One by one they've fallen (open)

[SashaKovalev]

The rain fell. Slowly at first and then heavily. He had just lost his second apprentice only yesterday. Two out of three. Dead.

He couldn’t help but partially blame it on himself. He was always hard on himself in all aspects of his life and this was not an area that he would treat any differently. It felt to him as if he had failed as a master. And for this, he was angry. It rolled off of him as easily as the raindrops did. He cursed Judas Escariot. Cursed him for so much more than simply dying in a battle he could never have won. Idly, he wondered if Zatania would be next. And again, anger built and rolled off of him.

He stood beneath the drops of rain as they fell. He did not seek shelter. And then when he was soaked to the bone, he began to walk. His steps were at first deliberate. Focused on finding someone on which to take out the frustration on anger. And then they slowed. It was much bigger, this issue, than anything that a small confrontation could provide. Instead he wanted to drown himself, just this once in a drink or three or five. Whatever it took for the frustration to leave him. Or to at least numb the feeling for a while.

And so he pushed open the door to the next Inn that he found. They gave him the onceover, for he did appear quite scruffy at the outset with two days growth of a beard beginning, and his hair and clothing dripping all over the floor.

He saw the objection written on the face of the wife of the owner. And within his mind he sought to calm her. He needed this place. Needed a drink and a chance to sit down and forget if only for a few hours. And the trick of the force worked and as quickly as the record had stopped when he’d entered, everything picked back up and continued on as if nothing had ever been wrong.

He slumped down at a seat at a table near the back and waited for someone to take his order.

(ooc: open for character building. Can be any sith, dark jedi, or just a plain old jedi, even. Or anyone else up for it….I don’t care. :))

[May Peris]

"Take your order?"

May doesn't plan on waiting tables for much longer. She's living at the very bottom of existence, taking a cue from Zeke, her elder brother by way of adoption. Together, they should soon have enough money to buy a small freighter and restart her father's transport company. But for now, she'll serve this scruffy, water-logged street kid.

[SashaKovalev]

Take your order?

Sasha nodded. He had not been dressed for rain, and the shirt that he wore clung uncomfortably to him as it dripped small puddles on the floor around his seat. He shifted slightly, his gaze moving to the fireplace. There was not a fire in the fireplace that he sat by, and by his will, through the power of the dark side, small sparks soon appeared beneath the logs and caught quickly to make a more inviting and hopeful shirt-drying fire.

And then he turned back to May.

“Just a beer for now. Whatever pale ale you have on tap is fine.” He replied, his violet eyes meeting her gaze. He can feel faintly, and not by an invasion of her thoughts, but just because they seem to rest on the surface that she does not love her job. And though he is a Sith, he is still capable of compassion from time to time.

“You can just bring two if its easier.” He tells her, not wanting to have to inconvenience her any more than necessary by sending her back again for another after he finishes his first.

[May Peris]

May sighs heavily and turns to the bar, returning a moment later with two full pitchers and an empty mug.

"This is easiest. O'course the boss'll have my hide for it, but it doesn't matter. I'm due for a break anyway."

[SashaKovalev]

He watched her as she walked off, and then turned to face the fire. His violet eyes were lost in the flames. Allowing them to consume him and his thoughts.

He was brought out of this by the thud of a mug and two pitchers being set on the table in front of him.

His eyes widened a bit and he raised a questioning eyebrow.

This is easiest. O'course the boss'll have my hide for it, but it doesn't matter. I'm due for a break anyway.

He chuckled and with his booted foot, pushed out the chair across from him as if to invite her to join him while she was on her break.

“Will he have your hide for taking a seat if a customer requests it?” He asked. The expression on his face was serious, but his oddly colored eyes betrayed him as they displayed a hint of mischief.

[May Peris]

May sits down and puts her head in her hands. She's tired, she's been working since early this morning. She misses the mischievous look in his eyes, she's too preoccupied with her job.

"No...but I bet I know what happens when I get off break...I'll bet I collect my paycheck and go hunting for a new job..."

[SashaKovalev]

He watched as she took a seat and put her head tiredly in her hands. He reached for the pitcher closest to him and poured it into the mug, taking care to tip it at just the right angle to reduce the foam.

No...but I bet I know what happens when I get off break...I'll bet I collect my paycheck and go hunting for a new job...

He couldn’t help but smile a bit at this.

