Private And in the darkness...bind them

[Darth Strosius]

Alisteri smiled at that, but waved off her concern. "It's me Alina, I'll be fine." So long as he didn't consume too much at any one time, he should be able to hold himself together. In truth though, if Alina Tremiru could offer any sort of help then he would gladly take it. This new ability was just as much of a boon to use as it was a liability to avoid.

"Home..." He glanced down at their now intertwined hands, pausing at the top of the stairs. The masked acolyte hadn't really had a proper place to call home for a good long while now, since before he had become a Sith. "...I like the sound of that."

 

[Alina Tremiru]

Right. He would be fine. Alina squeezed his hand as they paused, glancing to him curiously. Had he not.. She nearly laughed as Darth Strosius spoke. That sort of lighthearted laugh that wasn't making fun of him, just surprised. She stepped forward, pulling him along towards his ship. She wanted to get off this world as quickly as possible. Too much of her own weakness had been exposed.

"You make it sound like you've never had a home. Don't you know you always do with me?"

 

[Darth Strosius]

At first he simply rolled his eyes in response as she laughed, idly thinking about how cheesy that had sounded. He was more than eager to get back to the ship of course, offering no resistance as she pulled him along. When she spoke however, he felt his face turn a slight bit red. "Aw, Alina~" Alisteri reluctantly waited until they had returned to the ship until he suddenly captured her in a hug.

"If I had known that you would say something so sweet, I'd have gone holocron hunting so much sooner!" "Ahem." He paused and noticed that it wasn't just the two of them in the ship. Barlan glanced between the pair of them from the doorway of the cockpit, the Mirialan's gaze soon landing on the holocron in Alisteri's hand. "I assume that we're ready to take off then?"

 

[Alina Tremiru]

"Huh?"

Needless to say, Alina had gotten used to Darth Strosius 's embarrassment when it came to the personal life between them. The stuttering, the sheepishness. Even earlier on the ship before they even made it here he'd gotten all manner of flustered at her teasing. To have him suddenly hug her and actually tease her for what she said had her own cheeks turning red.

And that someone witnessed it had her even more embarrassed. The moment Barlan cleared her throat Alina froze up completely. Never before had she been so thankful for her mask. Alina quickly cleared her throat and stepped away from Alisteri, heading back into one of the other rooms. Out of sight of the Mirialan.

Pretty quickly she pulled her helmet off, tossing it aside as she plopped down. Yeah. That was new. She hid a smile behind her hand as she stared at the floor. A good kind of new. It meant he was getting more comfortable, right? Maybe. Alina certainly hoped so.

 

[Darth Strosius]

Although a small sigh left him as Alina Tremiru stepped away, he made no attempt to follow her. Right, have to handle the important stuff first. He took a moment to straighten his posture and clear his own throat before nodding, idly realizing how warm his face had gotten. "Yes, back to Dromund Kaas as quick as you can if you wouldn't mind. This planet gives me a bad feeling." Barlan merely nodded and went back into the cockpit, Alisteri letting out a breath as she got out of sight.

He glanced down at the holocron and spent a moment looking over the symbols across it. So much knowledge in such a little thing, looks can be deceiving I suppose. In truth he had no idea how to actually use the holocron, but he was already planning on spending some time fiddling with it.

Well, at a later date of course. He still owed a date after all.

Thankfully, the ride back into orbit and through hyperspace would give him all the time he needed to figure out where to go.

 

[Alina Tremiru]

Once the ship took off she finally decided to leave the room she more or less hid in. She removed most of her armor by this point. It felt too constricting. She'd make her way right to Darth Strosius , smiling at him before glancing to the holocron in his hand. Everything. His future. That's what it was. His source of power.

"Do you know how to open it?"

 

[Darth Strosius]

Alisteri had found himself a seat as the ship took off, idly fiddling with the holocron and making the occasional note on a datapad next to him. If he wanted, he had little doubt that could spend a good hour poking and prodding the device and reading the text across it's surface without even opening it. Which, to be fair, he probably would do that sometime later. Maybe at night. He did his best researching at night.

He glanced up at Alina Tremiru as she left the room and returned her smile before shrugging. "I figured that it would sort of...do that on it's own I guess? Either that or maybe the way in is written on the outside? That's just what I assumed."

 

[Alina Tremiru]

"It's.. Neither of that. Holocrons are.." Like she knew how to describe it. Alina took a seat beside Darth Strosius , resting her cheek on his shoulder as she looked over the device. "I 'unno. You gotta channel the Force into it. Like with the tomb, almost. Reach inside it, and it should unlock. But.. Then you gotta face it's guardian. Though you might have already? I've no idea if there's something else you still gotta deal with." She wrapped her arms around his waist, more directly snuggling against him.

"I hope it works."

 

[Darth Strosius]

Alisteri glanced at Alina Tremiru as she spoke, idly moving the holocron over a bit as she sat next to him so that she could get a better look at it. At the mention of some sort of guardian though, his gaze shifted into a glare back at the device in his hand. A voice had been speaking to him throughout the second and third trial. Perhaps that was the guardian? Then again, ghosts were evidently real...

One way to find out.

"You aren't the only one hoping..." The feeling of her arms wrapped around him did comfort him though, idly leaning and resting his cheek on the top of her head before he closed his eyes and focused.

