Faction &nbsp; From The Glare Of Stars | Sith Eternal

Dis wasn't happy it was a Jedi who had fallen from the sky (i.e. crashed), there was only one reason for it; they knew exactly what the Sith had to do with the Jedi and it never had a good ending. They didn't know exactly what Kal would do, but Surur wouldn't fight her own to defend a Jedi. And Dis didn't want to fight anyone! It was for this reason that they still watched the events a little intently after Arcturus also activated his weapon.

Aaran might even find the mount, which was with Dis, interesting, that creature was somehow very strange in the Force, it was a soul, but it made an effect like it wasn't complete, incomplete. It was hard enough to explain, but since Aaran was on the Light side, it might have been clear to him that it was not nature that created the soul, but something or someone artificially created it. Certainly not Dis, because they were nowhere near strong enough in this Force.

Dis still didn't want to attack, looking more interested in what the Jedi was doing. As Aaran moved closer, the mount stepped slightly in front of Dis to take care of them and defend them if necessary, but made no hostile move. Ishani agreed to a medication exchange; in fact, Shadowcat also supported this idea. However, Kalt not, and already seemed he is not interested in further questions.

~ I still don't understand mortals. If, instead of constant struggle and war, they were able to accept the other and the two sides of the Force came together, we could be magnificent so much and be able to do so many things… ~ they sent it to

Kal .

Kal · May 4, 2021

There was a distinct sense of disapproval emanating from Kal, following Aaran's response.

"History belongs to everyone, Jedi, not just those who plant the stones." Even as his words focused on the ruins, his eyes were drawn to the satchel at the Jedi's side. The contents were clearly of great value to the man, but were then of interest to Kal? Hard to say. Whatever the case, the False Kalt's words soon distracted him, a frown creasing his brow as he directed his attention towards Arcturus.

"Is this true? Would your master really punish you so harshly?" His tone made it clear enough that if so, Arcturus was better off finding a new one. He quite liked the Acolyte, anyone who would kill him over something so minor was not worth serving.

His stance unchanged by the internal dialogue with his fellow Shadow, a response was given, unheard by the others present. <It seems to me as if it is inherent to mortal existence. Conflict, that is. In nature only the strong or well-adapted survive; it is the same with sentients, but they hide it well.>

Dis |

Arcturus Dinn · May 7, 2021

Step aside, and let the Jedi go?

Arcturus' brain whirred something fierce in the moments which followed, for him drawn out like hours but in reality mere seconds. What was it with Ossus and trying to tear down all that he was? First the Younglings, now this?

Kalt's words cut through him as harshly as Ishani's plea. The group was split on what to do, the Shades, like Ishani, wanted to let the moment pass without conflict. Arcturus... Well. He didn't know what to do. This Jedi was calm, some might argue too calm given they were faced with numbers greater than their own. Which was either a deceptively good bluff or else he knew something they didn't. Likely not a Padawan, then.

Kal's question had him turn his head slightly, glancing toward the form the boy took. Would his Master punish him for this? Most likely. He'd had his warnings, after all. But with the Youngling's he'd taken a very active approach toward ensuring their survival.

What was stepping aside in comparison to that? To turn a blind eye. To have found a shuttle empty, devoid of any Sith?

He nodded his head finally, in agreement to the trade. They hadn't specified that Aaran was free to go, of course, just that he could walk unhindered for now. Perhaps if she wasn't sneezing Ishani might feel more confident doing... something.

He didn't rightly know what.

"You shouldn't be here," he finally said, taking a step forward to put himself between the Jedi and the others once Ishani had her meds. "Kalt is right, we can't just let you go simply because you handed one of us antihistamines. You're not stupid, Jedi, you know how the Sith work."

Arcturus still wasn't convinced that they could bring the man down if it came to that. But did that mean they shouldn't try?

"I don't want to have to disappear again simply because I let another Jedi go", the boy directed toward Ishani. He couldn't. "If you want to go, take Kal and Dis with you. Find Melydia and get them away from here."

Lightsaber still ignited, he turned his attention back to Aaran.

