Private A Fine Addition to My Collection

[Jacen Nimdok]

Dixon Manor, Saleucami

“It’s a mansion!” a child’s voice exclaimed excitedly. “A magic mansion!”

Little feet skipped ahead over the stone walkway, slowing down as Miri became entranced by the sunlight passing through the rose-covered archway that stretched over the path. She stood there staring up at it until a hand touched her shoulder.

“Stay close to me for now,” Nimdok said, his tone gentle but firm. When he began to walk toward the house, the child moved with him. “While I am talking to Dr. Dixon, you must be very quiet and be careful not to touch anything. She will probably tell you to stay in one room so as not to disturb her things. You must obey her. Understand?”

The wide-eyed little girl nodded. “I like this house. It’s pretty. Will we get to go here again?”

“Hopefully yes,” he replied. “But not if you offend Dr. Dixon.”

Nimdok doubted Elise would outright refuse to let the child into her home, but he predicted she would be concerned that the girl might break something or try and explore areas she wasn’t allowed to be in. He had allowed Miri to bring a few toys and books with her, hoping they would keep her occupied and prevent her from getting into trouble. The last thing he wanted was to anger Elise… especially since he hoped this meeting would mark the beginning of a lasting partnership.

He could remember the last time he had been here, one afternoon many moons ago, at the invitation of the osteologist. What a strange encounter that had been. He had seen her collection, they had discussed the ways of the Jedi and the Sith, until eventually he realized how old she really was… and had made a deal, bartering his memories for her ancient ones. What he had seen in her mind had appalled him, and he had recoiled in shock and disgust, arrogantly turning his back on her because of her past.

His life had become considerably more complicated since then—the very presence of Miri was proof of that. For all intents and purposes, he was no longer the same man who had last stepped across this threshold...

Father and daughter reached the porch. There was a pleasant breeze blowing, rustling the leaves nearby and spreading the scent of the well-tended roses and the native flora growing around the house. It was nearly noon, the hottest point of the day, but the weather was fine and the heat wasn’t so oppressive.

In his hands Nimdok held a wooden box, rectangular in shape and unadorned. He shifted its weight to one arm as he reached out to knock on the door. He had sent word of his visit beforehand, albeit on short notice.

Elise Ike

 

[Elise Ike]

Elise was actually surprised to sense and smell the familiar presence of Nimdock approach her small domain, the latter of the two forms of detecting people being muddled with a different scent. Something easily accomplish on a breezy day like this and, unlike the force, could not be masked in any way lest reveal yourself via another form. It had made for a few fun interactions in the past when people tried to sneak up on her, thinking that simply hiding their force presence made them invisible.

Closing the book currently in hand she wandered down the stair towards the front door, donned in a simple grey dress with a black overcoat. Not a very expressive tone of attire but she hadn't been expecting visitors today, not that she minded. Since the Sith Empire had 'taken control' of the sector less visitors popped in these days, not that there where any patrols around on this back water world.

Before any knock came her hands had already slipped around the old fashion but reliable door handle, opening it to her sudden guest, though her usual greeting was halted upon her eyes coming across the small being beside Nimdok. The sight took a few moments to process, Elise cocking her head to the side like a puppy who had just seen it's reflection for the first time.

"Well, this is certainly a surprise, though I won't say it is a bad one", she commented, crouching down to the level of the small girl, noting the wondrous glint in their. "My, aren't you a cute young lady, are you here on some big adventure with Nimdok"? Her voice carrying a soothing tone of someone who clearly knew how to talk with children. No matter how much time passed since her last child those parental instincts fostered in that small never left Elise. Her smile remaining until the small child replied, her attention then shifting to the person who had brought said being along.

"You certainly are full of surprises Jacen Nimdok , may I ask what brings you to my manor at this time of day"? With how the two's awkward relationship had been of late Elise was unsure of what to expect from the archaeologist. Fortunately as a person with a level head and logical mind she wasn't about to jump to conclusion, though she did have a few hypothesis running around just to not be caught off guard once the revelation about his arrival was revealed.

 

[Jacen Nimdok]

The door opened before he had finished knocking, leaving him with his hand still raised in the air. Elise was dressed simply—clearly she hadn’t been expecting company. She gave him an intrigued look.

