Dance Into The Fire

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"] [member="Keira Ticon"]

"I've never actually spoke with Matsu," Taeli laughed. It was indeed a strange combination of company, a Jedi, a Dark Jedi, and a Sith. "And you really just won't let that go. I think maybe you have a crush on me and you just bring it up so I'll keep talking to you."

The last was added with a small wink and half smile, before she switched to her academic side in a heartbeat.

"I could tell you were infested with Sith Magic because of a few signs," she explained, pulling a pair of glasses from her pocket and getting up to examine him more closely. "One, you hallucinated I was my sister when we first met and you had very little control of your emotions, beyond being just normally angry. Two, and this might not be noticeable to most, but I'm a Lorrdian. I can read body language, and you have an ever so small tension in your shoulders that has nothing to do with present company, but you carry it everywhere so everyone thinks its just normal stress. Number three, your Force aura has a twinge of a strange and foreign darkness in it, but that darkness has taken a deeper root than say it was in your arm or leg. Number four, certain body chemicals will be heightened such as adrenal, testosterone, and the chemical that creates rage and my glasses are reading slightly elevated levels of all of those, beyond what would normally be."

Taking a breathe, she continued.

"Number five, if you're keeping track, is your proclivity to get into situation where you seek out darkness," she said, placing a hand on his cheek and examining his eye more closely. "Part of it is the darkness rooted in you, but most of it is just you pondering. I can see which is which though."

Noticing how close she had gotten, she smiled a bit more and took a few steps back and removed her glasses.

"Sorry, I'm an academic and scholar first, hence why I couldn't let you anywhere near that crystal," she said, curtsying a little. "And not ignoring you either Keira, but curiosity got the better of me."

 

[Taeli Raaf]

double post oops

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor could only look at Arcanix as she mocked him, shaking his head and looking away at the suggestion of his attraction. Having his emotion understood or appreciated was a rare thing, so this was no different and regardless what he felt...she was wrong...he told himself.

However he felt at ease when she came closer, and looked at her violet eyes. In part of his mind, it was Corvus talking to him, understanding him - but in the other, it was the Sith Lady who held so much power but who he was trusting to talk and study him. Everything she said was true, and he didn't dare move as she spoke; each point as if she was ready him like an open book. Which she probably was.

It was fascinating, and Connor felt through this she was the first person to take the time and see his pain, to feel it and understand it. Not brushing it off with bacta, or false hope it would go, or stupid assumptions a Sith relic could cure him. No, this was a simple understanding of Connor, and it was coming from a Sith.

He didn't question it - he just listened. And then she touched his cheek, and he looked into her violet eyes and felt like she wanted to help...she wanted to care...

”Okay...” Connor said, a gasp, distracting himself before he fell more into her alluring spell, the warm touch upon his cheek.

Connor rubbed his cheek and then his torso, for what reason he didn't know. When Arcanix turned, he spoke.

”What's your name? I mean, your real name? And...are you really her sister?”

He hoped she gave the answer he wanted.

[member="Darth Arcanix"] | [member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"] [member="Keira Ticon"]

She seemed to have an effect on him, and if she was honest with herself, she could say he had had a slight effect on her too. Something about those eyes were begging for someone to actually understand him . . . to actually care for him. Well, and those cheekbones . . . she could have cut herself on them if she had slapped him.

Normally, she wouldn't even consider giving someone she just met her real name, not without using it as a cover to make people believe she wasn't a Sith . . . but she felt he needed to know, for his own sake of self maybe, or maybe it was for him to better understand her. Either way . . . it wouldn't hurt anything.

Leaning in, she whispered in his ear, "My name is Taeli Raaf." Backing a way a bit, she couldn't stop an ever so slight blush to start rising in her cheeks from how close she had been to him again. Just chemicals, she told herself, it was just a natural reaction from being so close to a handsome man.

Stepping away again, she cleared her throat and turned back to Keira, "Sorry about that, my academic side really does like to take over sometimes. You're probably getting bored or something by me analyzing him."

 

[Keira Priest]

Now, Keira didn't typically consider herself one to be presumptuous about many things, least of all anything that concerned the more romantic plane. But there was something that had sparked between the two, and it was obvious to her even without the Force to back it up. There was an attraction there, seemingly mutual on both sides despite both of their efforts to conceal everything that was currently happened inside closed minds. Had she been more rash she would have pointed it out right away, but instead she took the time of their quiet conversation to further analyze it, giving her something to focus on besides herself. That would come later.

Silently she shifted position slightly, content to just watch them talk and observe the other. It was nice, to be able to play the observer for once, instead of the one being studied and catergorized. As she watched it struck her as how absurd a situation this really was. On any other planet in any other scenario the three of them would have likely been at each other's throats, but instead they were conversing peacefully as if this was just another meeting of the average sort, or that they were all former acquaintances. It would be a tale to remember later, at the very least. Not that she would pay so much attention to it if and when she found herself fighting Jedi once again. Such was life.