“Would that really be so bad…?” He inquired, thinking that the life of a waitress wasn’t exactly what most people always dreamed of doing when they grew up.

As he asked her, he took his blaster from where it had rested in the holster and set it on the table. His fingers rested on it, but drummed absently on the wood of the table. His other reached for his beer and took a long drink of it before he set it back on the table and released a satisfied sigh.

[May Peris]

"Yeah, actually. This is the highest paying job I could find, and I'm nowhere close to my goal..."

Belatedly she notices his blaster.

"What's that for?"

[SashaKovalev]

Yeah, actually. This is the highest paying job I could find, and I'm nowhere close to my goal...What's that for?

He chuckled and pushed it aside.

“If you don’t know what that’s for you might want to crawl back into that hole that you came from…” He replied with a lazy grin.

He had no intentions of using his blaster, he just wanted it to dry off a bit from the rain. Not to mention, it had been jabbing him in his hip from the way he’d been sitting.

“So whats this goal that you’re trying to reach?” He asked, grateful for the conversation. It was the perfect distraction.

[May Peris]

"I know what its for..."

Under her breath she curses him. She meant why had he drawn it out, not what its purpose was. She speaks up again as she starts to explain.

"My dad used to own a transport company...he died...4 years ago when pirates raided our vessel. The only survivors were me and my elder brother by way of adoption...I want to restart the company, and to do it I need a ship."

[SashaKovalev]

I know what its for...

Apparently she hadnt caught the humor in his remark about his blaster. He kept this in mind for the rest of their conversation lest he say something she might take the wrong way. He wasn’t looking for a slap in the face.

She wasn’t all that offended it seemed, though, for she’d gone on to answer his question.

My dad used to own a transport company...he died...4 years ago when pirates raided our vessel. The only survivors were me and my elder brother by way of adoption...I want to restart the company, and to do it I need a ship.

He nodded at this, a small grin appearing on his face.

“Have you ever thought of working under the umbrella of a larger corporation? Say…being a division of some sort of organization that could provide the funding for startup and would ultimately take a percentage of the earnings…?” He asked.

He wasn’t sure if the Order would go for it or not, but they had recently branched out with a casino ship and he didn’t see the harm in branching out further if it could provide profit and possibly influence here and there about the galaxy.

“Or should I ask, would you ever have an interest in such a thing….?” He added. His gaze was relaxed, despite the fact that they were on the edge of talking business. He was an intense kid, but this sort of thing he actually liked, and so it was more fun than business, really.

[May Peris]

"Dad was vehemently opposed to working for someone else. Alot of people didn't agree with his methods; all they wanted was our ship, which was better armed and faster than alot of ships nowadays. So I would rather work for myself, as he did. Why do you ask?"

[SashaKovalev]

Dad was vehemently opposed to working for someone else. Alot of people didn't agree with his methods; all they wanted was our ship, which was better armed and faster than alot of ships nowadays. So I would rather work for myself, as he did. Why do you ask?

He shrugged in reply.

“If you were willing to venture into something like that, I might know someone that could help.” He replied as he reached for the beer in his mug and drained it.

He then reached for one of the pitchers and was refilling it when he spoke again.

“But….it doesn’t sound like that’s what you were looking for.” He added, his eyes staring at her for a moment, perhaps half in challenge, half in question.

“So how far are you from reaching your goal, anyway?” He asked as he set the pitcher back on the table and leaned back in his seat once again.

[May Peris]

"I...I don't know. I can't seem to find anything quality...everything's either ridiculously expensive because it's brand new or is an old hunk of junk that's just barely spaceworthy...So I don't even have a potential price range or ship..."

[SashaKovalev]

I...I don't know. I can't seem to find anything quality...everything's either ridiculously expensive because it's brand new or is an old hunk of junk that's just barely spaceworthy...So I don't even have a potential price range or ship...

He nodded knowingly.

“I know what you mean.” He replied.

He had been wanting to own his own ship for quite some time now. He had been saving and saving and in the end had decided to wait a bit longer.

He was always free to use the ships of the Sith Order and so there wasn’t any overwhelming need to have one – just a very very strong desire to be able to call it his own.

“You just been going through dealers or have you looked into some of the other markets?” There were other markets out there. They werent always reliable, and it was a shot in the dark sometimes at what you might get, but ships were always being seized or foreclosed upon and then sold for the debt owed. Sometimes the right deal was out there – if you found it at the right time.

