Noble Deception

[Mari Bean]

A young woman in her mid-twenties sat at a heavy wooden table, tapping her fingers on the smooth, light brown surface. Her long, dark hair cascaded down her back and covered half of her face, contrasting with her fair skin, as she stared at nothing with dark brown eyes that seemed to hold a secret of some sort. Spinning around at a sudden sound behind her, her eyes were bathed in sunlight from a window over looking the table, and they shimmered from brown to a golden amber. Her husband shut the door behind him, and looked at her with a hateful expression that he had acquired very suddenly just a few days ago. She stared back impassively, not really worried at Richard's temper tantrum of unknown causes for she had a much bigger problem at hand.

On the eve of red moon, six years from this day, a child of dark birth will watch the genocide of her people. Born eight springs ago on the third day after the green's coming, her heart will know true evil on this day, as none of Soul Walker heritage has ever known...

Aurora was at her wit's end, trying every form of calming excerises to ease her nerves, so that she might be calm enough to think of the best solution for her problem. Every member of the Soul Walker Clan by birthright were afraid to the point where they were killing their own children because they fit into the category stated in the vision. Soul Walkers always listened to their dreams and visions, knowing from experience that very often they hid some important meaning. A young woman from the capital of the tiny, insignificant planet, had a powerful vision, screaming the words after being unconscious for three days, and then dying. Or so the rumor said. Aurora never paid much mind to rumors, even the one's so strong that they reached her, way out in the wooded country of Yumaros, but after that rumor followed a warning. Hectic young men and women were combing the continent, searching for any eight year old girls, and killing them.

For the first time, Aurora actually wished that she hadn't wanted a daughter born in the spring. Mari fit the description almost exactly, but her mother didn't think any type of evil could ever fill her daughter. Little Bean was a healer, which, due to her heritage, seemed like a gross oxymoron. The little girl, short for her age, was always finding hurt animals to bandage up, and after weeks of begging, had convinced her mother to let her have a garden. Her mother was mortified, but could not keep her daughter from something she enjoyed... even though training to survive was much more important in her mind.

Still feeling her husband's raw anger through the bond they shared after Aurora had taken a part of his very soul, she sighed and stood, finally fed up with his uncalled anger.

[Mari Bean]

The wooden steps barely creaking under her weight, Aurora stepped almost silently up the stairs, heading towards the bedroom she shared with Richard, the place she knew him to be. After reaching the top of the stairs, she paused, knowing that her husband knew that she was right outside the door, and waited until a new wave of fury had subsided somewhat before entering. The tall, broad-shouldered man she had made hers almost 9 years ago was pacing the length of the room, one hand rubbing his forehead and the other clenched into a tight fist.

She opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off as soon as the light-haired man turned towards her. He spoke with quiet conviction, his voice carrying a dangerous tone.

"I know what you are thinking... but I will not allow you to do it. You will have to kill me first."

Closing her mouth, confusion swirling among her thoughts, she spoke in almost the same tone as her unwilling mate.

"And what exactly am I thinking?"

"You will not kill my daughter because of some so-called vision a so-called seer had in a city full of witches!!!"

At the last word, an unexpected blow to the face knocked the heavy man over, the small woman stepping over him to grab the front of his shirt and pull his face close to hers.

"You think I would kill my first child? I'd sooner kill you, than my little bean."

Smoky gray eyes met shimmering golden as they stared at each other silently, each trying to weigh the others credibility. Aurora let go of his shirt, and spun away from him, anger shaking her light voice as she spoke.

"You think I've been sitting here for two days, thinking of a way to kill her? Is that why you were angry?"

All he could was nod, the importance of the matter he had erred in so egregiously rendering him speechless. A door opening and slamming could be heard downstairs, and the thud of little boots falling upon the steps, as a small child ran up the stairs to find her parents. The eight-year old girl opened the door without knocking, her face beaming with excitement and plenty of dirt, and ran into her mother's skirts, hugging her legs.

"Mama! I found a bunnies' den! It's right in front of the house!"

Love and a tinge of regret flowed through the Soul Walker, the love that any mother has for her child, but the regret that her child had to be so weak. She stroked the little girl's smooth hair absently while she tried to think of what to do.

