit, and the Lupine let him fall in beside her before looping an arm through his. For the first time he was actually talking - about himself no less. s'Il had never really been able to get much out of him, even during their time spent together before the Purge.

He had always seemed so detached, or that his mind was elsewhere whenever he spoke to her. As if he wasn't really talking to her, but through her. Of course, the odds that that was how she percieved him were fairly high. Perhaps that was what drew her to him?

"And what would those 'other loves' be?"

[Zem-El Vymes]

"My perception of what a Jedi was to be was a defender of peace, but less with a saber in hand, and more a person who defended peace before fighting began. There's always been unrest in the galaxy and there always will be. We have an amazing opportunity to be more than warriors. We can be counselors, and we can save lives in ways more subtle than, well, this."

I ran my fingers through my hair.

"I had a notion that what it meant was that we were to do right by everybody else, and that kind of sacrifice was what made it worth being who we were. I still believe it. Even in all of this ugliness."

[s'Il]

She grinned as they headed back towards the courtyard and the yacht. Reaching up, the Lupine patted down a group of unruly hairs that stuck out from the side of his head.

"Diplomacy such as that was never one of my strong points."

[Zem-El Vymes]

"It needs to become one, now more than ever. We won't do a soul any bit of service by fighting the Emperor if we can't deliver on a promise of peace when we're victorious. Half of our strength is in our virtue, and if we don't let it show, it'll be a harder fight."

[s'Il]

Passing through the greatroom, s'Il let a lingering gaze rest on the empty fireplace before they stepped out onto the portico and the fresh air.

She inhaled deeply. It was a beautiful day, despite their ruined surroundings.

"You're starting to sound like a professor."

[Zem-El Vymes]

"Yeah, I guess so."

I followed her outside, and crossed my arms as we looked over the ruined town.

"Maybe there's something to that. As far as we know, we're the only two Jedi left. Maybe I've got my own book to write in you."

[s'Il]

The Lupine was quiet, going over his words in her head as they stood on the portico, staring out at what was once something magnificient.

Her brows furrowed then, and she gave him a sidelong look. "Am I understanding you right... ?"

[Zem-El Vymes]

"It makes sense. We have to carry on. We still have the chance to win this, and to continue to pass our teachings on, and we'll only fail if we don't do what can be done. Fate put us together, and that is more than enough convincing for me.

Would you be my learner?"

[s'Il]

Looking away, s'Il let her eyes wander over the crumbling landscape. To have a master once more, such a thing would bring stability at the very least.

Her hand came up to rest upon one of the columns that lined the porch, her gaze still focused on some unseen point out in the distance; as if she was trying to see back throught ime, when the ruins before them where once alive..

"I will."

[Zem-El Vymes]

I'd never had a learner before. It had just never happened. Maybe this was meant to be. We complimented each other well. Though it would be an uphill march, it was looking a little more promising.

"Be sure before you answer. Before, we've been two people adrift in this mess. After, we'll have a stronger committment. Not just to ourselves, but as Jedi. I must pass what I know to you, and you must listen."

[s'Il]

She didn't have to second guess herself. She knew that what he said was true. She scowled down at the cracked stone floor, and her fingernails scratched along the column.

"We need each other," a pause, "or at least I need you. I might not know much about counseling or diplomacy, but I can learn."

[Zem-El Vymes]

I looked at her and cracked a smile.

"Together, then."

Something strange about it. Was there some sort of infatuation? Had I missed it all along, or was I just imagining it now? She'd been my shadow for longer than I'd noticed. Then again, I was exhausted. I may just as well be under a delusion.

"Let's stay the evening. In the morning, gather what you need and we'll be on our way."

[s'Il]

And that was that. She had a teacher again. A master.

She blinked, biting her lip, then turned back around to face the open doorway of House Aulflendte's summer home.

"So then... do I call you 'Master' now, or what... "

[Zem-El Vymes]

"No, no..."

I dismissed the word away with a hand.

"At least not yet. I really need that to settle in. I haven't a grey hair on my head for that heavy talk."

[s'Il]

s'Il couldn't help but smile at that.

