Back in Black.

[imported_J'ktal Anajii]

The light, ceramic tink of his coffee cup against the saucer in his paw broke the silence in J'ktal's living quarters. Earlier that morning he had supervised the worker droids as they moved his belongings, as well as some of the furniture and fixtures he had taken with him to Yavin, back into his Coruscant apartment.

It was actually two living quarters that had been merged into one larger one, with a full kitchen, small den, a spacious, yet intimate living room, and an expanded master bedroom complete with a massive bathroom that also doubled as a sterile medical environment. His taste was expressed in every piece of furniture, every piece of artwork, and in the colors and textures of the fabrics, and walls. J'ktal was wealthy, and had spared no expense to replicate a taste of his own home while he was in training at the Jedi order. The only thing he had requested that was denied was a merged third room to use for training and weaponry practice. As it stood, one wall of his living room was lined with elegant racks and stands brimming with a variety of weaponry, all surrounding an antique suit of armor from his homeworld.

A small chirp from the kitchen caused the Death-Shadow to look back, and he set down his cup and saucer on the kitchen's island counter as he opened the oven, then donned a pair of mitts as he withdrew a steel tray bearing a small baked ham. Setting the tray on a rack to cool, J'ktal removed his mitts as before reaching for a carving knife then his doorbell rang.

It never failed. Whenever he cooked, there was someone at the door. Placing a glass mixing bowl upside down over the ham to keep it moist and warm, J'ktal strode to the door and looked at his viewscreen to see who was on the other side. Kelt Simoson.

Straightening his black tie, the gray mongoose opened his door and nodded in greeting. "Knight Simoson, to what do I owe this visit?"

[Kelt Simoson]

'Ah, J'ktal i have been meaning to speak with you' Kelt said quickly, suprised by the speed of the time between Kelt knocking and the door swinging open. Kelt had come here for a few reasons, he had seen the Mongoose return from his trip and had decided to welcome him and the second point was because he was about to make the creature an offer.

' May i come in, my friend?

[imported_J'ktal Anajii]

J'ktal and kelt had never truly been friends, but J'ktal let it go as merely a greeting. Stepping aside from the doorway, the gray mongoose replied, "Certainly, though you may have to mind a box here and there. I am not quite finished unpacking."

Stepping back into the kitchen, J'ktal removed the cover from his ham, and the smell quickly filled the area. Removing a fine China plate from his teakwood cabinets, the Death-Shadow said, "I've made some ham, would you care for some?" His paw still held the cabinet door open so that he could retrieve a second place if it would be needed.

While he might not have been friends with Kelt, there was no sense in having good cooking go to waste.

[Kelt Simoson]

' Ham? Er yes, that would be fitting, thank you' Kelt smiled and nodded along with his compliments and turned to look around the mongooses apartment.

His eyes were met with a veriety of strange objects, no doubt from the mongooses homeland, Kelt also noticed that it was dark and had a very closed in feeling, although the apartment was quite spacious.

' I see you are a collector of the arts?'

[imported_J'ktal Anajii]

With a finely crafted knife, J'ktal delicately carved the ham and placed it on the plates, then opened his steamer and spooned out perfectly steamed and herb-scented vegetables. He had been planning on havign some now, and then re-heating the rest later, but sharing with Kelt worked, too.

"Yes, my family's gallery is one of the finest outside of the royal museums," he replied when the topic of art came up. "I very much enjoy beauty, and like to surround myself with it."

Of course, some of his pieces were far from beautiful by some standards. A sculpture of a Nehantite standing behind another on his knees, violently slitting his throat was proof enough of that. It was over five hundred years old, though, and made of burnished bronze, resting on a side table. Other odd sculptures and paintings could be seen here and there, as well as several ancient books that were hand-written in the old Nehantite script with illustrations of horrific brutality in them.

Picking up both plates, J'ktal carried them to the formal dining table and asked, "I have quite the selection of wines and drink, care for anything with your meal? You are welcome to anything but what is in that cabinet," he indicated to an antique wine cabinet with ornate bronze door screens half-disguising rows upon rows of old glass bottles, some so pitted by dust they appeared to be made entirely of it.

[Kelt Simoson]

Kelt waved a dismissive hand ' No, thank you friend. I have done my fair share of drinking in my youth upon Aarchim, the times i used to stagger home-'

Kelt stopped looking back at the Mongoose, a playful smile upon his lips, perhaps a discussion best left for another time. Sitting himself to the table, the smells from the ham and steamed vegetables were excellent.

Yes, it had to be said the perculier looking sculptures that showed somtimes somewhat graphic moments were not to Kelts taist, but a lover of Arts has opinions on different types of art, Kelt was more into simplistic, modern pieaces. Carvings and sculptures made of clay were more to the Knights taist.

' So, how are you findind your return?' the Knight said sorting through the food upon his plate.

[imported_J'ktal Anajii]

"Much the same as my departure," J'ktal replied over his shoulder, selecting a bottle of white wine from a nearby rack and removed the repressurizing cork and poured hismelf a glass before taking a seat.

