Why'd you have to go and make things so complicated? (OPEN)

[SashaKovalev]

Life was complicated. It had to be, or all living things would be bored out of their minds. But sometimes, just sometimes, Sasha wished it wasn’t.

He hadnt been back to his home planet since his mother had passed away, but a communication from the mother of an old friend of his had brought him there. It was a small planet, in the middle of nowhere, and being back on it had brought back more memories than he had been able to handle. And standing there in the Gillen family living room, where he’d spend so many evenings of his life drinking and playing cards with his buddies, hearing that his friend Jeff had been killed in battle had put a whole new perspective on life.

The ship he’d taken home didn’t have the power to make it back to Corellia, the place he now called home, in one flight, so he’d stopped here on this planet. And then, not being quite able to go back just yet, he’d wandered through the streets. They were busy, and filled with people. It was nearing the end of a typical work day, and people were rushing to get home.

He walked with a brooding expression on his face, Jeff’s old blaster rifle, given to him by Jeff’s parents, slung across his back, his own blaster and lightsaber at his hip. His violet eyes were narrowed, challenging almost anyone who walked by. Life was too short – and he wasn’t going to waste the rest of his.

He was on his way to a bar to drown his confusion and sorrow in a few drinks, perhaps add a little fuel to the anger he already felt. As he approached the door to the closest hole in the wall dive he could find, he checked his blaster, then shoved open the door.

He felt the resistance – clearly he’d thrown it open into someone……

[Xazor Elessar]

It was Xazor whom he had thrown the door into. She sighed and pushed it back. Ready to beat the Force out of the idiot who did it, she was shocked to see the face of a friend.

"Sasha?! What are you doing here?"

She questioned, knowing that he was probably thinking the same thing about her. In all honesty, she was there to get away from everything. The young Knight needed a vacation after a bad week that she had had. Her friend turned to the Darkside....and not only was she a friend, she was a Jedi Knight....training was getting stressful with now sixteen Padawans and more coming in everyday. She smiled, despite the pain her nose was feeling, and stepped aside for him to fully enter. Perhaps they could have a drink together.....

[SashaKovalev]

His face registered shock just as much as hers did. When the door had made impact with the unknown person behind it, he'd felt almost a bit of satisfaction at the collision - but seeing the person behind the door - seeing that it was his friend, Xazor, took the satisfaction away completely.

"Xazor?!" He questioned, more than greeted, and then a sheepish grin crossed his features.

She had moved aside to let him in, and so he joined her inside the bar. The lights were dim, and a dirty film of smoke covered just about everything.

Sorry about that.... He thought in his mind, sending, as best he could, those thoughts to her. She had been the one to teach him to do this, and now, he was going to show her that he had been practicing.

"What are you doing here?" He questioned, his violet eyes looking to her with almost concern. This wasnt the type of place he normally would have thought he would find her in.

[Xazor Elessar]

The two of them moved into the bar, Xazor allowed to keep her weapons for she was a Jedi Knight. She grinned as she heard his message in her mind. A smile lit up her face as she moved into the bar and took a seat at an empty table...pulling up a chair for Sasha with the Force. She smiled to herself as he sat down across from her.

I see you have been practicing. You're doing so well....

She said gently in his mind. A server droid rolled over to their table and beeped a few times, ready to take their orders when his question took her off guard a bit. What are you doing here? He sounded concerned, to say the least. She smiled and shook her head.

"Nothing much...I needed to get away from...from everything. I decided a vacation to a remote and desolate area would do me good. Here no one can find me, but alas, we have found each other! It is good to see a friend, though...."

She said with a gentle smile. Looking at the droid for a moment, she thought about what she would have to drink that night.

"What do you wish to drink? I myself will have a Strawberry Daiquerie on the rocks....."

The Knight said with a gentle smile. She wiped some dust from the droid's face plate and coughed as it went into her mouth. Oh that's disgusting... She thought freely and Sasha heard the words in his mind.

"So what are you doing here?"

