A Gilded Cage

[Salem Ave]

To path to Ta'a Chume'Dan was narrow and not nearly broad enough to accommodate anything more than a single file procession. In the age of repulsorlift technology, the notion of climbing such a treacherous path - which barely hugged the surface of a black basalt crag - ought to have seemed antiquated, yet visitors to the Queen Mother's residence were permitted no other means of entry.

Although gun turrets were poised to obliterate any craft which came within a parsec of the royal palace, the climb to Ta'a Chume'Dan was not simply a paranoid precaution, intended to ensure the safety of the Hapan monarchy; it was a statement. There was great satisfaction to be gained, believed the late Ishara Alastor, in receiving a ragged, red-faced guest who had quite literally climbed a mountain to meet with you. As he reached the summit of the path, the blazing suns of the Hapes cluster at last eclipsed by the royal residence, Salem Ave smiled thinly in the knowledge that he had not even broken a sweat.

He did not stop to adjust the half-cloak thrown over his shoulder as he strode towards the palace, his every step followed by the eyes of statuesque guards-women in blue and gold. They wore their sense of superiority openly on their faces, looking down on him quite literally by virtue of their height. No stranger to Hapan vanity, Salem merely inclined his head in greeting. His arrival was not unexpected and so the guards-women stood aside, offering no welcome but no obstruction to the former Prime Minister of Iziz.

[Razielle Alastor]

Outside the Royal Bedchamber, which was more a suite of rooms than a single room itself, Lady Lira Terranova balanced a silver tray on one upturned palm, and a datapad in the other, 'knocking' on the gilt-framed double doors with the beribboned toe of her shoe. Much to the immense displeasure of the former Chume's female staff, Lady Lira was the only one allowed to directly attend to Chume Beatrix and her mother, the Queen Regent.

It caused no small amount of chagrin from the other noble ladies at first, as they considered it their duty, their right! to attend the infant Hapan Queen. When they had argued with the foreign-born Chume'la Razielle about it. She had dismissed them all from service. Razielle, the other royal staff had found out, was not to be questioned. Specifically about her daughter's well being.

And so, it was Lira who brought Razielle the proposed agenda for the day, even though it had been gone over the night before. The Queen Regent insisted on being fresh with all plans before going into any situation.

The doors were opened by Razielle herself who was awaiting her friend and confidante. Inviting her in, she took the tray and set it down on a side table, helping herself to a steaming cup of floral tea. She'd given up coffee on her arrival to Hapes. Chume's did not drink coffee, she'd been told. While Lira finished helping her dress in the intricately laced up traditional Hapan court dress, she went over the proposed meeting for the morning. State business. Beatrix was going to be bored, but she would not complain.

Sometime later the doors of the Royal Bedroom opened a second time and the Chume Beatrix emerged before her lady mother, dressed to match her almost exactly. They both wore royal blue gowns that floated around them, and both wore a nations wealth of diamonds that twinkled in their dark hair like a night of a million stars. The bevy of female guards outside the apartment stood at attention as they passed and them followed behind them as they made their way to the throne room of the Fountain Palace.

As they entered the glittering crowd, they were announced.

"Chume Beatrix Alastor, and her mother the Queen Regent, Chume'la Razielle Alastor."

Making their way to the raised dais with the twin thrones, Razielle spared not a glance for anyone gathered. She had become a queen of ice. A stoic symbol of royalty and ultimate authority. Without pause she sat, her daughter, the small Chume did the same. Although Beatrix was little more than a toddler, she too seemed unnaturally mature and somber for a child. Lira stayed nearby, ready to attend her ladies bidding as they began the arduous task of listening to the affairs of state.

After each request or concern was voiced, Razielle would look to her daughter. The Chume would sometimes lean over and raise a tiny hand to whisper into her mothers ear before they gave their verdict or command. This was how Beatrix would learn to rule. She would never really be a child, for she was already a Chume of the Hapan Consortium.

[Salem Ave]

The door to the throne room swung open once again, allowing another pair of the days petitioners to exit. They stalked by Salem without a glance, engrossed in hushed conversation. It was difficult to say, from observation alone, whether or not the outcome of their request had been favourable. Hapan vanity would not allow them to wear their satisfaction or displeasure openly, not in front of an outsider, and especially not in front of their peers. The word of the Chume was final, her judgement absolute.