"Getting everything back how I want it will take some time, but the droids did an acceptable job of re-placing most of my belongings according to the map I created before I left the first time," he said, then took a sip of his wine. "Please, enjoy," he nodded to Kelt, indicating with his paw towards the plate before the knight.

Taking up his silverware--which was accurate to the name--the Death-Shadow began to cut his ham with impeccable table ettiquite. "Long journeys give me time to relax and focus, so I look forward to some serious training exercises now that I am back. I am thinking of experimenting with Sejah's telekenetic disruption technique."

[Kelt Simoson]

' Speaking of which...' Kelt said swallowing a section of ham ' Are you in need of a master right now? Or do you have one picked out for yourself that you intend to ask?

[imported_J'ktal Anajii]

J'ktal had just teken a bite from his fork, so he finished chewing it and washed it down with a sip of wine before replying, "I somewhat figured you may have had an alternate reason for coming to visit me. You never were one to try and pal around with me before, as I recall. Why the sudden change, might I ask?"

Preparing another fold of ham and vegetables on his fork, the mongoose added, "And, yes, I will be approaching the council about a replacement master seeing as Master Evanar is remaining on Yavin."

[Kelt Simoson]

Kelt simply grinned at the first remark. Ignoring it for a moment, Kelt continued.

' What sort of Master are you intending to search for?

[imported_J'ktal Anajii]

"Preferably one who is breathing, speaks Basic, and has a more advanced knowledge of the Force than myself," J'ktal answered flatly, even thouhg he was being unusually snarky. "But seriously, I wish to advance my skills, but not be forced to abandon my current occupation. Master Evanar was able to provide me with such tutelage, but I am hadly a deep jungle fellow, and needed to return to a more urba environment."

Lifting his glass to his mouth, the mongoose asked, "Why, do you think you could handle me as a student, Sir Simoson?"

[Kelt Simoson]

Kelt simply chuckled ' I assure you i have trained far more harder characters than yourself, my friend, i am not affraid of a challange'

[imported_J'ktal Anajii]

"I mean no offense, but I very much doubt your claim about the others you have taken on, though I do admire your bravery," J'ktal replied. "Please pass the salt."

[Kelt Simoson]

Passing the salt kindly.

' You're doubts are noted, but completely wrong...'

He swallowed his ham to further the discussion.

'On my world trainling is more than just what we do here, and far my primitive, meaning harder work'

[imported_J'ktal Anajii]

"Then I look forward to your challenges," J'ktal replied, letting the argument end and choosing to let Kelt discover just what J'ktal was like on his own.

"Tell me, you are friends with Mr. Haversh, are you not? How has he fared lately? I hear his status with the Nehantite Imperial Government is still undecided."

[Kelt Simoson]

' Since my stepping down from the council i have not heard much about the decisions that are within that room. However me and Sejah ended our last talk in a small argument, we have not talked since...'

Kelt sighed and smiled sadly before impailing anothersection of ham.

[imported_J'ktal Anajii]

"I was right, then, he wasn't ready," J'ktal said to himself.

[Kelt Simoson]

' Ready?' Kelt said, quirking a brow.

[imported_J'ktal Anajii]

"For this," J'ktal replied. "For the pressure life outside of Nehantish would put on him, and for training beyond what he was able to handle."

Casually spearing the last of his ham on his fork, the Death-Shadow ate it liesurely before he continued, "Mr. Haversh was a fourth-class, illiterate citizen whose occupation was dictated by his sole skill originally learned as a survival method. While I commend his abilities with a blade, and his struggle to become what he is, realistically he was not able to cope with more demands being placed on him so quickly while being seperated from all that he ever knew. There was a discussion about him among the Imperial Council before the verdict to recall him was made."

[Kelt Simoson]

' Like i say, i have not spoken to him since my argument with him...' Kelt said, setting a tone as if he had finished with the subject. Kelt felt that talking behind his friends back with a advasary of him was not the best course of action to get back on speaking terms.

' What do you say to a taster session after lunch?...

[imported_J'ktal Anajii]

Finishing his vegetables, J'ktal took the time to also finish his wine before he answered, "I would prefer to let my food settle before any manner of physical altercation, but that could be arranged. What type of session did you have in mind?"

[Kelt Simoson]

' I was thinking perhaps a little hand to hand combat, i know your exceptionaly skilled in those arts so i'd like to see what you can muster, perhaps wooden batons can be used as weapons, a little fencing?'

[imported_J'ktal Anajii]

"For a friendly match, I would use nothing beyond wooden weapons. I know not your skill, so I don't dare risk injuring you with a real blade." It was half a lie. He knew quite well the fighting abilities of most of the Jedi who excelled in combat. He knew a great deal of things about many in the Order, in fact. Information was his business, especially about things that should be none of his business.

"Though, I would also like to test my skills as a marksman," he added. "Do you know of any others here at the Order who are proficient in firearms?"