The Exile Returns

[Lilaena De'Ville]

De'Ville crawled out of the transport, and blinked in the bright daylight. The man behind her shoved and pushed, and she growled under her breath before taking the first steps down the stairs.

Down, down to the surface of Corellia. She had been here only once before, since the incident. Attending the wedding of the two Vaders, she had not been seen by anyone among her former collegues. Except for one.

Gav Mortis had talked to her for some time, quite possibly being the only member of TSO that did not hold a grude against her. It was good to talk to him...to talk to someone who knew about her history. She used to talk to Tondry...but it had been a very, very long time since she had seen him.

De'Ville shouldered her bag and caught her long midnight blue cloak in her hand as she strode across the spaceport towards the rented speeders. Forty minutes later she stood in front of the gates of the Sith Order's headquarters, well out of the city proper.

She had her arm blades strapped on, and her lightsaber on her belt. The usual vibroblade was in her boot, discretely hidden until needed. Her cloak was left inside the speeder, along with her bag.

Lilaena came armed for war, because she had no idea what her reception might be, and was ready for anything. She lifted her arm, and knocked.

[Live Wire]

Live Wire didn't have to be completely attuned to the force to sense an all to familiar presence nearby. For a moment she thought she was wrong but as the tingling in the back of her mind grew steadilly strong she knew that she hadn't been mistaken. Strapping a lightsaber to her belt she threw on her cloak and headed out of her room.

Her mind was racing trying to figure out what the intentions of this person was but she couldn't focus in that clearly. The safest course was to expect anything. It seemed like lately all the old demons were being resurrected and she was about to ask what next.

The doors to the palace slid open. Indeed she had not been wrong. She didn't draw a weapon but she was ready in case it should be needed.

"What are you doing here De'Ville?" She stared at her former apprentice with cold dark eyes and yet she didn't feel the intense hatred in her heart that she had at one time. It had been a long time and old wounds had started to heal. But there was an intense distrust and dislike of the woman before her that was still deeply rooted in her heart. Betrayal was not something easily forgotten even if it was forgiven.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"No hellos?" De'Ville did not step inside the building, but remained on the doorstep. "Do not worry, Live Wire, I am not here to fight you, at least that is not my intent. I need to pick up something I left here."

Lilaena fidgited on the threshold. "Are you going to invite me in?" She couldn't keep a smile from crossing her lips.

[Live Wire]

"Excuse my rudeness....this is quite a surprise." There was an amused tone to her voice. Part of her was saying to turn her away at the door and the other part wondered what could bring her back after so long. Much had changed since she'd been gone.

Stepping aside she gestured for LD to enter. She kept her senses alert for any deception but she didn't hold onto her lightsaber either. "May I ask what you're looking for?"

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"Well, it was in my old room. But this entire section has been rebuilt since I left. You do know that was not my doing." De'Ville sighed. "I had nothing to do with the bombing of the Palace. And if I had, I certainly would not have done it with me inside of it."

Lilaena shook her head slowly, far away memories coming flooding back. The escape to the Dominator. The flight in bacta to Selonia. Her betrayal and poisoning by the prick Sanis Prent. And her banishment from the Order. Dzym and Dagger had both been killed.

But Dzym was back..his spirit had been caught inside a ship, and subsequently reinserted into a cloned body. Or so she had heard. What an ill-fated week that had been. For the one thousandth time she cursed the one known as Darth Roul, and then stepped over the threshold.

"I was wondering if my chest..the heavy wooden one, had survived the blast. If not, I am sure you've recovered everything that had been in my room. I left with only the clothes on my back." And minus a twin. A spike of pain struck her heart, and she suddenly wanted to hold Jax, the only child to live after her banishment. His unborn twin sister had died in the womb.

[Lady Vader]

And so... the prodigal daughter returns.