Then her gaze was drawn to Miri, and he saw an expression he had never seen on her face before. She knelt down at once, speaking kindly to the child. He wasn’t sure why he found this interaction so striking. After all, Elise had told him she had children and grandchildren. It seemed only natural that she would have a lingering maternal instinct...

“Yeah!” Miri replied enthusiastically, then pursed her lips as if she’d revealed a secret. “Daddy says I have to be quiet and not touch anything without asking first.”

Nimdok suppressed a smile. “Dr. Dixon, this is Miri, my daughter,” he introduced them. He was certain Elise would question the validity of such a statement, given what she already knew about him. But he let those unspoken questions hang in the air unanswered for now—let her ask them when they were alone together, out of the girl’s earshot.

“You certainly are full of surprises, Nimdok. May I ask you what brings you to my manor at this time of day?”

The time of day… a ray of sunlight, dappled as it passed through some nearby tree branches, was cast upon her face. The beam fell on her left eye, illuminating the colors hidden within the iris. Warm, earthy colors, light brown, amber, perhaps even flecks of gold…

He jolted, realizing he was staring at her like an idiot after she had just asked him a question.

“Well, if all goes according to plan, then I suppose you could say I’ve come bearing gifts,” he replied, glancing pointedly down at the box in his hands. “I hope you don’t mind our showing up on such short notice. I’d hate to disrupt your routine.”

Elise Ike

 

[Sky'ito Yumi]

whoops

 

[Elise Ike]

Daddy? That was... well a shock, not that she didn't think Nimdok was incapable of raising a child, it was just very, how would one say, sudden considering what she had viewed when looking upon his memories. Still, as she always said, as long as the chances are not absolutely zero anything is possible, though that didn't exactly explain why he had brought her here of all place.

While awaiting an answer, Elise could only stand their and gaze back into Nimdok's eyes, at first confused it didn't take long for the women to understand what the delay was about. That almost trance like look upon her sin lit face was all to familiar, be it people in the past simply captivated by her looks or many of the servants she seduced under her control.

Her interest only grew larger at the notion of bearing gifts, Elise's gaze lowering to the box being cradled within the mans arms, most of her attention on it while listening to his request. "I do not tend to have much of a daily routine", mainly since a day felt like just a few second to someone such as her, "feels free to come in, perhaps I can give you a more in depth tour this time around". During their last visit Nimdok had only really entered her study, there were many of displays scattered around down stairs.

Jacen Nimdok

 

[Jacen Nimdok]

There was an obvious spark of interest at the mention of gifts. Elise’s lovely eyes lingered on the box even as she invited them in.

“A proper tour, yes,” Nimdok agreed. “That would be… wonderful.”

He suddenly couldn’t seem to find the right words to say. It was strange—he was usually so talkative, so eager to blabber on about his interests. He’d even rehearsed what he would say beforehand, wanting to make the best impression possible and avoid having this visit seem inconsiderate or abrupt. But as soon as Elise opened the door, all his preparations had evaporated. He couldn’t remember anything.

Part of him was tempted to be suspicious of this reaction. There were so many different ways a person could be subtly persuaded or seduced without words—pheromones, telepathy, the Force or Force-imbued items. In fact, he was holding one such object, though its potency was long since submerged by the passage of time. He knew Elise was a vampiress and that she had a history of manipulating others into following her orders… but he didn’t see any reason for her to use such abilities on him. At least, not right now.

She’s simply a very attractive woman, an inner voice informed him coyly. Or haven’t you noticed?...

Motioning for Miri to follow, Nimdok stepped inside the manor. As far as he could tell, it hadn’t changed at all since his previous visit. It was still a grand old country mansion, as elegant and aloof as its occupant. Miri was fascinated by floating dust suspended in sunbeams streaming through the windows; she reached out and tried to catch the specks, but the motion of her arm only scattered them.

Nimdok meanwhile was briefly distracted by the paintings on the walls of the main hall. Had he noticed them before? The answer was no—the last time he was here, he had no appreciation for art. Or if he had, it was subsumed by his eagerness to get his hands on Elise’s collection of rare artifacts…

The weight of the wooden box in his hands reminded him of why he was there. He turned toward Elise.

