Private Beware

[Avernus]

He comes to me with money in his hand...

Dromund Kaas, New Kaas City
0100 Local Time

Even with the schism in full swing, Avernus couldn't help but poke his nose around Sith-Imperial space. One way or another, circumstances seemed to draw him back within their borders. It was especially hard to resist this time, especially since it was an express invitation from Lord Aagenti himself; Telis Taharin. Every reasonable instinct would tell you this was a trap, of course, but Avernus wasn't too worried about Telis of all people trapping him. Telis trying to kill him? That was never off the table, but setting him up for an ambush would seem, at least to Avernus, very uncharacteristic of him.

Ever since the New Imperials launched their invasion, border security had been much tighter than usual, which was saying quite a lot. It was to be expected in times of war, but Avernus managed to slip past as he always did. There was perhaps something to be said about someone who was normally so flashy and grandiose being this capable of such covert and surreptitious actions. Contrary to common assumption, it wasn't so rare for Avernus to be so unostentatious, especially when it suited him. After all, walking around in a golden suit, or a pair of platform shoes and a feather caplet didn't exactly lend itself well to going unnoticed. Black robes and a large obscuring hood would serve well enough, despite the glaring lack of pizzaz it possessed.

Taking the last few steps of his trek through New Kaas City, Avernus came to the large double doors to the Taharin penthouse. Big Money looked both ways, peeking just beyond the peripherals of his hood, checking for anyone coming down either side of the hall. With the area clear, his left hand reached out to the door control panel. The long, sharp-tipped nail of his index finger pressing into the large red button in the right corner. The chime from within that announced his arrival echoed from behind the doors to the penthouse, the muffled chimes being the only audible sound aside from the roar of the rain outside.

Telis Taharin-Zambrano ​

 

[Telis Taharin-Zambrano]

Stretching across New Kaas city was a seemingly leyline network of colossuses, centers and towers reaching to scratch the sky. Amidst those Goliath monoliths was the tower where Aagenti once lived through his time under the training of Kascalion Geidfeld. Now it sat barren and ruined, security abandoned and the entire tower itself as a scar of the attempt of an unnamed Sith Lord to sabotage and (as he spun it) assassinate him within the dead of night. The scars of the fight remained within the top level, the open landing bay sprinkled with broken glass and, within the halls of the home, scars of burning plasma and lightsabers intermingled with wrecked electronics - some caused by the fight and some inflicted afterwards in lashed-out anger.

There was a ghost remnant to the building, the way that months of abandonment had left rainwater in the grooves that were left behind, the way the old plants had begun to grow from beyond their pots and spread like snakes along the floor, small hands reaching out, aiming for the light as all things did. In the corner, the small radio that Aagenti had chosen to leave behind played quietly, an old song that was kept on loop, filling the empty atmosphere with somber, sonorous tones, as Aagenti looked out across the city with a hint of restlessness centered upon the horizon. A heavy wind blew in, bringing in the heavy rain of the rolling storm clouds beneath the ebony night.

Dressed in black robes that were whipped around by the rain with a flowing length of silken fabric wrapped around his throat like a scarf, Aagenti held the wrist of his mechanical hand tightly, golden light highlighting skin that seemed almost ashen in the night sky, and gave way to the treacherous tendrils of metal that extended from his hand, curling around up to his forearm as though the hand itself, aware of its purpose, feared the idea of being separated and, by extension, destroyed. It was a small side effect from his awakening of the Anathema, and like all scars of extensive Force use he feared such grasping vines of metal would haunt him forever. It was a small price to pay, in the end.

As the sound of the old entry buzzer rang faintly from the office, Aagenti allowed a small frown to come to his face, bowing his head to the horizon as a lash of lightning graced the sky and betrayed the forms of the thunderheads rolling past and drenching the city below. All manner of chaos and whirlwind raged outside, yet in the empty sanctum, perhaps from the scars of the dual or by his own will, there was peace, despite the rain flooding through the open windows. Turning away from the office, Aagenti moved towards the door that lead out of the penthouse and to the open landing bay, the radio playing louder by force of will as he stepped into the tempest to greet his guest.

As he stepped into the heart of the storm, he could well-make-out the hooded form of the man that awaited him. Rain soaked through his own clothes and left him with the bitter chill of elemental vulnerability, and his hair was plastered down by the storm, his features appearing far darker now that he was in the brunt of the raging storm. Above them both lightning danced, and the thunderous heartbeat of the storm made its presence known. There was no joy nor remorse in Telis’s face as he beheld the cowled form of the Pureblood, only scrutiny and a hint of surprise.

”I hardly expected you to come, Avernus. Only a fool would’ve see the message I sent and expected me to keep my word… a fool, or somebody of the same stock as yourself.” Thunder rolled once more, drawing Telis’s gaze for a moment up towards the abyssal, cloudy expanse, overwhelming in its grandeur and size. All the while still, a war of ideals was raged, bloody and both sides unyielding to the other. Dromund Kaas knew of their collusion, and saw to it that it would give them both a warding storm, a protection from those who wished to castigate their intentions.