*LV stepped from her vantage point, hidden near a marbled pillar. To LD, the Palace would be new, as it had been completely rebuilt. And even the Sith magics within the Palace were new. In essence, the Palace was a much more dark and deadlier place than before... but only to the new and unaware.*

*She looked at the woman a bit longer, not feeling hatred for her like she once had, but definitely not trusting her. She cocked her head slightly, answering LD's inquery.*

As I recall, a rather large wooden chest with metal hinges and corners had been picked up from the wreckage of the old Palace. I believe I had the workers store in in the back shed.

*A smile crept over her lips.*

That would be the stone shed on the other side of the garden.

[Gav Mortis]

"Now, now Mistress Vader, Shenraun has already been fed today from what I remember." Came a familiar voice from outside and just as he finished speaking, Gav arrived at the doorway to the Order's headquarters. No longer was he part of this establishment and by choice but suffice to say he had no love for that dragon who he would love to run his saber through after the incident with Chase and Leia.

"Mistress Vader, De'Ville, M'Lady." He gave all three a gentle nod of greeting and smiled thinly. He looked to the scenario before him.

"Funny, I didn't expect to be seeing this today, De'Ville. What brings you here?"

[Lilaena De'Ville]

De'Ville ran her hand through her hair, letting the locks trickle through her fingers. "So the dragon lives here now." She narrowed her eyes at Vader, not hiding her contempt for her.

"You would think one life threatening 'accident' in a year would be enough." She then turned to Mortis. "I left something here." Lilaena crack her neck, taking the time to extend her senses out into the room. Last time she had been here she had not come inside, and had not dared to probe the area.

But now she could, and she did. She was much more powerful than she had been on the day they had knelt her down in the Council Room and sentanced her. She blinked, the picture of Dagger and Dzym's deaths flashing before her eyes. There was more in this room than met the eye.

She had studied the Sith magicks extensively, with the help of an amulet that Garrett Blade had given her. She no longer had the trinket, thanks to Darkserpent. But the knowledge was still there, even if she had to struggle over the strange runes to read the books again. There were many different spells wrought over this building.

Over kill. Were the members of the Order so paranoid now? However, were the spells in place to keep people out...or to keep them in? De'Ville took another, passive, step into the expansive and ornate room.

[Lady Vader]

*LV looked at Gav.*

Who said anything about Shenraun? It's a beautiful sunny day outside, so there is no need to worry about the beast. And it's true with what I said.... what Lady De'Ville here seeks is in the shed I mentioned.

*LV looked over to LW with a smile, sending a message her way. Isn't it funny how people like to always assume the worst? I must really keep them on their toes.*

*She then looked back at LD.*

If you'll follow me, I can show you to the shed. The trunk, if I recall correctly, was placed near the back wall, it being one of the larger items recovered.

*She gestured towards a hallway.*

This way?....

[Live Wire]

She was grateful that Lady Vader and Gav had approached when they did. Being alone with her former apprentice was not an experience she wanted to prolong. She nodded in return of Gav's greeting. He was no longer a member of the order but that was not enough of a reason for them to be seperated and so he stayed around. What the other sith thought of it she didn't know and didn't care.

She smirked at LV's comment to her. It was true so many people automatically assumed the worst from her and often from LW herself. It was a nice reputation to have. She fell in behind the others as they walked. She could sense the difference in DeVille. She was no longer the idealistic naieve woman they had banished.

[Lady Vader]

*LV led the small group through a winding hallway that seemed to go on for ages, though none of them ever tired. It was the Sith magiks that were written into the marble at the top of the walls, enticing them to shift and change in the unweary mind of strangers. Walls and pillars seemed to dance from shadow to shadow, almost in a disorienting fashion. Anyone caught walking the Palace that did not know of it's secrets would be doomed to fall prey to it's shadows, forever lost in the seemingly twisting walkways.*

*But LV navigated them safely through, making that she was in their sights. It would not due to have a rotting corpse in the Palace.*

*They finally reached a glass door, ornately carved and beveled with silver and gold. On the other side could be seen a black marbled porch with a matching gazeebo a few meters in front of the entrance. The garden was vast, boasting a small wooded area, fountains, dirt walkways, fire-lit lanterns and torches, and a large lake. Not only were there many plants of varying kind, but also many species of birds flittering about, tiny creatures in the brush, and many sized fish in the lake. It was a contrast to the forboding Palace, black and tall.*

