Private Among Secrets Kept

[Velda Nar-Donna]

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Life often mirrors the strokes of an artist's brush.

That was the thought Velda had when she gazed at the art piece before her in Castle Nar-Donna. The newest addition to the art gallery within the castle, a piece worth tens of millions by itself. It depicted an ancient Sith battlefield, with acolytes of old wielding Sith warblades, possibly enhanced with Sith alchemy, matching up against Jedi with lightsabers.

Adjacent to this martial ode, another canvas whispered tales of a moonlit romance, a chiaroscuro of lust, dark and gothic in its aesthetic poetry.

She mused over the idea of possibly putting some of the pieces on the market and selling a few of the others. She had quite a few indeed.

As she turned to take her leave, however, she sensed an all-too-familiar presence as she left the gallery room. Brandyn had made an appearance on the castle grounds. Something that illicited a momentary pause as she exited the room

Velda found it to be a rather audacious gesture from him to show up unannounced. Since most of the time he was gallivanting around the galaxy playing the part of the hero, all the while convincing himself that he harbored feelings of love.

How love and lust tugs at the heart-strings. Within the boundless currents of The Force, specifically, The Darkside, both possessed the potential to amplify one's strength and grant a singular focus. Though, in theory, such power can come at a steep price. An axiom, tinged with a melody that rang mostly true.

Velda was approached by one of the protocol servant droids of the castle. "Master, Jedi Knight Brandyn Sal-Soren, wishes to speak with you."

Of course, he would; she knew exactly why he was here. "Inform him that I will be in the Great Chambers, waiting." She and the droid parted ways, and she made her way in that direction.

The great chamber was a spacious and vast room within the castle meant as a living area, mostly private to Velda and a small number of others when they visited.

Soon after she arrived, the droid appeared with Brandyn. "Master Velda, Jedi Knight Brandyn Sal-Soren."

Velda replied. "Thank you, leave us." The droid departed, leaving Velda and Brandyn alone in the room as the chamber doors clicked shut.

A tense hush lingered briefly in the air as Velda cast a sidelong glance in his direction. Her voice broke the silence first.

"This visit is rather unexpected; it's been quite a long time since we last saw each other. On Hapes, I do believe, was it not?"

Not entirely true, but close enough. As a lush smirk curled across her lips.

"What can I do for you? And would you prefer I call you Knight Brandyn or just Brandyn the human being?"

 

[Brandyn Sal-Soren]

The abode of the Nar Donna family was imposing. It held an intimidating air that Brandyn was sure he was just imposing upon it through his own feelings of doubt and confusion. He was here for answers. But he wasn’t even sure what the right questions were yet.

Velda was a friend from his childhood. They had not seen each other much up until a few years back and that one night. But then came Cybelle and his life changed. No more flings. Velda had stopped by once after the New Way attack on Coruscant, just to check on him. It had been awkward. Brandyn was fairly convinced that she had really come to see who it was that had captured his attention. He had been glad when that meeting had ended.

His questions revolved around the dreams, well nightmares, that he had been having. They had started after the Battle of Exegol, and on the day of his parent’s death the face of the haunting dark woman had been revealed. She wore Velda’s face. He wondered if there was some guilt that was intertwining with his dark visions, or did Velda actually have something to do wth them. He couldn’t be sure.

If you don’t know. Ask.

The protocol droid did its duty. Brandyn barely paid him much heed beyond understanding its instructions and heading to the correct room. His mind was on the conversation ahead.

The lighting in the Great Chamber was dim. Pockets of light were created by low hanging chandeliers with directed lighting. Shadows played in every corner of the room.

“Velda,” he said. Her name came out of a choked breath.

The distance between them may as well have been a chasm. Brandyn didn’t close the gap.

”Hapes. Yes.“

He took a breath, drawing in resolve with it.

“You look well. I apologise for the unannounced visit. It is…of a personal nature…that I have come to see you. And please. Just Brandyn. We have known each other too long to trifle with formalities.”

| Velda Nar-Donna |​

 

[Velda Nar-Donna]

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She didn't know what to expect – if he would have been cordial or a bit more adversarial in coming here. And if she were honest, she did not know which choice to pine for. Friendly and cordial would work though, all the same. And perhaps she preferred it that way in this instance.

