Cruel Wanting (Maja Vern, Judah Lesan Jr)

[Ellie Mors]

[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kb0zuPW7M_k[/media]​

Long, slender, legs slid out from the passenger exit from the private shuttle docked in Alderaan's capital space port and was soon followed by the tall, lithe, body belonging to a particularly popular blonde in recent media within the outer rim territories. Renown for her skills as a dancer, and her silky voice while singing, the Tingle Arm idol was on the planet for a reason entirely separate from furthering her own fame or fortune. Long strides, the glimmer of her glistaweb dress as she walked, and a daring smile accentuated the way that she walked - turning several heads as she moved into the main concourse. Just a month prior she'd been not too far from here, except she'd been locked in battle with several Jedi and their allies. Just the memory of that invasion by the Republic made the Vahla mentally kick herself for not sensing the connection, the life bond, she shared with her sister, [member="Maja Vern"]. Once she reached the perimeter of the building, outside, Silara found herself standing idly for her driver, Alora Ven.

[member="Judah Lesan Jr."]

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja was wandering the grounds of the Grey Temple. It had been a whirlwind few days and she still wasn't sure what to make of it all. Dreams that might not have been dreams. Offers to train her in some mystical Force that she'd only heard about - never witnessed. The hope and perhaps the promise of a sister. And maybe parents? More kindness and attention in 24 hours than she'd known in her lifetime.

But the reality was that she was walking and wondering. People kept coming up to her and telling her they knew of her. This was not welcomed attention. Special? Yes, she could aspire to be that but famous? No, that was a step too far.

So she sat in simple clothes. Simple but clean on her skin. She wondered if she'd come out in a rash - the perfume of the garments was alien to her body. And she was clean. Really clean. She'd showered for two hours this morning. In part to enjoy the sensation of hot water on her skin, of scrubbing and then soaping years of grime from her body. Her hair alone was at least two shades lighter.

And the other reason for not venturing out was that she was frightened when she emerged from the shower it will all have been a dream. Not a 'real' dream where you speak to your sister but a fabricated dream.

And four meals in the space of ten hours. She'd got so used to being hungry that the first meal spoiled her. Now she craved food.

So she sat, stood, walked, sat, stood. Over and over this cycle took place - unable to settle until either she was given proof that Silara was coming or her hoped faded to nothing more than the dust under her feet.

[member="Silara Vantai"] | [member="Judah Lesan Jr."]

 

[Judah Lesan Jr.]

(ooc: JJ is going through some changes very soon, but this thread is formative for his adult years)

Fourteen going on twenty is how it seemed for JJ. He so desperately wanted to be on his own and travel the galaxy. The view he had of his father, and his master [member="Cambria Zadira"], was that of a hero. JJ had been training his whole life, and yet the only time he got off of Corellia was when he was on a mission with Cambria, and most of those were humanitarian in nature. He had enough of not getting to see the galaxy, so when a mission to [member="Judah Lesan"] to the Grey Temple, JJ took advantage of going. The world was supposed to be a place where the young teen could explore without too much concern, and so his father had told him to keep his comm on and to not break their mental link. JJ complied easily as it meant freedom to explore for this first time since he could remember. Though he did feel the slight worry from his father as the Jedi was letting him roam free off world.

A mental nudge from JJ helped to make Judah feel better, and the two parted company shortly after. The first thing on his agenda was to explore the temple grounds. It was different than the one the Levantine Sanctum had, and the architecture was something which interested the teen. He liked to build things with his hands, and so the temple offered something to his keen eye. The tour was cut short when his curiosity got the better of him. He could have sworn he saw the same girl, seemingly close to his own age, wander by a couple of times.

Innocent as the wind driven snow, JJ approaced the girl. Her hair was a very bright, near orange, red color and she seemed, hesitant, causious. The body langiage was there. The boy had been taught not to pry, as mental skills seemed to be strong in the Lesan family.

"Are you lost," JJ asked as if he were a resident of the temple. It was an ice breaker anyway.

[member="Maja Vern"] | [member="Silara Vantai"]

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja literally jumped when the boy spoke to her. She was so wrapped up in her own world, she had been unaware she was wearing a path in the grounds of the temple - so had no doubt walked past him a few times.

"Lost?" Maja repeated the word as if it were in a foreign language. "Lost?" Now the tone was questioning. "Lost." The third time it was the sound of a girl resigned to her fate. "Yes. And no. It depends what you mean by lost of course. I know where I am physically - so if you're referring to me walking round and round and round, then no, I'm not lost in that sense. But if you mean," she tapped the side of her head, "Then yes, I'm not sure where I'm going. You're not going to tell me Alexandra has told you all about me are you?"