*The doors opened as if by their own will, allowing LV and the group to step through. She led them down a dirt path, neatly kept, past several trees and the lake. No where was Shenraun to be seen as he was a private creature. Though there was a good chance the giant dragon was watching them.*

*The sun shone down through the trees, allowing bits of light to drop onto the ground as golden beams. After a few minutes waling, they reached the stone shed, simply made of gey granite, with shimmery blue mosses gorwing on it's borders, with a large, green, vine-like plant crawling along it's left side near the door.*

*As LV reached the doorway, the vine moved, tiny leaves opening to reveal mouths with sharp thorns for teeth. She didn't pay it much heed, reaching out and running her hand along the vines thick trunk, whispering a few words in the Sith tongue. The vine relaxed it's aggressive stance, returning to it's passive state.*

*She stopped at the door, opening it with her hand, and entered.*

Lady De'Ville, if you will step inside, we can fetch your box.

*Before moving, she looked over to the corner where the vine was growing on the outside, noting it had found a few cracks in the granite, and grown just as big along the inside corner. Save on the inside it was white, not having the chloriphil from the sun. never the less, it remained passive.*

*She walked passed it, winding through a few shelves before reaching the back wall where a large trunk stood, a bit dusty, but otherwise intact. She turned to watch as LD made her way back to where she stood, ever watchful of anything.*

Is this the trunk you refered to?

[Lilaena De'Ville]

De'Ville had remained uneasy throughout the walk to the garden, and now, inside the stone shed with Vader, she was doubly on her guard. "Yes, that is it."

No one had seemed to mind much that De'Ville had her blades attatched to her arms, but she wasn't about to start anything. Not yet, anyway. "Someone tried to open it." She pointed to the chips in the wood by the electronic lock. It was a sturdy chest, reinforced by a titanium alloy layered under the wood on the inside.

"How many people died bringing it up?" She tsked and brushed the top of the trunk, removing some of the built up dust. There was an intense spell wound around this chest, one that would spell the doom of whoever tried to open it. Once the spell had been spoken, only a master of Sith magick, or the one who had woven the spell, would ever be able to get inside.

She had spoken the spell into being, and woven it with the help of the Force. It would have taken Mortis a few days to figure out how to break into it without harm, had he ever tried. Lilaena stood back up, and stepped back from it. "I trust you will not stop me from removing it from the shed?"

[Lady Vader]

*LV stepped back from where she had been standing, coming close to the shed's stoney wall. She gestured towards the doorway with an outstretched hand, indicating LD basically had her blessing to lug the trunk back to wherever she'd come from.*

What is yours, is yours.

[Darth Vader]

:: Elsewhere, within the lightless bowels of palace corridor, the Dark Lord watched from afar, the scene playing out as a gnat droid spied from above. Master De'Ville had returned willingly. It was unanticipated. Cocooned within his durasteel meditation chamber, Vader brooded, portending the dark comings of the future. ::

[Lilaena De'Ville]

De'Ville knelt down, and concentrated over the lock on the chest. After a few moments it popped open, and she lifted the lid.

Reaching inside, she rummaged past a blanket and some blank papers, and pulled out something that she hid in the palm of her hand. Still there. She closed the lid, and didn't bother locking it again.

De'Ville stood to her feet, and rolled her shoulders after pocketing whatever it was she had removed from the chest. "I apologize for taking your time, Vader. I am ready to go."

[Lady Vader]

Very well.

*LV once again led the way out of the stoney shed to stand back in the daylight, where Gav and LW stood. As soon as De'Ville had left the shed, the doors shut.*

[Lilaena De'Ville]

De'Ville breathed the fresh air deeply, and walked into the garden, ignoring the two women and the man behind her. She walked straight to the pool towards the far wall, and stood at its edge, looking into its depths.