It just took someone who dared to grace such establishments where people all to often went a little into debt. He was quite familiar with this after having watched the operations of the sith gambling cruiser, the Saiatah High Roller. If one didn’t pay their debts, their ships that sat in the docking bay where the ship had taken off were routinely impounded and later seized to pay off debts owed to them by passengers who didn’t know their limits.

This was a common practice throughout the galaxy, it seemed, and every now and then he looked into it, hoping to be lucky on that day. So far, he hadnt found exactly what he was looking for, but he was convinced that when the time was right, his ship would find him.

[May Peris]

"I've checked every place that doesn't have the potential to break me financially once I get going. Maybe I'll get my brother to give me a hand with this. He can use the Force, so maybe he can mind trick someone into giving us something good..."

[SashaKovalev]

I've checked every place that doesn't have the potential to break me financially once I get going. Maybe I'll get my brother to give me a hand with this. He can use the Force, so maybe he can mind trick someone into giving us something good...

He seemed to find this last fact rather…interesting.

He leaned forward in his seat, feining interest by transferring his intent to the mug of beer that he picked up. He took a long drink from it, gazing over the rim of the mug at May.

“A force user, huh?” He asked, raising an eyebrow after he’d set the mug back on the table.

“Is he a jedi?” He asked, trying quite hard to keep the distaste from his tone of voice.

[May Peris]

"Yes he is...maybe you'd know him? His name is Zeke."

[SashaKovalev]

He took another drink of the ale. It seemed to sit there for a moment before he gulped it down. Yes, he knew Zeke. He’d run into him before when he’d been spending a rather wild night hanging out with Dae Jinn. Zeke had tried to ruin their fun. Typical, he thought, of a jedi.

He tapped his fingers idly on the glass of the mug as if in thought over something. He wasn’t typically evil as most Sith were. He preferred for the most part to pick and choose his battles. But on occasion he found it difficult to resist the temptation to release a little bit of anger here and there.

He didn’t take pleasure in the killing of innocents, and rarely partook in such activities. But if the circumstances called for it, he wouldn’t hesitate to slit the throat of a child if it would get him what he wanted. And like any sith, upon hearing of her connection to the jedi, his mind began scheming to a degree.

“I might have run into him.” He replied nonchalantly with a casual shrug of his broad shoulders.

“You’d probably have your ship by now if he used his skills for something other than fighting a battle he and the rest of his jedi friends are ultimately going to lose…” He retorted, his violet eyes carrying a mixture of amusement and anger kept well in check.

His tone of voice was flippant and almost a challenge of sorts.

[May Peris]

"What battle is that?"

She rests her chin her hands and leans forward with interest. A battle her brother was doomed to lose? That's a new one to her. As children Zeke always had an angle, and always stood a chance. The results of his undertakings were always up in the air until the very last minute. She'd never seen him walk into a situation where he stood no chance of success.

[SashaKovalev]

What battle is that?

He knew he had her interest, for she’d leaned forward and rested her chin in her hands awaiting his response.

He did the same, cupping the mug in his hand protectively as he did so.

“His pursuit of the destruction of the Sith.” He responded.

“He and his Jedi friends claim to be protecting the galaxy, yet they choose to do so by infringing upon a group of people, trying to tell them how they may or may not use the power provided by the force.”

He took a sip of this beer and leaned back in his seat.

“Bunch of hypocrites if you ask me….” He added, his comment partially from the heart, partially meant only to inflame and insult.

[May Peris]

"Zeke? I'll bet if he didn't always catch you guys raising hell he'd leave you alone."

Destruction? Infringing? Hypocrisy? Doesn't sound like her brother at all. But she's biased, so...

"How many times have you fought my brother?"

[SashaKovalev]

Zeke? I'll bet if he didn't always catch you guys raising hell he'd leave you alone.

An amused grin found its way to his face. He couldnt hold it back. Ok, so…sometimes, maybe, he was responsible for raising hell.

How many times have you fought my brother?

“I’ve only dealt with him once. He kicked a friend and I out of a fundraiser.” He replied, feigning innocence. He’d been with Dae Jinn at the time, and she didn’t exactly bring out the innocent kid in him. Rather, she provoked the hellion.

