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[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"That old woman was militant about her books, so it is heartening to hear that her efforts were successful in some form."

It did not mean that - despite the many years that'd passed - the elder Lupine held any less sorrow over the old librarian's passing. It was enough to momentarily darken her features.

A long breath escaped her lips then, and she allowed her shoulders to relax as even the act of tensing up had seemed to cause her discomfort.

"I'll not bore you with my thoughts and regrets of the past," she knew enough of the mind belonging to Vissica, and chose to move on. The Selonian was not one to dwell on older days unless she could learn from them, and listening to an old once-Jedi prattle on was most likely not on her desired list of activities to pass the time.

Instead, she stared at Vissica for a short while, subdued curiosity in her broken gaze.

"You remind me of myself, when I was young and still at the Temple."

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

Vissica remained silent at s'Ilancy's offering, allowing the Jedi to elaborate on what she meant exactly. The exhaled bubbles slowed to a trickle.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

The silence between them was deafening in its' own way, and the Lupine let it hang for a short while longer.

Finally.

"Everything was black and white. There was no room for compromise. There was no need for anything other than what the lessons taught. I had no real friends back then, as I was deemed a sullen Padawan and interested only in the lessons taught to us. Even after Master Windu took me, I was never really a part of the rest. I was alone and frankly, I liked it that way."

As she spoke, her words held a strange, almost lilting cadence that was unhurried and thoughtful.

"Tell me - unless they wish something of you - do your comrades actively seek you out?"

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

"They do not."

At least in the terms Lok s'Ilancy had stated, there were similarities.

"I have no maudlin sentiments, Captain. As you say, I like it that way."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"As I thought."

She gave a nod to the answer.

Vissica was still on the younger side of her species' lifespan, and in a strange sense s'Il hoped that the other would live out her full years; of course, she also hoped that with age might come a mellowing. The intensity could remain, but the relentless drive needed to be replaced with quiet patience. All of that was up to the Selonian, however.

Again a bout of silence, as she stared upward.

"I do not suspect that you will fully listen to me, but I suppose that I will tell you this.

"You are still young. You have a chance to grow, and a chance to understand that there is more than simple black and white. Friends... well, friends will come eventually, and who knows - you may learn to appreciate them. Your word is your honor, I understand that much. I also understand that a promise for you is sacred. But, if you let it fester and tear at you, then it will kill you. It very nearly did this go-round, and whether you believe me or not, I do not wish to see your light in the Force extinguished."

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

"Then you are not here to kill me?"

Vissica's head canted slightly, confused by the Jedi's words.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Her own features suddenly reflected the confusion in the Selonian's masked expression, as though her own daughter had just asked why the most severe of punishments was not being meted out for the smallest of wrongs. Her perplexed tone conveyed plainly in the words that she next spoke. The motherly inflection was unmistakable.

"Now why would I wish to do such a thing?"

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

"You know that I will not relent. My oath will not allow it. Now, I am in a state of weakness and vulnerable. If your conviction matches mine, you know that if you show me leniency, I cannot show you it in return. It is the prudent decision to make."

Vissica closed her eyes.

"I do not wish to die, but it is not in my hands. It is in yours."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"Prudent for you."

She gave a somewhat sorrowful look to the Selonian, coupled with a falling of her shoulders.

"At least for now, that is."

Half-turning on her stool, the Lupine lifted a hand up, called the datapad to her waiting palm. It left its' resting place on the hospital bed and traveled through the air as though on a feather-light tether to come to rest in her grasp, and s'Il flicked it on with a swipe from her thumb.

"You wished to know about my people, and while I have no desires to go into the specifics, I will tell you this much. Generations ago, we were mired in tradition and 'what was always done'. It had served the old Houses in the past, and they felt that it would keep us sustained into the short future that we had left. However, in these new times, and with so few of us left, those old ways are unsustainable and defunct. I have had to evolve and grow beyond what my innate senses told me was the proper way to be, and I am better for it.

"In a sense, one could even apply that same logic to the Jedi of old. They had become unable to adapt with the changing times, and therefore unable to see their end until it was nearly too late. For that, they paid a terrible price."

She inhaled, then let it back out slowly.

"If you cling to such things, they will eventually destroy you, Matatek Sel Vissica. Instead, explore the interpretations that are available to you, and at the same time take the moments you have to try and listen."

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

The Knight opened her eyes.

"You merit my respect, Captain. I respect the Jedi - what they once stood for, and now as my enemies. You merit my respect in combat, but even more as I understand who opposes me. But that respect is not yet kinship. It may never be. We have offered each other a path neither of us seems willing to take. I told you that this conflict that separates us would only conclude with your surrender or my death. You offer a third option that would force one of us to betray principles our very souls are anchored on."

Vissica paused, and shook her head.

"It is regrettable that the Empress does not have subjects of your caliber. I would prefer your comradeship over the liars and deceivers so common under Her Majesty's banner. The Empire would only benefit from that strength of will."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

It was as she suspected, but despite knowing the end result, the Lupine had still found herself having to try. To understand in some small form the Selonian.

Now, she gave a tired shake of her head.

"There is an old saying from a planet I cannot recall an longer; 'There are none so deaf as those who refuse to hear, and none so blind as those who refuse to see'. It is a shame, as this conflict you seem so determined to live within is of your own making."

Slowly, she rose to her feet. The datapad was set gently upon the stool she'd just vacated, and s'Il straightened up, hands moving to wind together her fingers at the small of her back.

"In the future, if you wish to speak, I would recommend that you use a courier. If you are averse to that, then I suppose you can go through the process of official comm channel protocols between our two governments. Do not resort to the mindscape, or you may not be so lucky as you were this time."

[Matatek Sel Vissica]

"I can assure you Captain, I am paying attention to everything that you say and do. We only fought before. Now, we have been introduced.

And Captain?"

Vissica's head rose slightly.

"If you leave me here, you leave behind the best opportunity to resolve this conflict on your terms. The next time we meet, it is likely to be a far less kind encounter."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Her pace was slow as she headed for the arching exit, and the Lupine didn't bother to turn around. It would've taken too much energy as it was, and she was already reaching the limits of what she felt comfortable doing, for this day.

But, she at least did not meet the Selonian's words with silence, and moving past the Doctor, she paused, then spoke. Her voice was level, with a durasteel tone holding it aloft like a sentinel in the face of a coming storm.

"That, is for the Force to decide."