Smiling coyly, Telis turned back down to Avernus , humoring the situation they both were in now. Motioning up to the sky, Telis would behold the sky to Avernus as though he had created the storm himself - not an impossible feat by any means, but one unlikely given Aagenti’s personality. ”Lovely weather we’re having, no? I would’ve loved to have slept the night away, but I figured I should entertain the idea that you are the same Avernus I once met. Really, I’m not so much surprised you came as glad to know that even Sith Purebloods can fall into human concepts. ‘Beasts of habit’ and all that.”

Telis would offer a small shrug as thunder roared again. Placing his hands behind his back, he looked at the man beneath the hood, expecting some remark or quip back. Neither of them had any reason to want to be where they both were, and yet here they were, stars holding their fire behind blackened clouds as the storm only raged on, beckoning, perhaps, events to come.

 

[Avernus]

[Heat lighting flash, but don't blink. Misleading tranquility ruse. You're gonna happen again, that's what I think...]​

Impassive was the Pureblood's gaze as Aagenti spoke. Vapors of humidity came forth from just beyond the hood's obscurity in a rhythmic fashion, only to get whisked away with the wind. The shades of red in his complexion danced with the shadows cast over his visage with every electric coruscation. The thin sheet of moisture that stuck to his face gleamed along with those dancing hues of crimson, giving his cheekbones their due beneath the bone spurs and wrinkles. "You did keep your word, I sense no one else here but us. It has nothing to do with 'my stock' nor being a fool. I know you, Telis," he responded after a small delay. His voice lacked the usual playful carelessness, replaced with a flat and matter-of-fact delivery.

His golden eyes strayed away from Aagenti, looking to the near-ruins of the penthouse that lay beyond. In the heat of what had happened last time, the state of the penthouse hadn't even been an afterthought. The scene still stood, a stark monument to their struggle, to their folly. The deep strokes of anger and strife still lingered amongst the walls and furniture; Scars of their shared narrative bestowed upon the stage. His gaze shifted back to Aagenti, a sudden glimmer of distant lightning making the agitation that slowly formed on his face visible. His upper lip beginning to curl slightly with disgust.

"You speak of us as if we've been deified," his voice finally inflecting anger. "Pureblood," he mocked. A sharp exhale followed, obscuring his face momentarily in a thick mist. "The Sith people are dead, Pureblood only means less than half-human. Ironic, isn't it? Pureblood," he repeated the word again, a tone of disgust and contempt as if the word itself was the source of his vexation. Slowly, he moved past Aagenti, moving beneath the cover of the roof. He crossed his arms, tucking them beneath the sleeves of his robe for warmth, and leaned to the side against a wall. Golden irises peeked from beneath the brim of his hood, almost seeming to glow in the darkness.

"Lets get to the point, Lord Aageni," the name was spoken with a slight air of condescendence. "You clearly didn't lead me into a trap, and I doubt you're here to talk about my genetics, either."

Telis Taharin-Zambrano ​

 

[Telis Taharin-Zambrano]

The winds only seemed to grow more eager as time passed, rain dropping in sheets like tears as the sky was split with each harsh lash of lightning, thunder crying suit and leaving the celestial expanse above stricken in a pseudo sorrow. Aagenti stood unmoving, unbowed beneath the heart of the chaos, the scarf he wore around his neck caught by the rogue gales and ripped outwards behind him, trailing off and blending into the dark night, the edge of where the fabric ended and the darkness began muddied into obscurity. All the while the song played, haunting in its melody and almost uplifting in its moments of grand, orchestral resonance. If it weren’t for the tension present, one could almost forget the two figures for who they were.

”Feisty… I never knew you held such bad blood with your own lineage. That would’ve made an excellent experience to delve into; you finding yourself and coming to terms with who you are and how what you are matters very little, and miraculously me learning the same thing. A tad cliche, but certainly heartwarming, hmm?” Aagenti lowered his hand to scratch his chin, gently shaking his head at his eyes squinted to dagger-thin slits. A small memory of a timeline no longer existent encroached into his thoughts, far more pleasant than the timeline now yet his desires and ambitions far less fed. Pushing it away, Aagenti gently tsked to himself, a small hiss drawing off at the end of each note.

”Of course, fortune saw our lives set on paths neither of us were expecting. You went off to become one of the richest ‘heretics’ in the galaxy, proceeding to then break into my home and ruin my private sanctum, and I went and became the leader of the strongest military in the galaxy. I guess we’re both far better off for this division of interests than we would’ve been otherwise. ‘It’s for the best,’ as some would say in a… disgustingly predictable way.” Aagenti would think before he said the final statement, shuddering at the thought of falling into such cycles as predictability and unoriginality. He knew Avernus well, and he knew that, like him, boring repetition and unoriginality were crimes far greater than anything they combined have ever committed.