From dusty silence to a few tentative dripped words to a river of speech - bubbling and flowing so fast, no dam was going to stop them. But then, without warning, they stopped of their own accord

[member="Judah Lesan Jr."] | [member="Silara Vantai"]

 

[Judah Lesan Jr.]

"I don't even know who that is," JJ chuckled. "I'm just trying to kill some time while waiting on my dad. He's here on official business, but not business I'm allowed join in on."

JJ shrugged. Judah was weird about certain things, not allowing JJ into third party negotiations. The fourteen year old did not have the negotions, and had ruined a couple for his dad. That's why JJ wasn't allowed in.

"One of those..."

He didn't mean to sound rude, but JJ didn't have a filter at times.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I'm JJ. Nice to meet you...."

[member="Maja Vern"] | [member="Silara Vantai"]

 

[Ellie Mors]

Some indeterminate time had passed between her standing outside the space port and her boarding a speeder driven by her lovely Twi'lek public stand-in, between which she had gone ahead and splurged on purchasing a nice villa on a space station known as Libertalia for her sister and herself to use - not anticipating her to be accepted right away, and especially not to accept leaving her home for however many months or years to live with her in a two-bedroom villa in space. Along the way to their destination, the Grey temple of Alderaan, Silara's datapad lit up and a message flashed letting her know that she had received a message back from the Libertalia corporate. Seeing as how she had plenty of time before arriving, she decided to go ahead and call the group back to resolve the issue with her purchase, as well as inquire to their employment opportunities. "Hello? This is Silara Vantai; I'm the person who sent a request for a purchase for a two-bedroom Villa and forgot to include the biome I wished to purchase from." She explained over her comlink, which was hooked up to her datapad, once the line was picked up. "I also wanted to inquire if there were any opportunities for employment at the Casino." Silara added, pausing to allow the other person to answer.

[member="Maja Vern"]
[member="Ice"]
[member="Judah Lesan Jr."]

(Sorry, @Mentioned the wrong account. Also, I apologize @Maja & @Judah, I wanted to give you both IC time to get to know each other, and the best way I could think of dragging on time would be to post with Ice about the Villa I purchased on Libertalia as well as a job there.)

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja eyed the boy. And she thought she didn’t make sense at times!

“So…” she spoke slowly and deliberately, “You want to know if I’m lost even through you’re a visitor and don’t even know the name of the person who owns this place, let alone your way around it?” Maja thought he clearly had an angle – it was the sort of opening line any half-decent con artist would use – an offer to help, even though you actually couldn’t. It built a bond. Softened the ‘mark’ up.

“And you’re waiting here for your dad. That I understood. But ‘one of those’ what…exactly?”

“And nice to meet you too JJ.”

She didn’t offer her name. Why should she? Who was he to her? If he wanted her name he’d have to give something for it. She wasn’t sure what, but she figured he had stuff to give – she just had to work out the best price he could afford.

But at least he wasn’t telling her all about herself – and that was a welcome change for this place. But years of being a con-artist and seeing every situation as an opportunity to make money wasn’t going to be a habit she shook overnight.

[member="Silara Vantai"] | [member="Judah Lesan Jr."]

 

[Judah Lesan Jr.]

"Lost in your head... a daydreamer," he said hoping not offend, but she did ask him to clarify.

JJ really needed to be around people more often than just when he was in school. He kept to himself so much that he really could be socially awkward when he didn't mean to be. Judah wasn't an introvert, but he wasn't really extroverted either. There were few who could bring the teenager out of his shell, his parents, his master Cambria, a couple of friends at school who were like him, and his best friend [member="Sasha Voss"]. JJ had wanted to get out and see new places, but after what he just said, he was thinking cliff jumping with Sasha on Corellia was looking way better.

"I can find my way around this temple well enough. That's a benefit of being able to use the force you know. If you stay in the now, and remain focused on your surroundings, you won't get lost. At least that's what my master keeps telling me everytime I drift off someplace."

So there it was, an olive branch of sorts. JJ found it easy to imagine a future where he was saving lives, fighting bad guys, doing things most people never had the courage to do. The teenager was still learning to remain disciplined. That's why he had to go through the katas Cambria had taught him once a day. Though, Judah would rather be working with his hands.

[member="Maja Vern"] | [member="Silara Vantai"]

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja looked at JJ. "You can use the Force? Really? So where is Alexandra now?"

Maja was slightly skeptical. If he could use the Force, then perhaps she could get some straight answers from him. But if he was just teasing her - or worst still playing her - he'd rue his mistake sooner rather than later.

She looked at him, doe-eyed, waiting for him to respond...