Kal

Aaran Tafo · May 8, 2021

So far, so good. He was allowed to exit the shuttle and stretch his legs for a bit. Passing the kit to Ishani with a polite smile on his face. The Jedi Knight took a few steps back, ensuring that there was a respectable distance between both him and the ignited saber. Rotating his neck and shoulders, he allowed a sigh of relief to escape his lips as he relished in the freedom of movement and relatively fresh air compared to the rather stuffy shuttle he had been stuck in.

"My name is Aaran. Not 'Jedi'. I'd ask that you use it Arcturus." After all, it is so easy to dislike, to hate, to dehumanise someone when you referred to them as just a title. To give another individual a name. You acknowledged them on some level. It became a great deal harder to harm someone when one could recognise that they likely had hopes, dreams and ambitions of their own.

At least, it would be if you were not a complete sociopath.

Settling himself down on a nearby stone, he rested his elbows on his knees. Blind gaze watching the assembled group of spirits and Sith. An easy grin on his face. His attention was drawn for a moment to the peculiar mount that had moved itself in front of Dis. The slightest of frowns appear as he filed away the implications of such a creature’s existence before that frown was quickly smoothed away.

"I do know how the typical Sith operates." He mused, nodding in Arcturus' direction. Acknowledging his point. "However, the typical Sith doesn’t care much for their comrades, which you seem to. And probably would have just attacked me already instead of letting me stretch my legs." He pursed his lips.

"Now. I surrender to you. I end up either dead or carted off to a Sith prison." He raised a finger. "Considering I was rescuing people from your death camps not too long ago. I'd rather neither of those happen to me, so I'm unlikely to go with you willingly."

He then tilted his head to the side. "However, you let me go, you get punished. Probably in some rather nasty ways. And I'd rather you not suffer at my expense." He admitted, bowing his head slightly.

"We can all fight over it. But that leaves you and anyone else who decides to scrap with a high chance of getting hurt. Which I'd rather avoid." That and the odds were slightly in Aaran's favour if it came down to a brawl. More than half of the group was reluctant to fight. And when it came down to it. All the Jedi would have to do is escape. The Sith would have to overpower him utterly in order to either capture or kill him.

"So, I see that leaving us with two reasonable-ish options here." He suggested, raising another finger. "We go our separate ways. You tell your bosses you fought me, but I managed to escape. Which is pretty risky for you guys since it involves lying to some psychotic lunatics who've got no issue punishing you severely for the slightest disobedience or acting on your own volition."

"Ooooor." He said, shoulders shrugging. "I help you find your friend. And you guys can come back with me to the Core." He held out both hands. "Not exactly the best option. But us here in the New Jedi Order managed to wiggle in a pretty generous deal for defecting Sith Acolytes." He offered. "In exchange for information and a few months of house arrest and mandatory counselling, less..... unstable Sith avoid things like jail time. Once that's done and you're no longer considered a threat to society. You're given full citizenship and can do whatever."

Of course, that was then followed up by offers to join the New Jedi Order if they so desired. Or they could simply decide to live their own lives in Galactic Alliance Space. At least that would be the case for relatively fresh Acolytes like those before him. Other Sith who would be considered problem cases or utterly unrepentant were dealt with in other ways. Mostly through jail time. But so far, seeing as how none of those present seemed that psychotic. They would be given a generous offer.

Ishani Dinn · May 8, 2021

Ishani gratefully took the kit, rifling around for allergy medication… and thankfully found some. She swallowed the bitter tablets with a grimace, though it had less to do with the taste and more to do with what was going on around her.

Arcturus wasn’t backing down. Previous events here on Ossus—assisting in the escape of a group of Jedi younglings during the battle, letting the Padawan who helped him go free, and his subsequent flight to Coruscant to escape punishment for his benevolent actions—had hardened Arcturus against anything else that might be deemed traitorous in the eyes of his masters. Ishani despised the ones who made him feel guilty and threatened him with their wrath for saving children, but she was also rather annoyed that he was allowing his fears to override his reason in this case. They were acolytes, dealing with a Jedi Master.