She figured that she would ask him as well, since they were on the subject. It was an odd place for either of them to be...but it was good to meet up with him....

[SashaKovalev]

As they moved into the bar, Sasha was required to check his blasters, but his lightsaber, they did not ask for. They took a seat at an empty table, and Sasha grinned as she complimented him on the skills he'd been practicing.

He listened as she spoke of why she was hear. She sounded a bit stressed, even perhaps sad as she spoke, and he had a feeling her explanation had been a basic one.

As the droid rolled over, he chuckled at her comment on the rather uncleanly state of the establishment, then ordered a Corellian Ale for himself.

As she asked him about why he was here, he released a sigh and leaned forward, his elbows resting on the table, sticky with spilled drinks.

"I went home for a visit and the ship needed a little stopover." He explained. But the expression on his face, the lines of concern etched across his forehead seemed to indicate that he wasnt exactly carefree. He wasnt trying to be secretive, it was more that there were so many issues on his mind, he wasnt sure where to begin. His violet eyes stared at her for a moment.

"So what are you trying to get away from?" He asked. She had said as much to him - she'd needed to get away.

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor listened to his words and could tell that much more went into his reasons...but she would not pry. The server droid rolled away leaving them to talk once again. Smiling slightly, she rested her elbows on the table and placed her chin in her hands.

"Everything......it just seems as though I am carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders. A few days ago, one of my best friends left the Greater Jedi Order and joined the Sith Empire. She was a Jedi Knight...a good teacher and a good friend. She gave me this scar..."

The Knight pointed to the fresh scar that laid on the bridge of her nose. Of course, she had not received it while in...human form...she had changed and was in her feral wolf form...and her former friend struck her across the muzzle. It had hurt terribly...but not as much as her heart. She sighed and their drinks were brought back to them. She took hers and handed Sasha his.

"And training is bogging me down...plus I have been spending a lot of my time in the Recruitment Center greeting the new Padawans. Life is going alright...but I am just tiring out it seems. My body took a beating about a week and a half ago....I nearly died right in the Bar and Grill at the Jedi Base after bringing myself and Padawan back from a terrible fight that took place at Rama's Corner...on the Sith Empire Base. We had a run in with Lady Vader....she poisoned me terribly after we exchanged blows with our sabers...."

The Knight lifted the left side of her shirt, exposing five deep long scars. She put her shirt back down and sighed as she painfully shifted her weight. Her body had healed in incredible time...thanks to her race, the Garou. She also had the help of the Force to heal herself.

"Anyway...that's the extent of why I am off on vacation. It seems as though there is more to your tale. You do not have to tell me or anything...but sometimes it's good to talk about troublesome things..."

She said with a tone of compassion. She had been through many trials in life...and had helped others deal with their own. The Knight hoped that he would trust her and let her at least listen...even if she had no advice to give.

[SashaKovalev]

Everything.....

And as he listened, he understood why it was she needed to get away. He shook his head at the scar, just as the droid served their drinks. He took his from Xazor, and took a healthy slug of his before he set it on the table in front of him.

As she showed him the wounds from Lady Vader, his cheeks flushed slightly. She had been the one who had been teaching him lately, of different things. She had a way of being there - of seeking him out when he was frustrated. He respected her, and internally felt the tug of conflict. His loyalty to TSO was not in question, and never would be, but it bothered him to know that one of his own had caused so much pain to a friend.

But they had known this when they had begun their friendship. His violet eyes flickered to his beer, then back to her.

"Im glad you're ok." He responded, knowing that she would understand that to say anything more was to put him in a difficult position.

He rolled his eyes slightly as she questioned him.

"Ive hardly got the excuse that you do." He replied, his voice a bit lighter as they moved off the sensitive topic.

"I just...I went home today. A friend of mine from childhood..." He paused, and instead allowed his emotions to flow from him. With effort, he sent to her memories of his friend, and then, the final scene with his family, when they had handed him his friends blaster rifle.

"I guess I just realized today that I take life forgranted." He commented after.

"And I was angry with him for dying." He added, his voice a bit softer.