Just Brandyn – something that drew an ever so faint smile to her lips. It let her know she was speaking to the man, and not the Jedi. The walls were down…for now.

Their meeting on Hapes was quite unexpected, at least when it came to Cybelle. Her involvement with Brandyn, perhaps, should have been anticipated. Her presence in his life, however, was nevertheless appreciated. Just one extra Dejarik piece in the plan and in the grandiose scheme of things; she would play an important role in breaking his shackles and setting him free.

Oh, how the Dark Side works in twisted and mysterious ways.​

She slowly and thoughtfully nodded as she softly watched him, all the while she sauntered over to one of the chairs. "No need to apologize; my hospitality is always extended to you, expected or otherwise."

Sitting down, she continued, "Please have a seat." She presented him with one of the other chairs or the sofa adjacent to the one she was sitting in.

"So something of a personal nature…relationship advice, perhaps?"

 

[Brandyn Sal-Soren]

Brandyn laughed awkwardly at the joke. It felt like a joke between friends, but probing at the same tIme. Perhaps his response would probe as well. “Well. I would ask if you know of a good tailor for events…but my family has that covered already,” he said with an open wave of his hands.

H gestured for Velda to be seated before himself. Manners first. He would then take a seat on the opposing side.

”What about you Velda?” He said, trying to keep the conversation off the intended topic, much to his own frustration, “a Mister Nar-Donna lined up yet?”

He smiled, uncomfortably. This was not an easy conversation to start.

”Velda…”

He paused, glancing around the room. A frown formed as he tried to figure out the best way to approach his queries.

“…have you been having any dreams?”

He didn’t look at her again until he spoke next.

”No like, goals or desires…or such…nightmares…it’s a strange question I know. Not something an old friend shows up and asks you usually.”

| Velda Nar-Donna |​

 

[Velda Nar-Donna]

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Her lips swayed into a smirk at his joke. He always seemed to have a knack for dressing appropriately.

The next question came as kind of a surprise to hear from him, about new potential flames and romantic interests. He seemed to be wondering if she was still available. Her playful smirk slowly curled into a smile.

She glanced down as she spoke, as if she had someone on her mind, perhaps Brandyn or perhaps someone else. Then again, Brandyn's mind might run wild thinking about who the other person might be. "Well, there is someone in my life that…I am rather fond of." Her eyes slowly sailed up to meet Brandyn again. "Still rather early on though…" She kept the mystery and offered him no name.

He seemed really uncomfortable with the upcoming conversation Velda already knew was coming, as she watched him.

This wasn't accusational at all, as she half-heartedly expected about her dream visits. He seemed genuinely confused. The thing was that she had already revealed herself to him, except that doubts still seemed to linger in the air. Perhaps Velda could use that to her advantage with the boy.

"Sometimes, yes…I dream…of you. The last one I had, we were just having a conversation about life and everything you hoped for. I often wondered why I dreamt it. But it was nice, peaceful."

That was her dream, not his. His, she knew all about his, when she was running around in his last few dreams disguised as Cybelle.

And sometimes, Velda herself.

The crimes she committed each night in Brandyn's head had now become a cat and mouse game, and she had to admit it was rather fun. "What kind of nightmares?"

 

[Brandyn Sal-Soren]

His frown seemed to be permanently baked into his forehead. She dreamt of him? That was unexpected. Velda was a friend from long ago, sure. She was someone he had briefly entangled with, sure. But she was a countess. One so politically and economically important to Corellia was not someone that just daydreamed about one of the many young men that came and went from her life, surely?

He felt the muscles in his back tense. Velda was not someone he would wan as an enemy, nor a friend that he would wish to offend or lose. However, there were questions.

He looked away for a time, while wringing his hands. He caught her gaze when he looked back and finally answered.

”Since…an event that I cannot speak of…I have been having dreams of a woman who is attempting to corrupt my mind and lure me to the dark side,” he said before waving his hand and shaking his head, “I am sorry…I will try not to get to lost in the weeds of the Force and such…it is sometimes hard to explain…”

He was avoiding saying the next sentence, so he just spat it out.

”…the day my parents were killed…I had one in which the woman was shown to have your face…to speak with your voice…”

He stood, running his hand through his hair and pacing away.