Equally frustrating was the situation itself. Two out of the five members of their group would be useless, having already chosen to back out due to a lack of loyalties. If Ishani left with them to go look for Melydia—a person she barely knew, who kept company with creatures she found unpleasant, and who was dumb enough to wander off alone in the first place—it would be just Arc and Kalt against Aaran. Those were chit odds and they all knew it. While Ishani didn’t give a flying feth about Melydia, she gave many, many flying feths about Arcturus.

“Sorry Arc,” she said with a small, thin smile. “But I’m hoping for cute red-haired babies someday. Got to stay and protect my investment.”

By the time Aaran finished his spiel, Ishani had already made up her mind. His words only served to further convince her.

“Look, we’re clearly not buying what you’re selling,” she replied. “I’ll give you credit, though—at least you didn’t try to seduce me to the Light like the last New Jedi who attempted to convert me.” Questionable accuracy of that statement aside, she was just trolling him at this point… and trying to distract him.

A flick of her wrist summoned a Force-imbued sword into her hand. She leaped forward, swinging at Aaran’s torso, expecting the others to follow suit. And if they didn't, well... it would suck to be her in the next few moments.

Kalt Bruq · May 10, 2021

Kalt wasn't exactly sure what the motivations of the two beings with hosts. While Surur's mount moved to place itself between her and Aaran, it was apparent that they had no interest in joining in the fight. And Kal seemed to question if Arcturus' master would actually punish him for letting Aaran go. False Kalt spoke up in response to that. "We're Sith! Such weakness is not acceptable." If the two spirits didn't have any intention of helping them in a fight like this, then why were they here? Kalt thought to himself, not being able to recognize that their intentions might have been above such things.

Thankfully, Kalt's words seemed to reach Arcturus. At least, from what he could sense. He questioned why he would let Aaran out of the shuttle, considering the lack of space and the confined single entrance was a convenient route to trap. Now there were several ways Aaran could feasible escape. Kalt decided not to spend too much mental energy on wondering why he had did that, instead choosing to keep his projection believable. For some reason, the Jedi seemingly didn't notice him now that he was out. Keeping the element of surprise should be Kalt's main focus for now. He told the others to go and look for Melydia while he and Kalt fought Aaran. Kalt could tell that there was a personal aspect to this mission from his comment about going into hiding. To that, Kalt can somewhat relate.

It was Ishani's next actions that surprised him though. It seems she was really attached to Arcturus, and would not leave his side to face a Jedi alone. Kalt smiled, making a mental note of the two Acolyte's relationship within his memory palace. A special room dedicated to the two of them... He was even more please to see that she would even make the first strike. Kalt wouldn't wait to take advantage of the situation. He ignited his lightsaber, jumping down and going for a falling strike on his opponent...

[

Dis ]

Dis · May 11, 2021

Surur Pomi / Dis the Shadow(cat)
Shadowcat, explorer and wanderer; Owner of the Cat’s Paw; Member of the Greystone Mercantile

Location: Ossus
Equipment: Chosen Host | Lightsaber | Karza’Dis Mount || Nyxrazi Umbral Spherecraft (Rex)
Tags:

Kal |

~ But in nature, most living things kill out of instinct and to survive if they're in danger or if they need to feed. Not out of sheer whim, because someone thinks differently than they do. ~ they replied telepathically to Kal.

At least they have experienced it so far. They agreed that history and artefacts belong to everyone. Actually, they also wanted to take a look at what the Jedi had, but Dis wouldn’t have been violent. If the young man says he doesn’t show it, they would have accepted the negative answer. Of course, they would have tried to convince him, but if not, they'll accept the answer.

They continued to watch Thesh with interest. They found it interesting that he would eventually have released the Jedi as well, but only if he took them with him and found their missing friend. Oh no! They misunderstood. He would have sent the girl with the two of them, which would have been uncomfortable because she had used a perfume that would have made Shadowcat flee all the way home to the Nether.

~ Ishani wants to hurt me and Kal with her perfume. ~ they sent a sad message to Arcturus.