"So I came here." He took another drink then set the glass back on the table.

He smiled slightly.

"Im not sure what this place could have done to fix that problem. I guess Im pretty lucky it was you behind the door..." He joked, though as he spoke, he realized the seriousness of these words.

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor understood that he could not say much more than he did. She respected the fact that he said what he did anyway. Smiling slightly, she took a sip of her drink as she listened. Suddenly images came into her mind and they tore at her heart. He was here for a good reason as well.

"I understand how you feel....I too have lost people close to me. Such as my friend...she might as well have died for the way I feel. Of course, being a Jedi, I must keep my emotions in check...but it was so hard not to punch my fist through the wall of the Bar and Grill when I saw here there the day I announced her...turn."

She paused a moment and sighed to herself, quickly wiping her damp eyes with a napkin. She wouldn't cry here...not in front of him. Sighing, she drank some of the liquid in her glass before setting it back on the grubby table.

"And yes, you are lucky it was me behind that door...I was ready to beat the Force out of whoever it was...until I saw your face. I guess in a sense, then, I am lucky it was you...so that I wouldn't have done such a senseless deed."

She laughed slightly, but her words were serious as well....

[SashaKovalev]

He tried to think about what it had to be like for her to teach so many young padawans, and hope for the best with them. He had known from the beginning that he would make a bad jedi. Perhaps he didnt truly make a great Sith, but then, there was room for him to grow, and being young, time was on his side.

"Your friend...what made her change her mind?" He asked. He could see that the conversation was upsetting her - he hadnt missed the welling of tears in her eyes. He didnt ask to further upset her - instead he asked because talking about it would be better for her than storing it up and taking it out on someone. That would be very un-jedilike indeed.

Even that she mentioned wanting to beat the force out of him made him wonder if she ever wished she had the freedom again that she had as a Sith to let her anger or pain flow.

She had finished her comments with a light laugh, but it wasnt altogether convincing. If they were going to be friends despite their differences, she was going to have to be honest with him. Not that she wasnt - directly - but with friends, you didnt have to hide your tears.

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor was ready to let the tears flow now......and they did. She looked down for a moment and then her eyes met his.

"Two Sith made her change her mind.......she wanted to be "free"....but she's just going to destroy herself with the way she's going about it....."

The Knight truly knew in her heart that Sia wanted to be a Jedi....but somehow, she couldn't. She shook her head and let the tears fall....her heart was broken and her soul hurt......

[SashaKovalev]

Tears. Automatically, he felt protective of her. She hadnt shut herself from him, and he could feel the pain as she spoke of her friend. He took it in, let it sink in, and then he reached out and brushed a tear from her cheek. It was a simple gesture, that of a friend, or protective older brother.

He sighed, his violet eyes meeting hers.

"Does the fact that she's made that decision make it impossible to salvage your friendship?" He asked. His hands moved to circle his glass, brushing away the perspiration on the glass as his drink warmed to the temperature of the room.

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor smiled slightly as he brushed her tears away. It was comforting to know how much he cared for her. She nodded slightly.

"She made that decision.....I wanted to be friends with her, but she said that it's impossible.....she said that cats and dogs cannot get along well......so it's over. It hurts worse than any physical wound I could ever recieve....."

The Knight said softly, more tears cascaded down her cheeks. Her heart ached terribly now, and she did not hold it back. True, the Council said that emotions were of the Darkside.....but she knew that these were not. A hurting friend who had experienced loss was nothing of the sort.....just another in pain......

[SashaKovalev]

His violet eyes narrowed. True, typically cats and dogs didnt get along so well - but then - what were the two of them doing, then, at a table together commiserating?

But then, he knew, everyone was different.

His fingers tapped on the glass of his drink for a moment in thought, and then slowly, he shook his head.

"Im sorry, Xazor." He offered, his voice sincere as he spoke.

"Do you want to go for a walk? Somewhere a little more private?" He offered, for now the tears were freely flowing from her eyes.

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor forced a smile and nodded.