It made Aagenti think for a moment, as he quietly pondered, letting the rain wash over him and soak him thoroughly to the bone. It was a bitter chill almost worse than the one he felt when facing Gryylarc, and yet he knew the coldness of Dromund Kaas was one far less than that of the bitter, frozen moon. The chill here was one of revelation, more mental than physical. Beneath his blackened clothes his body was outlined, a dim golden glow illuminating Aagenti’s frame, designs only out of somebody’s dreams etching his body and ever-so-subtly shifting in shape as he spoke and thought, betraying his thoughts with swooping curves turning to jagged lines, flowing script turning to rigid geometry.

Placing a hand on his chin once more, Aagenti nodded to himself, a small smile forming on his features as he once again shook his head. ”You know, it’s almost ironic. The fact that we both abided by this Sith code in order to become ‘masters of our own fates and destinies,’ and here we are, ever still slaves to the rogue track that starlight sets us on. We control the Force so that we can be free, and we’re still both slaves, some way or another. Every Sith is, really; slaves to their ambitions, their machinations, their religious-no, doctrinal- pursuit of freedom, and the indirect actions of every living thing in the galaxy. Directly nobody can ever control us, and why would they want to? Indirectly, we’re just as mortal as every other thing.” Each word that Aagenti spoke was filled more and more with incredulous thought, as he began to pace, never tearing his eyes from Avernus for more than a second. It wasn’t madness that seemed to seep in, but rather the thoughts of somebody who has been tried to their limit, and looked beyond to see no end in sight. In Aagenti’s eyes was desolation.

Throwing his arms out to the side, and stepping back to stand directly in the center of the landing bay, deep in the night beyond the penthouse save for the few red lights that illuminated the landing space, Aagenti looked up to the sky, calling to the storm above. ”I am the Lord of Ambition and still I am enslaved to it!” Aagenti made no attempt to quiet his tone, and within the wash of sound and discord, his voice carried no farther than the edges of his penthouse, lost forever. When he turned back to Avernus, the man shook his head, letting his arms drop to his side.

”You asked me why I invited you here? Really, I was mostly just curious if you would come. I planned no speeches nor grand schemes, there won’t be any magnificent deals nor fruitless attempts at detente. If I was another man, if you were another man, if we were not the same man, then I might have tried any of those, but in the end we cannot be anybody but who we are. We are ambition incarnate, and ambition does not play kindly with itself.” Aagenti moved back toward the penthouse, every step echoing hollowly across the landing pad until his steps brought him once more back to the linoleum, and from there, back into the sanctum of the ruined home.

As he stepped back into the relatively dry expanse, he would lift the back of his hand to wipe at the rain covering his face, his posture and poise returning alongside his sashay, the tail of his robe swishing this way and that with each step and revealing the very form-fitting fabric her wore underneath. Each step his scarf seemed to drag in the air behind him, soaked thoroughly with rain and leaving small droplets running down his back. Moving just into the hallway, he turned to face Avernus outside, his expression once again stoic and unphased. Telis once again hid, and Aagenti took a step to the forefront, pale skin etched with gold standing in comparison to a comparatively darker expression than before.

”There is, however, a small hint of pragmatism here at play, and I’m sure you can decipher it. You have a bounty on my head for me to go with you, and there’s a bounty on your head as well. We’re both very smart and cunning men, and really I don’t think there is any way for either of us to get caught unless we allowed ourselves to. You want me, and I want to claim the bounty on you.” Aagenti would motion to the floor beneath him, a small hint of that remnant disdain for fortune in his eyes as he looked towards Avernus, sweeping the room around him with his presence and dampened grandeur. The arena was set and empty, and the two men there both knew how to dance well.

”If we don’t settle this face-to-face then we will both grow bitter with age. I invite you to help me figure out which of us fortune favors more. I’m giving you the chance to strike at me and have the life you’ve wished to lead, and the only thing standing in between that paradise is my own ambitions. If you want to walk away here and now then be my guest; this meeting never happened, and we shall go on and lead our separate stories. If you still have something to prove, if you still believe you can take control of what it is you seek to have, then the floor is yours to take, and I am here to see this trial through.” Aagenti stood tall as he beckoned Avernus in once more, inviting him yet still keeping the air of conversation open - well, less conversation and more explanation.

As the storm raged outside and battered the scarred remains of the penthouse, the music continued to play, somber yet humbling, a projection of what Aagenti felt as he stood in the silence of the storm, the heavy downpour of raindrops and the flash and crackle of lightning and thunder far above and far beyond. Thoughts of prosperity seemed far away for Aagenti, and the ideas that he almost had something worth keeping seemed even moreso. Aagenti had his purpose and his station. In this moment he was willing to let them gently fall in the name of proving to the world that he was a master of his own fortune. All the while, the storm raged on and the music continued its haunting melody.