Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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Blast from the Past....the long past.

Praesitlyn

The Princess could barely stifle a yawn as her dining guest blathered on. She had stopped listening to what he was saying at least three minutes before. And his thoughts were no more interesting than his words. It mattered little. She would acquire the items that she'd come for regardless of his thoughts or say in the matter. Luckily for him, he was agreeable. All she had to do was get through the meal without killing him.... which was easier thought than done.

Another two minutes of blathering, with her inserting just enough into the conversation to feign interest, she smiled and excused herself to the refresher. When she was out of view, the smile faded and she rolled her eyes. Lazily she opened the door to the refresher using the Force to activate the door rather than her hand. The Princess tended to touch things that were not her own as little as possible.

When the door closed behind her, she sighed. At least she was alone. Hurrah for solitude!
She pushed her red locks out of her eyelashes and blinked. The eyes that stared back at her were hers, their piercing green. The face wasn't though.
@[member="Cameron Centurion"]
 
Cameron sat in the back of the speeder as it casually traveled from the Communications Center on Praesitlyn to a quick dinner in the city. The Sith Lord had only made the trip to Praesitlyn on behalf of...private interests. The Sith Lord didn't want anything to do with it or the planet. In fact, it served his purposes much better if it remained a very independent system. Locations such as Praesitlyn had a tendency to go overlooked by the greater galaxy and for good reason. It offered no critical service that most of the core-based large governments and organizations in the galaxy required.

Arriving at the dining facility, Cameron exited the speeder on his own and instructed the driver to be prepared to depart in less than an hour. Dressed in a tailored charcoal suit, Cameron entered the establishment and gave the hostess his name. The Sith Lord had planned to dine alone in order to be brief. In recent business dealings, he had found working meals to be largely counterproductive and completely irritating. Still, Cameron tended to stomach them with a pleasent-enough expression for various reasons.

After being shown to a secluded table near the back corner, Cameron took a seat and picked up the menu. He had every intention of being ready to order the moment the waitress arrived.

@[member="Crystal"]
 
A minute longer was all that she needed to compose herself again. When she exited the refresher, she had a smile on her face and a pleasant demeanor. The Sith Princess returned to the table where her guest was awaiting her return. At least he didn't seem too eager, as that was not good for his health.

Instead of opening the door for him to begin blathering again, she offered him a datapad with the items that she'd be acquiring. She said nothing, but sipped her drink and allowed him to look it over.

Thankfully, their meals arrived. At least dinner would be over with soon. Crystal dug into it immediately. You'd never know that she was a Princess with her present manners. She was practically attacking her salad, but eating with a smile.
 
Cameron chose this particular table because it offered the view he enjoyed. That is to say, of course, that he enjoyed having his back to a wall and a clear view of any entrances and exits. As a result, the Sith Lord was able to see the comings and goings of all the other patrons. The moment the waitress had stepped away to take his order, Cameron's silver-green gaze fell upon a somewhat...familiar figure. Rather than reach out through the Force to specifically feel the woman's presence, he remained motionless and curious. A woman from several centuries in his past...yet the only woman he'd ever actually married. Granted, that marriage had been motivated more by her family's connections and his lust for power than anything else.

Smirking, the Sith Lord reached into the pocket of his coat and retrieved a datapad. Quickly, Cameron perused a schedule before securing the device and placing it back in his pocket. Leaning back in his chair, Cameron took a sip of his water as his eyes slowly roamed the rest of the crowd. Now was not the time or place to confront the woman. In fact, he was not yet sure that he cared to. The Sith Lord very much doubted that they had much to say too each other.

@[member="Crystal"]
 
By the time she'd finished her salad, their transaction was complete. Now she was smiling for real. Business was done. And she could be done with the loathesome creature in front of her as soon as he finished eating.

When the waiter returned to inquire as to whether or not they needed anything else, she smiled. "No thank you, I'm quite satisfied now. Do pass on my compliments to the chef." She grinned and gulped down the rest of her wine. As she set her glass down, she glanced around and briefly over Cameron.

Was that Cameron? She shook off the thought almost immediately. It had been nearly four hundred years. Not that she doubted he was still in the galaxy some where, but here? Unlikely.

Luckily, her dinner guest had just finished his meal. Crystal made a point of glancing at her chrono. "Oh dear. The hour is much later than I intended. I mean no offence, but I have another appointment." A lie of course, but he wouldn't know it. Without saying more, she bounced away from the table and out the door.

Outside, she paused and sighed in relief. Now she could drop the cherade. The Princess smirked and wandered down the street in search of an inconspicuous place to vanish.
 