[Mari Bean]

Orange brilliance bathed Aurora in it's fading light as the slight woman leaned on the rail of the porch of the house that she had helped build. Something about the sunset always calmed her, the oranges and fuchsias and reds blending together to form an ever changing swirl of calm. A light breeze blew her dark hair back occasionally, and soon, a dust cloud began to kick up at the edge of her vision. Knowing well that the zephyr couldn't disturb the ground so, she peered at it, trying to discover what it might be.

Soon, vehicles came into view, speeders and trucks, forming the great cloud that hung around them. To Aurora, it looked like a great beast, it's fetid breath floating on the wind to tease her, before it came to swallow up her only child. She spun and ran into two-story house screaming her daughter's name, until she ran into the large frame of her husband. Surprise rolled through him as he saw panic in her eyes, something he had never seen before. He knew what was coming. Together, they ran out behind the house and called for Mari, screaming frantically, and hoping that the child could hear.

Richard ran past a few trees, and stopped suddenly when he saw a brown lump in the tall grass. Then it giggled. Scooping up the oblivious girl, he called to Aurora and they ran back to the old-fashioned house. Richard set his daughter down and squatted in front of her, peering into her liquid eyes.

"Mari, you must do something for us. It is of great importance. We need you to tell the people that are coming that you are five years old."

He chose that age because that was the age she looked. He knew better than to tell her that her life was in danger, for that might send the girl into a panic, and she wouldn't be able to lie believably. Mari peered up at her father and simply said:

"But I am eight years old."

His heart sank when he realized that his daughter had his stubbornness... and most likely her mother's pride. She wouldn't give in, because she was taught to be proud of herself and her heritage... and had probably extended that to her age.

The increasing noise of the nearing vehicles ceased suddenly, and Aurora's head jerked up, staring towards the back of her house. The pounding of hands on the door could be heard, and the sound of frantic people running around the house to where they were. Aurora looked at her daughter pleadingly, but her expression never changed, and she would not yield.

Eyes golden from the fading light turned steel and she turned, picking up her light summer skirts to wade in the tall grass quickly, until she reached a heavy branch that had been struck from a tree in a storm the other night. Picking up the branch, the bark rubbing off onto her hand, she turned, her eyes misty.

"Forgive me, little bean."

Slicing the air with it's speed, the heavy branch struck the child in the back of the head. The golden skinned child fell slowly in her mother's eyes, until she crumpled in a heap. Aurora knew her daughter would probably lose most of her memory, but that was nothing compared to losing her life. Richard stared at the hard woman in astonishment, which soon changed to acceptance, as he carefully lifted the small child, and turned towards the nearing voices.

[Mari Bean]

"The child was in an accident. She hit her head, and may be unconscious for a few days. She is only five years old..."


Aurora sat in a wooden chair near a window, staring at the pinpricks of white light in the darkest of night skies. She pondered over if she had done the right thing. Looking away from the window, she glanced at a little girl, sitting cross-legged on the floor, reading. This was not her Mari. She remembered all the times she wished that her daughter didn't have such a soft heart, and now wished that she hadn't.

The young girl's cold brown eyes settled on her mother's and they shared a moment of soul searching... Could this still be my daughter? Her garden was over-run by weeds. Small animals didn't appear in the kitchen anymore, and Aurora didn't receive any more warm embraces.

A smile touched Mari's lips, as if saying that Aurora was now paying the price for making wishes without considering the consequences, but then they parted and she spoke:

"When do we begin my training, Mother?"

No more 'Mama'...

"When your father returns."

[Mari Bean]

Black... and pain.

*The young Sith Knight sat up in the pitch-black room, disoriented and blind. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness and she fumbled around for a button, and upon finding it, smashed her hand on it. Blue-green light blinded her momentarily, and squinting her eyes, she was able to read the chronometer sitting beside her small bed. Almost sunset. She had slept longer then she had anticipated. It had been a day since her apprentice disappeared, and she felt that if he didn't have a really good reason, then he should be dreading the day she decides to go look for him. Which would probably be soon.

The light blankets that covered her bed were thrown off with slight irritation, and yawning, she made her way to the fresher to get clean. After she was finished, she removed a pair of black pants from a closet and shook them out before doning them. Over her head went a white tank top, and on her feet went her customary steel-toed black boots, followed by her lightsaber on her hip. She walked quickly to the door of her quarters and out of it, scrubbing a hand through her now shoulder-length hair as she went.