“Normally I wouldn’t have Miri here…” This was a lie; he had taken to carrying the child with him everywhere he went. She was certainly safer with him than with anyone else—the painful experiences of the last several months had taught him that. “She’s brought along a few toys to keep her occupied. As she already mentioned, I’ve instructed her not to disturb anything…”

Pulling a brightly-colored bucket full of toys and books out from behind her back, Miri giggled softly. From her point of view, she was going to be having all the fun while the adults were stuck talking about boring old stuff.

“...Is there a room where she could play, preferably devoid of any hazards or breakables?”

Elise Ike

 

[Elise Ike]

Elise slowly closed the door behind the two as they wandered into the old styled house, the natural awning light being replaced by the glow of artificial glow of electric ones, bathing the wooden interior with a slight orange hue. Herself turning back to Nimdok as he began to explain the situation with the child whom he stated was a daughter, something she was still not 100% sure about.

Her eyes falling onto the small bucket of toys, getting a small smirk from Elise as she began walking towards the stairs. "I have a guest room, mainly used it for if family visits of when I have a student, my most recent pawadan more or less graduated a while back". Herself giving a small chuckle when thinking back to that Zeltron she had met on Illum, that girl was so ill prepared for the whole crystal trial, trying to show up the instructors from where very she came from.

Elise had taken them as a sort of student, but her teaching didn't last as long, mainly due to the fact she kept the whole Sith thing a secret. It limited how much she could show the young Jedi but never the least it was nice having another person around for once. "She can set up how ever she likes in there, nothing of any real importance". She stated, opening the other door to the simple room, two beds lined the walls on either side accompanied by draws, some small desk and a kotatsu in the middle.

Her hands kept the door open for a few second allowing Miri to enter before shifting her eyes over to Jacen Nimdok once more. "I'm certain though there are more pressing matter then a little day care, shall we head to my office to discuss work"?

 

[Jacen Nimdok]

Nimdok and Miri followed Elise upstairs to the guest room. At the mention of a padawan, the archaeologist raised an eyebrow.

“Are you still taking on new students?” he asked, not merely out of curiosity. Miri needed a teacher, but she was still only a child; he was more interested in what Elise might have to teach him.

Miri skipped into the guest room as soon as she was bidden, promptly dumping out the bucket onto the kotatsu as if it were a child-sized play table. Nimdok’s eyes remained fastened on the little girl until Elise closed the door, a strange, almost haunted look on his face. Only when Elise said something did he snap out of it and turn to her. He was clutching the wooden box protectively to his chest without realizing it, but now he relaxed his grip.

“Yes—I’m getting tired of carrying this thing around,” he said, his tone lighter than he felt. “And I’m sure you’re eager to find out what’s inside.”

As they headed for her office, he kept talking, keeping the conversation focused on work for the time being. He knew that her questions about Miri, his powers, and his odd behavior would be first in her mind, but those things were far more difficult to explain than his simple reason for visiting.

“My current lifestyle prevents me from settling anywhere. Therefore I have no safe place to store the artifacts I’ve found, particularly the more dangerous ones. You on the other hand have your own private museum here. I was going to suggest that I could let you keep my... er, loot, at least until I can get a place of my own. You would of course have free rein to study everything I gave you...”

Elise Ike

 

[Elise Ike]

"New students"? That was an interesting proposal, considering what sort of person she was, hidden behind the mask of a regular human. Not to say being a vampire automatically meant she was some evil being, her daughter had proven that without a doubt but she wasn't exactly the same. "I think perhaps she is a little young for me to be teaching, and even then I personally know better teachers, my grandchildren would probably be a better then myself". It was also a little safer, though the Sith Empire hadn't really looked into this planet since it became within it's borders she'd very much not take the chance.

Herself sitting down on of the few couches dotting the room, her hand offering for Jacen Nimdok to take a seat across from her, though this time around the table between the two was lacking tea or cakes. Her hands coming together as she contemplated the mans offer and words, it was quite the trusting suggestion if she had to be blunt. "You must trust me a decent amount to keep certain artifacts here, who knows what I may get up to". A small sarcastic laugh leaving her mouth at the notion before she calmed down.