[member="Judah Lesan Jr."] | [member="Silara Vantai"]

 

[Ice]

Silara's response came quickly. "Of course Miss Vantai. We'd be happy to finish sorting out your villas. As for job opportunities in the Casino, most of the positions are already taken. However, we might have something available in the entertaining area. We do have a stage area for shows and performances. In fact we have openings for both the Valhalla Casino, and the Shark Tank Cantina. Does this sound like it might be of interest to you? Also, which biome shall we set your villas in?" Finished the operator happily, and then waited for Silara's response.

[member="Silara Vantai"]

 

[Judah Lesan Jr.]

"Seriously, you want me to pick out an aura that I don't even know and tell you where she is? Do you know how many aura's there are just in this temple alone? If she is the founder of this place though, I am assuming that she's the strong presence that I can sense in the main assembly chambers meeting with my father and the rest of the delgation that has come here for business."

There were other ways he could prove to her that he could use the force if she didn't believe him. Reaching into her mind, JJ dropped some words into her mind.

"Your test is a little flawed. Yes I can use the force... if you're done now, I think I'll be on my way to find something fun to do."

[member="Maja Vern"] | [member="Maja Vern"]

 

[Ellie Mors]

[member="Ice"]
With a small, hushed, laugh, Silara realized - as the operator mentioned it - that she'd completely forgotten, again, about the biome she wanted to have her villa set in. Sighing as any blonde would after laughing over their own shortcomings - it used to happen quite often as a child - she went ahead and looked down at her datapad, looking back over the pictures that had been included on the advertisement. "I believe the jungle biome would be the most suitable." Silara answered, then recalled the other reason she'd had a call connected. "I'm also very interested in one of the positions you have available, preferably at the Valhalla Casino if that would be at all possible. I can forward a document containing a resume for my past experiences dancing and singing, as well as some other minor things that needn't be included over the phone." She continued, allowing another pause to remain afterward for confirmation.

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja didn’t know if the boy was telling the truth or not. In one way she sensed he was being honest but she had no way of knowing for sure.

Then she felt her mind invaded – his words there without bidding. It was a little like her dream – but felt invasive. She’d connected with her sister. This time it wasn’t mutual.

She felt her mind push back at his intrusion but it was a feeble effort – she had no means of defending herself. At least not mentally.

So she punched him in the shoulder. He clearly outweighed her and she wasn’t built for fighting – she hadn’t eaten a square meal for months before last night for a start – but if anything she had the element of surprise, so her bony hand probably hurt him. Well, a little anyway.

“How am I supposed to know what you can do with the Force?” Her jaw was defiant and her tone even more so. "You're the expert, remember?”

“Anyways,” her tone was more conciliatory now, “Good luck in finding fun. And if you do, let me know – I sure as heck could do with some right now.”

[member="Judah Lesan Jr."] | [member="Silara Vantai"] | [member="Ice"]

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja took the silence to mean she'd offended the boy. Part of her didn't care less - he'd deserved the pain, be it physical or mental. But the other part felt bad for her outburst. And this was new for Maja - and like anything new, it took a while to get used to.

Maja used to be very simple. There were only three things that mattered to her: Maja, Maja and Maja. But in the last day or so she'd gained a new perspective and wasn't entirely sure how much she liked it. Part of her felt like she'd become some split personality - her lack of experience of holding conflicting emotions was - well zero to be honest!

So she stood there, facing the boy. Part of her wanted to slap him. Part of her wanted to hug him. So she settled for simply glaring instead. It was the best compromise she could think of.

[member="Silara Vantai"] | [member="Judah Lesan Jr."] | @Ice

 

[Ice]

"Jungle biome confirmed. Congratulations on your purchase, Miss Vantai. And welcome to Libertalia! As for your resume and other documents, yes please, thanks. We will set up an appointment for your interview then, as soon as you touch down on Libertalia. Is there anything else we can help you with today?" The response came in a cheery tone.

[member="Silara Vantai"]

 

[Ellie Mors]

The edge of the property holding the Grey Temple was fast-approaching, or rather her speeder was smoothly making its way toward the temple with modest timing. A light smile played at the edge of her lips as she reached out with the force, listening to the operator on the line approve of her purchase and agree upon an interview offer. "It was a pleasure doing business with you, then. Have a good day, and thank you." She replied, disconnecting the call after saying her farewells. She made a mental note to have Alora send her resume and other things to her potential employer later in the evening, but for now she merely tried to search out something more familiar to her - her sister. It was very strange to her, to Silara anyway, that she'd never laid eyes on this person, never heard her speak to her, never even felt her touch, and yet she had communicated with her through telepathy from such a long distance only a few nights ago.