"I would like that a lot....thank you..."

She said softly. A walk would be a lot better than sitting in a bar where everyone could see her tears. It was something personal, something that she did not mind sharing with a friend, but with strangers...it was a different story. She left a few credits beside the empty glass that was her drink, and then got up and walked toward the door...waiting for Sasha....

[SashaKovalev]

He tossed a few credits down as well, probably more than they needed to, and followed Xazor to the door. He stopped to pick up the blasters he'd checked at the door, and then they walked outside.

Once outside, the dustiness of the streets seemed almost welcoming compared to the dingy, dirty walls of the bar they'd just been inside. He slung the blaster rifle over his back once again, and adjusted the strap across his chest as they walked.

"What made her turn...besides the convincing by those she joined?" He asked as they began walking down the main street towards the outskirts of the town.

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor shook her head slightly.

"She uses a technique of forming shadows into objects and such things. It is something used by Darksiders....well....in a fight she used too many...it consumed her with an evil that I have never seen in anyone before. Then when she was vaunerable...the other ones convinced her to join them. I should have known....why didn't I pay attention the day that she left the envelope tapped to my door? Inside was a message for me....saying that if she died....or turned....to take her Padawans and tell everyone that she was gone. I should have paid more attention....but it hurt to badly to think about it...."

She paused and continued walking in the silence by his side. A few more tears escaped her blue eyes and she let them fall.

"I could have done something....but it was too late...."

[SashaKovalev]

He shook his head in disagreement.

"You cant make her something she's not, Xazor." He stated quietly.

"I dont know how much you believe in fate..." He began, "But I really do believe theres a reason behind everything that occurs in life. And its not something we control, its just meant to happen."

He looked to her for a moment as they walked.

"Do you think I havent asked a million times why I didnt have a father growing up? I have - but its nothing I can control. It was meant to happen. My life was meant to be this way - just as yours was meant to be as it has - being Sith and then discovering through the experiences you had as one that you prefer a different life. If you'd never been Sith, these differences in your life now, these things you love about your life now, you might never have noticed. And so it must be with your friend. There is a reason for her path in life."

He didnt say these words coldly or matter of factly. They were said with a strong conviction that this was the way things were - the way things had to be.

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor nodded in agreement.

"All things happen by reason of the Force...I know, it's in our Code. It isn't fair though..."

A few more tears fell down her cheeks as they continued to walk together. It wasn't fair....everything bad seemed to be happening to her, especially in the last few months.

"But then again...I am probably just being selfish. She is where she is for a reason...and maybe someday we'll speak again...."

The Knight said thoughtfully as she imagined the day when Sia would come to her with open arms....showing that they could be friends still....but that was dashed away at the thought of how she would be taught know. They would meet on the battle grounds, not side by side but against one another..... it was inevitable....and she dreaded that day.....

[SashaKovalev]

He nodded.

"I know it isnt fair." He replied quietly as she spoke her opinion of fate and the code.

As she suggested she was selfish, he stopped in his tracks and reached out for her, his hand tugging gently on her sleeve.

"You're the last person I've ever say was selfish." He stated with conviction.

"And if you are being selfish this time, you have every right to be." He added, his violet eyes looking to her with an intense gaze.

[Gouyen Chee]

Gouyen quietly left the bar and followed the two Force users at a discreet distance. The pair intrigued her -- from what she had seen so far of relations between light side and dark side users, she figured that they should be fighting like a couple of irate kriks. But they weren't. In fact, they seemed to be old friends. This behavior was highly abberent in relation to what she had observed so far, and had her shaking her head in bafflement, setting her long warrior's braid into sinious motion. She would continue following the two at a discreet distance, observing their behavior, until she felt the time was right for her to make herself known and ask a few questions.

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor smiled slightly at his words. They were heartwarming and she believed him. Leaning over, she hugged him gently and smiled once again.

"Thank you, Sasha......"

She said softly. Looking up at the sky for a moment, she could faintly hear something with her extra sensitive ears. Looking around, she saw nothing so she thought nothing of it. Her attention then went back to her friend.