"Your proposal is sound, I doubt other orders or individuals would allow you to retrieve such things once you handed them over, I can also understand why you'd bring them here if you intend to stay under the radar". So far it was worked wonder for her and any threat that did surface was often small enough to handle personally without any outside involvement. "How long do you intend to keep this sort of deal up? Or shall this become a more permanent arrangement"? With both of their unique life spans it didn't seem like a one time thing.

 

[Jacen Nimdok]

“You misunderstand—I was asking for myself,” Nimdok replied as they entered the study. “I try to learn something from every Force user I meet.”

It was not always possible to glean information, let alone an entire lesson, from either the Jedi or the Sith, but he took such opportunities whenever they came his way. His own connection to the Force was so weak, using it was frequently impossible, but he had a memory like a library, able to store nigh limitless knowledge. Perhaps he could never truly be the Jedi Master Salamander he sometimes posed as, just as he could no longer be Arimanes Bosch, a river to his people. But he could make the Jedi his people, and be a river to them.

“As for Miri, she is… a more complicated case. Her Force sensitivity is not natural, nor is it stable. It came from a combination of experimentation with midichlorians, very similar to what I and the other scientists pioneered decades ago, and some form of Sith alchemy. I of course feel a certain amount of responsibility for her...”

He fell silent for a few moments, reliving a painful—and still raw—memory. It was not something he could speak of aloud, especially not to the vampiric Elise, who rejoiced in the spilling of blood. But in that moment he saw clearly a child’s bedroom in an apartment hastily vacated, strewn with body parts torn apart by some great uncontrollable mental force. Miri hunched down and whimpering in the closet, her clothes and hair and face splattered with crimson droplets. He had never seen so much blood in his life. Looking at it, it didn't seem real—it was more like an obscene, gruesome painting depicting mass destruction, with bright red lacquer standing in for gore. But he had smelled the overpowering metallic stench of those fluids, had washed the blood from Miri's trembling body with water that turned muddy with the stuff, had replaced her stained clothes with clean ones, and sealed off the apartment before fleeing like a thief in the night. All of that, rest assured, had been real.

“She will have to be trained at an earlier age,” he said quietly. “There’s simply no way of getting around it.”

Taking a seat across from Elise, he leaned forward and set the wooden box on the table between them, leaving it there unopened as she spoke. The osteologist found humor in his offer, but he could tell she was surprised, confused… perhaps even slightly suspicious.

“When you and I exchanged our memories, we each learned what the other was,” he said, answering her musings about trust. “I was a foolish, arrogant scientist, you were a Sith driven by ambition and lust for power. We are still learning who we are now—and I hope we will continue to get to know each other very well in the years to come...”

His voice softened as he said that last bit, though he hadn’t intended for it to sound like innuendo. He paused, cleared his throat awkwardly, then continued.

“Neither of us knows what the future holds for ourselves. It’s always in motion. But for the time being, I’d like a little security, and you can certainly provide that. It may be that this will become a more permanent arrangement, or it may not last long at all. It depends on what happens next.”

Specifically, whether or not she continued to be trustworthy. Given her low opinion of both the Jedi and the Sith, he doubted she would ever hand over any artifacts to either side, no matter how much they threatened her or how much they offered her in return. There was the matter of Saleucami’s recent conquest by the Sith Empire, certainly, but the remote, backwater world was not a major concern of theirs, and security on and around the planet was noticeably lax. After all, he had managed to sneak the box of artifacts in without any trouble—though Miri had played a large role in that. She already showed a great aptitude for reading and influencing the minds of others, a talent he had sought to put to good use whenever possible.

Then there was the matter of young master AMCO and the curmudgeonly old Lord Venari , two Sith who had competed with him in an attempt to obtain one of the artifacts. Venari may have been the more aggressive of the two, but Vandiir was the one who disturbed Nimdok most. He was a hollow man, his aura chilling in its vacuous emptiness. Vandiir had wanted the artifact desperately, with the same fervent drive that pushed Nimdok to seek out lost relics; if word of its current whereabouts reached him, he would undoubtedly pursue it...

