Live A Little -- (Alana, Open)

[Anthony Scott]

It seemed like the flight took forever, even in her presence. All Anthony could do was sit and stare at Alana, but occasionally his eyes pulled away long enough to glance out the window. Never before had he laid eyes on the places they were traveling past -- nor the place they were going. Never before had he heard of this place called 'Roon' and somehow he knew it would be unlike any planet he's ever visited.

Far into their journey, Anthony's heart nearly stopped at the sight he viewed out the window to his right. Surrounding a large dark orb was a massive asteroid field. A hard lump formed at the back of his throat as second thoughts entered his mind. He glanced nervously to Alana, but quickly hid his fear behind a boyish grin and a slight mischievous twinkle in his eye.

"You face this everytime you leave or come home?" He questioned, noting that it would be a good defense mechanism to keep those who did not know the area away from the planet. Alana nodded and smiled, unworried by the milieu. A heavy ragged sigh escaped Anthony's lips as they pressed on and before he knew it, they were landing on the soft ground.

After exiting the ship, Anthony simply stopped and marveled at everything around him. The purple moon in the seemingly endless nightsky was beautiful beyond words. He allowed his eyes to take everything in -- especially the black roses which appeared vibrant in the glow of the moon. Soon he traced his vision along a path until his jaw nearly dropped at an enormous structure before him. Made competely of marble stood the Shrine itself, though he knew not what it was. To the young Jedi Padawan, it was simply breathtaking.

"There is so much to see here -- it's all so amazing." He breathed the words softly while his dark brown eyes gazed across the expanse of the forest surrounding the large structure. There was a dark presence encircling the girth of the Shrine, though -- it was easy for him to feel. Anthony paid this no mind, and instead took pleasure in the feeling of power radiating off of Alana and the surrounding area. The ambiance of the place swept over the young man and drew him in more and more with each second that passed.

[Alana Stormcloud]

Alana wove her way through the asteroid field easily, the small transport dogging as if powered by unseen hands. She had been in and out of so many times it was now second nature. As they neared the Shrine Alana's took a deep breath, her power increasing with the nearness of the Mother Ashiva. On Roon vampires came into there own completely.

The Sith Lordess was enjoying Ant's excitement, his exclamations of surprise at everything around him. To mortal and immortal alike it was a place of indescribable beauty. As they disembarked Alana grinned at the shadows withering around the structure of the Shrine. The Shadow guardians greeting Alana in there own way. They shifted and moved toward her, there fingers clutching at her cloths like the hands of errant children.

Soft words whispered in a vampiric tongue sent them back to the dark folds of the building. She did not want Anthony frightened by there gruesome appearance. The heady scent of the blood roses twined around the pair as the warm night breeze tugged at them.

"Welcome to my Home Ant, welcome to the Shrine of the Damned." She watched him closely as she said the name, wondering what he would think of it. Alana knew the evil the resided here was palpable to all but to a young Jedi it would be like a kick in the gut....

[Anthony Scott]

Anthony's eyes slowly traced over the large black marble building as the shadows seemed to come to life and move in rhythm together. He turned to face Alana but she broke the silence before he and spoke. The words were unexpected, though, and he lofted a brow in question.

"The -- the Damned? Shrine of the Damned?" He stammered as his jaw dropped slightly and he simply stared at her. "This cannot possibly be the place I was researching but a week ago! How differently the Jedi perceive it to be!"

"What's so -- damned about it?" He questioned, still unsure of cursing as he was. Never before really had the young man said anything of the such -- it was not in his nature and this thought crossed his mind. "Suppose I must do as those who live here do in order to fit in. It won't hurt to change a litte -- right?" He questioned himself and shook the thoughts away.

"Such a strange name for a place I wouldn't mind living in. It's so tranquil and beautiful." He stated with a gentle smile, moving close to Alana. He took his hand once agan and kissed it before looking deeply into her eyes. "Just like you." He whispered to her, allowing all other thoughts escape from his mind.

[Alana Stormcloud]

"This cannot possibly be the place I was researching but a week ago! How differently the Jedi perceive it to be!"

Alana lofted a finely shaped eyebrow at this comment, her smile growing with each word he spoke. "Researching?? Just how do they perceive us Ant?" She chuckled softly, her arms enter laced with his, the roses that grew in abundance around them lent to the dreamy feel of the place.


"What's so -- damned about it?"

She sat down on the small bench, one of many that lined the massive garden. Turning to him she answered. "It is not so much that the place is Damned Ant, it is those who reside in it that are." She wanted to be able to explain to him just what she was... But she did not want him to turn from her in horror.

"Just like you."

"Is that how you perceive me Ant? Do you care to look deeper? No matter how the Jedi think of me I can still love, and hurt. I can still hope that the child, who loved me so well in the past, will love me still. That he will not judge me by others standards but by what he knows of me." Her soft voice caressed his ears, hoping he would not see her as less than she was....