"You know...you are like a brother to me. I only have one by birth, but I do have a blood brother....and you remind me much of him. You're so kind and you genuinly care for me....despite which side of the battlefield we must stand..."

[SashaKovalev]

(OOC: Gouyen, welcome to the thread. :) )

Sasha grinned as she hugged him. And he returned the gesture.

As they pulled apart and continued their walk, she began to speak of him being like a brother to her. It was true, it was the way that he felt toward her as well, as if she were a sister that he'd never had. Towards her he was protective and comfortable, as if, if they did argue, they would always in the end remember that there was a tie that kept them bound to one another. A tie that would make such a battle seem silly.

"Dont speak of sides of the battlefield." He replied softly. Over his months now with the order, his aggression had been growing, and he had noticed that he was quicker to take offense and react to his anger than he had been before, but still, there was a fundamental piece of him that would never allow himself to turn against those he considered friends.

"It isnt going to happen." He added, as if in saying this, he could ward off the impossible.

"Who is this blood brother you speak of?" He asked, moving away from the topic of battles against one another.

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor nodded and moved off of the uncomfortable subject. Indeed...it was inevitable, but she prayed with all of her heart that the day would not come......and that they would prove fate wrong for the first time. Smiling, she thought of her brother....

"His name is Satine Capashen.....but I know him as Alpha. He is a Knight at my Order.....and has a sweet personality like yours. He gave this to me....it once belonged to someone he loved dearly, but she passed away....."

The Knight motioned to the beautiful necklace that rested around her neck. It had a beautiful arrangement of stones and the silver chain glowed with the same radience of her soul. She felt honored to wear such a personal item of her brother's.

"It means a lot to him.....so he gave it to me. Much like the bracelet that I gave to you...."

She said softly, a smile danced upon her lips as she eyed the piece of jewelry around his wrist. If it was possible......perhaps, maybe in the future they too would be blood siblings as well......

[SashaKovalev]

Sasha had encountered Alpha once before - but he was not aware that this was the man of whom Xazor spoke, for the jedi had never revealed his name when they'd met. If the two of them had stood face to face, they would have laughed to hear her comparison, for it was likely that neither of the men would have believed for one moment that they were similar.

But not knowing who it was she was speaking about, not having a face to put to the name, he merely grinned.

"Perhaps I'll meet him one day." He replied. "He sounds like a great guy." He added sincerely.

As she motioned to the silver chain she had given him, he smiled. He hadnt taken it off, ever, since she'd given it to him. He wore it faithfully, and it had great sentimental value to him.

"How did he come to be your blood brother?" He asked. This topic was more comfortable, and his quesitons, as he asked them, were relaxed and comfortable. He had not forgotten how easy she was to talk to, and he hoped it would not be so long between their next meeting as it had been this time.

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor smiled and nodded, agreeing with his words about her Brother. He was so kind and gentle.....much like Sasha.

"We were first very good friends.....and one day I just called him....Brother....He questioned why and I told him that is what he was to me. We formed a sort of mental connection through the Force, the same as any biological pair of siblings share. Our blood has mixed in battle, so the formality of touching cuts together to bind us never took place....it did not need to. So yes, that is how he became my Blood Brother...."

She said with a gentle smile and fixed her eyes on Sasha. He too was comfortable to speak with....she felt like she could tell him anything he asked.....and that was how friends should be. They had seemed to cross the boundaries of everything that they had been taught......no hate or fear existed between the two....just a pure love that overstepped and broke any boundary that was ever set.....

[SashaKovalev]

Her story made him smile, for in her voice, he could hear the love and admiration that she had for Satine. Slowly, as he spoke with her, the anger and sadness he had felt earlier was slipping away to a place far in the back of his mind.

As they neared the outskirts of the town, the business of the streets began to fade, and the streets changed from bustling sidewalks to quiet treelined walkways.

Idly, Sasha pulled a leaf from one of the trees and toyed with it, shredding it to pieces as they walked.