Making her way down the black walled corridor of HQ, she passed Trace Sha's quarters, and paused, considering if she should ask him to join her. Deciding against it, she proceeded down the corridor, to the lifts. She boarded one, and rode it to the surface of Munto Codru. The sky was already beginning to turn orange, so she hurried to a tall building in the city. She entered, and upon realizing that it was an apartment complex, mentally shrugged, and made her way to the top. A few occupants of the complex peeked past their doors, but each one would glance at her hip, and shut the door and begin to bolt it, causing her to grin. It felt good to be able to instill a measure of fear into the general population.

She reached the top, and sat cross-legged on a ledge, her eyes seeming to glow with the amber brilliance that was inherited from her mother. The sunset captivated the young knight, so that anything short of the building collapsing under her would go unnoticed. Something about the beauty of the dying light always made her feel more... content with her way of life. Sunrises were beautiful as well, but they lacked the certain anticipation of the overpowering twilight that always resulted after a sunset. Smiling slightly, she continued to enjoy her simple pleasure, the killing of light by the power of dark.*

[Trace Sha]

:: As the flames of the two candles sitting at each end of the wall before him lapped and swayed from the ventilation system’s airflow, Trace sat in a chair in the middle of the room, staring straight ahead at his newest acquisition One that he thought may be a key to getting the owner, to actually show a different side of himself, if he survived the encounter in which he lost them.

He had claimed the Jedi known as Warren Azalin’s wings during a battle on Courascant and had recently heard rumors that the plucked Jedi, had been seen, still drawing breath and very much alive, having replaced his severed natural wings with mechanical ones.

Looking forward blankly, with his hands intertwined before his face, the Sith Knight, considered the day he would seek Warren out, to test the fact of his possibly holding vengeful or spiteful feelings and maybe even acting on them. Trace still hated the man with every fiber of his being and would one day be the deliverer of his death. It was an oath he made to himself, after their first meeting, and it was an oath he would never forget.

Just out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the lines of light below his door flicker. Turning his head to face it, he could feel the presence of the one who passed by on this eve. A very familiar presence it was, one that shook him from his thoughts of revenge against the Jedi, at least for now, and made him curious as to if there may be something going on.

Rising from his chair, he headed for the door and exited his darkened room, following not too far behind. She wasn’t in his sight, but her presence was something he could easily distinguish from all the other Sith in HQ, and once he stepped outside after going up the lift. It was even simpler, knowing where she went. Her Force signature standing out like a beacon among the pathetic flatscans on this planet.

Stopping at the base of the building she was atop, he wondered if he should be following her, knowing full well that if she required his assistance for anything, she would have stopped at his door when she passed, and requested it. Well, at least he hoped so. But his desire to make certain that the one he had helped rescue once before didn’t require his aid drove him to follow this far, but he would not be so intrusive as to go all the way to where she was now.

He could tell she was stationary in her place at the building’s top, and would just remain here on the ground level, waiting for any kind of disturbance or communication, because if he could so easily sense here here, he knew the same held true for her. He watched as the residents of the city, hurriedly passed by him, quickly averting their eyes, after seeing his garb. The long black coat, open so that his saber was easily reachable, his black taped hands, and his steel plated boots, made it obvious to the citizens that he was one of the ones who had oppressed their world and was responsible for killing many of their family and friends in doing so. ::

[Mari Bean]

*Pale moonlight bathed the young Sith's cheeks in it's milky light, before she finally stood to leave. Her reason for being there had expired, and she had other things to do. Or could think of something else to do. As she was turning, a shoulder smacked into her side with surpising strength, and caught off guard, she had no time to regain her balance. The night sky met her eyes, and the top of the building began to get smaller, as did the person standing on top of it, his pale teeth gleaming in the moonlight as he grinned.

The feeling of weightlessness was indeed a nice one, but Mari had no intention of riding this ride to the end. Mari pancakes had very little appeal to the Sith Knight, so she began to search for a way off. Spinning around midair, she was able to see under her... before her stomach lurched at the sight of the ground speeding closer. Trying her best not to heave her insides up, she searched something to grab on to.

An oppurtune window ledge presented itself directly under her, and bracing herself, she closed her eyes, and tensed, reaching her hands out. As her fingers gained hold of the ledge, her insides suddenly lurched, still wanting to go, the force of gravity so strong in it's hold. Grimacing, she attempted to dig her nails into the metal of the ledge, and pulled herself up, now wishing that she hadn't liked those steel-toed boots so much.