”…it sounds foolish…I know…and really I do not think you have anything to do with it…but you say that you dream of me too? Perhaps the Force has connected us in some way? It is a lot…and I do not think you to be this person in my dream…please understand this.”

| Velda Nar-Donna |​

 

[Velda Nar-Donna]

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She wanted to outright laugh at him, of course, it was her. At the very least, the man seemed to understand what the underlying motives were. And when she revealed herself to him on the Exegol dreamscape, the reveal was honest; he had the question, and she answered the call.

Except that the answer was for Brandyn and Brandyn alone. There was another participant within this dreamscape, a guest uninvited. Briana Sal-Soren decided to grace the duo with her presence. And Brandyn rose to the challenge like the hero that he was and defended Velda, with unwavering valor.

A part of her wanted to admit it to him, admit all of it, that she was in fact a Sith Lord. That this dark lordess could see when she met Cybelle, that Cybelle held an air of unfounded confidence that she had Brandyn's heart on the hook, and just perhaps, she did…

…Except all wholesome fairy tales eventually come to an end. Perhaps Cybelle didn't know where the last page was in this tragic romantic fairy tale of a book they were writing. Perhaps she did, but there was a terrible certainty that loomed like back storm clouds on the horizon above it all. And as one more page turned, the final page was coming, it was coming fast.

Still, even though she wanted to admit it all to him, Velda could see that he was still holding on. To the romanticized idea of being a Jedi, a hero, and to some misguided idea of love to someone that he barely knew.

Watching him pace she could tell the revelations he had told her shook him, and the reaction coming from her was a spell of indifference. There was more, much more going on than just the Exegol dream scene alone.

Like in those moments when she walked his dreams disguised as Cybelle….

~ ~

There was a chill in the night air within this dream. Fog draped the lane in which the speeder piloted by Brandyn, came to a stop. The delicate whooshing hum of the speeder abruptly ceased as Brandyn turned off the engine. Leaving both in silence to fill the shadowy space of the cabin in the speeder. Velda, who now looked and sounded like Cybelle, in every way. Turned to him. It was pretty dark, but she could still make out his face. And she could see his eyes, those windows to his soul she watched him. "Can't you feel it? The darkness, it's in the air, and it's mysterious, it's beautiful, it feels like…" She didn't finish the sentence, feeling a little coy as she turned and looked out of her window.

Her attention shifted as she turned back to him, amused to find him still staring. "Are you just gonna watch, or are you gonna make a move?" It was a playful spunky question coming from her but a legitimate one, that came with a bit of a challenge. Slowly she leaned in toward him. "Kiss me…" Something she sang out in a whisper as her lips floated toward his. He leaned in as well in kind with his eyes closed. And they fell into the embrace of a sultry kiss. It lasted for a bit, and as they began to part. He opened his eyes, and just for a brief moment, he didn't see Cybelle; he saw that he was kissing…Velda herself.

Brandyn was startled and jumped back into his seat which caused her to do the same. It was only a flicker, perhaps it was a dance of shadows and moonlight that made it look like Velda for just a moment. At any rate, Cybelle was sitting there, at least it looked that way. And her bewildered expression told it all. "Velda?!?!?" Brandyn gasped out as he looked at her.

No answer was coming easy this night, and she had to admit, she was not pleased with how that kiss ended. Her eyes narrowed, as she took his words and as she looked at him. Really?? She was kissing him, and he was thinking of Velda? Okay then.. "Goodnight, BRANDYN!!" She said, leaving the speeder. She angrily closed the door, delivering what amounted to an impressive acting performance.

"Cybelle!!! Wha, wha, no wait!!" He said, leaving the speeder and chasing after her. Once caught up he stopped in front of her. "I uh, I'm, I'm I'm so sorry…" He said as he looked for his words, she just gazed at him. "Who are you?" His voice gently trembled.

She thought about the answer, she could have said any number of this but kept it cryptic and succinct. "You said it, Brandyn." Her brow arched upwards as she spoke her next line. "Goodnight, love…" With that she walked around him, leaving him perplexed, and stunned. He turned to look back at her…but she was already gone.

~ ~​

He reassured her that he did not think she had anything to do with it. Was that really true though? Why else would he be here? Unless he was here for other reasons. "Does she know you're here?" Her tone was thoughtful while she angled her exotic features to look at him watching him all the while she remained seated. She wanted to follow up the question with.