With no retinue of his own, Salem was escorted before the Chume and her mother by two of the palace's own guards. Both women carried pole-arms, whose blades were perhaps meaningfully on a level with his neck. Lira Terranova recognised her mistresses next guest but nevertheless went through the formality of glancing over the schedule for the day before she announced his arrival.

“Salem Ave, ambassador on behalf of Queen Adraudia of Onderon, sovereign sister to the Consortium.”

As was custom, Salem fell to one knee some fifteen feet away from the dais. He had been presented before Razielle like this once before, when her father King Raspian had still held the throne of Davora.

“Ereneda (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Ereneda),” he said, his head bowed.

[Razielle Alastor]

Impassive as stone, Razielle regarded the man knelt before the royal dais, her chin tilted at a speculative angle. She too was reminded of nostalgic, simpler days. Black sand beaches, the delicate bouquet of tropical flowers on the air and one hoyden of a princess who continually flouted decorum in favor of running wild. Not yet tempered by the forces at work in her life. Not yet hard enough to bear the responsibility that now rested on her royal shoulders.

"Excellency..", she acknowledged finally after long moments. Her hands raised from her lap, bejeweled fingertips flexing upon the arms of the throne. But no sign of familiarity or emotion shown on her features, one way or the other.

"How fares our beloved sister, Queen Adraudia?"

[Salem Ave]

The ambassador allowed himself a small smile. More than a year had passed since his last visit to Hapes, since Razielle had been pronounced Regent of the young Queen Mother. She had taken to the role as if she had been born for it, as Salem had always known she would.

“Her Majesty would wish nothing more than to stand before you here today, but her in absence commends me as her humble servant to convey to you her warmest greetings and fondest regards. The chume is never far from her thoughts, or her heart.”

[Razielle Alastor]

The chume herself glanced over at Razielle. The Regent turned to her daughter with a questioning glance, sensing she had something on her mind, and her desires were of supreme importance. Leaning over slightly, Razielle angled her head downward for her daughter to once more lift her little hand and cover her mother's ear, whispering in hushed tones.

When she was done the little monarch straightened in her seat, placid look of calm once more on her cherubic features. Likewise, Razielle returned to her rigid posture but with the ghost of a smile playing about her lips. "Chume Beatrix wishes to know if you have brought her a gift."

[Salem Ave]

“But of course.”

He would not be permitted to approach the dais, let alone hand something to the young chume. Lira Terranova came forward to accept the offering, the eyes of the royal guard watching her and Salem with renewed interest. She took the neatly folded bundled of cloth from him and carefully unwrapped what lay inside: an impeccable string of diamonds. Laid against the dark cloth, they sparkled like a constellation, like the hundreds upon hundreds of stars that Beatrix Alastor held sovereignty over.

“The diamonds of Arkania are without equal,” he said. “I thought it a fitting token, for ereneda.”

[Razielle Alastor]

Lady Terranova brought the gift forward to Chume Beatrix, the royal guards looking on in mistrust as if they expected the diamonds to suddenly explode in an assassination attempt on the little chume. When one of them would have stopped Lira from presenting the gift, Razielle merely lifted a hand and gestured for her to stop. The guard realized her misstep and fell back at once looking decidedly contrite.

Kneeling upon the blue and gold qashmel carpet, just at the little girl's level, Lira held the strand of diamonds aloft on their dark cloth. Chume Beatrix picked them up and held them before her. Her unusually-hued eyes sparkled like the wind-crystal chandelier above the dais, as she looked on her gift. After carefully inspecting the necklace, her features softened into a smile with an impish look that she could only have learned from her mother.

Razielle did not watch the presentation of the gift, or see the resemblance of the smile. Her emotionless gaze was fixed on the man before them.

"What business does our sister send you here on, Excellency?", she inquired, indicating she would like to come to the point soon.

[Salem Ave]

“Matters of commerce.” Salem said, smiling apologetically. The Hapan court was fond of spectacle and grandeur. There was no better way to ensure that he was summarily ignored by the entire royal entourage than by involving himself with something so yawn-some as shipping forecasts.

“I have been graciously granted an audience with your trade minister, and am expecting to meet with Ambassador Vilissar too in good time.”