[May Peris]

"And...were you making trouble for my dear brother?"

[SashaKovalev]

He tilted his head as if to seriously consider the question.

“Trouble for your brother…? He repeated, as if that were the most ridiculous thing he’d ever heard.

“No……” Trouble for the one’s who’d been the targets of their…amusement, perhaps.

“He and his fellow….jedi,” This time, he did not conceal his contempt “Pretty much profiled us.”

“I mean, its hardly my fault of some lady slipped on a puddle of water, or some old guy had a heart attack…” He added after taking a good slug of his beer.

[May Peris]

"That just doesn't sound right at all..."

May doesn't believe him. But he won't say anything else, and she can't use the Force like her brother, so she has no real way of getting the truth from him. She'll have to take his word.

"If you say so."

[SashaKovalev]

His violet eyes flickered to his drink, then back to her.

“Look, Im not trying to bad mouth your brother to you.” He stated, his eyes coming back up to meet hers.

“We just don’t see eye to eye.” He added with a soft sigh.

“So what are you going to name this ship when you get it..?” He asked, changing the topic to a safer ground.

[May Peris]

"Dad's old ship was the Happy Child, so that's what we'll call our ship, once we can find it and buy it."

[SashaKovalev]

Dad's old ship was the Happy Child, so that's what we'll call our ship, once we can find it and buy it.

His expression darkened for a moment. She spoke so easily of her father that he couldn’t help but feel a hint of jealousy. He didn’t even know if his father had ever owned his own ship, nevermind what he would have called it.

He fell into a brooding silence for a moment, a slight contemptuous pout overtaking his youthful features. He reached for his beer and finished off the glass, setting it back on the table with perhaps a bit more force than necessary.

The mug was solid and made a good thud on the wood of the table. This was followed by an angry sigh.

“And are you planning on running this business alone?” He asked. He didn’t doubt that a woman was more than capable of running a business. What he doubted was her safety. And while he wasn’t the least bit concerned about whether she lived or not, perhaps the Sith in him was, to some degree, plotting a way to bring pain to a jedi – through the capture of his sister.

[May Peris]

"Not alone. Zeke will help me. He thinks that since we survived, other crew members may have survived too, so we're going to look into that as well before we go hiring a new crew."

[SashaKovalev]

He raised an eyebrow.

“Your jedi brother is going to take time away from his street cleaning job to go into business with you?” He asked, referring to the fact that the jedi generally tried to keep the streets safe from danger – danger that the Sith often created.

“I wasn’t aware that the jedi were allowed to have lives of their own….” He retorted with an amused expression making its way back into his features.

[May Peris]

"They are. I'm his family, it would be wrong of them to not allow him to help. Besides, it's part of their whole Jedi-thing to help people."

[SashaKovalev]

They are. I'm his family, it would be wrong of them to not allow him to help. Besides, it's part of their whole Jedi-thing to help people.

He made no response to this and rather just let it slip by. He reached for the pitcher once again and refilled his mug.

“So what else if there to know about you,” He asked, “Besides the fact that you hate this job and are working it only until you have enough money to buy and ship and name it after your fathers ship which was once called the ‘Happy Child’ and then begin a transport business with your jedi brother, Zeke?” He asked, a relaxed amused expression returning to his youthful face.

[May Peris]

"Not much, actually. What is there to know about YOU?"

[SashaKovalev]

He stared at her for a moment and then he looked away, a faint expression of annoyance flickering over his features. He wasn’t sure if she was purposely not telling him anything, or if she was simply that boring a person that she had nothing to say.

He ignored her question about him, partially to annoy her by responding as she had, and partially because he didn’t feel like she really cared to hear an answer – so telling would be a waste of his time. Even though he seemed to have plenty of it on his hands as he relaxed there at the Inn with his beer.

“Do you always sit down at the tables of your patrons during your break?” He asked.

[May Peris]

"Yes, if they should happen to know something interesting. I spent an hour at a person's table once discussing the matter of a quality transport ship. I didn't like his price, so he underpaid and didn't leave a tip."

[SashaKovalev]

He eyed her for a moment, then allowed a small chuckle.

"I always leave a tip." He replied, his expression souring slightly at this fact. It was rather charitable - as sometimes he'd had what could only be characterized as perfectly lousy service.

"Any other interesting patrons?" He asked.