"And what bitter sweet adumbral secrets does she know about war, death, and rebirth??" ​

Which would have been a scathing hint at the truth, hinting at a lot of things. Hinting at Velda's former allegiance to the NSO, hinting at Cybelle's fate shrouded in secrecy and darkness on that now dilapidated husk of a freighter. Oh yes, Velda knew, she found out, in a clever way that we will discover shortly. She didn't utter those words however to him, neither in voice or mind. Velda was far too disciplined for that.

The connection through the force however, was something she could work with.

"Brandyn..I've known you most of all my life…and you should know that I would never do anything to hurt you…" From her point of view, that was true. What she was doing was more like helping him, freeing him, tempting him—tugging him away from the light into the dark and leading him to cast aside the Jedi.

If she succeeded, for him there would be consequences, but he would be reborn into something greater than he is now, and more powerful.

"Perhaps, The Force has connected us…I really would love to believe that, it's like poetry if you think about it." It wasn't something she actually thought of herself, but she had to admit it was elegant.

"It could be just your subconscious hinting at desires that you want, but that your conscious believes is." Her brow arched at the thought "Forbidden…it might be just that simple…" Exotic eyes stayed on him as she continued "If someone is tormenting you, in your dreams, it's not me." A lie, but a lie that needed to be said. If only to stop Brandyn from making any potential mistakes. "In that case, it would probably be someone that is at the very least an acquaintance to us both."

 

[Brandyn Sal-Soren]

Nothing to hurt him? “Of course,” he said almost dismissively as he walked away from her, his thoughts trailing off. But his mind found purchase on the point that perhaps he should not have been so quick to agree in this point.

“Poetry?” He said, pausing in his pacing.

Brandyn found himself glancing back over his shoulder. By the Force she was beautiful. But he saw something else in her too. Something…dangerous.

Looking away from Velda, Brandyn spoke quietly to her. ”You imply that it is the woman that I would wish to marry,” he said, muttering the words calmly, trying to piece disparate elements together.

“You mean to besmirch the good nature of Cybelle,” he turned completely to face Velda, “but what do you know of her?”

He had to see beyond his own unease with this situation. Many of his dreams had contained Cybelle acting out of character. Acting more like…Velda. He had even seen her in the last dream. Evidence pointed towards her, but he did not want to believe it. But now she spoke of the Force connecting them. Forbidden desires. And insinuated rather heavily that it was someone close to him. There was no one closer than Cybelle.

”Greater evidence would need to be given…because despite your assertions…I hear the same voice now as in my dreams,” his hand fell to where his lightsaber would normally be hanging. It wasn’t there, he had left it behind. He was here as a friend. But perhaps he was a fool In this too.

| Velda Nar-Donna |​

 

[Velda Nar-Donna]

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There it is...

The adversarial tone she first anticipated was beginning to peek through the surface of his emotions.

And all it took was the mere implication of fielding alternative notions, over the identity of his mysterious dreamscape tormentor.

And his mind swiftly turned to his cherished little Cybelle.

His skepticism about her claim that she would never harm him was not unfounded. Although she truly meant it, of course, it was a matter of personal views on what harm really meant. If pulling him to the Dark Side means harming him, to Brandyn himself. Well then...

"Of course, it would be poetry, a gorgeous cosmic poetry perhaps. When you look up and see the night sky. Perhaps The Force has written that poetry across the stars. Fate perchance...or even destiny."

And it would be a message and poem written in blood and a dark sinister elegance.

Marry her? The Countess was both surprised and unsurprised by that suggestion. She found Brandyn to be impressionable, always with dreams of being the hero. And finding his eventual fair princess to marry, leaving a trail of shattered hearts and littering the boulevard of broken dreams in his wake. Pieces That nobody ever bothered to pick up.

And Velda's heart, as black as it was, as poisonous as it's intentions were, would not be counted among them.

One might assume Velda would react negatively to such emerging news, that time was of the essence and that his pull to The Dark Side must be expedited. But not for Velda. For her, she wanted his romance and upcoming marriage with Cybelle to flourish.

Velda wished to see the memory of Cybelle burned into his mind forever, reminding him of his love-struck naivety. And reminding him of the pivotal moment when folly reigned supreme.

And it would feed into his hate and make him stronger.

"Ohhhhh my, congratulations!" A smile kissed her lips as she said those words.