"I always wanted a brother or a sister..." He commented, lost only for a moment in thought. He wondered what his life would have been like if he'd had one. But the cards had been dealt as they had, and he was content, for clearly fate had something in mind when it had given him the life he now had.

And then he looked to her with a curious expression.

"And how is Shade....you mentioned the last time we met that you were to be married to him soon...."

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor smiled to herself and nodded at his words.

"A brother or sister...you want?"

She giggled slightly, recalling how close she and Satine had become. They sparred together regularly and seemed to be the only siblings in the whole Jedi Order....or anywhere....that really enjoyed "beating" on eachother. But in all seriousness...their love for one another surpassed that of the greatest....

"Well, that could be arranged."

She said, her thoughts on how they too could have that same bond. She didn't know how he would think on such a thing, though. Suddenly the conversation was directed to the topic of Shade. She smiled brightly, her eyes sparkling with delight.

"Oh yes...we were married and it was spectacular! He is so wonderful and has been treating me well. Unfortunatly, he was called, along with my Father and biological brother....to a mission where they needed to aid some needy people on a planet very far from here. They shall be gone for at least two more months! It is terrible being without him....I have felt lonely at times, but I have filled my time with friends, like you!"

[SashaKovalev]

His violet eyes narrowed as she spoke of her new husband being gone for so long. Briefly in his mind, he questioned the man who had married her, and then gone on this trip that would keep him from his new wife for such a time. But he'd seen the expression on her face, the way her eyes had lit up when he'd asked of her husband, and so he said nothing. It was clear that she was in love, and despite being lonely at times, she was quite happy, and this was all he could wish for for his friend.

So instead of questioning, he asked her about her comment on how she could arrange for him to have a sibling. He had heard her say it, but it hadnt quite registered with him until now, and he was curious.

"It could be arranged...?" He asked.

"How are you going to arrange for me to have a brother or sister?" His expression was quizzical, amused even. He shifted the blaster rifle across his back. He wasnt quite used to carrying it just yet, and it would take some time to find the perfect adjustment of the strap.

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor could see the questioning look in Sasha's eyes and wondered what he was thinking about. Then his question came forth through words. She smiled gently and turned to fully stand in front of him. It was odd....she was a bit older than he....but he still seemed to tower above her in height. She shifted her eyes up to his and simply smiled.

"Us....I could be your blood sister....its nearly as being siblings at birth only, sometimes the blood relations are even closer than natural ones...."

She said with a hopeful smile. It would be really interesting to find out what he thought about this. She knew that he was Sith...and that she was Jedi....but this should not have had any hindrence on the situation. She hoped that it wouldn't....

[SashaKovalev]

He stopped in his tracks as she moved to stand in front of him. The young Sith gazed at her as she looked up at him. she had a smile on her face, and a genuine excitement in her eyes that made it irresistable for him not to smile back.

Her suggestion took him slightly by surprise, but a pleasant one. Her offer was more than generous, and the way in which she made it, and then stood there with that hopeful smile of hers made it impossible to resist.

His violet eyes looked to the ground for a moment, and then back to her while he collected his thoughts.

"I could only be so lucky as to have you as my blood sister." He finally replied, his face solemn as he spoke. He meant these words, for he respected Xazor, and trusted her.

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor grinned to herself and it seemed as though she would never stop smiling. The Knight nodded slightly and looked up at him, the touched his forehead with her right hand. She closed her eyes and through her arm...into her hand...then into his body was sent almost a shock wave through the Force. Instantly a mental connection was formed...not as deep as a life bond between husband and wife where one could be affected by the pain of the other...or the see through the others eyes...but it was deep in its own way. They were mentally linked now....and could sense one another like biological siblings. Smiling, the Knight took her hand from him and looked into his eyes, seeing that he was a bit shocked by the new feeling that had taken over briefly.

Looking down at her weapons belt, the young woman took a sleek, black pouch from it. Untying the threads that held it closed, she suddenly drew a silver bladed dagger. The hilt was of a deep blue and was beautifully engraved with black. A set design ran the edges of the blade in black in a different language...her own. She smiled to herself and held up the weapon between them.