It was here she had come, at the wedding of the Vaders. De'Ville had conversed with Mortis, and here he was yet again, but with no love for this place anymore. Then why was he here? She did not wish for him to be caught up in her affairs.

[Darth Vader]

Why have you now returned to us, traitor?

:: The voice that came from behind needed no introduction. ::

[Lilaena De'Ville]

De'Ville smiled to herself, and turned to face this new being. "Ah, Lord ...Vader is it now?" She could sense the familiar presence underneath, and added, "You look a little different from what I remember."

She would have folded her arms, but refrained. "I am no traitor, only one who was betrayed. However, you must lead a difficult life....I wonder why you wear that mask? Perhaps seeing a traitor's face in the mirror every day proved to be too much for you."

[Darth Vader]

:: He waved a finger at her, in an unspoken warning ::

Your free-reign here has been purchased by my Master's good graces, alone. Should the calm harbor of her patience turn to storm...then I shall call down the lightning upon you. For your sake, De'Ville, it would be wise to nurture this rare gift of reprieve. It is your destiny to return here.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She merely smiled, his unspoken answer all too clear. "I have returned, and yet, I have news on one who will not return. Perhaps you remember the Sith Master Banestone?"

De'Ville had what she wanted already; playing a little with her former comrades was just an extra bonus on this trip. The woman brushed her hair back from her face a little, keeping an eye on her surroundings.

[Lady Vader]

*LV had already emerged from the stone shed and had silently followed LD to stand near the pool of water. She'd felt Lord Vader before he'd spoken, and had remained silent until LD had asked whether they remembered Banestone.*

He is remembered, though I'm curious as to why you'd mention his name now after so many years.



(OOC: Misread. Gazeebo changed to pool of water.)

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"He is dead."

De'Ville flipped her lightsaber up into her hand, spun it once, and then tapped it against her upper thigh. "The first of many." She smiled, but still holding onto her lightsaber casually.

The object she'd retrieved sat in her pocket, safe. A krayt dragon pearl was an object of incredible value...more than the lives of all these Sith put together. She sighed a little, and looked at the Vaders silently.

[Lady Vader]

*LV raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms over her chest.*

A pity.

*She watched LD for awhile, sensing there was more.*

There is more... isn't there? You don't strike me as one that would waste there time to retrieve one item from a trunk covered in ashes and dust.

Not unless it was of great value to you... great enough to risk coming back to a place that could have surely killed you.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"So full of questions...so eager to listen, now." De'Ville smiled. "I am afraid it is much too late for me to care what you think, Lady Vader. Just as you did not care for my thoughts when you banished me, years ago."

The saber hilt tapped her thigh again, as if she were waiting for something. "Banestone...was a mighty Sith. Yet, he faltered, and in the end, was destroyed. His own apprentice struck him down, and the poor fool would not even raise a hand to defend himself."

"I wanted to let you know his fate. I know he was a part of the precious unit here you love to call "family," and yet betray and forget about as if we were all strangers to you."

She turned to Lady Vader. "Can you not hear yourself? 'I'm curious as to why you'd mention his name now after so many years.'" De'Ville snorted, "As if he was only a casual aquaintance, and not one of the founding members of this Order. Order! More like chaos," she sneered at them.

[Gav Mortis]

OOC: Although I'm not actively roleplaying at the moment. I thought it would be fitting and appropriate to post Gav's reaction. Besides, not like it was a great chore or anything. :)

IC:


Choosing to remain silent and observe all that transpired before him, Gav took a seat by the pool where he had spoken with De'Ville not too long ago. Instead of speaking up, he wanted to remain as he was, unnaffecting and consequently unnaffected. This was between De'Ville and the order here although when she immitated Lady Vader and critisized the Order his face contorted as he failed to hold back a grin of amusement; the type a child would have and it would read: "Busted!"

[Lady Vader]

*LV was neither flustered nor showed any emotion.*

I said it so casually because he has been gone for so long. When someone leaves for such an extended period, they basically say they do not wish to be a part of the Order.

Yes, he was instumental in founding the Order. But when he disapeared... well, he chose his own fate.