She was watching him the entire time even when his back was turned; her gaze was upon him ever observant. Her chin rested on the knuckle of her right hand as she leaned forward. Ever invested in everything that he had to say, including his defense of Cybelle, even if it was with lackluster fervor.

Exotic eyes of a dark russet hue beheld the gesture of his hand reaching for a lightsaber, which wasn't there. What a dire happenstance, a Jedi bereft of his weapon. Oh dear.

"My deepest heartfelt apologies, if you find my musings untoward to your precious ladyship. If you really need to ask what I know about Cybelle. Should you really be marrying her?"

She let that line sink in for a moment. "I know enough to know that I don't fully trust her. In my experiences, I've encountered a variety of individuals, from nobles to pirates to Jedi. It often seems that those who project an image of perfect purity and virtue are merely masking darker intentions beneath the surface. They present a facade, concealing the malevolent and twisted thoughts that lurk within. These intentions may lie dormant, caged, walled-in, and buried but they always threaten to surface. Perhaps with an emotional trigger moment acting as the catalyst for the horrific wrath that unfolds."

She paused for a moment, lost in thought. "Sometimes, they question their worthiness to their significant others, wondering if they are deserving of their lover's affection and love."

Well sculpted thick brows rose with her next question, pondering. "Has Cybelle ever appeared skeptical and questioning of your love and affections, Brandyn?"

She lost herself in a brief thought and continued. "On that day when I met her in your apartment in Hapes, it was readily apparent to me, that she was not just some other girl. And it was then that I realized, that, you settled."

Her next thoughts were dancing through her mind and teasing the idea of telling him of whether or not she felt something for him, further muddling the man's heart further. "Unfortunate that happened really. You could have ended up with a lover that that could have offered you everything that you ever wanted, and much, much more."

She did note that he never actually answered if Cybelle knew that Brandyn was here or not, she took the silence to mean an emphatic no. "But I'm sure she Cybelle will make a lovely and devoted wife."

 

[Brandyn Sal-Soren]

Some of the things she spoke were true. But they did not make Cybelle evil. They made her wounded, precious and worthy of his protection. She doubt her worth. That wasn’t a sign of malevolence. Wasn’t it?

Brandyn was feeling increasingly both precarious and uncomfortable in his situation. Velda’s words were that of an angel of light whispering blasphemies.

“I have seen her heart. I know her. There is nothing she has kept hidden from me,” he said, confidence mostly for show.

“Velda. I speak this as your friend, and I do wish that that status be retained. Speak no ill of Cybelle Elyance. The last person that did so before me…”

He was getting angry. Looking away, Brandyn composed himself.

“Jealousy is unbecoming of one so fair, friend,” Brandyn said. He was becoming convinced that somehow Velda was the person speaking to him in his dreams, or she was being manipulated by someone. Maybe even Darth Wallgof himself.

Memories assaulted his mind, as if an attack of recollections. Images of a night many months ago. A night of passion and abandon. A night between old friends that ignited into something more. Only the smile, and the sounds of the moment carried a dagger’s edge to them now. Brandyn closed his eyes and shook his head to break the spell of memories he now wished to bury.

”Consider yourself off the guest list, Velda.”

| Velda Nar-Donna |​

 

[Velda Nar-Donna]

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Sometimes, the things people buried within weren't just the wounds of past events that haunted unfortunate souls. Such wounds were there for a lot of people, but wounded hearts were not the reason some people put on a social front of vibrancy and virtue. For the people who do that, it's a malevolent storm brewing within the soul that they are trying to hide that could spill out at any moment.

Obviously, she didn't believe that Cybelle was bereft of secrets in their relationship; in fact, she knew it was not the case. "That's a lie, if there ever was one."

He was just on the defensive, saying that. "Everyone has secrets, Brandyn, me, you, even Cybelle."

Keeping secrets was a reality of life. "You came here looking for advice and counsel about the troubled dreams you are having. As your friend, I've tried to offer you that, but with such a dark topic come answers and truths that you may not care to hear but need to hear. Not everything is sunshine and rainbows, and dark topics come with dark truths, sometimes bleak truths. Truths so dark that the fog and rain that shrouds it are so black that it is obsidian…"

The man was conflicted; she knew that much. "And ever since this conversation started, I've been on trial, in my own castle, and guilty until proven innocent. I look at you, and I see a man looking for answers but not willing to accept them. So, I'm afraid for you, I'm afraid for myself. What if I'm in danger? Or is Cybelle's honor more important to remain blemish-free?"