A nice crowd of people had gathered under her, each person pointing and murmuring to each other. This time, she reached out with the force, making sure her friend from the roof wasn't behind her window. After doing so, she noticed a familar presence somewhere below her, and sighed. Wonderful. Mari needed rescuing. Again.

And who in their right mind would try and push a Sith off a building top?*

[Trace Sha]

:: It was sudden and very unexpected. Her presence ceased being stationary and began to get closer, much faster than he expected a simple approach to be. Craning his neck he looked upward and could just make out her form heading ground ward, seemingly not by choice as he spied her grab onto a ledge and haul herself inside the window.

A small shadow could be seen, apparently peering over the edge of the roof, watching what Trace assumed may have been his handiwork. With a quick sneer of rage, Trace called the Darkside to his aid and nudged the shadow atop the roof, just about the same time his head darted back out of sight.

The man’s form once again became visible as his body came lurching over the ledge, having been shoved by Trace’s displeasure and violent backlash that emotion feed to the Darkside. The man would soon be passing the same window Mari had entered and Trace intended for her to know what was happening.

Reaching out with his feelings of getting revenge on one who would try to harm one important to him, one of his fellow Sith, and one whom he had a bond with, he sent her a message via the Force, as she stood just inside the window. ::

”The one responsible for your fall should be passing your location in mere moments, if you wish to kill him yourself, or stop him and inquire as to a motive for his trangression.”

[Mari Bean]

*The 20-something year old man plummeted to the ground with amazing speed, having been knocked from his place on top of the building by something he couldn't see. He had no idea what it was, but he figured that it was that thing called 'the force' on this strange planet. Not fearing death, for he had long since abandoned hope for life, he simply murmered words to his parents, saying that he would be joining them soon.

The brave young man didn't fear death... but he was completely and utterly shocked when a hand thrust from one of the many dark windows and yanked him in. His eyes wide as teacups, straining in the unaccustomed darkness, he was able to pick out the outline of a very familiar face. A voice exploded in his head, darkness oozing from every word.*

"Do you believe a Sith would die that easily? Are you stupid, or just have a deathwish. You have five seconds to answer."

*Wasting several precious seconds by catching flies in his open mouth, he scrambled out the words.... not an explanation of his actions, but an exclamation of surprise.*

"You're a Sith, Mari?!?"

*The hand released him as if burned and as soon as he hit the ground he was lifted again, this time by the unseen force. The little person in front of him roared, not using her mind tricks, but her own powerful voice.*

"How do you know my name?"

[Trace Sha]

:: One corner of his mouth rose higher, the half grin on his face growing as he looked up and saw the man snatched from the air and disappear into the building. Apparent to him, Mari had decided to make this one pay for what had transpired herself, just as he had provided her the opportunity to.

Letting his neck relax his eyes fell from their upward gaze and he scanned those around him, none of whom had any clue what was really happening. Some of them had witnessed the Man’s fall, following Trace look, but didn’t understand that he was responsible.

Chuckling lightly to himself, Trace moved away from the bewildered crowd and entered the building, making his way to where he knew Mari to be, so that he could witness either the aftermath of the carnage she would undoubtedly deal, or perhaps even witness it as she did so. ::

[Mari Bean]

*He hit the wall with a sickening smack, sliding down it, and coughing up blood, as his answer wasn't quick enough for the angry, little Sith. Eyes blazing with anger, she grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled his face close to hers, her lips twisted in a hateful snarl.*

"I'll ask again... How do you know my name?"

*Swallowing deeply to avoid spitting up blood in her face, for that would surely secure his death, he answered with a quivering voice, frightened of what the little girl he once knew had become.*

"We used to play outside of the city whenever your mother brought you along when she did her errands... Don't you remember?"

*He hit the ground with a thud when she dropped him for the second time out of shock. After regaining her composure, she began to glare at him again, causing him to whimper slightly... He answered her question... Why was she still mad?*

"That doesn't explain why you pushed me off a building."

*Oh... That. He scrambled to explain, hoping she would give him a quick death after she knew, for she wouldn't like it very much.*

"You disappeared right before the planet was destroyed. I was off with my da, trying to secure a trade route to Yumaros, when I heard. You are the girl from the prophesy. You are the reason my family was destroyed!"