[May Peris]

"Apart from you, no."

What was so interesting about Sasha? He'd fought her brother, for one thing. He seemed to be somewhat knowledgable of spacecraft. He wasn't shallow, and hadn't tried to pick her up...yet.

[SashaKovalev]

Apart from you, no.

It surprised him that there had been no others. The galaxy to him was full of interesting people and places, and every conversation he had – with a familiar face or a complete stranger - was another learning experience. And speaking with May was no different. He wanted to learn from her.

“So whats it like living here..?” He asked her. He’d only ever lived on Corellia at the Sith palace and the small town he was from as a kid. The earlier years of his life he didn’t remember enough to count as a place he had lived.

[May Peris]

"Hell. My room has five leaks in the ceiling. My mattress is old, and the springs in it creak...a few have punctured the mattress somehow. My blankets are threadbare, the heater doesn't work, the floor creaks, and the men are all pigs."

[SashaKovalev]

Hell. My room has five leaks in the ceiling. My mattress is old, and the springs in it creak...a few have punctured the mattress somehow. My blankets are threadbare, the heater doesn't work, the floor creaks, and the men are all pigs.

He opened his mouth to speak and then shut it before any words could escape.

He’d been about to ask her why her jedi brother, the helper of all, didn’t come to her rescue. But instead he’d thought better of it.

Instead, he kept the sarcasm from his tone and asked her, in all honesty, why she didn’t ask her brother for help.

“Does your brother know the conditions you live in…?” He asked.

[May Peris]

At this she laughs.

"He knows...he offered to let me stay with him, but I couldn't do it...he's got two roommates, and it'd be too crowded. But he doesn't let me suffer alone. He sleeps in a cardboard box."

[SashaKovalev]

He knows...he offered to let me stay with him, but I couldn't do it...he's got two roommates, and it'd be too crowded. But he doesn't let me suffer alone. He sleeps in a cardboard box.

He took her words literaly. And shook his head in disbelief.

“Don’t take this the wrong way…but….you and your brother are…different.” He stated.

“You’re trying to tell me that the Greater Jedi Order wouldn’t give your brother a place to stay where his sister could join him….?” He asked this with complete disbelief in his voice.

[May Peris]

"Hm...I'm not sure if they would or not. I wouldn't let him try to find out."

[SashaKovalev]

He reached for his mug once again and stared at it for a moment before he took a good slug. Setting it back down, he tapped his fingers on the glass.

“Too much pride?” He asked, thinking that if her goal was to save money and buy her ship, she’d reach the goal a lot faster by not having to pay rent and al the other expenses that went along with it.

[May Peris]

"No, but he's always going out of his way for me, ever since we were kids. He used to step in and fight alot of my battles for me, like when the kids would pick on me, or school was going poorly...always helping, even if it meant he put himself in trouble. I don't know how many times he's been grounded in my stead."

[SashaKovalev]

Sasha found a hint of a smile.

“Well, isnt that what brothers are supposed to do? Protect their sisters….?” He replied.

He didn’t have any siblings. Not any born of blood, at least. But he did have someone that he considered a sister, Gouyen Chee, and he would have done anything to protect her.

She’d been missing for some time now, and for a moment, the sadness flickered across his features. He looked away, staring at the fire and reached for his beer.

“Did you guys get along growing up?” He asked, trying to distract himself.

[May Peris]

"Mhm. We sure did. He was always up to something, being the mischeivous little adventurer he is. He always had a game up his sleeve, and when the passenger's children tried to spoil our fun, he would siimply integrate them as the 'bad guys' and chase them off...I can't remember a single instance where those kids ever got the better of him."

[SashaKovalev]

He smiled faintly and sighed.

"You wish you could go back?" He asked.

"To being a kid again?" It was perhaps an odd question for a Sith to ask. One who was supposedly devoid of compassion - one who was finally beginning to achieve all the power that he sought.

[May Peris]

"It would be great to be so carefree again...but then, if I were to go back to my childhood, there would be the inevitable dread lurking in the background..."

[SashaKovalev]

His head cocked in curiousity.

"The inevitable dread?" He asked.

"What, of getting older? Or just of what you know now to be your future?"

[May Peris]

"Of the raid...the day when pirates raided and blew up the original Happy Child...they killed the crew and ransacked our ship. Zeke was ejected into space in an airtight cargo crate by the pirates. I was shoved into an escape pod by my father and escaped that way..."

