Private Cold Night

[Naivia Neryn]

Theme music


The coldness of a rainy night...
In the heavy rain you cannot see light, you cannot see the star Brenta, you cannot see other planets... Rain washes away everything that we think is eternal... It casts us into eternal doubt... eternal sadness for something distant, unknown and yet close to the womb of destiny.
Neryn stood in the middle of a small restaurant, surrounded only by the hazy shadows of the silent crowd filling the veins of the capital of Cormond. About 14 years ago she left this place, hoping to escape the pull of her past and her family. But in the end she didn't succeed.
Those who had raised her and those who had loved her, though hated her for her particular way of looking at the world and her quiet nature, had turned out to be complete strangers to her. Here she was a nobody, an alien element of the element of life, a cold pebble, stuck in the depths of a huge mechanism and did not know the way out to the light.
It was difficult for her to contain her emotions, she did not know ... she did not know how to react, where to go, who to look for, whom to strive for. It was like rain pouring down on a bright bright day, extinguishing the fire of hope in a woman's heart to the end. It was no longer there, just as it was no longer there with the views that her family, her parents, her brothers and sisters, all who had been to her the first living pictures of this world, they had changed. The great House of Naivia, her only home in the whole galaxy, is no longer the same. The rain hadn't just changed the city she'd grown up in and both sides of which she'd seen, the rain had changed the souls of those living in it as well. Her family had become a gigantic system, controlling much of the system and growing by leaps and bounds. On the one hand she should have been glad, for that was the goal of her father, the business and trading genius Naivius Vage, but now, she just wanted to hide from all the memories that swept over her head at this very second.

Her beautiful white hair had lost its magic, tears streamed silently down her sweet young face, and her fiery lively eyes no longer radiated the rays that had coloured Neryn as a child and always. She was in a light dress and see-through raincoat, which was not particularly helpful in coping with the pressure of water and so not to cry in public, she clenched her hands into fists and ran into the nearest restaurant, not thinking about what she was doing, she sat down in the corner of the restaurant and covered by a wet mackintosh began to calm down, clasping her hands to her chest, trying to forget herself, get lost in the rhythm of the music and the rain that dripped quietly behind the glass window and lit up by the burning LED-lamps of the night place, not caring who was around her at that time. She stayed like this for an hour, taking a light fizzy drink and making herself comfortable, reflecting on the past and with plans for the future,
which were not yet made in her mind.

Vaylin

 

[Vaylin]

Vaylin let out a sigh as she finally stepped into the restaurant, allowing herself to absorb the heat the interior exuded. If there was something the Zabrak missed about her previous life, it was the ability to not feel cold. Once upon a time she could walk miles across the surfaces of planets like Hoth or Mygeeto, with barely a concern for the chilly weather

Well aside from the physical ramifications at least. Numb to the feeling of cold, didn’t mean her body was incapable of acquiring frostbite. But these days Vaylin was stripped of that ‘benefit’. Although, she’d rather be able to feel things again, than be numb to everything that made her a living being.

Vaylin looked around at the occupants, a casual curiosity at those that filled the restaurant's tables and booths. It seemed a good amount of people had similar ideas, to get out of the miserable weather and warm their stomachs with some food and drink.

The Zabrak was of the same mind, and strolled through the restaurant looking for a seat. As she walked, Vaylin pulled down her jacket’s hood, running a hand through her dark brown hair. It had grown a bit too long for the Zabrak’s taste, but she had yet to get it cut.

She passed by a corner table, glancing for a moment to take note of a young white-haired woman sitting there alone. Vaylin thought she looked a little ‘down in the dumps’ as the old saying went. But the Zabrak continued onwards, sitting down in a nearby booth.

It took a minute or so before one of the waiter’s approached her table, asking for her order.

“Oh, I’ll just have a cup of caf for now.” Vaylin offered the young man a smile, thanking him as he stepped away to pass on her order.

Naivia Neryn​

 

[Naivia Neryn]

Gradually the softness replaced the cold shiver of emotion that came over the girl, her skin felt a light touch of someone's aura...he was there for a moment, near...as if someone had deliberately traced his fingers across her leaning back over the table, lovingly and warily, so as not to scare her, inviting her, wanting to say something.
The fire in the girl's heart began to thaw, though traces of withered tears and lost hopes remained under her eyes, but she somehow abruptly shifted the direction of her inner life arrow, her own soul appearing before her in the form of a pair of words from her beloved mother...