"With this blade I take the oath to be your Sister...to love you unconditionally and be of your protection and assistance no matter what the circumstances or consequences. I bind myself to you as your sibling...."

With that, she brought the blade down and pressed it into the palm of her hand...then sliced it hard. She winced slightly, but pushed the pain from her mind with the Force, and the smile returned to her lips. Her red blood slowly dripped from the wound and began to run down her arm. She held her hand in the air, palm toward him....and then handed him the dagger....

[SashaKovalev]

Shocked would have been a mild word to use. This strange connection that he suddenly felt had been like nothing he had known before - and completely unexpected. He stared at Xazor for a moment, his violet eyes mirroring his surprise.

And then he watched as she pulled the blade. Her words wer ea solemn oath as she spoke, and then the blood ran freely from her hand.

He took the blade from her, reflecting only briefly in the design of it. It was well made, and ornately decorated.

It was his left hand, the hand that he would use for a saber, or his blaster, that he chose to cut. As if to show to her that he would give her the blood of a part of him that was vital to survival. For her, he would sacrifice these things.

His teeth were clenched as the blade sliced through his skin. It cut easily, and there was little pain until the blood began to flow. A steady ebb as his heart pounded the blood through his veins. He welcomed the pain, for it was something that as a Sith, was becoming ingrained in him, but also because pain, he believed, helped to show a commitment. That he was willing to feel it, for her.

He held his hand up, his palm dripping crimson with blood.

"Though this moment, I swear to you that I will love you unconditionally, despite the fact that we should be sworn enemies. That I will protect you, assist you, and never knowingly bring harm or pain upon you. Let our blood mingle, and form between us the bond of siblings."

As their palms came together, and their blood mixed, his violet eyes stared at her, his expression almost stony in its countenance.

[Gouyen Chee]

"Heard and witnessed," said Gouyen as she stepped out from the shadows. She held up her hands, palms out and sent out a gentle aura of Force calming. "I mean you no harm, but I have been watching you with some puzzlement. My understanding of the Jedi and the Sith is that they are locked in an endless feud, but I see here representatives of each order joining together in the sacred rite of blood-siblinghood." She noticed the strange looks she was getting from the two and remembered her manners.

"My name is Gouyen Chee and I am an Assazi Warrior in the Order of the Assazi Force Users. My homeworld is N'dena, which is in what you call the Unknown Regions. I have been quite baffled by the schism between the different orders of Force users in this part of the galaxy. Amongst the Assazi, the dark side is almost universally used, but the light side is not unknown, particularly amongst other species in the Assazi Combine. The light side users, who are called monks, work in conjunction with the dark side warriors -- the two sides are seen as complimenting one another. And all are guided by the Code, the prime tenent of which is that all action should resound to the greater good. This helps to keep the dark siders in check -- that, and a strong race-memory of what happens when the lust for power becomes all-consuming." She looked hard at Sasha when she said that.

"I understand that you are taking that dark path. I advise some caution -- keep a still, small place inside you, like the eye of a storm -- that will keep you sane no matter how strong the dark energies are that whirl around you." Then she turned to Xazor and gazed deep into her eyes.

"You are firmly in the light, but you have also known darkness -- this is good. As a Warrior must have a small bit of the light within, so must a Monk have a sliver of the dark inside her soul. The opposition creates shadows and shadows can reveal as well as conceal.

"But I have prattled on too long now," she smiled, agian remembering her manners. "I must have created as many questions for you as I have answered, so please ask away."

[SashaKovalev]

Heard and witnessed

Sasha turned, his violet eyes narrowed. Who was this intruder upon their private moment? She spoke rapidly, her words tumbling out one after the other.

He scoffed slightly as she tried to warn him of the things he needed to do. Who was she to tell him these things? What did she know of being Sith?

He bristled slightly at this woman's presence, and had it not been for Xazor, he might have had a different reaction to the situation. Instead he looked to her, waiting upon her reaction.