[Razielle Alastor]

"Excellent." With a single word, the matter seemed concluded. In reality the details of any trade correspondence would be brought before her for approval, before being implemented. Multitasking the innumerable responsibilities of the Consortium was something she had grown adept at, despite the never ending parade of wants and needs. She knew the majority of the commotion was the lesser nobles way of testing her rule. When they did, they found out that Razielle, like Ishara before her, did not submit to such schemes.

Glancing at her daughter once more, Razielle took note of the glassy look coming over her eyes. Beatrix would sit upon that throne all day if required, as was her duty, but she was still a small child and as such she did grow tired quickly. Flexing her pale, bejeweled fingers once more, Chume'la Alastor shifted her position slightly, toward the Ambassador of Onderon. "When your business is concluded you will come back to us. We wish you to courier a gift to our sister Queen." It did not sound like a request so much as a dismissal. Razielle caught Lady Terranova's eye and instantly she was announcing the retirement of the Chume and the Queen Regent.

[Salem Ave]

Salem bowed his head once more.

“As you wish.”

With that, the guards who had escorted him into the presence of the young Queen Mother and the Queen Regent moved wordlessly towards Salem Ave. He stood up straight as they fell in step beside him, sparing only a moments lingering glance for the young Queen Mother before obediently following his escort.

Guests to the Hapan court were well kept, particularly those whom the Consortium valued. No expense had been spared in the lodgings that Salem found himself ushered to. The view of the city was breath-taking, the rooms themselves lavish. Salem considered the opulence with a clinical eye, unmoved.

Two hours passed before he was permitted to meet with Chume'la Alastor once again. A new set of blue and gold clad guards-women formed his chaperone, not a hint of an expression on any one of their finely sculptured features.

[Razielle Alastor]

The dual-escort stopped at the doors which led into the Queen's Drawing Room. It was a suitable receiving area for a familiar, and most welcomed, guest. Many of the Consortium's own nobility had never been invited behind these doors. To be called here was both a high honor, and a sign of trust, as these rooms connected directly to the royal apartments where the little Chume herself resided. The guards looked to each other, clearly uncomfortable with this ambassador entering such hallowed halls as these.

The awkward silence was broken as the ornately carved doors opened to reveal the familiar face of Lira Terranova, now Lady Terranova, the first of Beatrix and Razielle's attendants. At present her task was to dismiss the guards-women. "Chume'la wishes to receive her guest for an informal visit, to better enjoy news of her dear Queen Adraudia. Her Highest Grace has already retired, so your services will not be required. I will serve as chaperone to Chume'la. You may go.", her superior tone was a new addition to Razielle's long time confidante, and one that she had obviously had to perfect around the Hapan court.

She stepped backward out of the way, opening the door wider. "Excellency, if you please? We do not wish to keep our lady waiting."

The moment the door closed behind them Lira's demeanor shifted from unyielding to her familiar friendly self. "I am sorry for that display, my lord.", she explained, though she probably did not need to. "Their diligence to our little Beatrix is commendable, but they are frightful difficult to shake."

Lira led the way through the opulently appointed series of rooms that made up the 'Queen's Drawing Room', each more grand than the last. Passing beneath the twinkle of a Kamarian-crystal chandelier, they were greeted with the sound of little-girl laughter. It came from the parlor just ahead. Clearly Lady Terranova had lied most neatly about the Chume being put down for the evening, though she no doubt would be soon. The lady stopped walking and gestured ahead with a wise, but reserved smile. "They are waiting for you."

[Salem Ave]

The great wealth and even greater vanity of the Hapan Court was plain to see in the chambers that Lira ushered Salem through. Each was more fantastic than the last, full of paintings, tapestries and plinths that carried trophies taken from all the worlds of the Consortium and beyond. A bust of the late Ishara Alastor stood on display in the last room, the late Queen Mothers proud features cast in ivory as cool and flawless as the woman herself had been.

“They are waiting for you,” Lira Terrnova said with a smile. Salem drew his eyes away from the face of Ishara, still a hint of a smile on his lips too. Without any further delay, he pushed open the set of double doors in front of him and entered the private chambers of the young Queen Mother of Hapes.

[Razielle Alastor]

She could feel it. The connection between them was ever present, writhing through her blood and her mind, guiding her decisions, reminding her why she was here in this gilded cage called the Consortium. The proximity of one half to the other had caused the arcane binding between them to stir.