"You are my ray of light, you are my star..." "You are not the only one maimed by fate...look back and help others who are in need of it..." "Understand the pain and soothe it in your arms... And all will pass like a bad dream."

These were the words her mother used in those moments when the lonely 5 year old girl would come running into her office all bruised and bruised from the mutilation of her siblings and try to hide all her pain by quietly crying into her mother's dress. The girl did not understand why it was now that such memories began to haunt her, alone, abandoned by everyone she could in some completely
Somewhere either forgotten or unwilling to remember or even acknowledge that she still existed somewhere in this world... not far away at all.
Again that softness...the aura began to intensify, Neryn's head was almost lying on the cold surface of the dirty table, filled with all sorts of chips, leftovers of uneaten meat and other local foodstuffs. Suddenly her head came up abruptly and she stared at a fixed point in front of her with a sort of lost look.
The first thing she saw were two different lights... one purple like a cosmic abyss, filled with the mysteries of eternity and the other amber, not naturally glowing with its light, like a mask belonging to the happiest being in the galaxy. She felt the power and the abyss, the doubt and the flight into the unknown, she wanted to fall in there...forever...and forget everything.
Then the rest of the woman's body came into view and then the girl realized that she had been staring dumbly at the unknown girl for a full minute and felt a questioning look on her face from the man

"Madam, do you need anything else?"

She didn't even look in his direction and shook her head "no" returned her gaze to the girl and her lips quirked a little, trying to create a picture of blooming life in an old , abandoned garden that only a moment ago was sparkling with life itself and thousands of plants of all kinds!

"Ahh...I'm so sorry, I...I...it's just that somehow..."

Neryn was silent for a few more seconds...

"Forgot where I am...it happens, honestly...I hope I didn't scare you, I just saw in you...an unusual force, I would even say an attraction poiny...there...And yes! I am Neryn...Naivia Neryn...no special occupation...I travel the galaxy and help everyone I can"

Neryn smiled..trying her best to hide inner pain but with her extremely powerful and ancient force (thanks to Singing Fire) it was not easy to do

Vaylin

 

[Vaylin]

As she waited, Vaylin leaned back into the chair and closed her eyes. She focused on the beat of the music, her foot tapping against the floor to match its rhythm. Internally, the Zabrak was debating on her next course of action. She had come to Brentaal IV on a whim, having thrown the proverbial dart at the navigational computer.

But that had been her life in general as of late, ever since she had left the Sith. It felt odd to think back on how secure that felt, at least back then she had a home. Now, she was just flying about the galaxy without much aim.

No…that benefit wasn’t worth the hell she had fallen into with the Sith. That she had put herself into.

Vaylin opened her eyes when she heard the waiter approach, once more offering him a ‘thank you’ as he placed down her drink. So focused on drinking some of her caf, the Zabrak hadn’t noticed someone staring directly at her. Not until the same waiter spoke up asking her if she wanted anything else.

She found her gaze wandering over the woman’s table, taking note of the various food items that decorated it. Eaten or otherwise, Vaylin couldn’t help but feel this was someone who was trying to forget something, falling back onto gluttony to distract.

Certainly not the worst vice, especially compared to stuff like alcohol, spice and smoking.

Vaylin raised a curious eyebrow as the white-haired woman spoke; Naivia Neryn was her name. The Zabrak said nothing initially, rather opting to quietly muse about something familiar within the woman. Nothing in relation to knowing her, but rather the way she spoke. It reminded her of another.

“Oh it’s alright, you didn’t scare me.” Vaylin offered her a small smile, before it was obscured by her cup. “It’s nice to meet you, Naivia Neryn. I’m Vaylin.”

Her eyes shifted away from Naivia, gaze staring out to seemingly nothing as the Zabrak debated something. Ultimately though, she stood up from her table and walked over to where Naivia was seated.

“Mind if I join you?”

It was the better choice than just sitting there by herself.

Naivia Neryn​

 

[Naivia Neryn]

Neryn, despite her poor condition, was surprised that absolutely someone...for whom she was (in her opinion) a complete stranger not only said her lyrical and stunning name, but also decided to sit closer to her at the table. On the one hand she could reason that it was better than the lonely presence of a man who in her opinion was brutally trying to take more money from her and with his aura infuriated her very much, but on the other hand the fact that it was a girl, and even more so, made her the sweetest and happiest face in the world. In words she expressed this thought quite clearly and succinctly.

"Pleased to meet you, Vaylin. I like your name. Yes of course, have a seat. It pleases me to be contacted even in this form."