*She glanced at Gav, who seemed content to stare at the pond while sitting on a bench. As she recalled, he'd left the Order. In the time he had been here, she had never questioned his loyalty. But after he'd left TSO, she'd began to have doubts about him... whether he'd leave TSO be, or destroy it as LD had almost done. Still, she said nothing for the sake of her sister of darkness, Live Wire.*

*Looking back at LD, her eyes devoid of emotion.*

You have retrieved what you came for. Perhaps it is time you now left.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

De'Ville sighed, "Yes, you are right, I have worn out my welcome, I suppose." She nodded to Darth Vader and Gav Mortis, and then stepped around the dark suited being. "I will be seeing you...around..."

Her tone indicated nothing, but inside she was boiling with rage. "Are you going to show me out, or shall I find the way myself?"

[Levi Argon]

OOC: LV, it is now IC knowledge that Gav has openly left TSO. :)


(OOC: Doh! I was under the impression he left and then came back. Ok, so he left-left then. Fixied.)

[Gav Mortis]

"I too will take my leave." He declared quietly, coming to his feet. He looked about at the garden and further, the palace marked with it's all familliar excessive decor and noted, "Before I soften to this pampering." He smiled and started down a path branching off from their current direction.

"De'Ville, the exit is this way. Come, let us vacate this ivory tower."

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She followed him, wary of her former sisters who stood behind them. Darth Vader, or rather, the cloned imposter who lived in the suit, had not made another move towards her.

Just as well. It would have been in poor taste to rid her hostess of her consort. She grinned wickedly at the thought, but walked next to Mortis, her hand still on her lightsaber.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

As they were about to re-enter the palace, she looked over her shoulder once more. Her former accusers did not move from their places in the garden. Apparently she was not thought of as a threat anymore.

De'Ville wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing. She looked away from Mortis as they made their way through the building. I wonder if they have any new faces around?

[Lilaena De'Ville]

The Order seemed to have slipped into a sleep while she was there, although she herself had done nothing to the members. De'Ville stood in the entrance to the main building, and stretched her hands out towards both sides of the doors. Closing her eyes, she dipped deeply into the Dark side, pulling on her anger and her bitterness towards those of the Order.

Her body began to glow lightly, as tremendous kinetic energy built up around her. The molecules moved faster and faster as she pulled on the Force, standing in the doorway, arms outstretched towards the ceiling now, her arms illuminated as if they were on fire.

[Lady Vader]

*LV wasn't blind. It seemed LD still wanted to cause trouble for TSO. Why she'd even considered letting her back into the fold was beyond her.*

*Yet, she didn't move. Instead she sent a single message via the Force...*

[Shenraun]

*The message was received instantly, and the large dragon took a single leap into the air, unfolding his wings to take him up and and over the Palace's walls, and land him gracefully near the front door to the Palace.*

*Two large steps brought him to stand next to the large doorway where LD was gathering her engery. But, her gathering of the energy abruptly stopped as his natural ability to block the Force encased her. He blew a tiny puff of fire at her hands, making her reel them in quickly close to her. He stood there, like a statue, eyeing her.*

[Lady Vader]

*By the time Shenraun had made her reel her hands in to keep them from being scorched, LV had walked the distance and was staring at the other woman.*

I think it's safe to say you still harber ill feelings about this place. But we don't want any trouble.

Shenraun will escort you the rest of the courtyards length until you reach the front gate. From there I'm sure you can find your way back to your ship.

*She said nothing more, her demeanor cold and hard.*

[Iesis]

*Iesis appeared beside LV, snarling. Her back fur was raised and poisonous claws fully extended. She growled fiercely, intent on not letting the woman step back within the Palace walls.*

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"Very well. But I am already by the door to the outside, would you rather I walked all the way through the palace once again?"

[Lady Vader]

(OOC: Hang on. I'm confused. You're at the front door? Or the door leading into the garden? I think some stuff needs fixing here. o_O )

(OOC: Ok. I fixed what I misread. So, for continuity sake, you might wanna reword your post. :) )