You've already started the beard," she reached up to gently flick her fingers at the growing scruff that he'd neglected shaving, "why not just go all out."

Her eyes swept back to the door, and she happily stepped toward it.

[Zem-El Vymes]

"It's similar to the beard I guess. I need time to let it grow."

I eased myself down onto a stone bench, looking out at the sky.

"I'd always figured I'd be older when I took a pupil."

[s'Il]

A raised brow was her only response, and the Lupine stepped through the doorway once more. She left him out there, sitting in the mid-morning sun with his own thoughts. Walking past the two statues, s'Il let a hand lightly graze along the back of the vornskr as she passed by.

Her trip to the library was unbroken, as she had only one thought on her mind; if she was going to be learning from Zem as his student, he had to know about her. Not from just the abbreviated little summary she'd given him earlier, but from top to bottom. He had wanted to know of her people, but even the feelings she held in check were not enough to make her divulge anything beyond the basics. She had done this for Master Windu, and now she would do the same for Zem.

Master Vymes... The thought made her smirk.

s'Il stepped into the library - the smell of old books and ink filling her nose. This was home; this was what a Lupine was. Shelves upon shelves lined the walls, stacked to the brim with books of all sizes and - in some places - loose-leaf pages piled atop small endtables. This room had been undisturbed for an amount of time she could only guess.

A small amount of hunting was all it took for her to find the books she wanted. Bound in white leather and accented with gold, the Book of Records was the first to be taken. It held the tale of the beginning of everything, the journals kept by Melkiah Losstarot, and detailed every House of the Losstarot bloodline.

Following was a collection of histories; the great battles between Loveloxx and Losstarot, the introduction of the Guardians and how they rebelled from servitude, customs, habits, ceremonies, and any other subject of particular interest that she could think of.

The stack of books she'd taken was sizeable. A satisfied smile on her lips, the Lupine took them into her arms and left the library.

[Zem-El Vymes]

I watched her emerge with her prize, a little slackjawed.

"Let me give a hand, you'll throw your back with a load like that."

[s'Il]

Grateful, s'Il let him take half of what she carried. The rest she set beside the stone bench.

She took the Book of Records from the bottom of the stack while lowering herself onto the bench, pulling her legs up and crossing them so that she could easily lay the large leatherbound volume in her lap.

The Lupine patted the empty space beside her, a silent order for him to sit.

[Zem-El Vymes]

I'd allowed her the time, and it was time to be well spent. I was willing to get to know her, and as long as we didn't dwell here, it was a positive endeavor.

I took a seat near her.

"A book that thick, there'd better be pictures in it."

I made myself comfortable, and ready to listen to my padawan.

[s'Il]

A smile. "There are pictures, yes."

Opening the cover, they were greeted with the sight of a single symbol on the first page. It was identical to the brand on her back.

<center> * * *</center>

The little girl smiled from ear to ear, a shock of blonde hair falling haphazardly into her face and down her shoulders. Almost bubbly with excitement, she was very close to bouncing out of the large chair she sat in. Youthful expectance was held at bay - but only barely.

"Little Lupines are patient." A strong, rich voice with gentle undertones. Her father's voice.

"No they're not!"

The hawkish features of the older man creased into a smile, and he patted the large book he held. It was white, with gold accents and intricate designs stamped into its' dyed leather.

"If they want to learn, they are."

A cheeky grin, and the child scrambled up to the armrest as her father settled himself into the plush cushions. He held the book to the side, letting her situate herself in his lap.

The book was opened to the first page, and a stubby finger pointed at the symbol it held.

"That's us!"

A chuckle. "It certainly is," his finger poked her back; between her shoulderblades, "And soon enough you'll have it right there."

"Forever?"

"Forever and ever."

"And ever and ever and ever." She giggled.

A weathered hand turned the page. "This book, and all of the others that we have, are the scars of time... "

<center> * * *</center>

"... there's a story in each of them with lessons to be learned and experiences to remember."

She would spend the rest of the day teaching Zem about her people. Just as her father had taught her.

"This is how it starts... " she began.