New Jedi Order, they had heard of them and also of what had happened in Korriban then. It was then that the planet was liberated from TSE rule, which was immediately occupied by the Sith Eternal. It was then that Dis began coming back to Realspace again.

"Aaran, did you there on Korriban and you hurt the unarmed acolytes just as the other members of the New Jedi Order?"

They asked Aaran in a sad voice. Dis didn't know what the others would do to him in light of that, but it would have been nice to know. In the end, it was the girl who attacked the Jedi. So they don’t go to find their friend after all.

~ Mortals are incorrigible. ~ they sent a sad message to Kal.

"Acceptance of leniency and other ideas is not a weakness, but more than that. Only the Force is important and not who is on which side."

They replied to Kalt's words about what they had learned at Spear; they loved this view and it was good to see them accept each other there. However, Kalt also joined the fight. They knew Surur would join, too, and they didn't want to get the host in trouble by saying they wouldn't fight. But Dis had another idea, they tried to reach into the Force and keep the opponents away from each other with telekinetics.

"Alive, without a fight, he is worth more. Think of the information he can tell for his freedom…"

The Shadowcat tried… it turns out how successful they are.

Kal · May 11, 2021

It ended in violence, as was to be expected. Arcturus at least was usually sane enough, but the conflict between Light and Dark was a persistent one.

Raising a single eyebrow in the Shadowcat's direction, Kal projected an odd mixture of curiosity and resignation. <There is no way you will be able to keep them away from each other's throats if they are determined to do battle. The best choice would be to simply watch.> Watch and prevent any of Kal's friends from meeting an early demise, naturally. No doubt Arcturus would prefer Ishani remain in one piece too, but Kal felt no particular duty.

Death in general was highly unfortunate, but the loss of her life would be no less tragic than the loss of the Jedi's - both were strangers.

Backing away from what might quickly deteriorate into a violent brawl, keen eyes flickered back and forth as if trying to determine who would come out on top. The Sith had numbers, three on one was excellent odds, but the Jedi seemed more experienced. A veteran combatant, perhaps?

Dis ||

Arcturus Dinn · May 19, 2021

It was a novel idea, truly it was. Bring a handful of Sith Acolytes back to the New Jedi Order, lock them away and brainwash them until they were no longer a threat to society. Whatever that meant.

Well... Arcturus had already been given his out. Several times. Once by

Darth Empyrean himself when he'd first come to Korriban, and again when he'd journeyed with

Starlin Rand to Coruscant. He could have stayed there forever. He might have been happy if he had. But he hadn't.

And if Starlin Rand and his wonderful mother Jen hadn't been able to convince him, what hope did some random Jedi have?

"Sorry," he said, the small hint of sincerity to his tone largely cut through with bluntness, "But we have to at least try."

No more time for talks, Ishani surprised him by being the first one to leap forward. She didn't even really give him a chance to process what she had said directly to him. Babies?

Babies didn't matter in that moment, babies couldn't exist without her.

So Arcturus pushed forward too, as Kalt dropped in from above, taking the opposite flank to Ishani. The Shadows weren't going to participate, that much he knew right away, which meant the trio who stepped forward had to truly put in their all.

The likelihood was that the Jedi got away, he wasn't stupid. It was definitely not a Padawan they were squaring off against. But if they returned to Korriban without so much as a scratch then there'd be far worse waiting for them.

He swung out with his lightsaber, aiming for Aaran's right shoulder.

Dis

Aaran Tafo · May 24, 2021

His face fell ever so slightly at Dis' questioning about the events on Korriban. A slight exhalation coming from him as he leaned forward slightly. From what he had heard, the events on Korriban and Dantoonie had been black marks on his burgeoning Order's records. And even if he had joined back up later. He was hardly one to call himself to be innocent. He was guilty by association, and he would carry that cross as best he could.

"No. I was not. And I was part of the effort to ensure those that did have a hand in it were punished. I do not condone those actions and if I had been part of the order during the assault on Korriban, it would have never happened." He said, a note of finality in his voice. His tone carrying no hints of obfuscation

"My fight is with your masters. As far as I am concerned, you are all victims."