Reflexively her thumb rubbed at the third finger of her left hand, as if to toy with a ring where there was none. All the jewels of the Chume and the Queen Regent had been safely returned to locked boxes, upon beds of satin. The pair of royal ladies had changed from their cumbersome court gowns into more agreeable wear, Beatrix into a short-sleeved nightgown of peach silk, and her mother into a sheer blue evening gown (http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h227/Drakania/blue.jpg). Both ladies, however, were conspicuously barefoot, preferring to pad about the polished tiles and thick-piled carpets unimpeded by restrictive shoes.

The burning sensation encircling her finger intensified. Close now.

The square-shaped parlor was sunken at the center of four hallways, each leading to a different area of the living quarters. Three steps from each direction led down to a sitting area. Beatrix, safe behind locked and guarded doors, played on the floor. Smooth blocks of what appeared to be precious stones were scattered on the floor around her. All save two which hovered in the air before her, the source of her girlish giggles. Razielle sat in a straight backed chair, long ropes of her dark curls spilled over her shoulders as she watched her daughter at play. When the doors opened she looked up, very slowly..

[Salem Ave]

As he descended the steps to the sunken parlor, Salem Ave regarded the young Chume at play. She was so delighted at the sight of the blocks turning and revolving in front of her that she did not see the white-eyed man watching her. With a gesture as if he were snatching an irksome fly out of the air in front of him, Salem called the blocks towards him. They landed in his hand with a clack of stone against stone, the sound silencing Beatrix's laughter. Salem glanced at the blocks, then at Razielle.

“Did you teach her to do that?”

[Razielle Alastor]

Beatrix did not fuss or complain, as any normal child of her age would have. Rather, she simply turned around and gave Salem the full force of her 'displeased face' for taking her toys. Her cherubic countenance changed from angel to irritated imp in the blink of an eye, but she said nothing. In contrast, Razielle's placid expression did not change at all. She shifted in her seat a bit, but otherwise did not react.

"Hardly. Some things, the Chume just knows. She is a most brilliant little monarch.", she smiled in obvious pride down at her daughter's turned head.

"Beatrix.", she said, softly instantly claiming the child's attention. "What is the rule?"

Rising from the floor, Beatrix stood before her mother, hands tucked behind her back as she recited. "Only with you, Mama."

Her obedience faltered a bit as an excuse bubbled out of her. "It is not my fault. He snuck up on me." Disdain, dripped from the four-year-old's tone.

"Did he? Or were you just not paying attention?", Razielle quizzed her with a grin. Her gaze shifted behind Beatrix, to Salem again, to see his reaction to a misbehaving Queen Mother.

[Salem Ave]

“I see that the Chume has inherited her mothers capacity for discretion,” Salem observed as he set the blocks down on a nearby table. Beatrix peered at him, not understanding his words but evidently recognising the tone in his voice.

[Razielle Alastor]

Razielle knew this game. Calm, rational Salem, baiting her with her own flaws until the simmer of irritation boiled over into a full-blown rage and she did something ridiculously stupid. She recognized the board being set.

Beatrix was now looking at her with confusion. No one spoke to her mother that way, and if they did, they disappeared shortly thereafter. Razielle gave her a wink and slowly pushed out of the chair. "No, she inherited my penchant for bending the rules to suit herself. Her stubbornness, however, I'm quite certain she got from her father. "

Bending at the waist, Razielle gave her daughter a kiss on the tip of her nose. "Lira says she drew a bubble bath for you and that your warships are floating and ready for conquest. Off you go. I'll see you for breakfast, we'll take it in the garden, if you like?" Her irritation with Salem forgotten, Beatrix brightened and ran off on barefeet down one of the four hallways, after Lira.

[Salem Ave]

Salem stood in silence until he could no longer hear the pattering of small footsteps receding.

Then, still facing towards the hallway Beatrix had disappeared into, he turned to look side-on at Razielle.

“She seems... happy.”

[Razielle Alastor]

"As happy as anyone bred in captivity can be, yes." Despite her words there was no anger in her voice, no regret, just simple truth. Her expression remained as cool as virgin snow. Beatrix had no friends her own age, because Razielle could not trust anyone. The children of the other highborn families could potentially be used to harm, or influence her daughter. Chume'la Razielle would suffer neither contagion or scheme where the girl was concerned.