"You can stop here, Alora. I don't want to excite the Jedi." Silara said softly, disgusted with having to put up with Jedi of any sort, especially the kind that had essentially chosen the Grey as a means of learning the dark arts without going through trial and tribulation as a Sith would. "Yes, Mistress." Came a feminine reply, Alora's kind and submissive words like music to her ears. Exiting the vehicle, she clutched at an amulet she wore around her neck - one which hid her dark side presence in its entirety - and pulled it up and over her head, tossing it into the backseat of the speeder. "Drive around a while, perhaps send in my information to Libertalia while you wait." The blonde suggested, waving a hand as she walked away, not waiting for her slave to respond. Her smile had returned now, if not only because her presence in the dark side would be quite unmistakable to any, even those with little knowledge of just what sort of presence she held. In fact, it wasn't even a natural presence, her bodily and genetic modifications to become the sithspawn that she was - a Sith battlelord at that - left a constant aura of the dark side about her being, masked only by trinkets and tricks through the force. Simply trying to disperse the signature of the dark side within her was impossible - it simply was too great a presence, not so much in size but in concentration.

[member="Ice"], [member="Maja Vern"], [member="Judah Lesan Jr."]

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja shrugged her shoulders and walked away. If the boy wanted to follow her, he could - but if not, she wouldn't beg, or play games. This conversation continued on her terms, or it wouldn't continue at all.

It had been a few days since her dream and with no further connection or word - her optimism was waning. Perhaps it was just a dream. Of this Force thing playing tricks on her. Or someone here playing tricks? Yes, maybe. They'd been really rude to her - mocking her clothes and demanding she fitted in with them or they'd reject her.

Who did they think they were? Alexandra owned this place and she was her guest. Of she decided to ask her to leave, that was one thing. But she sure as heck wasn't going to allow a bunch of nobodies dictate her movements. If they thought they could - they'd underestimated her. She had no control of the Force yet - but she would - and she'd exact revenge on anyone and everyone who'd been mean to her.

It was just a matter of time.

[member="Silara Vantai"] | [member="Judah Lesan Jr."]

 

[Ellie Mors]

She recalled the instructions she had been given by an informant as to the whereabouts of the Order's compound, which was deceptively well-hidden in the middle of a large multi-acre of wood and grassland. Had this been anywhere else, such as a remote destination on a different planet, she'd be here alongside one or two of her Terentateks or perhaps riding a Krayt dragon, but had not wanted to draw too much attention to herself - she figured that the blatant aura of the dark side that came with her was more than enough attention. She was only here for a single person, anyways. After about twenty minutes, and what seemed like eighty trees later, she found herself in the center of a small clearing that was surrounded by trees. "She said it was off to the east... so that's the right, right?" She muttered, forgetting which way was north and south to come up with a solid answer. Continuing on, she hoped to arrive at their little temple sooner or later.

[member="Maja Vern"] [member="Judah Lesan Jr."]

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja felt a strange sensation. She couldn’t vocalise it – even if she was offered a million credits. It was entirely new but at the same time familiar. And the last time she’d felt such contrasting sensations was when she’d had the dream.

With every waking second the concept of a connection waned and the realisation that it was a dream waxed. But this feeling turned that on its head. Was her sister trying to contact her? She wished Alexandra was here. She’d promised she’d have her near when something like this happened – when she’d shared the fact that she’d connected with someone who said she was her sister. OK, Alexandra had played this down – whilst at the same time acknowledging it was entirely possible.

But the boy had said she was in an important meeting.

Maja didn’t bother to think the situation through. At moments like these she went with her gut. Silara was near – she just knew it. Scrunching up her eyes– she didn’t know why she did this but it felt right – she thought of Alexandra. She wanted so desperately to let her know what was going on, so she just willed it. She wanted to keep her promise but more so was frightened at some of the possibilities that Alexandra had suggested. She hadn’t intentionally scared her – Maja knew this. But the seed had been planted as sure as if she’d popped it in her head and watered it.

[member="Silara Vantai"] | [member="Judah Lesan Jr."] | [member="Alexandra Lianne Feanor"]

 

[Judah Lesan Jr.]

The girl simply walked off when JJ had not been quick to answer. His intent was to simply shrug it off and walk away when he sensed something, something not right. The force was what he sensed, but it was different somehow, darker, twisted, sick feeling. Was this the dark side JJ had heard his father and Cambria warn him about. Deespite how wrong it felt, JJ was curious. He had to follow the feeling.

"Wait up! I think I just found something to do," he said as he ran to catch the girl.

When he caught up to her, he could sense something was off. Sometimes it was not good to be such a strong empath as his father was. JJ somehow gathered the idea this girl knew what was going on.

"You feel that too don't you," he asked looking to her curiously. "If you can feel that, then you can use the force too, and since were both feeling that, then maybe you'll believe me when I say I can."

[member="Maja Vern"] [member="Silara Vantai"]