At Arcanix's last comment she shook her head. "I wouldn't say bored. What's the point in apologizing for who you are?" Or, well, who you were when most others weren't around, or so she supposed. But it wasn't as if she'd exactly had many personal encounters with Sith of any caliber, so she didn't have much to judge this experience against. Briefly her gaze shifted between the two of them, studying each carefully in turn. Maybe she was wrong, maybe she was right, and maybe it was something else entirely, but the only way to be exactly certain was to ask. "Do you guys like each other, or something? I don't mean to assume, but I can see it from over here." Not to mention sense it, but that was beside the point. Hopefully she wasn't being too forward.

[member="Darth Arcanix"], [member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor frowned and looked at Keira with bewilderment.

”Do I like that?” He pointed to Arcanix.

”No. I don’t. She still represents the thing I am trying to combat in myself. Don’t be stupid.”

Straightening his jumper and pushing the torn greatcoat back as he leant on the rock, he shifted his posture and folded his arms again.

”I appreciate the humanity you show, Arcanix, but don’t get any ideas, I still resent what you did and who you are. Or you, Ticon. The fact I’m here at least talking shows I have some respect for you both, when we could simply be fighting. I have trouble with emotion, and I favour not to let any out because it usually leads me into danger. Or others into danger.”

[member="Keira Ticon"] | [member="Darth Arcanix"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"] [member="Keira Ticon"]

For just the briefest moment, a feeling of pain flashed through her aura as Connor made his comment. Shaking it off just as quickly, and wondering she had felt something like, Taeli sighed.

"No, I don't like him," she said, although a small, very small part of her was trying to be convinced by that statement as well. "We've only met twice now, not exactly enough time to build a romantic attachment." Still, Keira had noticed something so maybe Taeli wasn't crazy.

"You Jedi and trying to suppress your emotions," she sighed again. "I feel like a broken record sometimes when I ask what do you people get out of trying to be droids. Peace and serenity? I can get the same effect by listening to soothing music or enjoying a good book. Balance of the self? Again, soothing music achieves the same effect. Holding resentment for something I've apologized for, genuine apologies, is definitely not a Jedi thing. But fine then, I guess you don't want my help in trying to mitigate that Sith Magic in your head and I'll just go back and sit down and wait for questions about myself."

And she did just that, her mind racing a little bit as she analyzed the whole situation. There had been a subtle shift from him, she had felt it too, but he either didn't feel it the same way or he was trying to stay strong on his current path.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor just watched Arcanix as she easily rebuffed him as he had her, and he glanced to Keira and shot a "told you so" look. However, yet again, she had tapped into what may lie inside the Jedi that had haunted him for months now. None of the healers had back in the Order. But, then, he wasn't here as a Jedi - he was here as Connor.

”Wait...”

He held out his hand, casually pointing at the Sith Lady sat on the ground as it waiting for a picnic. Keria looked on.

”...can you help do something about this? In my brain? If anything, you owe me if you're as sorry as you say you are. And if you want to just kill me, make it quick.”

He refrained from adding a 'please', as he didn't want to appear to desperate.

[member="Darth Arcanix"] | [member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"] [member="Keira Ticon"]

"I can siphon some of it out, yes," Taeli replied. Maybe she did owe him for what happened before. Either way, Taeli got up and placed a hand on the back of his neck, right over where his brainstem would be and where that darkness was nestled.

"If i do this, I have to warn you that, yes it will be decreased and you'll be able to manage it better, but if you get a large upswelling of emotions like grief, despair, heartbreak, or anger, the magic will react much more strongly. That said, do you want me to or do you think you don't want to take the risk?"

Taeli didn't want to admit that a small part of her was reveling in touching him again. Only a small part though, just ... a small one right?

 

[Connor Harrison]

What better way to eradicate the poison that Xiangu had infected him with, than to have another Sith drain it - or most of it - out. It was more than anyone else had offered to do for him. He bristled slightly as she placed a hand on the back of his neck, dare to say it felt quite comforting.

He looked up to Keira.

”If you follow a path that enables you to do this, Keira, I'd give it serious thought. If she kills me, get a message to the Silvers for me and say I went out with a bang. Or something. Make it up.”

Listening to her words of warning, he thought for a moment.

”Do it.”

But what did anyone achieve by being careful in life? Connor moved his head forward slightly and braced himself.

”Hang on, what do you mean it will react stronger? Stronger, how?.”

[member="Darth Arcanix"] | [member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"] [member="Keira Ticon"]

"Think of it like a drug," she said, taking a small pin out of her bag and pricking her finger with. "You quit for say seven years, but then you have just one relapse and you're addicted even stronger than ever. That will be the Sith magic since I won't be able to get all of it, so if you get that major upswelling of darker emotions, the effects of the magic on your emotions and alignment will be far greater than before."

Using the blood from her finger, she started to draw small rune on the back of his neck with her finger.

"Also . . . this might be very uncomfortable, so apologies beforehand, nothing I can do about that since its rooted in your brain stem," she continued, finishing the runes. Taking a breath, she sent tendrils of the dark side into the runes and into his neck to connect with the Sith magic residing there. This was probably going to be unpleasant for him.