Banishing these thoughts from his mind, he reached for the box. “Before I open this, I have to ask. You don’t have any problems with objects imbued with the Light, do you?”

If her answer was yes, he might have to withhold the other, smaller item contained in the box, and that would be a pity.

Elise Ike

 

[Elise Ike]

"You learning? well I am quite older then you, it certainly would be interesting experience myself", though she didn't really know if her personal view of the force could be passed on. It hadn't been something he herself had learn, more, developed through trial an error. Then again, if she wanted her own teachings to live on past her death perhaps getting an understanding of how to teach it would be beneficial.

Her sight sharping at his final words about his daughter, what ever the case being there was something quite serious behind those words but she didn't want to open up that can of worms just yet. Herself putting that thought to the side for a later date as she leaned in a little, hiding a small smirk at his short description of each other. "Why is it that you always seem to suggest 'getting together' when we are in this room"?

Herself remembering the short joke she had made during their first meeting together, her smile falling as bit as she calmed down, eyeing up the container more. An eye brow quirking at this mentioning of the light side, causing Elise to look at him for a few moment before standing up, then slightly comedicaly walking to the back behind the couch a few paces. "Best not take any chances".

Jacen Nimdok

 

[Jacen Nimdok]

"You learning? Well I am quite older than you, it certainly would be an interesting experience for myself."

“If you would have me as your student, certainly,” he replied. “My connection to the Force may be weak, but it’s not totally useless. I’d be pleased to learn from you.”

Try not to sound so desperate, the inner voice needled Nimdok. He ignored it, annoyed by the obtrusive commentary. His desire to learn was real, not just an excuse to spend more time with her...

"Why is it that you always seem to suggest 'getting together' when we are in this room?"

Nimdok’s face rapidly darkened in color as black blood flushed his cheeks. It was a natural Shi’ido blush, and the only reason she could see it was because she had caught him by surprise.

He recovered quickly, adjusting his disguise to hide his embarrassment, and then tilted his head to the side, feigning ignorance. “Must be the atmosphere of the room. It’s rather cozy. A good room for getting together, I suppose...”

As Elise took cover behind the couch, Nimdok placed both hands on either side of the lid and carefully opened the box. Nothing spectacular happened, so Nimdok motioned for Elise to come back around and take a look at the contents.

Inside the box were two artifacts—a pyramid-shaped red holocron of obvious Sith design, and a tiny fragment of a lightsaber crystal.

“This is the Holocron of Tel Angor, better known as the Force Vampire,” Nimdok explained, removing the pyramid from the box and holding it out toward Elise. “Or what’s left of it, at least. The circumstances of the recovery were… less than ideal. I was only able to salvage the crystal matrix. The exterior shell and the capstone are not original, but it still functions, albeit with considerably less attitude.”

He set the holocron on the table, continuing, “In order to retrieve it, I had to fight off its gatekeeper—a very unusual one. It was not merely a projection, but a real, physical being that could only manifest itself by absorbing the blood of a sacrifice. The holocron itself became the creature’s heart, and the only way of getting to it was to cut it out of the gatekeeper’s body...”

He wanted to give Elise a chance to examine the holocron before he got to the crystal, just in case she did have a bad reaction to the Light Side energies emanating from the latter.

Elise Ike

 

[Elise Ike]

Weak hu? Well if what he could do was considered weak she wondered just how strong he could have been with full force sensitivity. More so, if she learnt from him who was to say she could become even stronger herself.... a mutually beneficial arrangement if she made it so. "I'm a bit rusty so expect things to start off a little rough". Being almost immortal didn't mean she had perfect memory, even if it did help, and teaching a fully mature person was different then a childish teen.

She leaned against the back of the lounge as the two continued to talk as Jacen Nimdok got the box ready, a sly smirk appearing across her face at the mentioning of the room being 'cozy'. Even if he tried to hide if she Elise was now easily about to see the flustered side of her friend, it made her want to tease the man, perhaps get him to blush some more, get his cheeks all nice and rose colored. "Perhaps if you are staying the night we could get more cozy, but in another room, I promise I don't bite that much".

