Don't Let The Good Die Young

[Nilia Saavilin]

The Outer Rim, Bastion, Harper's Respite, Personal Chambers, Morning
Queen Of Hearts | Interacting with [member="Arekk"], [member="Darth Maliphant"] ~ Good Mourning ~ "All I know is a hopeless place that flows with the blood of my kin."
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Ultimatums were terrible, weren't they?

Nilia was caught between two saviours. Order, chaos. Black, white. Angels, demons. Ar'ekk was scared, but she felt alive, and she speculated that Maliphant could understand that. Sympathize, even.

"Ar'ekk," She started softly, shifting to face him-- Notably, the same motion seemed to push her a little closer to Maliphant, instead of to him like he might have desired --with eyes that seemed pleading for understanding, "I'm alright here. There's nothing happening here that shouldn't have happened already."

"Maliphant gave me a home, Ar'ekk."

Eadu was gone. The Jate'kara a stand-in. Harper's Respite felt cold, but in time it could grow warm with her fire. This, she saw now, was the Force's way of putting her at a nexus, a crossroads. Ar'ekk, representing her past. The Sovereignty, it's majesty, the stoicism of the Sovereign who hadn't designed to inform his best diplomat of her own nascent talents. Tiamat was her future. This, all of this, was her future.

That had been set in stone aeons ago. That, she was sure of.

"I... Can't go with you." Even then, heartbreak coloured her voice.

 

[Arekk]

_______________________________________________________________________​

BASTION, OUTER RIM TERRITORIES​

HARPER'S RESPITE​

_______________________________________________________________________​

"The trouble with wanting something is the fear of losing it, or never getting it. The thought makes you weak."​

w. [member="Darth Maliphant"] and [member="Nilia Saavilin"]​

They were.

Ar'ekk had tried to change Nilia's mind with futile attempts, appearing as the white knight that was ready to save the damsel in distress but in reality it wasn't like that. Not anymore. He was preoccupied about what this could mean in the future, if the girl would drastically change and the person he had once met would eventually vanish after falling to the temptation of the darkness.

"You don't know what it is to have all that power in your hands and not being able to control it. It'll consume you until you're on your knees, begging for having taken the other option. At the end, he will not see any more use for you and will move on to the next apprentice. That's the way of the Sith, of his kind."

It was worth noting that the former-Jedi turned slicer did not refer to Maliphant by his proper name or title instead giving him a very disrespectful diminutive, treating him like he was a thing rather than a human form. That told you so much about the stance that Ar'ekk had against the whole idea, even more knowing that his true agenda remained unknown.

"You will feel empty and powerless. I've been there." He paused for a moment to look at Nilia, almost pleading to reconsider with just a simple look but ultimately giving up. "But it's your choice at the end."

Turning his head over his shoulder and back at Maliphant, Ar'ekk eventually came to the realization that it was worthless to keep pushing the matter. A decision had been made and he was willing to walk away, it's what she wanted.

"I'll go now."

 

[Darth Empyrean]

______________________

The sith who had orchestrated the meeting now sat quiet as the two spoke, coming to a decision that would change the path Nilia would walk for the rest of her life. Arekk, unfortunately, was never Maliphant’s intent and despite the compassion he could feel for the Jedi, he stood as a blockade that would hold his apprentice back from her potential; whether he knew it or not, he would have seen her killed through good intentions.

How often the road to hell is paved in such, Maliphant thought to himself.

As the two seemed to finish, Maliphant moved with a quiet grace that seemed more like levitation than a step; his hand no different as it laid its weight on Nilia’s shoulder, tightening to reassure her of not only her decision, but remind her she had his support. A simple gesture, but one he hoped would mean something to her; and with it he began to speak once more.

“Ar’ekk, remember what I’ve offered to you. You have potential, you just have to overcome yourself.”, he said with a stern gaze, never faltering as Nilia stood next to him.

Maliphant didn’t mind the dehumanization the Jedi committed upon him, as it wouldn’t be the first, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. The anger the man felt, the passion in his voice cracked under the weight of denial, all of this force Maliphant to offer nothing but a noiseless exhale from his nose, disappointed that someone so full of emotion still believe what he was taught before meant something.

If only he had a guidance.

Instead of shoo’ing the Jedi off however, he waited, now turning to Nilia to see if she had anything left to say, or if Ar’ekk would speak up once again.


[member="Arekk"] │ [member="Nilia Saavilin"]

 

[Nilia Saavilin]

The Outer Rim, Bastion, Harper's Respite, Balcony, Morning
Black Heart | Interacting with [member="Arekk"], [member="Darth Maliphant"] ~ Good Mourning ~ "Perhaps hopeless isn't a place."
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Nilia didn't dare speak, a first for the former diplomat. All the Senator's training in the world couldn't talk herself out of this, that was for sure. So she twiddled her thumbs nervously, gaze off to the side, not even electing to look a would-be future in the eyes when he left. Instead, she just stood by Maliphant, no words, nothing, her arms eventually crossing to have ice-cold fingers hold her shoulders in that classic-self-hug sort of comfort. Something inside of Nilia had died, that she was sure of it, she could feel the withered remains in her chest like a dagger lodged there. The last remnant of Nil'ika Verd, the girl from Eadu who'd won the hearts of her people and returned their trust in kind, who had served a Sovereign loyally, was dead.