Cameron had only just received his food by the time that Crystal was finished eating. While the Sith Lord did note the woman's departure, he remained seated, eating at a leisurely pace. Rather than chase after the woman or completely interrupt his meal by trying to speak out loud to the retreating woman, he brushed against her presence in the Force and spoke directly into her mind. Somewhere important to be, Crystal? And what's with the red hair? For the moment, Cameron had not yet decided if he was a fan. He immediately decided, however, that it was definitively not his concern.

Putting down his utensil momentarily, the dark-skinned Sith took a long sip of his water. There was a time when his glass would be filled with some type of whiskey. Much had changed in just the last few years. While alcohol had never prevented the Sith Lord from functioning completely, he had started to notice it effecting his ability to sense and manipulate the Force. Anything that temporarily blocked or otherwise altered his connection to the life blood of the galaxy was, quite simply, not worth the trouble.

@[member="Crystal"]
 
@[member="Cameron Centurion"]

As she slipped into a dark alley to *change* into something more comfortable, she heard a familiar voice in her mind. A voice she hadn't heard in nearly four hundred years. Apparently her eyes had not deceived her. Crystal considered what to say in response. Or if she should say anything at all.

~Important? No, just away from that creature. The hair is to distract from my being a four hundred year old human Princess.~

Now that she looked like herself, she turned out of the alley and headed back to the restaurant. The Sith Princess might as well speak to her wayward husband in person.

With a smirk, she reached his table and paused. "Is this seat taken?"
 
Cameron did not reply to Crystal's telepathic response. The fact that she had lived for so long more or less eliminated the need to alter her appearance. Anyone that cared that much about finding her would have seen right through her largely superficial cosmetic changes. The concept of increased longevity amongst certain force users was anything but a mystery in the galaxy.

By the time Crystal had arrived at his table, Cameron was almost completely finished eating. Arching a curious eyebrow at her question, the Sith Lord shifted his silver-green gaze to the empty, un-set place at the table. Shifting his gaze back to Crystal, Cameron did not smirk, smile, or frown. "Doesn't appear to be." Placing his attention back on his remaining bits of chicken, Cameron quickly finished eating, wiped his mouth, and leaned back in his seat. "Can I do something for you?"

The Sith Lord certainly hadn't meant to give the impression he wished to engage in some lengthy conversation, catch up, or take a trip down memory lane.

@[member="Crystal"]
 
@[member="Cameron Centurion"]

Crystal chuckled inwardly at his sense of humor. She sat down in the seat opposite him and watched as he continued to eat undisturbed by her presence.

"No, nothing. Just figured you wanted to say more than hello." If he was anything like he was in the old days, he certainly didn't, but it was fun for her nonetheless. "Anyway. It's not completely unpleasant to see you again after so many years. How have you been?"
 
Cameron did not particularly see the humor in his statement, but he permitted his ex-wife her subtleties. Her claim that he would want to say hello or...any other word in any known tongue almost did make him laugh. Almost. "I can't imagine why it would be unpleasant or pleasant at all. We are merely two sentients occupying the same relative space. I regard this encounter much in the same way as I regard being in the same establishment as that man there." Briefly, the Sith Lord motioned to a random restaurant patron. In truth, Cameron was somewhat shocked that Crystal was being so...agreeable. He'd abandoned her and taken the lives of two of her children in the process. Then again, perhaps Cameron did not give Crystal enough credit. She was obviously more...resilient than he'd previously believed.

While her demeanor should not have bothered him at all, he could not deny himself that there was a slight twinge of irritation. A twinge that he, naturally, masked completely. "I've been well. Busy, I suppose but well. Yourself?"

@[member="Crystal"]
 
@[member="Cameron Centurion"]
Crystal had been angry for a time that he'd abandoned her but that had quickly subsided when she had someone else to focus her time and attention on. In fact, it was better in the end that he had abandoned her. Her line had continued without his knowledge, which was why she'd opted to stay in Tapani. Not that he would have had any interest in a child, but ignorance ensured his safety and ability to continue the line that she'd worked so hard to protect. And that was why she was agreeable, as he'd put it.

"I suppose time and space has provided the opportunity to let go of the past." Crystal shrugged. "Well, I am still alive afterall. And I've been keeping occupied."

And that was about all there was to say. You would think there would be more to talk about after four hundred years, but really, they were hardly conversationalists. In fact, most of their time together was spent without actually speaking. But, she certainly wasn't looking for that kind of interaction from him anymore.