Lifting the hem of her gauzy dress, she ascended the steps opposite the direction Beatrix has disappeared. At the top, a subtle pull at the corner of her lips threatened to reveal itself, but vanished just as quickly. "Walk with me..?", it was a polite invitation, but she had grown so used to absolute authority that the request sounded almost..forced.

[Salem Ave]

Ascending from the sunken parlour with two long strides, Salem offered the Queen Regent an arm as he arrived at her side.

“Ta'a Chume'Dan is vast. Where shall we walk to?”

[Razielle Alastor]

Once again that day Razielle was taken with a peculiar sense of déjà vu. It seemed so long ago that she had enjoyed the simple pleasure of just going for a walk with Salem. That was before the maelstrom of Hapes and all it's demands. With the bitter came the sweet though, if she had not traveled to Hapes seeking out commerce between Chume Ishara and Queen Adraudia's interests, she might have not proven her dedication to Salem at all.

Now that was a memorable evening... The ghost of her former smile threatened again, but never quite formed. "Not far, I promise."

As she had many times before, her fingers encircled his biceps, maybe with a touch more of a caress than was proper for the regent and a mere ambassador, but there was nothing that could be defined as mere about them. With an unhurried pace, she led the way forward. The walk found them passing by another set of double doors, more elaborate than any seen thus far, these were covered in solid gold and depicted twin emblems of the crown of Hapes. She did not stop there, but kept walking leading them to a crystal palace of a green room. Now this was all Razielle. She had taken the blank slate of a terrace and enclosed it to make a room all her own. Thriving plants and trees blooming everywhere received light from all angles of the transparasteel windows, and yet nothing could touch or her daughter in this sanctuary. In the middle of the room, surrounded by the soft patter of artificial rainfall over the gardens, there was set an intimate table with all sorts of delicacies awaiting.

"I thought you might be hungry.", she supposed, retrieving her arm from his and approaching the table. She selected a bright red apple from a bowl of fruit and turned, leaning a hip against the table. "I could do with a bite."

[Salem Ave]

It was almost as if by passing through the threshold into the sanctuary, they had left behind Hapes and returned to the palace gardens in Iziz. Every shade of green was on display. Buds bloomed in hues from the deepest crimson to lilacs as pale as moonlight and rich gold, the colour of which would have put even the Hapan Royal Gardens burnished armour to shame. In the perpetual daylight of the Hapes Cluster, even a garden as lush as this could never wither. A stately tree provided dappled shade to the table Razielle stood by, its broad canopy ensuring that scarcely a drop of rain fell upon the Queen Regents shoulders.

“Hapan food is too rich for my tastes, but I'd welcome something.. simple, and raw.”

[Razielle Alastor]

Razielle rotated the perfect red apple before her, gazing into it's nearly reflective skin as if she could discern the mysteries of the universe there. When her lips pulled into the first genuine grin of the day it was unclear whether the cause was something foreseen in the fruit, or Salem's peculiar Arkanian appetite. "I anticipated you might say that.."

At one place setting was a covered dish, awaiting discovery. Moving around the table on light footsteps, she lifted the lid away and set it down. "Plicto Cruda. Lightly seasoned so as to be almost bare, but an otherwise untouched cut of the choicest meat, suitably lacerated into bite-sized bits. Enjoy."

Her brow arched almost triumphantly before she took the seat opposite and selected the sharpest knife on the table. Chume'la Razielle did not just sink her teeth into the fruit like a common beast of burden crunching away at vegetation. Rather, she made eating an art form, beginning with the slow removal of the ruby-red skin, baring the pale white flesh beneath.

[Salem Ave]

The ambassador took his seat without any ceremony. Then, with meticulous care, he unfolded a crisp white napkin and smoothed it over his lap.

“Did you prepare this yourself?” Salem asked as he selected a piece of meat and skewered it with his fork, one corner of his lips lifting ever so slightly.

[Razielle Alastor]

"Of course I did. Slaughtered the plicto, and butchered it in the field and everything.", very obviously she had done no such thing, but that did not keep her from making the claim.

The apple was nearly completely peeled now, it's serpentine crimson skin dropped to the plate before her in a curious pattern which brought a secret smile to her lips. Razielle did not comment on it, but instead set about sectioning the fruit into perfect, naked slices. When that was done, she brought one slice to her waiting mouth and popped between her lips with enjoyment.