She replied with a small chuckle, though her eyes were quickly drawn to his explanation of what exactly he had brought with him. It was rather ironic, even if she was a different type of vampire to have the Holocron of Tel Angor was rather fitting and quite the delight. What ever method he had taken to get it not doubt such a task would have been hard, it was actually rather impressive.

"So, your fought more or less an ethereal but also physical being? Fascinating"! Herself, now knowing their was not real danger from the items in front of her sat back down on the couch. "I do have to say, such an item is certainly something I'd want to keep safe and study, I wonder how the current silver Jedi would feel about this holocron, perhaps I should ask my granddaughter hypothetically and see her reaction". Though the current SJO probably didn't have any real connection with the one that caused Tel Angor you can trust how some people would react.

 

[Jacen Nimdok]

Judging by her reaction to his suggestion, she thought he was short-changing himself. It was true that he had some capability when it came to mental powers, probably due to his species’ natural telepathy. He could pull off a memory transfer, albeit with great difficulty and strain, and he could sense the thoughts and emotions of others, perhaps even influence them. But practical use of his connection to the Force was almost impossible—he couldn’t even perform basic telekinesis, let alone the more taxing abilities. Any improvements he could make would be greatly appreciated… assuming it was even possible for him to improve.

“I’m a bit rusty, so expect things to start off a little rough.”

“I have no problem with that,” he replied. “Whatever you can offer, I will accept gratefully.”

Her next comment made him glad he had already set the holocron down on the table, or else he probably would’ve dropped it.

"Perhaps if you are staying the night we could get more cozy, but in another room. I promise I don't bite that much.”

Her tone was teasing and seductive. Once again he felt his face growing warm.

“It would certainly be nice to stay in an actual house,” he said softly. “Better than a cheap hotel room, or the bunk of a space shuttle.…”

He trailed off as she moved back to her original position on the couch, drawn to the holocron. His eyes followed her, taking in the lines of her body and the way her silky black hair swayed over the curve of her back with each step. As much as he would’ve liked to run his fingers through it, he was far too awkward in the area of romance to take the initiative. He wasn't afraid of being bitten (in fact, he was somewhat curious about what would happen if she did bite him) so much as he was afraid of making a fool of himself. Elise would have to literally crawl into his lap and wrap herself around him before he’d dare to even touch her.

"So, you fought more or less an ethereal but also physical being? Fascinating!”

“Yes,” he answered, clearing his throat. Her enthusiasm made him smile. “A very interesting creature. It was almost a pity that I had to destroy it in order to get the holocron. It had the face of the person whose blood it absorbed, while the rest of its body was similar in appearance to a Diathim, although it was heavily corrupted by the Dark Side.”

An idea struck him. “Here.” He stood up and moved away from the furniture. “I remember quite vividly what it looked like. Let me show you…”

His flesh crawled across his bones, growing pale and ashen. His hair turned white and reached his shoulders in a wild mane. But the biggest change was the sprouting of wings from his back—ragged, black-feathered wings that, small and fragile as they were, still seemed to take up most of the space in the room. Nimdok had become the icarus—a thing that perverted beauty into something terrible and fearsome, the desecrated corpse of a nobleman endowed with threadbare wings.

He was also completely naked. Quickly he folded the wings to cover his body, cursing himself for not bothering to think this through. He would certainly deserve it if he got another round of teasing from her for this latest blunder.

"I do have to say, such an item is certainly something I'd want to keep safe and study. I wonder how the current Silver Jedi would feel about this holocron, perhaps I should ask my granddaughter hypothetically and see her reaction.”

“Right, well—the Silvers are very different now than they were when Tel Angor was a member of their order,” he said, trying to act as if he wasn’t standing stark naked and bewinged in the middle of her study. To make matters worse, he was so embarrassed at this point that he couldn’t even concentrate enough to change back. “I imagine there wouldn’t be too much of a reaction from them beyond the usual backlash over Sith artifacts. You could ask around as a hypothetical, certainly—and I trust your daughter wouldn’t blab about it to anyone else even if she did know of the holocron’s existence, correct?”

Elise Ike

 

[Elise Ike]

Well, they probably had a few thousand years to train together, her limited pool would probably steadily increase as she got more back into the teaching side of things. It was mainly her the injuries from when she went against her grandmother and hiding out here that had left the women's slightly lack of skill, but nothing that could be fixed.