[Gouyen Chee]

Her obsidian eyes bored into his violet ones, looking into his mind, into his very soul. You need to learn manners, boy, she said mind-to-mind. The only thing that kept her from Force-pushing the boy into the nearest wall was the presence of the Jedi woman. You ask what I know of the Sith -- I AM Sith, or at least a descendant of the Ancient Ones -- that gives me more of a right to call myself Sith than it does you, and she gave the boy a mental slap.

She turned to the Jedi woman. "Forgive my intrusion, Jedi, but since I am from the Unknown Regions the ways of this part of the galaxy are foreign to me." She paused for a moment, thinking. "Besides, as an impartial witness, I have given your blood rite a little more authority, not that you actually need it." She pulled back into her center, eying the boy coldly.

[Lady Vader]

*LV glanced from her birds-eye view from atop the scraper she was on, eyes narrowed. Her presence was masked completely from those below her.*

*Her style was not one to shadow Apprentices from the Order, but when she sensed great potential, she always kept an eye on it. And thus had been the case with Sasha. Ever since the boy had come into the Order, she had been eager to watch him grow and learn, warming to him like a mentor might to a student. She had even been contimplating taking him as her own Apprentice.*

*But what she witnessed did nothing to please her. Though she could not hear from where she stood because of the wind and keeping the Force tightly wrapped around her, the actions were unmistakeable.*

*And it would not be tolerated.*

*She stood, looking once again below her, shaking her head slowly.*

So be it...

*With that, she headed back to where her ship had been concealed.*

[SashaKovalev]

(ooc: *laughs* Oh man, the poor kid...LV - do you want me to start a thread at the palace for when he returns from this...?)

This woman took him by surprise with her words, and the slap, he felt all too clearly. His cheeks flushed, in both shame and anger.

He would not fight with another Sith, not over something like this, anyway, but he could feel the anger in him rise. A darkness that remained dormant until someone bothered him enough to bring it out.

He gave the woman a stubborn stare, and then looked away.

The blood still dripped from his palm and he looked to Xazor.

"I have to go." He stated. Everything about this moment that had been so innocent and right suddenly felt very tainted to him, and something in the back of his mind was pulling at him.

[Xazor Elessar]

Everything happened so suddenly.....too suddenly. The Knight looked to the unknown woman, and held her hand up to her.

"Speak no more, it is not your place. I am a Jedi Knight in my Order, a Warrior and Council Member. To you, perhaps I am nothing....but you stand the same from my eyes. This moment was not intended for you to even observe.....for I have all the witnesses I need."

She turned to Sasha and sighed, sensing his thoughts. He wished to rid them of this woman for the moment...but something held him back. She smiled gently and turned back to the woman, shaking her head.

"I do not know your purpose here.....for your words are not of my Code and I follow my Code without the uneeded words of "wisdom" from others. In my eyes, you have no purpose here and I apologize for sounding.....brash.....but I speak the truth. One cannot be what you desribed.....you are either Light, or Dark....nothing in between."

Suddenly Sasha pulled away from the scene and announced his departure. She sighed to herself and quickly wrapped her arms around him....then let him go.

"May the Force be with you.....Brother. I must go my way as well."

With that, the Knight slipped off into the shadows and walked the path back to her ship...then departed for her Order with a new joy...yet sadness.....in her heart.....

[Gouyen Chee]

Now Gouyen understood why the Sith despised the Jedi so much -- that woman was a damned fool -- twice damned for her discourtesy. She sent an angry blast of Force energy her way as a parting shot, being unable to do more. And she had gotten enough into her mind to find her identity -- Xazor Dawnstrider had just earned an implacable and ruthless enemy.

As for the boy -- he was young and foolish, even more foolish than that Jedi woman. He needed to be taught some manners and she would be more than happy to oblige. As for his actions of tonight, Gouyen was certain that they would land him in uncomfortably hot water when he returned to the Order. With the thought of the look on his face when he found out that she was also a member of the Order, Gouyen returned to her ship.