Finally, she rose out of her seating position, and that was when the charge of jealousy left his lips. She turned her head to him as she spoke. "Is it really jealousy or is it honesty, Brandyn?" Her arms swayed out as if to present the current. "If what I say is true, and you're doing this, and I'm the target of some character assassination attempt in your head, by her. Wouldn't this be exactly what she wants?"

She let that revelation sink in for a moment. "But let's touch upon jealousy, just for a moment. If I'm jealous, that would imply that I felt something during our little salacious rendezvous that night when we met, would it not? Do I have feelings for you or do I not?"

That night replayed in her head as well. "Even though you really do deserve an answer to that question. Fate, that cruel mistress that she is, has seen to it that you've shut the door on that answer. If I say no, then you were just used and that would be terrible. And if I say I did, then that puts us both in a rather potentially scandalous dilemma, doesn't it? Especially since, presently we both have different romantic interests. So, I can't in good conscience give you that information."

Her exotic russet eyes rolled with a mischievous glint. "It's a secret…"

One secret among many. "I will say, however, you showed more fire and passion that night than you did in this entire encounter defending Cybelle."

"But listen closely…" Her voice swayed a little more smoky and deeper with her next word uttered. "Loverboy."

"She is not and will never be my competition, and well under my league, and you would do well to remember that." She turned away, and looked off.

It sounded absolutely absurd. Was it not game, set, and match in Cybelle's favor? Or did Velda know of something else?

What Velda knew was that there was not a thing anybody could do to stop Brandyn's descent into the Dark Side; it was happening one way or another.

It was something she said so that he would remember at a future time in hindsight. A sort of, "I told you so, fool."

She looked back at him. "Sometimes, those that actually care for you, and those that even love you, for real. They are forced to fight for things with words that are razor sharp Brandyn. Helping friends and loving someone isn't always easy. And who Cybelle actually is, is a legitimate question, that I should not be asking, that is true. It is a question that you should be asking. And you're not doing that, that is dangerous, especially to yourself. "

It was rather a cute gesture of punishment to be left off the guest list, one that did not move her much. "Those arrangements are up to you and her and is quite fine. In all honesty if I arrived, I would rather see you marry the actual Cybelle, rather than the idea of her in your head."

 

[Brandyn Sal-Soren]

“I have been a fool,” Brandyn said, his face showing signs of increasing acknowledgement as Velda spoke. Was she getting through to him? “Of course…”

“You are the hard done by one…how could I not see this before!” He said, fake smile quickly fading away when he was done speaking.

”You misrepresent many things Velda. Knowing full well from my own lips that I wished not to implicate you in this series of nightmares I have been having…I thought you to be a neutral player…”

His cheeks grew red.

”…and now with every word you seek to undermine my relationship with someone that you do not know.”

He spoke assuredly, but his rising anger was fuelled by his own uncertainty. Cybelle herself felt as though she was no longer completely herself. If the woman he loved felt like she was not really herself anymore, and if Brandyn had not been able to sense any change within her…been blind to it…perhaps Velda was right.

Denial. Denial and anger.

“I perceive there is more to you than you let on, Velda Nar-Donna…secrets indeed…but if you ever…and I say ever…appear in my dreams again…I will return…but I shall not return as a friend.”

| Velda Nar-Donna |​

 

[Velda Nar-Donna]

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Within their turbulent exchange, her exotic eyes became twin mirrors, reflecting back his sarcasm with an incandescence of unyielding resolve, all with a subtle defiance etched into the arc of her brow.

"Precisely…" She was quiet and confident, her voice smooth, and carrying the weight of unspoken truths.

It seems enlightenment has finally found its way to you. She mused as she reciprocated his performance of sarcasm. Knowing all too well, such an understanding remained bitterly elusive for him.

Her body, her temple veiled in solemnity, pivoted to meet his gaze. Her long silence as he spoke, was a testament to the depths of his descent. a descent not into love, but into the abyss of delusion.

Her inquiries and suggestions, which began innocent enough, were immediately deemed sacrilege, akin to the sweet forbidden fruit of knowledge. Anything probing the essence of Cybelle was deemed heresy, an affront to the sanctity of their fictional reality.