"I don't think I've ever had so little to say in my life." She chuckled.
 
Cameron's silver-green gaze remained fixed on Crystal as she spoke. Yes, perhaps time had played a large part in their respective abilities to move forward with life in general. Not to mention, the fact that Crystal was still alive meant she had grown quite powerful...more so than he would have expected if asked four hundred years ago.

To her last comment, the Sith Lord offered a frank, succinct response. "And never been so pleasant as a result. How did you manage to survive all these years?" Unlocking the secrets of midi-chlorian manipulation and essence transfer had come at great cost for Cameron...in fact he dealt with the effects to this very day. His close connection to the Force was a cursed blessing in the aftermath.

@[member="Crystal"]
 
@[member="Cameron Centurion"]

Crystal smiled. "I found my father's hideaway. He had everything I needed to uncover the secrets. It seems that I achieved what he did not."

It was not something that she'd taught to her descendants. She had been content to watch them progress on their own without her interference. Sure, she'd instructed them as children, but left them to pursue training on their own.

"It never ceases to amaze me the amount of materials that my father collected."
 
Cameron afforded Crystal a simple nod. "I see... You took this journey completely on your own and survived?" Cameron had, at least, been guided in part. It was not a living soul that guided him, but the guidance existed nevertheless. "That's noteworthy." It was as close to a compliment as it got with Cameron.

@[member="Crystal"]
 
@[member="Cameron Centurion"]

Crystal nodded, nothing more. She knew a compliment when she heard one. The Princess would take it and make no further mention of it. It was indeed noteworthy, since she'd been allowed to see five generations since then. It had certainly been a trial, but with her father's notes and materials to guide her, it was a successful trial.

"Time is both a benefit and a curse, don't you think?"
 
Glancing around the area, Cameron exhaled softly before reaching into his pocket. Withdrawing a handful of credit chips sufficient to pay for his meal, the Sith Lord came to his feet. "Come. This is not the best place for this conversation." That and he'd given a strict timeline to his driver, so he needed to be on his way. Without checking to see if Crystal followed, Cameron snaked his way through the sea of tables and stepped into the cool mid-evening air of Praesitlyn. The nondescript grey speeder idled casually on the side of the road. The driver stepped out to open the door the moment he saw Cameron. "There will be one more joining me."

The man briefly glanced back in the direction of the restaurant but kept his facial expression in check. "Certainly, Mr. Centurion."

@[member="Crystal"]
 
Crystal agreed, and recalled the days when they just spoke telepathically. She stood up and followed Cameron through the restaurant and outside to his waiting speeder. The Princess eyed the driver as she climbed in. And she slid toward Cameron, away from the door.

The Sith Princess looked at him for a moment, then out the window. Crystal knew that he would tell her what she needed to know, so she didn't bother to ask where they were going.
 
Cameron remained silent as the speeder started off towards its destination. That destination of course being the spaceport where his personal vessel was waiting. "Time... I afford little thought to such a concept. Time stopped having meaning for me decades ago. That said, I do suppose you're right." Falling silent for a moment, the Sith Lord gazed out the window. "I do what I can to give my life meaning, purpose. It's the best either of us can hope for."

Shifting his gaze back to Crystal, he posed a quick question. "What do you draw purpose from, Crystal? Surely you've outlived the vast majority of your family." Cameron made mention of it only because it had always been the single most important thing in her life. "What is there now? What motivates you?"
 
Crystal nodded and watched him as he gazed out the window. "I agree. Time for me doesn't seem noticeable until I realize how many people I've seen died."

She smiled. "It is yes. And I have made my purpose to protect the family and the line of succession. My Son made it possible. I have seen five generations, and trained them as children. I only realize how much time has passed with their births and deaths. And I have you to thank for that."

Briefly she paused. "Though I must say, being the Queen has grown boresome." Crystal half smiled.
 
Cameron, admittedly, was half-listening to Crystal as his own mind wandered. You'd think that four hundred years was sufficient time to heal any possible old wounds. In fact...what wounds were there to heal? In all honesty, there hadn't been anything wrong with Crystal our their life together. The issue, at the time, had simply been that Cameron was not ready. Even in his advanced age at that time, he had not really learned to open up to another person sufficient enough to...dedicate his life to them. The Sith Lord, quite simply, had not been wired that way.

Something Crystal did say though, piqued his interest. "Understandable. However, at least you had a son to care for eventually. I'm glad you were able to raise a family. I suppose they did not disappoint." Pausing for a moment, the Sith Lord smiled thinly. "Our children are our future, after all."
 

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