*He watched as she stepped back in surprise and confusion. And the next thing he knew was pain.*

[Mari Bean]

*He opened his eyes, sweat pouring out of his skin as he trembled with fear. The hot pinpricks that had exploded into his brain were gone, but a throbbing reminded him every so often. For some reason, she was trembling too... and he realized it was out of anger, however, when she spoke, her voice was soft and calm.*

"I am not old enough to be her. She, if she even exsists, is three years my elder. They probably killed her."

*He frowned, as he knew that Mari was only about 16, but suspected something else. Afraid of another outburst, he didn't say anything, he knew she suspected it as well... or else she wouldn't have gotten so upset when he said that it was her fault in his own outburst. She turned her back to him and whispered something that he didn't quite hear, but he felt the intent in the air, and a tickle in his mind.*

Goodbye, Miccal.

~~~

*The door slid back to and she noticed Trace getting off a lift on the other end of the hall. Rubbing her bloody hands on her pants, she walked towards him, trying to think of a way to alleviate her suspicions.*

[Trace Sha]

:: The ride up the lift was less eventful than his entry into it. When he first arrived at it there were several civilians waiting to get on and several more already occupying it, going up from the lower levels, where they most likely cleaned their clothing or picked up snacks. A few were carrying clothing while others consumed their edibles.

As Trace stepped up to the door of the lift, in his attire, his steel boots clanging heavily on the floor with each step he took, the people fled quickly, trying to act as nonchalant about it as possible. And the ones on darted off when the doors opened and he stood before them, his look so much different than their own and his dark tall presence casting an evil feeling to all whose eyes fell upon him.

Stepping off the lift once it arrived at its destination, he could see Mari turning to face the noise of the door, her blood darkened hands being wiped on her pant legs as he walked towards her. Not able to see the victim from his vantage, he asked. ::

“What happened?”

[Mari Bean]

*A fairly innocent look filled her dark eyes and she looked up to Trace with the general 'confusion' of someone who knew what was going on but was pretending not to. She sighed as he easily saw through her deceit and showed it through a twitch of his eyebrow, and she gave him a weak grin, inadvertantly hinting at the slight uneasiness she was feeling. He was getting to good at reading her... she would have to change some of her facial expressions to confuse him a little...*

"Just an old friend who needed taking care of..."

*She held up her bloody hands and looked down at her pants that were saturated with blood from the victim that she couldn't wipe the rest off her hands without leaving red streaks on her skin. Plucking at the pants with a sigh of vexation, she looked around for other things she could use to clean her hands. She gave up after discarding the idea to just wipe her hands on Trace, and turned back towards the lifts. She looked around the quiet building and noticed that nearly all the residents had left in a hurry, having dropped whatever they were holding at the time, more than when she entered the building. Poking a teasing finger hard into his chest, she joked a little to ease her mood, and made fun of him with a lop-sided grin:*

"You can't go anywhere without scaring half the population away, can you? I'd hate to have to go with you on a low key mission..."

She smiled a little so he wouldn't take the jokes too seriously, then her tone turned somewhat serious.*

"Are you ready to head back to HQ, or are you angry with me for not letting you have your share of innocents?"

*She noticed that she probably sounded a bit strange to Trace, having never really joked or shown any outward emotion, but she felt as if she had to do something to hide her uneasiness... She'd rather him think she was strange than think she was uneasy. And she felt she could show at least a little emotion around her pale friend...

She was hoping that he was angry with her...*

[Trace Sha]

:: Looking her up and down, the amount of blood on her hands and pants was breathtaking in a way. He was disappointed he hadn’t been able to witness the brutality that she had obviously introduced the man who had attempted to harm her. Just before she poked his chest, he had been looking over her trying to catch a glimpse of what remained of her fun, but couldn’t see anything.

His eyes snapped to hers as she playfully prodded him and he grinned, attempting to look as if he were innocent, raising each of his hands at his side slightly and shrugging his shoulders. ::

“Hard to blend into a crowd when you look like me. Maybe I should look into some type of disguise to help out on ‘low key’ operations?”

:: He finished the last sentence with a wink, knowing that they had a little history with disguises, that really didn’t go over all that well, and therein lied a subtle bit of humor. Trace not really being one that was all too comical or funny, did what he could to be amusing.

His eyebrow coked up as she posed the question about him being angry and he once again looked around the all but vacant room, hoping to spot someone hiding so that he could take his disappointment out on them, quelling his jealousy. But there was none and it made his disappointment greater, festering inside and yes, making him slightly agitated.