At first as he prodded the device, he felt some resistance. Almost as if something was blocking him out. The resistance only lasted a moment though, and he soon 'flipped the switch' that opened the device. His eyes opened as the top of the device twisted, the rest of it slowly moving to open as an all too familiar black mist seemed to leak from the openings.

 

[Alina Tremiru]

Alina could only watch in silence as Darth Strosius opened the holocron. For once, she could actually feel it. No, it was something more. The energy there was too palpable for her to not feel. Her eyes narrowed as the black mist seeped outwards. Still, she said nothing. The last thing she wanted to do was distract Ali while he was trying to handle whatever might come out of this.

 

[Darth Strosius]

The holocron seemed to radiate a sinister energy, probably the weird fog if he had to guess, as it opened. "Dormant for so long...and the worthy hand that opens my vessel is...lacking...how fitting." His eyes narrowed as the mist swirled to the top; the mist coalescing as a projection activated to reveal the top half of a hooded figure, their face obscured by the fog.

The projection looked up at Alisteri, then slowly shifted it's gaze to Alina Tremiru and then back to him. "At least you have a strong mate..."

Suddenly, the Acolyte had a strong urge to throw the device across the room to silence it.

 

[Alina Tremiru]

Alina's eyes narrowed as she listened. But she said nothing. At first. The moment the figure turned it's gaze to her though she clenched a fist. Anyone else, and she'd probably of swung a fist. But, it was just an image. A recording of a long dead Sith Lord. So she scoffed, breathing out through her nose. "Big talk for a program forgotten by time."

 

[Darth Strosius]

The figure's head inclined, as if in acknowledgement of Alina Tremiru 's remark. Holding back a small chuckle in reaction, Alisteri fixed the projection with a glare of his own. "I'd be more grateful if I were you. If I wasn't so 'lacking' then you'd still be in that vault." Once again, there was almost no reaction other than a tilt of the figure's head.

"...Of course..."

It seemed to relent finally. The figure seemed to sit back, as if standing up straight as it returned it's attention to its new owner. "What is it that you would ask of me then?" There were many things that Alisteri wanted to know of course. If even half of what he had read was true, then this artifact could catch him up to the skill of his fellow Acolytes that had gone through the academy in no time at all. He didn't speak for a moment however, glancing at Alina. "...Nothing for now. I merely wanted to see how you opened. Tomorrow, we can begin."

"...As you wish..."

 

[Alina Tremiru]

Once the spirit was gone Alina would speak up, the slight annoyance still in her voice. "Well, isn't he just a peach." Silence. Then a laugh. Alina giggled a bit, leaning up to kiss Darth Strosius 's cheek briefly. "Regardless, it's done. It's real. You'll be stronger in no time now, and maybe we'll be able to get to the next level together?"

 

[Darth Strosius]

The guardian wasted no time in returning to the holocron, Alisteri watching it close right before Alina Tremiru spoke. He blinked at the remark and glanced at her in surprise, but he did join her laugh without any hesitation. Whether it be the kiss or the idea of them advancing together, he noticeably sat up a bit straighter before he responded. "Maybe, I suppose that depends on how close you've gotten to the next level." He knew that she was plenty strong already of course, but he had never seen a Lord in action to compare her to.

"I'll do my best but I do have a lot to learn, fighting on a new planet each week hasn't exactly left much room for training you know." Combine that with his still absent master, and most of his knowledge was of the self-learned and practical variety.

 

[Alina Tremiru]

"That's all too true.. I'm sorry I can't really be of much help." She hummed lightly, lifting her other hand to hold his cheek. Pulling him close without much explanation. She closed her eyes, resting her forehead against his. Simply enjoying the closeness. The feeling of victory. Despite all the bad around them, at least they had this together.

"So." She spoke in a whisper, opening her eyes to glance up to him. "Where do we go now?"

 

[Darth Strosius]

A small smile spread across his face, and it only widened as she pulled him closer. His eyes slid closed as well, simply resting against her before he responded. "You say that like you haven't done more than enough for me already..." Alisteri spoke softly, as if afraid that it would ruin the moment. He had missed this in truth, just a few minutes together alone amidst the swirling chaos of the galaxy around them.

Alina Tremiru 's question put a small smirk on his face though. "Well...provided that you have nothing better to do, I'd like to propose a nice date."

 

[Alina Tremiru]

"Oohh? Propose, hmm?" Yep, she dove right into the chance to tease him about his word choice for that. She pulled back, a coy grin spreading across her features as she looked him over. "Just what are you planning for this nice date of ours?"

 

[Darth Strosius]

It wasn't until she repeated the word that Alisteri realized the implication. "...Oh..." His face turned a bright red at the mere thought and he refused to lock eyes with Alina Tremiru for a few moments as he tried to calm the color in his cheeks. "W-Well-" He paused and cleared his throat as his gaze returned to meet hers. "Well, I haven't had as much time to plan it out ahead of time so no reservation. However, I do have an idea for a little dinner and a walk. Provided it doesn't rain on us again of course."

 

[Alina Tremiru]

She giggled quite a bit as he glanced away, unable to help herself. There was the cute side of Darth Strosius that she absolutely adored. When he did meet her gaze again she just smiled patiently, watching him. Then she leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. "Unless we go literally anywhere but Dromund Kaas, it will rain on us. Not that I minded the shower that came afterwards.." She trailed off, grinning coyly.