Neryn smiled stupidly and shifted slightly in her chair, looking away a little as the realization of her not rather unpleasant appearance after her tears left a bad taste and she didn't want Vaylin with her beauty and lostness to see the full extent of her distress. As she sat down she looked at her more confidently, still feeling this aura she decided to try and get used to it, it didn't quite rightly suck her in, but required a certain degree of peace of mind so that the waves in question didn't interfere with her thoughts. There was almost nothing left on the table and Neryn decided to make conversation as simple as any.

"I take it you're not from around here? You can tell just from your voice and body language... I have nothing against it, rather I like something new about this stone place. I grew up here, but then I left for some reason in the hope of finding the meaning of life and ended up coming back here and... I'm even more disappointed... I'm kind of in control sometimes, but just... a little bit today... there were tears... I'm sorry... "

It came to Neryn's attention that while she was talking tears began to flow randomly from her eyes. She wiped them away and said with a sweet laugh

"It'll pass, I'm sure. And so will yours. You just have to try to understand it all. Little details, it's scary, but you have to. Achem... And can you please ask him for a nice pizza? I'm just not good with men, have my own reasons ... The past and everything."

Vaylin

 

[Vaylin]

Another eyebrow raised at the mention of ‘in this form’, Vaylin didn’t question it, but she did mentally file it away for later. She gave the woman a smile, before taking a seat opposite to her.

“I like your name too, rolls easily off the tongue.”

Now seated, Vaylin simply watched as Neryn stared at her. There was something in the woman’s eyes that made the Zabrak feel as though she was looking beyond just physical. It reminded Vaylin of how denizens of the Netherworld would stare, looking through you rather than at.

She didn’t dare speak, to interrupt the white-haired woman as she continued. To Vaylin, it was oddly adorable. Neryn seemed almost immediately comfortable speaking with her, at least in comparison to how curt she was towards the waiter.

It wasn’t until Neryn stopped, noting she had started to cry a little, that Vaylin spoke up.

“Sometimes it takes a long time for those things to pass, and from the looks of things yours are pretty fresh.” A soft, knowing smile graced the Zabrak’s lips, she didn’t know what Neryn had been through, but she could understand in a more general sense.

Vaylin tilted her head in thought, wondering why Neryn asked her to make a request. A second later it became clear, and the Zabrak’s lips thinned to a point. She knew that look on Neryn’s face far too well. Vaylin nodded in understanding.

She called over the waiter, the same man as before. He looked confused on his approach, given Vaylin had suddenly switched seats. But he remained professional, and asked what they wanted.

“A pizza if you would a…” The Zabrak’s words drifted off, realising she didn’t know the specifics. So she turned to look at Neryn. “Uh, what kind do you want?” Vaylin waited until the woman answered, repeating it to the waiter who promptly walked away after.

Alone again, Vaylin returned her attention to Neryn. “So, would I be correct in guessing your reason for coming back here is because of a loved one, family?”

Naivia Neryn​

 

[Naivia Neryn]

Neryn's cheeks flushed just a little when Vaylin said so sweetly and bluntly that she liked her name. She visibly calmed down and covered her fiery eyes a little, letting out a grateful sigh. She opened her eyes again and when she saw that Vaylin silently looked at her without any quirks and harsh questions sweetly smiled, hoping that she would understand,
that Neryn didn't mind being stared at and studied for a long time, it was as if rays of light were searching in a dark forest for a lonely lost girl and now they had found her and she enjoyed thinking about it, now she was not alone in the face of huge corporations and a crazy life, even if not for so long (though of course deep down in her heart she wished that
Vaylin to spend as much time with her as possible, a very childish and familiar wish) After she heard the question of what kind of pizza she would be interested in, she looked at her and replied.

"Whatever you yourself think is good, but I like it with bits of sausage."

After that Neryn also scrutinised Vaylin's clothes, her physique, arms, legs, chest, face, small but very pretty and feminine horns, and dark flowing hair. She liked the image of Vaylin, she even began to draw her in her head and think how cool it would be to go with her to the shop and try her on all sorts of clothes!
At this point her train of thought was interrupted by a deep but straightforward question that made her blush a little, rather than disappoint her.