[Salem Ave]

Salem chewed slowly, savouring the flavour of the meat as he watched Razielle carve into her fruit. He swallowed. His jaw flexed, tightened.

“Can you remember what that feels like?” He speared another bloody morsel, held it poised and ready to eat. “To kill? It must have been.. some time.”

[Razielle Alastor]

Razielle's gaze wandered from Salem's achromatic eyes to his jaw, appreciating the play of the muscles there as they become pronounced mid-swallow.

"I've not forgotten..", she confirmed softly, though she was certain there was more than one conversation running course at present. Confident she could manage to keep up with both, she sampled another nibble of her fruit. "Perhaps my appetites have changed. Other interests engage me more, I find."

[Salem Ave]

As he swallowed another bite, Salem made an 'mmm' that was half appreciation and half contemplation. He licked a fleck of blood from his thin, pale lips.

“And what.. engages ereneda now?”

[Razielle Alastor]

Having finished cleaving the apple into perfectly symmetrical white slices, she pulled a small gilt-rimmed fruit plate over and began lining them one upon the other into a orderly spiral, equally as flawless. "Sovereignty. Authority. Being obeyed. Making sure that all of my little golden birds fly as they are commanded."

Plucking a slice from her perfect plate, Razielle rose and walked around the table, disappearing behind the ambassador's chair momentarily. Leaning down close to his side after a moment, she offered him one of her impeccably trimmed bites. "Surely you can appreciate such qualities..?"

[Salem Ave]

It did not come as a surprise to Salem to find that she had taken so well to her role within the Consortium, and his wider plans. Though she had come to Onderon as a royal ward, Razielle Shadana had been born to rule. Taking on the mantle of Queen Regent was as natural to her as flight was to a drexl.

“Of course. There is a great deal I appreciate about you,” Salem replied, though his tone remained even and cool, his head turned just enough to see Razielle out of the corner of his eye.

[Razielle Alastor]

Of that she was certain. Razielle knew very well how much having the entirety of the Consortium at his beck and call meant to Salem, or rather.. to Callidus. Which brought the question back to her, not for the first time that day, which one was before her now? Lover and husband, or Master come to check up on his interests, and how would she respond to either?

Not waiting to ask if he was finished with his plate, Razielle slid it out of her way. The soft rustle of her silk dress brushed against Salem, as she slid herself into the vacant spot before him. She sat back upon the table, bare feet dangling. "Really?", she braced her hands behind her and tilted her head in speculation. "What else, exactly, do you appreciate?"

[Salem Ave]

Salem reclined, considering the woman before him. Time and training had changed her, but at her core Razielle was Razielle. The hint of defiance in the lift of her chin, the challenge in her eyes...

“I could provide you with a practical demonstration,” he said, laying a hand on the tabletop beside her, just inches away.

Clawed fingertips curled against the surface of the table. “But I fear this is not the time, or the place.”

[Razielle Alastor]

Sitting up straight, she leaned forward bringing her pale face very near to his. Her own hands curled around the edge of the table. Leveling a pointed glance upon the man before her, she had the look of someone not about to back down. "Not that I'm not ecstatic to entertain you, ambassador, but... why are you here?"

There was a hint of a growl in her tone, something that implied the violent side of her, Anxia, was not entirely gone, just restrained beneath the weight of the Hapan crown.

[Darth Callidus]

Laying his other hand flat against the tabletop, Salem began to rise to his feet, undaunted by the glare that might have pinned a lesser man in his place. As he stood, something passed over the Arkanian's angular features. A ripple across his skin like mist, darkening the hollows of his eyes and making his features bone-sharp. He ran his palms smoothly across the tables surface until they slid up and over Razielle's hands, tight around her slim wrists.

“Ahh,” Callidus breathed. “There you are.”

[Razielle Alastor]

Her head tilted back to watch him as he rose, fully appreciating every second of the fluid motion. With her throat arched backward to take in his height above her, she could have been afraid, if she were nothing more than a pretty face upon the throne of Hapes. Instead, she was much more.

Not yet desiring to free her wrists from his grasp, she slid off the table and stood toe-to-toe with him. There was no space between the two now, not even enough for breath. "Yes, here I am. The prized possession, locked away like so much lost treasure and here you are, provoking me..."