[SashaKovalev]

He took another drink of his beer and then set it on the table. The mug was empty, but there was plenty left in the second pitcher.

"So how'd you run into Zeke again?" He asked, settling back in his seat again for her story.

[May Peris]

"He was out travelling, on a mission for GJO...peacekeeping or something, I expect...he doesn't own a speeder, so he had to walk...he happened to stop by the tavern where I was working at the time. He stopped a bar brawl without throwing a punch and saved the reputation of the owner...consequently, he saved me from getting hurt."

[SashaKovalev]

"And you just recogniized each other....? Just like that?" He asked.

He was a kid who paid attention to detail, and he didnt like any of them being left out of a story being told to him.

[May Peris]

"No, not at first...I didn't recognize his face at all...but he mentioned my father's philosophy, and that's how we figured out who the other was."

[SashaKovalev]

He nodded.

"And what was your father's philosophy...?" He questioned. He stood for a moment and walked over towards the fireplace. He stooped to pig up a log and tossed it onto the fire before he turned back to his seat and sat down again.

[May Peris]

"To always be happy. He believed the goal of all beings is their own happiness. "

[SashaKovalev]

He reached for the second pitcher and poured it into his glass, not caring so much about the foam that rose up.

"So....if that was his goal, and your brother...follows it? Believes in it? Why does your brother try to put an end to the happiness of others all the time?" He asked this point blankly. It wasnt triumphant, but rather subdued, in fact.

[May Peris]

"He doesn't, really. But if he has to choose between you being happy and hurting people, and the people you're hurting being happy, he has no choice but to go with the majority. I'll bet that's why he went after you at that formal party you mentioned...he felt you would disturb the happiness of the partygoers."

[SashaKovalev]

His glass came slamming down on the table, foam erupting over the top and spilling onto the table in between the two of them.

“Get one thing straight.” He stated, the tone of his voice carrying a hint of aggression to it.

“I waasnt ‘hunting’ anyone. And if I want to disturb the happiness of someone else…they probably deserve it.”

His right hand came to rest on the blaster that was still resting on the table. He eyed it for a moment, and then finally picked it up and stuffed it back into its holster on his belt.

“Maybe if you werent so busy worshipping your brother and opened your eyes for once you’d maybe catch a glimpse of the real world out here.” He added.

His temper was quick. It always had been, and little things could set him off. The defending of the jedi in particular.

[May Peris]

May doesn't speak. She eyes the table, running Sasha's words through her mind. Did she worship her brother? She would say that's overstatement, but yes, she does look up to him.

"I'm sorry," she says quietly. "We both have a tendency to jump to conclusions. I'm sorry I've offended you."

[SashaKovalev]

There was silence for a moment and the young Sith watched as May’s eyes looked at the table.

Her voice was quiet when she finally spoke again.

I'm sorry. We both have a tendency to jump to conclusions. I'm sorry I've offended you.

He sighed softly and his hand came up to rub his forehead, as if he’d just developed a painful headache.

He reached for a nearby napkin and dropped it onto the table, letting the spilt beer soak into it.

“Don’t worry about it.” He replied, the tone of his voice carrying a somewhat apologetic tone himself, though he did not apologize just yet.

“Ive had a rough couple months.” He admitted.

“And you made an easy target to take it out on.”

[May Peris]

"Rough, huh? How so?"

[SashaKovalev]

Sasha gave her a quick look as if to say, ‘you sure you want to hear all this?’ and then settled back in his seat. He sighed softly.

“Bad, as in a segment broke away from the order Im a part of, my girlfriend went with them and isnt allowed to tell me the name of the group or where she is and I havent heard from her in weeks, both of my apprentices failed in their training – as in – they’re dead now, a good friend of mine, a woman I consider a sister, is missing and no where to be found…..”

He shook his head and tapped his fingers on the arm of the chair in which he sat.

“I don’t know, those are the things that matter. Im sure something else went wrong, but I really don’t have the energy to worry about it.” He added.

[May Peris]

May isn't sure what to say. She doesn't have her brother's knack for disarming problems.

"I'm sorry."

[SashaKovalev]

He actually smiled at this and a small chuckle escaped. He didnt find it funny at all that this series of events had passed in his life over the past couple of months, but rather he foud her response amusing. As if he'd given her fair warning that it wasnt exactly pleasant news he had to tell her.