"Oh no...you don't! I'm single, and I flew here after almost 15 years to meet the family and see how they're doing. I'm not really the official child of the family and they have a whole system under their control here...but even my own mother has changed and succumbed to the power they have now. When I got there, they wouldn't even let me in, as if I were a phantom, a ghost or even a shadow
of my childhood, when all the doors were open and my mother always protected me from the boys and the strange attacks of the brothers I didn't like...I was bullied and everything...Then when I grew up and started to speak my mind more openly, which was not in line with family traditions, I was literally thrown out on the street...Because I yelled at my dad, accused him of violence and the death of thousands of ordinary people
and was willing to help them. I was 12 years old at the time and I faced reality. It was brutal, even too brutal. My soul died and was reborn so many times that I can't remember the last time someone was willing to let me know I was still alive and that the world wasn't that cruel.
But I struggled with my feelings, yes I was raped by poor tramps, yes I was used in hospitals to amputate patients, all for money and survival... I met street girls my age and we supported each other, somehow I survived and managed to raise funds to escape from the planet. This relates to the subject of my sadness.
I feel there are so many different emotions and memories struggling inside me, so many forms that I'm lost and afraid to admit for sure if I'm good or bad, but I know one thing, there's still a child alive in me! That's the story..."

Neryn uttered the words and was silent for the girl to understand the meaning of her words.

Vaylin

 

[Vaylin]

Vaylin had to refrain from chuckling too much. It had been a long time since she had found someone to tease so easily. To get those cheeks blushing red with only simple words. The last time she had that opportunity was with…well it was a long, long time ago at this point. And in the wake of that particular disaster she had practically nosedived into her responsibilities as Valkyrie Matriarch and Darth Moirai.

So it was…nice to be able to indulge in something so simple, so very pedestrian.

The Zabrak listened intently, taking a sip of her caf every now and then as Neryn talked. She idly nodded at the mention of the woman’s mother, that was something Vaylin could agree with wholeheartedly. Her own mother wouldn’t have won any ‘Mother of the Year’ awards, that was for certain.

She waited until Neryn was finished, before placing her cup down onto the table.

“To be honest, screw your family. The moment they cast you out, they forgo any right to be that.” Despite the harsh and blunt words, Vaylin’s voice was soft and calm. “Greed and power is no excuse to disavow your own flesh and blood, even if they’re not fully-blooded.” It reminded Vaylin of her own mother; Essara. Who saw all her children, older and young, as nothing more than soldiers. Tools to be used in order to expand their family’s territory.

“It takes a certain kind of strength and bravery to confront one’s past, even if you already suspect the outcome. Uncertainty leads us to bottling emotions, ones that need to be uncorked in order to let yourself fly free.” To Vaylin, it felt like Neryn had held onto her family’s actions throughout those years, that no matter what she went through, their actions towards her still weighed on her like an anchor.

Until she took the step to confront them.

“You should be proud. I mean you’ve had a rough, very rough life for years. But it’s something you carved out for yourself, you survived, without family backing you.” It certainly made sense in Vaylin’s mind, why Neryn showed such childlike wonder. She had missed out on years of her life that she should’ve spent like a normal kid.

Realising she had been rambling, Vaylin took a breath and a sip of her drink. She looked back at Neryn, offering another smile.

“Small change of subject, if that’s alright?” She paused for a moment, giving the white-haired woman the chance to reply. “When you let me have a seat, you mentioned ‘even in this form’.” Again Vaylin paused, but this time just for effect. “You don’t happen to have some entity or spirit co-inhabiting your body, do you?”

Naivia Neryn​

 

[Naivia Neryn]

Neryn was a little surprised and a little horrified ( in a good way) at how harsh and correct Vaylin's remarks were. She really tried not to think about it, but these or those moments reminded her that in the fight against the past she should succeed in the present and build a bridge to the future where the most unforgettable things and moments of life could already happen. So she listened carefully to the girl's opinion and when she turned to the question about Singing Fire, the girl nodded absolutely naturally and with a sweet smile replied.

"Yes there is, his name is Singing Fire. He is very wise and often helps me. Thanks to him, I have gained a certain fresh perspective on life and psychological health that has helped me overcome many personal crises. He can take control of my body if I let him. But all in all, you don't have to worry about that in any way, most of the time I'm me and that's awesome! Tell me more about yourself, it's not nice that I'm here all the time talking about my grief, and you've been in equally horrible conditions as a kid and a girl and probably even a fighter, by the way. I just see your strength, your emotion, let's just say... It's all like these waves, I feel them, they touch my world and I want to help and reassure somehow in return. In simple words, I will listen to you carefully, Vaylin!"