But it seems that even with how things were stacked against them. They still wished to fight. If nothing else, he could commend Ishani's bravery. As well as her dedication to her partner. Throwing herself into danger for his sake. That was of course, assuming that it was a partnership they shared, and it was not a simple one-sided crush on Ishani's part. The former was noble, the latter was mildly disturbing that they went straight to babymaking as the reason for joining the fight.

But he was not deterred. And his intent to at least attempt to dissuade any violence. And with a simple raised palm. His bare hand would move to intercept the blade. For anyone else, it would be a dangerous and borderline suicidal thing to put one's hand in place of a moving blade. But Aaran was a Jedi and when it came to combat, he was like a Toydarian in a gambling hall.

He cheated like no one else.

And when blade impacted flesh. It was stopped clean in place. The edge not even marring his skin as he simply held his hand in place. A combination of the energy sapping technique of Tutaminis and his Talisman protecting him from harm. At least for now. "Two members are required for the baby making process." He chided, his tone still placid and friendly. "I do not think he would wish you harmed either." He said, fingers attempting to curl around the blade. Holding it in place with an iron grip as he stood up. Seemingly unaffected, just like the others, by Dis' attempt to hold him still. Shooting the slightest glance at the Cathar. A look of warning on his face that any further interference would have her treated as an active combatant.

As for Kalt and Arcturus. That was when his blade finally came loose from his belt. Flying into his hand with a thought as it activated, the golden blade igniting with a harmonious hum to counter the angry hiss of the red kyber crystals. And while Kalt had done a fair deal to mute his presence before. The hum of a lightsaber coming down to cleave him in half was unmistakable. With both Arcturus and Kalt favouring downward strikes, he angled his saber appropriately to catch both incoming blows.

With a slight grunt, they visibly had more of an impact than Ishani's own strike. What with Kalt having gravity to aid in his assault. But aside from the golden blade being driven closer to Aaran's own shoulder. There was little impact.

Even from the brief clash the Acolytes could tell that there was something unsettling about this Jedi's physical strength. Some would even call it unnatural.

"I give you one last warning." He said, any previous emotion fading from his voice as he allowed it all to bleed away. Slipping from his mind like water through his fingers as he prepared for the upcoming fight. "Cease. I do not wish to hurt you."

Ishani Dinn · May 24, 2021

Ishani felt the barest attempt at telekinesis act upon her. At first she thought it was Aaran, but a moment later, as the Jedi took advantage of her skewed course and grabbed her sword, she realized it wasn't him. It was one of the Shadows. The distrust and prejudice she held towards their kind bubbled over into outright loathing. She wished they were her target instead of the Jedi.

Her anger charged through the Force-imbued blade, allowing her to jerk it out of his grasp.

“Yeah, I took biology in middle school, thanks,” she snapped. “I’m not leaving him here to face you alone.”

Well, leaving him to face Aaran with Kalt. And since she could barely tolerate the two Shadows, they presumably would’ve stayed to do sports commentary from the sidelines anyway. So really, Ishani would’ve been the one left all alone if she had chosen to walk away—and she found that almost as intolerable as the thought of letting Arc get hurt because she was too cowardly to help him fight.

Before she could get another hit in, Kalt and Arcturus jumped into the fight. To his credit, Aaran did have a cool gold blade. It clashed loudly with the two acolyte’s lightsabers.

Raising her blade, Ishani slashed upward across Aaran's left side, then thrust downward, and kept it up at a relentless pace, the gaps between strikes shortening. She was far from being a great swordswoman or duelist yet, but with the others to divide Aaran’s attention three different ways, there was a greater chance at least one of her blows would land, right?...

Kalt Bruq · May 24, 2021

The sensation of being held in stasis within the force had stopped Kalt in his tracks after he had landed, the blow being countered by the Jedi just before he felt a resistance to his every move. While their intentions were good, he could tell it wouldn't work for all of them. Perhaps there were just too many to stop or the others were a bit faster to counter the effects of such a thing. It's likely that the entities did not attempt to restrain them too harshly. Kalt would end up loosening himself from the grip of the stasis by responding with his own telekinesis, using the force to provide and equal and opposite reaction to the resistance, effectively cancelling it out where he could. This allowed him enough movement to dash away just before the yellow lightsaber of his enemy could intercept him.