Without further warning she slipped his grasp, her hands lifting, clutching his face, her thumbs along his cheekbones, her fingertips digging into his scalp pulling him toward her.

[Darth Callidus]

When she dragged him towards her, Callidus did not resist: he pushed. Pushed her backwards onto the table, cups and plates and cutlery clattering to the floor. Pushed with one hand at her throat as he bent low over her like a shade, his cadaverous mask looming just above her face. He inhaled deeply and felt the emotions that simmered beneath her skin, the Dark Side writhing within her.

“You are mine to provoke.. Anxia.”

[Razielle Alastor]

Suitably flattened against the table, her legs dangling over the side and Callidus above her, Anxia did not struggle. It would have gained her nothing by doing so. She lifted her head, speaking through clenched teeth, to keep herself from biting him like some wild thing. "Am I?", she smirked at him, as if she were not utterly aware of the fact, pushing him toward further violence.

[Darth Callidus]

Unseen behind his skeletal mask, Salem's upper-lip twitched though the face of Callidus remained impassive. By slow seconds his grasp on her neck grew tighter, clawed fingertips pressing into her pale, unmarked flesh.

“Do you.. forget your place?”

[Razielle Alastor]

"My place..? Yes, I seem to have forgotten. Oh, yes.. here is my place. Regent of the Consortium, right where you caged me, Master.", she started out in something of a snarl, but the gradually increasing pressure forced the pitch of her voice higher, choking off at the end, culminating in a rasp which quieted her words, but she would not be silenced.

Careful, darling. You wouldn't want to damage your pretty puppet. I'm an expensive toy.

Her mockery of a mutiny was costing her, little asphyxiating stars were winking behind her eyes.

[Salem Ave]

It was the second time in a matter of months that he'd been confronted with the prospect of having to choke the life out of one of his obedient apprentices. Unlike Lilaena before her (http://sw-fans.net/forum/showthread.php?t=21815), Razielle did not squirm or struggle under her masters grasp. Theirs was a different game. There were no tears, no pain in her eyes. She lay there, staring up at him with a look that said: do it. I dare you.

So he did. He pressed harder, lowering his face to hers. As he drew closer, the mask of Callidus misted away. Salem's lips were parted and when Razielle choked out an involuntary strangled gasp, he kissed her – his lips brushing hers faintly at first but then with more force.

[Razielle Alastor]

Her eyes drifted closed, whether from fading consciousness or ecstasy she could not say. This would be the moment where any normal woman would begin to struggle. To fight to keep the breath in her lungs. To push her attacker away, but that was not what she did. Erenada could, and would, redefine normal to suit her pleasure. Her breath escaped her, and Salem took it, reiterating to her without another word what had already been writ on her soul. She was his creature, down to her last breath. Feigned defiance blew away within her strangled gasp, even as her lips were parting to him in eager compliance.

[Salem Ave]

Shallow breaths shuddered against his lips. He watched her violet eyes close, felt her pulse slowing. Even in this, her sanctuary, she was not safe from him. The energies of the Force within Razielle cried out to Salem as her consciousness slipped into shadow...

When she awoke, there was no table beneath her and the light and colour of the garden was gone. She was laying on a bed – her bed – and Salem stood over her, watching her intently. He smoothed an errant strand of dark hair back from her brow then traced the curve of her cheek with the back of his fingers.

[Razielle Alastor]

Her eyes did not see the crown-shaped canopy (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Royal_Bedchamber) above her bed, or the gilt sheer curtains that draped in long golden shimmers to the floor. The ultimate in exquisite furnishings and finery meant absolutely nothing to her in comparison to what, or rather who, stood before her now. Her blood stirred in her veins, turning from the cold sluggish flow of unconsciousness, to sun-baked honey warming her flesh.

She turned her cheek into his hand, all defiance gone, replaced with the affection of an obedient kitten. His fingers brushed from her cheek to her lips, red and puffy from rough kisses, his touch dragging against her bottom lip. She opened her mouth and drew one clawed digit within, to clutch between her teeth. Releasing his finger, she pushed up and rose to her knees, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her head against his chest. "You cannot stay away for so long.", she tilted her head back to peer up at him, extreme longing in her, now unveiled, eyes. It was phrased in the words of someone to be obeyed, but clearly delivered with the fervent urgency of a prayer.