The girl replied and as the pizza arrived at that moment she took a deep breath, relaxed her hands and with a force placed the pizza on the table with a silent nod of thanks to the man and the money was already in his pocket. For Neryn, such communication was a useful experience in dealing with personal phobias.

Vaylin

 

[Vaylin]

The Zabrak nodded her head in understanding, eyes full of interest and a lack of surprise. It was apparent that Vaylin was no stranger to the concept of entities and the like joining with the living. Once upon a time she had been terrified of the idea of being possessed, one of her earliest experiences as a Sith saw that fear drawn to the surface.

Ironic then, that the end of her time as Sith saw her ‘possessed’ by her own split personality.

“Ahh yes, I was wondering if you were some type of empath. With the way you were intently staring at me from the onset.” Vaylin teased, the slightest of smirks on her face. “My past, well unfortunately it’s not exactly sunshine and rainbows.”

They were interrupted by the arrival of their pizza. Neryn took a moment to thank and pay the waiter before they were left alone once more. Vaylin mused to herself for a second or two, then picked up a slice of pizza.

“Hmm, where was I? Oh, right! Sunshine and rainbows…” The Zabrak folded her slice slightly, before taking a bite. “Mother was a slave driver, literally. Raised her children more as soldiers than actual family. By the time I was born, my older siblings were already indoctrinated.” Vaylin spoke with neutral emotion, no anger or bitterness, although certainly no happiness either. By this point those events had been a couple decades ago.

“Eventually my connection to the Force became apparent, the only one amongst my siblings in fact. My father tried to hide it, but my mother was ever the watchful hawk, and found out. Her ultimate conclusion was to seal my connection away. Father thought otherwise, and whisked me away one night, took me away from home and into the hands of the Jedi.”

Naivia Neryn​

 

[Naivia Neryn]

In response to the mild remark or rather positive analysis of Neryn's abilities she only smiled nervously as she did not think at all about how her image might look from the outside, which was a consequence of her childhood life spent mostly behind books and very rarely among knowledgeable people, although both Sith and Jedi tried to teach the girl her abilities, which was not spent on by parents but by people who personally watched over
young Neryn's safety and were as interested as possible in the possibility of shifting the balance of power in the family and therefore their love was very specific and far from as platonic as it was imagined by those or others to whom she sometimes told about herself. The girl then leaned against the table, bringing her face a little closer, and listened attentively to Vaylin, studying how she herself reacted to the thoughts and images that
formed in her mind as it was important and risky. Neryn's heart began to beat harder as she discerned certain tones in Vaylin's story that she could live through as if it was present in her life, but in a slightly different form. So before her was rather a soul, not much disconnected from the rest of her fragments, but afraid that she might hurt someone, since on her own (though the girl's thoughts might not be right)
Vaylin had not yet been particularly good at putting it all together. She nodded approvingly and turning it all around in the context of their meeting continued the thought left by Zabrak.

"It is true that I can stare for hours at a time and not close my eyes, analyzing all the subtle changes in the soul, force and other characteristics. Not everything is revealed, of course, but enough to help if you may not be sure whether to say it or not. So for your mother you were something like a slave for war and for your father a certain hope or rather a bird that should have been saved? I'm pretty
bad judge of fortune, but there's something about you I can relate to the Sith. Don't worry, I'm completely neutral to them, they tried to make something out of me too, but eventually got my rejection and went away. It's really hard...you can go on with your story..."

Replied the girl as she continued to eat her pizza

Vaylin

 

[Vaylin]

“I won’t lie, it’s a little unnerving that you can just peer through me like that. Pick up on emotional beats that weren’t quite intended on being identified.” Although, Vaylin felt she only had herself to blame for that. If she still had connection to the Force, she might’ve been able to put up some mental/emotional walls.

She already had her emotions stripped and laid bare once, quite literally in the case of the ritual that had drawn them and her natural sensations from her. Though the Zabrak’s curious mind did wander, pondering if Neryn’s ability derived from the binding with the Singing Fire entity.

It was a measure of irony, that someone who likely had the conceal and protect her own emotions over the years, was now able to identify them in others.

“Essentially yes, on Iridonia; at least in the part I was born in, territory was everything. My mother only had children so they could be trained to further expand the family’s reach.” Vaylin became quiet as Neryn continued to speak, instead focusing on her slice of pizza. Only to suddenly freeze, her entire body turning rigid for a moment at the mention of ‘Sith’.