[Anthony Scott]

"The people are damned? Why so? Is it because you are Sith?" He questioned, still missing a piece of the puzzle, obviously. His eyes shifted to the ground for a moment when she questioned him. She had missed his point and he did not know how to rephrase what he had said.

"Tranquil and beautiful, yes, that is what I think of you -- you are like this place. Damned? No -- why would I think of you as so? No matter what you are. The Jedi perceive you to be creatures of hate, lust, death -- but you love and you feel real emotion. I am forbade to do so -- never shall I be able to do such things while under the iron fist of the Code." He said softly, never breaking eye contact with the ground. Sighing inwardly, the young man finally looked up at the lovely Alana.

"For so long have I searched for something of such splendor as this place -- I've found it because of you. Indeed, I know of the Sith that reside at the Shrine of the Damned -- I learned as much as I could but alas, my resources were limited. What I was reading made a comment about how the people here were night dwellers, much like Vampires -- but still, I know very little of those creatures and wouldn't know one if I came face to face with one. I highly doubt you are of that kind, though. Vampires -- perhaps they are ugly creatures with aweful claws and a vicious appetite." He laughed to himself, noting that Alana was nothing like the picture forming in his head.

"So tell me about this place -- what drew you here? Please, be honest with me -- I will not fall, if that is what you fear." He stated, but then rethought what he had said. "Fall? From what? I'm only a Padawan -- I'm not even a true Jedi yet -- there is nothing to fall from. I would never make it as a Sith anyway, so I have nothing to worry about." He thought nonchalantly. His thoughts would deceive him, though -- and perhaps he would bite off more than he could chew later on.

[Valirion Thorn]

:: Soft boot clicks were heard approaching the two along the stone path. The shadowlings about Alana stirred and then whispered franticly of their shadow brother approaching, some edging away from Alana regretfully, enjoying the company of the Mistress so great but wanting to welcome their brother as well.

My violet orbs were much more vibrant tonight. It was always night but you could tell the difference of one and another. They could be easily seen in the darkness before my form was even decipherable. If it was even before I stood before anyone anyways.

I was in my normal attire, layered in weightless silks of blood red, shimmering with light as my shoulder length black hair didn't seem to move at all. My armor wrapped about my body, tendrils that looked like black chords of leather writhing along my arms and chest in spirals. Occasionally they would move and replace themselves more comfortably.

I made a bow as I neared the two, yes... he was human. And... lightside? Most entertaining. And I had thought myself done with dealing pain until I had fed for the night? How silly.::

Welcome back Mistress, the Shrine's shadows inform me that you had a well trip back. And who might this... daring man be?

I sighed at the sight of Alana and then to see a human with her. A meal perhaps? No, Alana rarely brought a pickup meal home on a ship unless it was very special.

[Alana Stormcloud]

Before Alana had a chance to explain just what did dwell on Roon, she felt a familiar presence. One that filled her heart with pride. His darkness was as deep as hers as she knew it would be when they first met. She smiled at Ant and then turned to Thorn, her open arms a greeting to her brother of the Shrine.

"Ahh Val it is a pleasure to see you again. It seems my journey has finally brought me home. This young man is the son of my best friend. I have not seen him since he was a small child. I decided to bring him home with me and show him a sweeter side of life." She sent a clear meaning to Val. Letting him know this one for the time being was off limits to his gifts of pain, for the time being, until Alana had wooed him to her side.

"Ant this is Valirion Thorn, Lord of the Shrine, member of the council of the damned. Come both of you let’s walk and see if we can answer some of those questions you have Ant. As for vampires, I will explain why they think they reside here on Roon." Her chuckle filled the moon lit garden. The Sith Lordess slid her arms into the arms of her companions, her eyes lit with a cold light.....

[Anthony Scott]

Anthony eyed the newcomer with a bit of reserve at first, but then his curiosity got the best of him and he found himself wanting to get to know Val. "Greetings my Lord." The young Padawan spoke quietly, giving reverance to the one before him who held such a high position. As Alana slinked her arms through his and the other member of the Shrine, he looked down at her and smiled as she spoke. The words caught him offguard, though, and he nearly stopped in place.

"Vampires? Wait -- there are Vampires here? I thought that the people who live here were nightdwellers similar to Vampires." Anthony rose a brow and eyed Alana cautiously, wondering where this was getting him. She did not fit the schema he had in his mind of what one looked like, and perhaps, she was not even one. "How do I know when I see one? Are you one, Alana?"

The young man had a questioning look on his face and he occasionally glanced at Val to see if he would confirm these thoughts through gestures, perhaps. With nothing, Anthony turned her attention back to Alana and squeezed her arm gently, but not forcefully -- it was laced with love, perhaps. "Are you?" He questioned once again, attempting to understand this new world that he had stepped foot in. It would not change anything between them if Alana was a Vampire, but he had to know -- he was so very curious now and wished to know everything about Roon and the large fortress that sat before his eyes -- and the black pettled roses and how come it was so dark here. He wanted to fill his mind with their ways and piece together their ilfestyle and compare it to the Jedi.