[Salem Ave]

Salem ran one hand over hair, smoothing the strands that had become tousled during her dreamless sleep, then slid his palm down to the small of her back.

“I'm going to seek out and make allies of the Rebellion soon. When the time comes to bring the Consortium into that alliance, I will be able to travel to Hapes more frequently,” he said, touching his free hand to her chin.

He had resigned the premiership of Iziz City - but setting aside one title and set of responsibilities meant assuming another. Ambassador Ave was no less preoccupied than Prime Minister Ave had been; his preoccupations simply took him further afield. One by one, the students of Darth Callidus were being scattered about the galaxy. Not at random, but with the precision and placement of a dejarik grand master. He could not afford for any one of the pieces to fall from their places, least of all Razielle.

[Razielle Alastor]

"I'll anticipate the day." Years and waiting had not made her a patient soul, but it had given her skill enough to shove back her impatience when it reared it's golden-crowned head.

Shifting around she rose up higher, sliding her palms over his chest, to curl around his shoulders. She tilted her head to the side in speculation. "Or I could just throw you in a dungeon now and indulge my more base desires."

As much merit as the idea had, she knew better. Everything was part of a greater plan and despite her frustration now, holding the course was of the utmost importance. She accepted it, she just didn't have to be gracious about it keeping him parted from her now. In a flash of unnatural speed, she spun around turning the tables on her beloved, pushing him back to sink into the mattress of the royal bedding, where she joined him in a sprawl.

[Salem Ave]

What was torture to a Hapan? A hair out of place, an outfit with colours that did not complement one another. The almost absurd notion of a Hapan dungeon drew a harsh hmph of laughter from Salem though as Razielle knelt over him, the ghost of a smile on his lips faded a little.

[Razielle Alastor]

Razielle chose to ignore the look of utter incredulity at the thought of a dungeon in his future. She was far from done with Salem. Sliding a knee over his waist she sat upright, smiling down at him from her perch of importance. Clutching his clawed hands in her own, she lifted and pushed back, until the backs of his hands were flat against the mattress and she leaned over him fully.

"Terrible things await.", she teased, rolling her hips forward to settle herself exactly as she wanted to be.

[Salem Ave]

“I think all of this power has gone to your head...”

Salem shifted beneath Razielle, though he didn't push back against her hold on him. He liked how she looked when she thought she had control over him.

“You know there's no prison in this galaxy that could contain me.”

[Razielle Alastor]

Smirking a bit, Razielle arched upright pondering the possibility that her new authority had gone to her head. Probably. Tipping her head backward and letting her hair spill down her back, she curled her toes. As he moved beneath her she bit her lip in response, smiling in sinful pleasure.

"I know..", she confirmed. Scooting backward, she slid off Salem onto the bed behind her. Her legs remained over top of his, her feet planted on the mattress on either side of his hips.

"You are no more meant for caging than I am." She leaned back onto her elbows, watching him.

[Salem Ave]

“Yet here we are.”

Salem smiled as he gazed up into the crown-shaped canopy above them. Duty surrounded them, bound them at all times, but Salem did not suffer under it. A master of dejarik knew that the game could not be won in a single round, nor could it be won without sacrifices. In time, the ends would justify the means.

White eyes sliding back down towards the woman lying before him, Salem allowed his smile to grow. He rose onto his knees and bent over Razielle, hands on either sides of her shoulders.

“We'd best make the most of it.”

[Razielle Alastor]

It had been upon the tip of her tongue to tell him she quite agreed, followed up with a saucy suggestion of how they could make the wisest use of their time. The need for witty banter had left her though. Sensing she was no longer confronting one of his many masks, but now Salem himself changed, the situation. Everything in her responded and yielded in kind. The mask she wore, one that provided her witticisms and the facade of an unaffected goddess fell away, leaving her aching and hollow. Only Salem could fill that void in her soul.

Still reclined upon her elbows, with him leaning over her, Razielle lifted her violet eyes to meet white. Lifting one hand she trailed her fingertips over his cheek to his jaw, breathless for a moment before giving voice to her desire. "Kiss me.."

Wrapped not just in his arms, but also in his power, was the only place Razielle truly felt content, and it had been so long..