Everything he had was denial and anger, and even with Velda cloaking her presence within the force, his anger still burned through so brightly that she still sensed the emotion radiating from him. Even the simplest inquiry acted as tinder to the inferno raging within the man. His anger was exhilarating, and to some extent gave him focus.

But the passion appeared to be lost. He was doing his best to maintain his composure, not that it seemed to be too difficult of a task given the topic. Still, the embers burned brightly while buried beneath the ash.

There was also an uninspired threat given to her with his last line as well. And since she didn't care much for that or the rest of his surrejoinder either, it simply would not do. Nor should be tolerated.

Her walk toward him was graceful, beautiful, and with purpose, a sway that was instinctual. In that fleeting moment, as the space between them narrowed to naught, the secretive Sith Lord took aim…

SLAP!!!!​

"How could you ever say those things?? How DARE you!!" Her voice now quivered with raw emotion, the fire of true indignation burning bright. Velda, who had unyielding composure, had now been pushed beyond her limits.

"I haven't seen you since Hapes, and the minute I walked out of that apartment, I decided to move on. I resigned you to the fate that you were so pining for. You got the woman you wanted or so it seemed and now here…you…are."

It certainly did appear that way, though she recognized the ill-suited pairing for what they truly were. She tolerated the arrangement because she knew it would lead him into the dark side. It all appeared to be working quite better than she initially anticipated. He appeared to be unbalanced and unfocused to a large degree and doing his best to keep those emotions in check.

Why undermine a romance so saccharine, and yet, at the same time so poisonous when cultivating it yielded the results that Velda had wished to see? Judging by his state of emotional being as of now, perhaps Cybelle was doing the job of undermining the romance well enough on her own without Velda's influence, it certainly seemed that way.

It was quite the outrageous gamble with what Velda was in the throes of doing. Brandyn was a dreamer and a fiancée with dark secrets withheld was not a good fiancée to have.

"When I left you last, you seemed at the very least somewhat content. And your current state has unfurled under her watch, not mine. I refuse to shoulder the blame in your tale of woe simply because you've had a few wayward dreams."

She was completely defiant to Brandyn's charges of her trying to undermine the relationship.

"I said acquaintances to us both, that's what she is to me. But that's not what she should be to you. Unless of course, it was a mental slip with you admitting subconsciously that you really don't know her well. The point is though, YOU introduced her into our discourse, not I. YOU sought my insight on her, and I responded."

"We both know or at least should know, that I can't control what appears in that thick skull of yours at night." This was mostly true, she didn't control what manifested within his dreams from his head when his mind just dreamed things up. She guided the moments, sometimes molded the scenes into what they became, and did create things, meaningful moments or at times, symbolic, yet fleeting phantasms that hinted at something greater, for him.

And yet, she witnessed many times where she saw herself in his head, and it was not her controlling it, it was just from his mind, sometimes she was in control of it, and other times she was not, nevertheless it was a common occurrence.

In other words, the visitations when he went to sleep were not about to end anytime soon. Even if she stopped, and she had no intentions of stopping.

She turned as she spoke but still watched him. "So I suppose we will see each other again and we will catch up. Do remember though when that happens, that you owe me an apology."

Her voice, though laced with an undercurrent of irritation, remained at a steady cadence as the tempest of emotion calmed within her. Turning on her heel she retraced her steps. All the while the air still crackled with tension as she reclaimed the place in which she was seated moments earlier.

 

[Brandyn Sal-Soren]

​

It hurt. A lot. And not in the good way.

Brandyn missed much of what Velda said for a few moments as his head rung and his cheek throbbed. The embarrassment of the moment was one thing. He hated to admit the flash of anger that almost saw him retaliate. Thankfully, he had been able to hold it together.

“What the bloody…”

But she was off. Word after word. Sentence after sentence. Her indignation poured out. Brandyn didn’t realise that his mouth was open in shock most of the time. When Velda seemed to have ended her piece, Brandyn took his hand from rubbing his cheek, and gave her a dismissive wave.

”There will not be a next time,” he said, with no small degree of bitterness in his tone.

She was most certainly not his enemy. But as Brandyn turned to depart, he was not sure that she was considered a friend anymore.

He had accomplished nothing, but to make his life more complicated, insult a friend, begin to doubt Cybelle…and not solve the issue of his dark dreams.

Well done, idiot.

| Velda Nar-Donna |​