"Thanks." He responded, more dryly than with sincerity.

"I suppose I deserve it..." He added with a rueful expression, referring not to her apology, but to the bad things that were happening. Perhaps karma had its own way of dealing with Sith.

[May Peris]

"Deserve what? My sympathy or your misfortune?"

[SashaKovalev]

He chuckled.

“Misfortune.” He replied.

“I don’t need anyone’s sympathy.” These words were added quite firmly. He wasn’t one to go looking for anyone to feel bad for him. He’d been raised by a single mother, not knowing ho his father had been until recently. He’d left his last year of school, never completing a degree, in order to provide for his mother while she was sick. She’d passed away later that year, and he had been left on his own in the galaxy. From these experiences he’d learned that life was what it was – good things would happen and bad things would happen and the important thing was to just deal with what life gave you as best as you could.

He carried anger inside him for this –it was what led him to lead the life of a Sith – but he did not want or expect sympathy for it. It was simply the cards he had been dealt in life.

[May Peris]

"Father said once that no one, no matter how evil they may be or seem, deserves misfortune."

[SashaKovalev]

Sasha visibly rolled his eyes at this.

"You think he truly believed that?" He asked, his voice carrying a tone that very clearly indicated that he did not.

"Besides, I want to know what you think, not what your father thought...." He added.

[May Peris]

"I don't think that's true at all. The past 4 years of my life have done an excellent job of disproving alot of my father's beliefs."

[SashaKovalev]

He shook his head in confusion.

"Then why are you quoting him all the time if you dont believe in the thingshe said?" He asked.

[May Peris]

"Because he's my father. Because I love him, and that's what he taught me. I feel that by keeping his memory close, and remembering what he believed in, that maybe he won't fade from me...but I suppose it makes me look like a hypocrite...I'm sorry."

[SashaKovalev]

He shrugged.

"You dont have to apologize for it, I dont care either way....its just..."

He shifted slightly.

"I dont know, I was trying to talk to you, not the memory of your father..." He finished.

He changed the topic.

"So what is there to do around here, anyway...? Besides hang out and keep waitresses from doing their jobs..."

[May Peris]

"Oh yeah...I am on duty, aren't I?"

"Peris, you're fired."

"I suppose not..." she sighs, taking the paycheck offered her by the manager. "There's really not much. There's clubs, but they're so full of drug addicts and perverts it's not worth the time."

[SashaKovalev]

Violet eyes watched the proceedings, narrowing slightly. He knew that with an easy trick of the force, her manager would be relatively easily convinced that he had never fired her in the first place.

There's really not much. There's clubs, but they're so full of drug addicts and perverts it's not worth the time.

He nodded.

“Well, Im here for the night if you want to meet up later. For…coffee or something.” He suggested, the expression on his face revealing nothing.

“PERIS!!!” The voice of the manager bellowed.

“Back to work. You only get 15 minute breaks!” The young Sith knight gave May a grin.

“Im at the Squire Hotel.” He said, standing from his seat and tossing several bills, sufficient to pay for his drinks and as promised earlier, a tip, onto the table.

“You should probably get back to work…” He suggested as he pulled his coat on.

[May Peris]

She pockets the tip and stands with him, hanging on his arm with a sweet smile, her voice slightly pouty and conveying a seductive tone.

"Before you go, big guy...could you talk the boss into letting me off early?"

The mind trick is a skill she would love to have.

[SashaKovalev]

Before you go, big guy...could you talk the boss into letting me off early? She asked as she hung off his arm, her voice dropping to a seductive tone.

He chuckled.

“That could probably be arranged…” He replied with a wink to her, followed by a quick glance in the direction of the manager. He had come in here in a relatively stormy mood, but her conversation with him had lightened this to a great degree. For that, he was feeling less like the Sith he was supposed to be, and more like the person he truly was, underneath it all.

Mind tricks were something that he loved. They made everyday life so much easier, and they took so little effort. And then he began to move for the door, but stopped part way there.

“Hey…thanks.” He stated, looking back towards May.

[May Peris]

"No problem, big guy," she says with a wave. "I'll see you around."

[SashaKovalev]

He nodded and with an expression of amusement on his face, he stepped outside, the door to the tavern falling shut behind him.