There was something unusual about Mari though, something he had not seen from her before and it caused him to wonder, forgetting about his jealousy for a moment. Why would she be acting this way all of the sudden? It was rare to see any showing of emotion from her and that definitely made this a curious situation. Was she trying to hide something from him? Something she wouldn’t want him to know? It wouldn’t be the first time if so, and he knew better than to pry too hard, but he had to try at least once and see where it would lead. ::

“There is something your not telling me here?”

:: He said a little gruffly, making it sound like he was beginning to get angry at the diversionary tactics she seemed to be employing. ::

[Mari Bean]

*She chuckled and blushed at the same time as he mentioned disguises, and tried not to wince at that particular memory. That thought also reminded her that she might want to lay low around a certain Sith Lord for a little while, just until the memory fades a little.

As his eyebrow twitched, she realized that by posing the question she had caused him to actually become at least a little angry. She mentally grinned as she filed that bit of information away in her mind and watched her accidentally planted seed take root and sprout.

A tactically placed sneeze covered her shocked grimace as the 'seed' she had planted had grown into something other than she was hoping for... He had noticed the difference in her behavior. Trying not to appear ruffled by his almost harsh tone, she used every inch of her almost non-existant height and planted her hands on her hips, hoping that what she planned to do would serve well enough as a diversion.*

"And since when do I have to tell you everything I do? You may be my elder, but I do recall attaining rank before you."

*She almost cringed at that... for she knew well enough that she had been promoted much slower then he in each circumstance... She wondered if her attack on his ego would make him angrier... She knew he had pride that overmatched her own, and she hoped she hadn't damaged it in any way. She had been in arguements with Trace but never an actual fight... She suddenly found herself wanting to egg him on, to see how good he was. She smartly bit her tongue to keep herself from saying anything she would regret and settled for a small sneer.

She wasn't very used to this... She hardly ever started fights, even though she would readily finsh them, and she most definately didn't start fights with people she considered her friends. She was acting more and more as if she had a secret to hide, but could think of no other way to hide it.*

[Trace Sha]

:: His brow wrinkled and furrowed seeing and hearing her words. To say the least her sudden display of confidence and surety was somewhat surprising. She had normally been very subdued and difficult to get to speak her mind, but now all the sudden she was being quite forward and direct.

He shook his head as she asked if she had to tell him everything and found himself more and more curious by the moment, why she would be acting so differently than she normally did. Realizing that she was avoiding his question and even trying to tarnish his own pride, he knew, absolutely knew that there must be something going on here, something that she was trying to avoid telling him.

His eyebrows came down heavily as he came to this conclusion. And it probably appeared as if he was angry at what she had just said. But that wasn’t the reason he was angry at all, she had every right to claim to be his superior, when it came to being Sith, since she was his elder in that department, having been a member for a considerable length of time greater than he.

He hadn’t learned such details like how much longer, or how quickly she had been given her current Knight status, but that didn’t make any difference. He was angry because she was using what could be considered underhanded tactics to try and distract him from the question he had asked earlier, against him, and that made him almost furious, after all they had been through together, suddenly he felt mistrusted by what he considered the one Sith he was closest with, the one fellow Sith he felt an almost kinship feeling with, besides his brother and sister.

Making a quick mental decision that taking his rage out on a fellow member of the Empire and one that he was so fond of would not be such a good idea, he gritted his teeth, turned to the side and drove a fist hard into the steel wall, his strength amplified by his rage fueling it with Darkside energies as it struck. Trace was fortunate that he taped his fists or it surely would have been completely shattered by the impact, as it was he had most likely only broken a few knuckles, but he showed no obvious signs of pain as he turned back to face her. ::

“Alright, I don’t deserve to know.”

:: His voice was quick and deeply laced with his anger and hurt at not being trusted and he quickly turned around after having said it and made his way back to the elevator that he had ridden up to this level, not noticing the blood beginning to drip from under the tape on his hand, his fury still clouding his body’s pain receptors. ::

[Mari Bean]

*She almost jumped when he punched the wall, and very suddenly regreted not spending a few more seconds thinking her actions out. When he spoke, she could hear the rage and the pain that she caused and when he turned away, she put her hand over her eyes and on her forehead so that she might think clearer. She did not follow him to the lift, despite her sudden urge to run and apologize to her friend, but instead waited until he boarded the lift. Not looking up at him, she waited until the doors of the lift closed, and sent a message through her connection with the Dark and her connection with him, hoping that it might alleviate some hard feelings that she caused.*