Vaylin immediately leaned into the back of her chair, away from Neryn. The Zabrak tried caging up her emotions, to the best of her ability.

“I don’t think I should…”

After all, where Neryn might’ve been rejected by the Sith. Vaylin had embraced it.

Naivia Neryn​

 

[Naivia Neryn]

Neryn had expected about the same reaction from Vaylin , but this time she decided that it was better to stop trying to understand what was on the girl's mind and to speak from her own point of view. She hadn't been a little girl for a long time and she'd certainly seen the cruelties of this world in all its beauty and volume. With a sigh her smile changed slightly to a serious face and she calmly replied.

"This is your story, this is your life and this is your struggle to exist. I'm in no way trying to hurt you or your feelings, but what has been is already part of ourselves, part of our actions and thoughts. You know, when I had teenage girls die in my arms, and I was 15 then, because soldiers accidentally shot them in the leg or hit them in the torso and they bled and kept quiet or moaned, I tried to understand how I could keep myself if my story is so cruel in its own way, and maybe I am stupid... Maybe I don't understand anything... But even if you killed others, if you created pain, destruction and suffering, it was done by a girl who probably didn't understand something... Or maybe she thought that was her way... I'm trying to get through to you, Vaylin. And I accept you as a person with everything that is and will be in you, and I'm willing to help you to accept yourself and change something about yourself, but I want to see desire in you as well."

Neryn looked at the girl with a very serious look as she spoke, she pulled her baby face away for a moment and showed her that she had learned enough in life to carry such thoughts and state something so openly.

"That said... Don't fly away into the past, but be here and now and rejoice in the sadness, the boredom, the beauty of chaos, not everyone has such a moment in life, but it is the very poetry of destiny that brings us all together in an eternal cycle of force "

The girl leaned forward absolutely calmly and gently stroked Vaylin's head, gently circling her horns , trying carefully not to touch them

"Strange me, isn't it? You'll be telling everyone later that some left-handed girl in a random restaurant made up tales of the chaos of life and stroked you on the head. And whether you want to share the story or not, that's your right. Same goes for Sith phase of your life"

Neryn took her warm hand away after a few seconds and finished her pizza with a sigh of relief and her childlike calm returning to her face

Vaylin

 

[Vaylin]

By the time Neryn had begun talking again, Vaylin was on her second, maybe third slice of pizza. She was anxious; twitchy, needing something to focus on other than that. In her past life she would’ve opted for violence, or in particular sparring to get her mind off things. Now though? It seemed the Zabrak had opted for food. Amidst that, she did note the sudden shift in Neryn’s posture, in the way she spoke. Vaylin

She went to shake her head, but immediately froze when Neryn reached forwards to stroke her head. Vaylin’s thought was to swat the hand away, but the sheer absurdity in the moment made her pause.

This girl, this young woman, who didn’t even know who she was minutes ago just straight up stroked her hair.

Vaylin might’ve not physically recoiled, but she certainly did internally.

“There is no ‘probably didn’t understand’ or ‘she thought that was her way’. I understood perfectly, I knew it was my way, I was confident in it. I enjoyed it, and I was damn good at it too. Hell, if the circumstances hadn’t forced my hand, I’d probably still be Sith right now.”

Even if she couldn’t turn to being physically aggressive to sort out her problems, it seemed turning to being verbally so was an almost natural alternative.

“How can you ‘accept me’, you hardly know me. You only just learned my name barely half an hour ago.”

Naivia Neryn​

 

[Naivia Neryn]

"There is no right answer to your question, and the wrong one is definitely out there somewhere if you dig in your mind, but I'm not in the mood for such deep-underwater intellectual dives, so I'll just say that you made a series of random, or maybe not random, choices and now you are not here as a Sith, but as Vaylin. That I know, your name at least. You know next to nothing about me either, but that doesn't mean I'll somehow put up a barricade in our communication, especially since I think in time you'll support my half-open stance, which has delivered me into an abyss of terror and elevated me to glory. It's all about the right tone, body posture and many other non-physical factors that influence how people around us react to behaviour. So... Ackham... I hope I didn't scare you with the sudden change in tone... I should at least remind myself that I'm not a newborn baby. I'll try to be more humane, because a harsh dargery can lead one to death and the other to who knows what... So... "

Neryn ate everything and looked in the direction of the exit where it was still raining...

"Well... If you don't mind we can sit here and talk, only I have a feeling it's going to rain not just tonight but all night until morning. Or maybe I'm wrong, who knows?"

Vaylin