"Well, I guess I shall look forwards to training you in my way of using the force, may need to clear out the back yard". She certainly wasn't going to be doing and training in her... perhaps her daughter could lend that Dojo of hers out for a day. Her gaze continuing to linger on the man as her teasing slowly took hold, her sly smile not leaving her youthful face the entire time. "Well the guest room is free, but if you don't want to disturb your daughter, I think we can arrange something else".

She was beginning to love his shy nature, it was almost like he was prey of sorts and Elise was playing with him. Dancing around and getting to understand him before going in for the final kill. Something that she would hold on just for a little while longer, the few artifacts in front being of slightly more concern that the romantic side of her long long life.

The retelling of his experience fighting the apparition catching her attention wholeheartedly, chuckling a rubbing the bottom of her chin as she saw the less then child friendly. No words coming from her mouth besides a slight 'mmmhm' as they squinted, but through her sly cocky expression her face did fluster a little, after all it had been a while since she had gazed upon such a thing. "Well. ahem. it would seem you have brought me quite the gift, I do look forwards to studying it and possibly restoring it if I can, though that will probably require some help". "What about the other item? or shall we leave that for another time"?

Jacen Nimdok

 

[Jacen Nimdok]

To his surprise, Elise seemed too stunned and embarrassed even to tease him. Either he had made her very uncomfortable, or she liked what she saw...

“Th… The other item?” Nimdok blinked. “...Oh! Um, just a moment...”

Now that he had business to complete, it was easier to focus on changing back. The wings absorbed into his body and his flesh crawled until he had become Nimdok once more (fully clothed, of course).

Returning to his position on the couch, he reached inside the box and removed the lightsaber crystal. White and slightly opaque, the fragment was so small, it fit in the palm of his hand.

“Now this… is a piece of Meetra Surik’s lightsaber crystal,” he said. “The very one the Exile harvested from a cave on Dantooine. It is completely bonded to her even now—I tried putting it in a lightsaber, and no matter who held it, the saber would not function. It will only respond to the touch of its long-dead master.”

He held out his hand to Elise. “If you’re not too frightened of the Light, you can touch it. It’s quite warm—there are still some trace amounts of her Force energies left in it.”

Elise Ike

 

[Elise Ike]

"Ahem yes the other item", Elise shaking herself out of the gaze upon the mans fine body, fanning herself a little bit as her eyes once again locked onto Nimdosk hands. Said next item being of much greater interest to her... mainly since it was intact unlike the last one presented and to an extent was of much more historical importance.

"The Exile.... I've heard stories about them, I myself was not alive around that period of time, but my grandmother was, even if they were quite young". Her grandmother Sawa being over 5000 years old more or less. Heck she could have been around during the Jedi civil war and could have participated in the conflict between Revan and the Republic.

"I have to applaud you for acquiring it, if their was not risk of it being stolen I'd put it up on display, but for now I think it would be best to safe guard such a relic". Looking closer he leaned in, marveling at the small rock, her playful smirk growing as Jacen Nimdok held it out for her. Reaching forward her hands grasping around his own palm.

Herself baring the slight discomfort while bringing it to her cheek, soon enjoying the warms of bother crystal and his grasp. "Hmmm, I think I could get used to this feeling".

 

[Jacen Nimdok]

Focused on the crystal, Nimdok remained oblivious to Elise fanning herself. The conversation slipped back into professionalism—both of them were archaeologists, after all, with as much an interest in the artifacts as in each other.

“Yes, well, I did suffer a nasty stab wound in the process,” he admitted, surreptitiously touching the area in his right side where he had been gored by a vibroblade. The wound had already healed without a scar. “The Sith were already chasing the crystal by the time I learned of it. Things certainly could’ve gone better, but... I was at least succesful.”

At the mention of Sawa Ike, who was even more ancient than Elise, the thought crossed Nimdok’s mind to try and seek the mysterious vampiress out in order to learn from her. But he quickly squashed the idea. He still had ambiguous feelings about what he had done with Elise, exposing his true identity to her in exchange for her memories. No doubt a powerful woman such as Sawa would ask for as much or more in return. Given Elise’s less than positive feelings toward Sawa, he didn’t want to risk becoming the lynchpin of yet another family feud between grandmother and granddaughter, either.