Now Nilia Saavilin, Sith Apprentice, remained.

And she was hungry.

--Literally, she was literally hungry. It was for this reason that she eventually disengaged from being Maliphant's rest for his hand, wordlessly going to take a seat at the table and angrily tearing a piece of bacon in half. Frustrated, hurt, confused. Oh, what a morning it was.

 

[Arekk]

_______________________________________________________________________​

BASTION, OUTER RIM TERRITORIES​

HARPER'S RESPITE​

_______________________________________________________________________​

"The trouble with wanting something is the fear of losing it, or never getting it. The thought makes you weak."​

w. [member="Darth Maliphant"] and [member="Nilia Saavilin"]​

"I already did."

Walk away, don't look back. Leaving Nilia behind was the worst decision that Ar'ekk had made that day but it was all her choice and nothing that he would say was capable of changing her mind. Perhaps one part of her was gone beyond salvation unlike himself during his Nar Shaddaa stint, saved by the last minute by Jyn, not even trying to do something for her would turn the tide.

Deep in their hearts remained a little piece of light, that bond they shared and that could only happen between the two without having anyone else snooping around may be the key to her salvation, if that's what she desired at the "end of the tunnel". He hoped that Nilia could change her mind about the whole ordeal, that the Sith and the power was nothing but a temporary thing and that it could destroy you.

Ar'ekk found his way out of the respite to board the shuttle that'd take him back from wherever he came from to eventually part ways temporarily, his mind still going through the conversation held between the trio. A balled fist slammed the duraplex glass in anger, as if he was blaming himself for letting Nilia fall for Maliphant's teachings.

It was never too late to change your mind.

 

[Darth Empyrean]

______________________

As the slicer left, Maliphant did little to stop him, simply watching. The Sith remained still, letting Nilia do as she wished; eventually breaking free from his grip and moving to eat in a vaguely upset manner. Nothing was as weird as watching someone eat while upset, but Maliphant resisted the jab for the moment as he kept the quiet; a droid speaking up as he opened the refrigerator for a glass of something inside.

“Your guest Ar’ekk has left the premises.”

Maliphant glanced to the human replicant, simply shaking his head before shoo’ing her off. After pouring himself a drink, he moved back to sit next to Nilia, taking a piece of the bacon for himself and chewing away with some quiet anticipation for an outburst, though he almost didn’t expect one.

“Will you be alright, Nilia?”, he said in comfortable and quiet a tone he could muster, though he didn’t look at her; instead focusing on the water he had poured for himself and the food he seemed to push around on his plate.


[member="Nilia Saavilin"]

 

[Nilia Saavilin]

The Outer Rim, Bastion, Harper's Respite, Balcony, Morning
Grey Will | Interacting with [member="Darth Maliphant"] ~ Good Mourning ~ "Nothing but a state of mind."
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"I can't be sure." The woman answered truthfully, her voice low and near-monotone from the effort that seeming severance had cost. Her and Maliphant were student and teacher, yes, but personally, she couldn't say they were all that close yet. Ar'ekk had been a painful reminder of her old life, but a friend as well, blooming into something more that she had crushed root and stem without a second thought, all for this.

For bacon, her master, [member=Thesh] and, as Ar'ekk would no doubt claim, power.

But I need it.

A forlorn sigh escaped Nilia then and she pushed the bacon away without eating it, "You can't change storms, you may only predict and weather them." It seemed to be a saying of some kind, no doubt from her homeworld. Perhaps it brought some comfort, maybe it didn't, there wasn't any way to know or tell. Of course, in the Force, he could no doubt sense her turmoil and struggle, her growing pain, the grief of loss. The wound of a Force bond.

She would heal with time. Lots of things do.

 

[Darth Empyrean]

______________________

For a while, he stayed quiet, let her ponder what she must and say what she needed. It was good for one to come to their own terms, but as she idled and remained turbulent in heart and mind, Maliphant couldn’t help but sigh. In truth, he hoped there was an easier route to this; to somehow bring her into her new life somewhat easier, but not all things could be done without a scar.

Today was that scar.

Maliphant gently rested a hand over hers, finally looking up to offer what kindred smile he could. His voice remained low, comforting, and soft; completely contrary to the way he had been when they had first met aboard The Jate’kara,

“You don’t have to weather it alone, Nilia. I’m not just your Master, and I’m not here just to teach you about The Force.”

After a moment, his fingers tensed, his touch surprisingly soft considering all the things he’d done, all the training he had undergone. It was as if the idea of calluses abhorred the thought of disturbing the daint beauty the man carried; though despite this his face was somewhat reassuring, the likes of a man many years his senior in expression alone. His thumb graced the back of her hand before pulling away once more, met by his speaking;

“I know you’re not hungry, but you should try and eat. Just something. We can figure out how to get some stress out, if you’d like.”, Maliphant said as he moved to eat another piece of bacon from the plate.


[member="Nilia Saavilin"]