"Just... let me figure this out first. I will tell you when I know more..."

*Wondering if he understood her cryptic explanation, she thought of what to do next... The thick brown mess of hair that was sitting on top of her head was ruffled further as she scrubbed a hand through it as she thought.

She decided on first making sure there were no other people from Yumaros in the city... whch would be hard indeed. Even though she enjoyed ripping out the throat of her childhood friend (which almost frightened her) she especially wanted to make sure there were no other Soul Walkers occupying the the city. If there were... she might not have to kill them, maybe she could ask them questions about her mother, if they knew her. She would also ask about the prophecy and if they knew if the one depicted was killed or not. She started to hope there were actual Soul Walkers in the city, for she had many questions that only one would know about.

The steel grey doors of the elevator opened as soon as she touched the panel, and she stepped on with plans to make her way to the nearest landing pad and hoped that they kept records of who entered the city, her heavy boots clunking softly on the the hollow sounding floor of the lift. She rode down to the bottom level and waited as the doors slowly opened.*

[tracesha]

:: He boarded the lift, still fuming at her not being open with him. He thought there was more trust between them than this. He realize though, that that trust wasn’t as strong as he had really hoped it was and that for it to get that way, time would be needed and space would have to be given. He would have to try harder at letting her have that space without blowing up like he just did.

The doors to the lift closed and her message came to him. The sound and feel of her thoughts among his own, caused his anger to subside. Whenever she spoke to him in this manner he felt as if they had some kind of bond. He had felt that way since the first time she did so back on her ship.

Her words were even more assuring than the feel and sound of her thoughts in his mind and he responded very briefly. ::

”I understand now, and am sorry for my angered display. Take all the time you need. If you need me for anything, do not hesitate to ask.”

:: The lift began its downward trek and Trace stepped off it once it reached the bottom, his hand still dripping slightly with the blood that was drawn when he punched the wall, but he paid it no mind. He merely made his way back to the Sith Empire Facility, the entire time high hopes for Mari, running through his mind.

He wanted her to get through this situation with no difficulties and wished that she had let him help her, but knew that he must respect her wishes. One must do what one must do, for themselves when the right situation arose. From the way she acted and the way she spoke, this was one of those times, but he couldn’t help the helpless feeling in his gut that came with being asked to wait. ::

[Mari Bean]

*Peeking through the elevator doors cautiously, she felt a little relieved and childish when she found he had gone... It occured to her that she could feel his presence as he headed away from her.

Still feeling kind of silly, she stepped off the lift and exited the building. She slipped her saber into the dark pocket of her heavy pants as the doors slid open, and stepped out into an empty street. It seemed that the crowd that had been there before had heard from the frightened tenants some of the happenings within, and had scattered before anything ill could happen to them.

She turned a corner where there were still people about, ones that were part of some shady business that required the cover of night. She noticed that as soon as anyone laid eyes on her, they were gone in a heartbeat, either walking away as inconspicuosly as possible, or straight up turning tail and running.

Getting sort of annoyed by this; she had always thought that she could blend in when she wanted to, and appear to most as harmless, when she happened to look down because she stepped in something squishy on the ground. It suddenly dawned apon her that someone covered nearly head to toe in blood couldn't blend in anywhere. Except somewhere on the Empire grounds, but she wasn't there, so it was irrevelant.

She approached a landing pad of considerable size and realized that she had probably chanced apon the only one on the planet that closed for the night. She sighed and walked around the area, searching for a way to get it, being too stubborn to find another one. She really wished she had let Trace come along... He knew more about this kind of stuff than she did...*

[tracesha]

Just as he arrived at the hidden entrance to the underground facility of the Sith Empire HQ, he stopped and turned back in the direction, which he had come from. This was still so very hard for him to do. Letting her do this on her own was what she wanted, but he found himself fighting the urge to try and go back to keep an eye on her and help if she needed it. ::

”She has been Sith longer than I have.”

:: He thought to himself. ::

”She doesn’t need your help Trace. If you don’t do as she wishes, she’ll be pissed and any hopes you ever had of staying close to her will vanish, replaced with her holding hatred for you. Don’t do it!”

:: He argued some with himself as his fist clenched, still encrusted with his own dried blood from what he had done earlier. His head shook from side to side and he quickly turned back to the entrance, before he decided to do something stupid. ::