Elise’s touch made him gasp. He already knew she was colder than the average human, but he had been expecting to feel the faintest brush of icy fingertips as she examined the crystal, not the caress of both her hands against his. As she pressed his palm against her cheek, her playful smirk broken by a slight flinch as the crystal came into contact with her skin, he held himself very still, afraid he would ruin the moment.

“Hmmm, I think I could get used to this feeling.”

Her cheek was smooth and cool as alabaster stone. Unable to take his eyes off her face, he ran his thumb over her lower lip, pulling it back slightly to reveal sharp white teeth. He hesitated. The crystal may have only caused her mild discomfort, but he didn’t want to cause her any pain at all.

So he reluctantly slid his hand from her grasp, placing the crystal fragment on the table beside the holocron. The two objects contained repelling energies from opposite sides of the Force, though the difference between them was not enough to cause them to physically move away from or damage each other. They simply sat there, a pair of broken old relics brought together in her study.

“Elise…” Nimdok began, his voice reduced to a husky whisper. He smiled vaguely, finding humor in his own weakness, then added, “I want you to know that I appreciate your willingness to help me. This is just the beginning—as I bring more artifacts here for you to safeguard and study, it will become more perilous for us both. Not only because of the risk of thieves coming here to steal them, but the artifacts themselves may be dangerous...”

Realizing that his words could only do so much as a show of gratitude, he leaned forward and kissed her cheek where the crystal had been. Her skin was still warm there, similar to the heat that radiates from a sunburn, though no doubt her regenerative ability had already begun to kick in, healing any damage the brief contact might have caused.

After the kiss, he lingered for a few moments, his face close enough to hers that she needed only to turn her head for her lips to meet his. If she didn’t, he would retreat and pretend that was all he had wanted in the first place, hiding his disappointment…

Elise Ike

 

[Elise Ike]

She kept up her somewhat creepy smile as Nimdoks hand left her grasp, Elise knowing full well, or having at least some idea of what was to come next and she had every intention to take full control of it. Herself resisting the urge to wave her hand like someone would once touching a hot surface, sitting calmly their as partner calmly continued to talk.

"I understand, if need be I will reach out to family members and other that I know to assist me in keeping these items under wraps". "I will keep things discreet so don't worry about others learning about your dealings, if there is one thing my family is good at it's keeping secrets and not asking questions". It was the main reason why their vampiric Sith family had lived so long under the shadow of many galatic powers for years without turning and heads.

She kept her leaned in stance, eyes locked onto Nimdoks as his lips approached, Elise closing her eyes slightly as she felt them touch her slightly burns cheek. Her eyes remaining closed as she then went on the offensive, moving her head forward some more to place her lips against his, itself being soft but Elise lingering on it for a few seconds, her face becoming slightly flustered from the feeling. Now, she awaited to see how Nimdok.

Jacen Nimdok

 

[Jacen Nimdok]

Though Nimdok had baited her, his eyes still widened with surprise when she kissed him. She was so much older and wiser and more experienced than him—she had to be difficult to please, surely, let alone excite. Part of him hadn’t been convinced her teasing was anything more than just that, teasing.

Until now, that is.

Elise’s lips were soft against his. Her eyes were closed, long dark lashes fluttering faintly, and her cheeks, normally pale, had turned pink with pleasure.

Congratulations, she likes you, the inner voice snarked. Now are you going to just sit here like an idiot, or are you going to kiss her back?

Nimdok wrapped one arm around Elise, pulling her closer as he deepened the kiss. He slid his tongue hesitantly into her mouth, shuddering when he brushed against her fangs. He was a bit rusty—it hadn’t been centuries since his last romantic relationship, but it had been quite a while. He ought to take things slow, but...

Wanting to warm her cold flesh, he tugged on her dress with one hand. He didn’t pull her skirt up all the way, but it was enough that he could caress her knees, bringing her lower half toward him as well. His other hand cradled the back of her head, his fingers knotting in her hair.

Elise Ike