Fire and Ice (Tear)

[R. S. Esalis]

What madness is this? What pitiful form is this that I have come to inhabit? Death would be a release, next to this travesty.

You did not survive the abyss, my child. I have only spared you from total dissolution.

I would choose oblivion over this existence!

The choice is not yours.

I am destroyed!

Your are reborn.

The inscription below the single painting which hung elegantly over the massive woodburning hearth spoke volumes to some. To others, they were simple words. Not everyone could appreciate them. And that was truly a pity. Rebirth of the body, mind, and soul was something that almost every culture had within their respective mythos, but unfortunately there were those who remained ignorant of such things. And that number of individuals was growing. It was a travesty to history and myth; to be forgotten in such a way. Forgotten through ignorance.

R. S. Esalis kept the painting - which depicted a tortured, beaten man; stripped of his once pleasing human form and now relegated to exist in a much more feral, flayed body. And yet, it was somehow beautiful to look upon as well. A quiet paradox of conflicting emotions brought to life hrough paint on canvas.

The artist had long since passed on; perhaps to inhabit a new, flayed body with which to roam across the plains of his new existence.



Like her office, Esalis' home was equally spartan; devoid of clutter and ordered with careful precision. Simple, elegant furniture; a black leather sofa and recliner accented with wrought iron and glass endtables and cofee tables were all that filled the spacious living room. And the rest of the house was very much the same. Nothing extraneous or unneeded.

The Grand Inquisitor sat comfortably on the plush leather couch, a single glass of red wine sitting on the coffee table in front of her. Her eyes reflected the flames within the hearth as they danced, and she smiled softly to herself. She was dressed casually; grey trousers and a black silk button-up. This was a rarity for those who knew her. But, she was at her home; not the Citadel. Uniforms were not needed for simple relaxation. And even though she would be entertaining a guest shortly, she thought it best to be out of uniform for this particular meeting.

What her guest chose to wear remained to be seen, as she had not specified whether the dinner would be formal dress uniform or otherwise. It would be interesting to see what he wore; as well as helpful in defining him as a person beyond what his files told her.

R. S. Esalis watched the flames lick the air with ever-changing forked tongues. She leaned forward then, taking the glass in a slender hand before bringing it to her lips for a sip.

[Tear]

Soft mist fell from Tears warm lips as a sigh spilled out into the chilled night air. Thyferra was always slightly chilly this time of year. His dark black leather dress shoes scraped lightly over a cobble stone walkway as he slipped from the private speeder that had ushered him…here.

He had heard of her, of course, but met her personally? If it weren’t for the intelligence files and sightings of her around headquarters, Tear would have considered the woman a fable. Written to strike fear into Imperial citizens who might sway against the norm of society. Play good or the Grand Inquisitor will get you.

A cold gust of wind played with Tears lightsaber as it hung from a piece of braided leather attached to his belt. A finger flicked out tossing a credit chip to the driver of the speeder.

“Sir?” A low hum caught the Colonels attention before the mechanized voice touched his hearing. A small droid the size of a baseball hovered just inches away. “If your ready sir? Please follow me.”

The home of the Grand Inquisitor, R.S Esalis. Hardly a fable any longer, Tear thought to himself as he climbed up an elaborate set of marble steps leading to the entryway of the manor. Many times over the universe had surprised him. Pulled tricks, launched the unthinkable, inconceivable and improbable at him in a melee of irony and mystery. So a dinner invitation to the home of the Grand Inquisitor surely wasn’t inconceivable right?

Tear smirked to himself as he continued to follow the droid down a dimly lit hallway. His cold blue eyes washed over various works of art decorated in an orderly fashion over the walls. Interesting, each piece of art conveyed a sense of emotion but the way they were displayed showed direction, or even precision, giving an orderly pattern to things. Maybe it was a hint to the woman who pulled the strings in the shadows of an Empire perhaps. Precision and tactics under a frozen sea of emotions.

“Sir.” The droid lulled back into a slow loop before coming to a stop in front of a pair of finely carved wooden doors.

Then again, maybe it wasn’t unthinkable, inconceivable or improbable. Maybe it was just inevitable that a man who couldn’t be controlled drew the attention of the upper leash holders. Maybe this woman just wanted to try and snag a new and deadly pawn. After all if you could control what others couldn’t that always gave you an advantage, if you can control it, that is.

“Lets see if the fairy tales hold true.” Tear whispered softly through a toothy grin as he reached out and opened the solid doors.

[R. S. Esalis]

OOC: My sincerest apologies for letting this thread slide. It was my intention to further build Esalis' character and I hope that we may continue this in lieu of the most recent threads that have happened/been happening.

ic:

As the doors to the living room were opened, Esalis let a fleeting smile pass across her lips before rising. In her upward motion, the woman gently set the wine glass atop the crystal clear surface of the coffee table befor her. Blue eyes tracking to follow the turning of her body, she greeted Colonel Tear with a silent gaze.

His uniform was taken in, and the then High Inquisitor minutely nodded to herself in satisfaction. He stood tall, filling the uniform he wore with what she imagined was at least some form of personal pride. Esalis too, wore the Inquisitoriate garb with a sense of pride; however that pride was rooted in something infinately more powerful than the Sovereignty could instill within her.

With a calculated sweep of her arm, she bade the Colonel to join her deeper in the depths of the living room.

Finally, she spoke.

"Colonel. I'm glad that you were able to find the time to accept my invitation. I trust your journey to my home was uneventful?"

[Tear]

"It didn't explode if that's what you mean."? Tear couldn't help but smile devilishly as he stalked toward her before choosing a chair opposite of where she had been sitting and dropping himself comfortably into it. A few brush strokes from his fingers smoothed out any wrinkles in his pants from when he sat down.

"No, the trip here was actually relaxing the land surrounding your home is very beautiful."? Tear actually hadn't paid much attention to the wilderness in the surrounding land but the sun was setting as the Agent was coming so he assumed it was beautiful.

What he was doing on the trip over was research. Not surprisingly any information concerning the woman in the red chair of the inquisitoriate was desperately hard to come by. Even with the contacts and favors Tear hadn't earned with his time in Intelligence he turned up little that he already didn't know.

"Thank you for your invitation. I'm sorry about the uniform I wasn't sure what to expect when the Grand Inquisitor asks you to come to dinner." Tear still didnt know what to expect. Half of him was suspiciously eyeing the glass of wine infront of him while the other half wasn't sure what to expect at all.