"Trahere de hoc magicum in collo eius, et ducta ex tenebris quasi venenum vulneri indidisset. Sinite tenebris est autem ab his cerebrum, erue eum liberum," she chanted, slowly pulling her fingers back from his neck. Almost like puppet strings, tendrils of purple and black energy were drawn from his neck, spiraling around her fingers and out into the air to dissipate into the environment. There was a lot there, Matsu had obviously wanted to teach him a lesson about something.

 

[Connor Harrison]

He didn't say anything, just raised his brow slightly and waited.

The moist touch of her finger on his neck, the steady chanting - it was like she was syphoning needles from inside his very head.

Letting out a strained cry of pain that he tried to stop with his teeth, he instantly tried to crush his neck down into his shoulders, but couldn't move. His right leg started to buckle and his arms reached for something but found nothing.

”...AGHHH..FOR....!.”

His eyes closed tight and he felt that his skin was peeling back on his neck and his insides were being ripped out by her Sith spell.

Connor breathed and held his frame, suddenly feeling calm...at ease...like he could rest....

[member="Darth Arcanix"] | [member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"] [member="Keira Ticon"]

Finishing her spell, she pulled the last bit of darkness she could out from his neck, not even a mark left on his neck from the spell. She estimated she had extracted about half of the Sith Magic from his brain stem. The remaining magic would remain dormant for now, and if he heeded her warning, he would never waken it. If not . . . well, she wouldn't mind seeing the result of a dark sided Connor running around. Baby steps though baby steps.

"Well, that's the best I could do," she said, sucking on her pricked finger for a moment. "I'd say I got about half of it out, the other half is too deeply rooted for such a spell to remove. You should be feeling better and more relaxed though, so I hope you're happy and you're welcome for helping you when others couldn't."

She was taking some pride in the fact that a Jedi had essentially asked a Sith to help him with a personal problem. Plus . . . she didn't mind helping him, he was just intriguing that way and she would need to examine this further.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Her voice spoke like she was tending to a torn garment or arranging flowers, not sucking out a dark magic from the brainstem of a human being with her fingertips. Arcanix spoke gently and Connor sighed, reaching around to feel for the gaping hole and blood soaked flesh she had torn into – but only found a slightly wet patch on his otherwise perfectly formed neck.

A roll of the neck, and a moment to feel slightly different, Connor stood.

"Thank you Taeli. Whatever you are to the greater galaxy, I appreciate it. Maybe I wasn’t totally right about you after all."

Of course she could have infused his mind with some more poison, more manipulation. She WAS a Sith after all. But Connor didn’t feel nauseous, or ill, or faint – he felt fine, a little shaky, but fine. Rubbing his neck he looked to Keira.

"Whatever you feel now, Keira – I sense that you could be something more with what you have inside," he glanced back to Arcanix, and then to her again, "- do me a favour; think where you could be a year from now, and what you could achieve."

He shook his head slightly and almost scoffed.

"I’ll tell you one thing – you won’t achieve anything with the Jedi except pain."

[member="Darth Arcanix"] | [member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"] [member="Keira Ticon"]

"Well, you're welcome," she replied, "I told you when we first met I wasn't like the stereotype for the Sith, that I wasn't a monster or evil. I think part of this goes to proving that, wouldn't you say?"

The man was stubborn, she could tell, but the fact she had helped him might have long reaching consequences for both of them. His comments though almost sounded like he egging the younger Dark Jedi to actually consider her path. Now that was strange, but who was Taeli to argue with something like that. It was still Keira's choice though, and Taeli suspected she would stay with her friends within the Red Ravens, not necessarily a group she trusted but they were generally loyal to their own.

"I don't know, my sister might disagree with the whole following the Jedi path only leads to pain," Taeli interjected. "But then, I'm not a Jedi so I couldn't say for sure what your life is like beyond our two encounters now. It certainly seems more . . . risky than my path, but that's the last of my two creds."

 

[Connor Harrison]

Rubbing his neck, still checking for blood, Connor turned to Arcanix and waved his hand at her.

"Just...leave Corvus out of this, alright? Don't compare yourself to her, ever. Alright? You two have made your choice."

Silence.

"I've stayed here long enough. I should go."

He glanced at Keira, quiet and looking like she was taking all of this in to paint a picture of both Jedi and Sith in her head.

"Be careful the path you walk, Keira. You will never be free from you demons until you know just who you want to be. I think you need to make that choice. As do I."

Connor was obviously a little shaky from the experience, and thankful, but wary. He pushed back his tatty greatcoat and moved away from the pair heading back to the Academy.

"Thank you again, Taeli."


[member="Darth Arcanix"] | [member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Connor Harrison"] [member="Keira Ticon"]

"I was merely saying my sister would disagree that a Jedi's life is only pain," Taeli sighed, watching Connor begin to walk away. "You're welcome, Connor, and be careful about letting that flare up again. If you ever need help again, you have my com code."

Moving away herself, she had a lot to think about, and especially about that feeling she had when she touched the Jedi. She couldn't be developing feelings for him, could she? She would need to analyze them more, maybe she needed some quiet time. She did have some new reading material after all.

Looking back at the retreating back of the Jedi, she sighed again and walked back to where her ship was.