Above all -- he wanted to find out for himself why these people were the enemies of the Jedi and if in fact, he was being lied to about them all along.

[Valirion Thorn]

Of course she is... Ant... or else I'd have her seductive body hanging with my other wonderful murals.

:: The armor slipped from my skin, shadowy tendrils that carressed Alana's skin and seemed to move like vipers when it neared the body of the mortal. I sensed the lightside in this one but also one of Alana's seeds, the ones that would gow and bloom, creating yet another peak of darkness in a being, with well treatment, it would grow eternal.::

Accept that there are beings, demigods above all else... Ant. We own mortality and time, forsaking the sun becasue we have our own in the Goddess Ashiva.

:: At that name, I smiled, the armor waving about in the air frantically. Two beings stayed ever present within my symbiotes currently, Miranda and Ashiva, the two most beautiful things I'd ever witnessed. ::

[Anthony Scott]

Anthony narrowed his eyes at Val as he spoke of nailing Alana to the wall. He felt quite defensive at this point and, if he didn't know better, would have attacked anyone that even thought about doing such a thing. The young man quelled his feelings, though, and sighed internally as peace returned to him.

"You mean -- you're not, dead, right? You can't die? You own eternity? So if I stabbed you, you wouldn't die?!" This was an unbelievable concept to Anthony and for several moments, his mind ran rampant with thoughts of the possibilities this could hold. "So no one can kill you if you get into a fight? You'll live forever -- love forever -- enjoy everything for -- forever?" He questioned, still in a bit of shock and disbelief.

Shaking his head for a moment, he eyed Val before turning his deep brown eyes to Alana. "He's telling the truth, isn't he? Is this why the Jedi hate you? Is it because -- I know." In that moment he felt quite betrayed and nothing would convince him otherwise. He knew this had to be the reason. "They're jealous. They cannot stand the fact that you cannot be beaten by death! That's why they hate you, that's why they told me to stay away from you -- that is why they desire what you have, but won't admit it." He said, turning his attention, now, to everything that was going through his mind. "My Master lied to me!" He said, piecing together the puzzle that was slowly forming within his mind. It was heartbreaking but at the same time, he felt anger -- something he had not felt for quite a long time. Pure, unadulterated anger.

[Alana Stormcloud]

Alana turned to the young man who had come into her life yet again. His mother’s eyes and wisdom staring back. So many times she had been judged, as a human, and as a Vampyre. By the ones she loved, and those who did not know her. But Ant had chosen to listen, with an open mind and heart.

"You are your mothers child Ant. Wise, never judging. She was the one person who could look at me, and love me no matter what I did. No matter how much shame I felt. Yes they hate what they do not know. They despise what they cannot control. There pious nature holds them to there cold beliefs. They judge, and yet find themselves without fault." Alana moved to Ant her hand resting softly on his cheek. Her eyes shimmering with the blood tears.

"It is true Ant, I am not human. Though I used to be, and at times my human nature is revealed. It is true that I am death that waits in the shadows but I have never been anymore or less that what I say I am. I do not judge before I know, but I stand behind what I learn. There are so many simple truths out there. But the one that stands out is do not judge what you do not know. The Jedi stand in there white tower, preaching love, preaching understanding and yet they learn nothing of others. Instead they make there minds up and give no one a chance. It is there folly."

Alana’s soft sigh was full of bitter remorse, she was what she was. She had never claimed to be anything else but instead had been classified by so many.

"Come Ant let's go tour the Shrine. I want you to see my life. My world if you will. I want you to have a choice, and in your wisdom know that what I show you will be the truth. If you ask me I will tell you. For your mothers sake, for mine, but most of all because of you. Because you can look on me and not judge....."

[Anthony Scott]

"How could they call you something evil, then? Your heart and motives are pure yet -- they do judge as you say." The young Padawan sighed heavily as he allowed his eyes to be captivated by Alana's once again. He slowly reached over and took her hand in his own, realizing the pain that the Jedi had caused her and the others like her. "How can I follow lies? How could I have been so blind? I believed what they were telling me only to find out the real truth."

Anthony squeezed Alana's hand as his eyes fell to the ground as before. So many thoughts rushed through his head but they all seemed to point in one direction. As Alana spoke, offering him words that would change his life forever -- he took them in, intently listening to each one fall from her lips. He knew that he had a choice, but at the same time, he did not. There was only one thing he could do now that he knew the truth.

"I want to see your home, your people, your life. I want my eyes to be opened to the truth and to be made aware of the lies the Jedi have told me. I want to understand you and your ways -- I want to delve deeply into them and -- learn them for myself. I am open and willing, but know that already my mind is made up. I've not judged a soul but those who give me a reason to judge them: the Jedi." He spoke with resolve, knowing in his heart that he was making a very wise decision.