Picking up that which had fallen away

[Ebon Dir]

Ebon stood anxiously in one of the castle's large halls. He had recieved a mental summons from Jeseth to report here for training. Having just recently returned to the dark jedi stronghold after a substantial, Ebon had been surprised at the promptness of the summons. Apparently his arrival had been noted by more than a few.

Sounds bombarded his ears as he waited in the cool, dank room. Water, condensing on the rough stone walls ran down to the floor in numerous small rivulets. Outside, the winds buffeted the walls, causing haunting moans and howls. Inside his head, as always, Ebon heard the screaming of the suffering and the endless prattle of the ghost of a dead friend.

And through it all, he waited.

[Ebon Dir]

Where was he?

He couldn't be certain, but he was positive this was another one of Cloak's damnable mind games. Sometimes he had to stop and consider whether or not he had chosen the right path. He desired the power of the force, and the skills that came with it, but was the path of the dark jedi the one for him?

He could never be a Sith, he was certain of that. He hated them with every fiber of his being, and eventually, he would make them pay for what they did to those close to them. He would make them all pay.

Nor could he be a jedi and fall into the trap set by the light side. They said much, but did little, he could never do that. ANd they limited themselves needlessly when the dark side offered so much more.

But it also demanded a price. Every day he could feel the dark side overtake him a little more. It consumed him as quickly as it offered powers, always charging a heavy price. He knew the dangers and had prepared himself, raising a strong mental wall about the part of him he held most dear. Every day it was a struggle, but he refused to let the dark side consume him completely. He was determined to make certain that he would be the one to use the dark side as a tool, never the other way around. Some would scoff at him for this. True, it would forever limit his power, and it was a Sisyphean task, but he would never, NEVER give in completely to the darkside. He would never be a Sith.

*drip drip drip*

At the other end of the room, an endless series of drops kept time for an unheard symphony.

*drip drip drip*

Where was Jeseth?

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"He is not here." A woman walked towards Dir, her footsteps echoing amidst the sounds of water dripping. "Why wait for that which will not come?"

[Ebon Dir]

He turned, unsurprised, as if he had been half expecting her to appear. Because of the darkness, he could not make out her features, but the voice was low and sensuous, obviously female.

"Why ask questions that cannot be answered? I don't know why I wait here. Perhaps I had nowhere else to be, perhaps I just needed time to think. To tell you the truth, I don't know."

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"If you do not know the answer, then perhaps the wrong question was asked." De'Ville walked towards him still, trailing her hand on the wall beside her.

"Are you in need of training?"

[Ebon Dir]

He had to respect her, straight and to the point. No word games.

"I am"

A simple answer to a simple question.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"I can provide you with that you which you require." De'Ville circled around him. "I have been trained in the Dark Arts, first at the Shadow Academy under a Dark Jedi whom I subsequently killed, and then at the Sith Order, under Lordess Live Wire. I was raised to the rank of Sith Knight there...and then returned to training under the Sith Master Jedah Lynch."

She faced Dir, and offered him no expression. "I have passed the trials and am regarded as a Sith Master...although I have abandoned those ways to embrace those of the Dark Jedi." Lilaena waved her hand and the lights in the corridor were lit. "I am known as De'Ville, and I will train you, if you desire knowledge."

[Ebon Dir]

Confident, straight-forward, seemingly talented and easy on the eyes -- this was a woman he could respect. He didn't trust her any more than he did any of the other dark jedi, but she offered something he desired, knowledge.

He returned her emotionless gaze.

"If you're as good as you say, and you can further my studies in the dark side, I will have you as an instructor."

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She nodded. "Very well then. Join me tomorrow Ebon, I will begin your training then." Without another word, she turned on her heel and retraced her steps back towards her quarters.

The thought struck him, she had not mentioned where to join her. But all would become clear, when the time came.

[Ebon Dir]

He nodded silently, signalling his affirmation to her back as she strode away.

And once again he was left with his thoughts...and the voices...and the endless dripping.

*drip drip drip drip*