Ishani and Arcturus were in the thick of it with the Jedi, who seemed to be more concerned with trying to convince them away from their current course of action, considering them 'victims' or whatever. Unfortunately for him, Kalt had no such innocent intentions. Even without the very pressing matter of punishment should they fail to stop a Jedi, Kalt wanted this. He wanted to face a real enemy. To taste the threat of death and see how far he can excel in combat. That and he really didn't like Jedi. Aaran seemed to taunt Ishani for her reasoning, or at least that's how it came across to Kalt in the heat of the moment. He rejoined the fight and the four of them dueled for a few moments before Aaran broke away, displaying abnormal strength in doing so, to give them a final warning.

Kalt smiled. "I believe this presents a good opportunity to test something I have been working on," he announced, backing away and hopping back onto the top of the crashed vessel. He extinguished his lightsaber and sat on the ground, crossing his legs. He closed his eyes and drew upon the force, using his full focus to generate four force projections, two of Ishani and two of Arcturus, using them to surround the Jedi. All of the doppelgangers followed their real counter-part's lead and moving around the battlefield in a way that would help to confuse the Jedi in keeping track of the real ones. They were not entirely harmless either. Using the force, he could mimic the impact of the blades, giving them a false impact. It wouldn't carry the same devastating effects as a lightsaber, at best it would be equivalent to getting hit by a club, but it would be tangible and something that further obsfugate which was the real Arcturus or Ishani.

Adding a final effect, Kalt telekinetically lifted his lightsaber hilt and sent it, along with several illusionary copies of the blade to throw off any effort to keep track of the real one, to each of the projections, the lightsaber seeming to hide within the illusion of the doppelganger's weapons.

In summary, there were four identical copies of Arcturus and Ishani, each having weight but being unable to do real damage, except for one which has Kalt's lightsaber. The obvious weakness to this trick was that it left Kalt open, as it required all of his focus to manage. He was a sitting duck but so long as his comrades defended him, he'd be able to maintain the illusion. A Jedi might also be able to use the force to distinguish which was real and which wasn't but it would require some degree of concentration that would draw from his other abilities, and the sheer number meant he couldn't realistically keep track of all of them at once. That said, it wasn't impossible either...

[

Kal ]

Dis · May 25, 2021

Surur Pomi / Dis the Shadow(cat)
Shadowcat, explorer and wanderer; Owner of the Cat’s Paw; Member of the Greystone Mercantile

Location: Ossus
Equipment: Chosen Host | Lightsaber | Karza’Dis Mount || Nyxrazi Umbral Spherecraft (Rex)
Tags:

Kal |

"I'm glad you didn't have a part of it, thank you for your honest answer, Aaran!" told the young man.

The Shadowcat tried.

Dis couldn't do more than that, looking at Kal after their partner's "words." They knew he was right and that was the thing to do. Accepted death was natural and had no problem with it. After all, they were all mortal, the Jedi, the Sith. And Shadows are more observers than actually the creatures who intervene. They lowered their hands and stepped back as they nodded in Aaran's direction. They don't want to fight, they’ll not interfere.

~ I know, and you’re right, I accept it. ~ they answered to Kal.

Looked at Kal for a few more moments, then turned back toward the duelling mortals. They didn't feel any bond to anyone from there, the death of any of them would have been sad, yes, but it wouldn’t have touched Dis more deeply. They would have accepted if that had happened. And down there, the fight continued. In Surur's body they were able to sigh wearily.

~ What do you think what will be the result of the fight? ~ they asked Kal.

If they had to watch the Sith’s numberly superiority, the Jedi would lose, but they didn’t know the young man’s abilities, so they couldn't guess. The Shadowcat felt Ishani’s anger… mortals…

Kal · May 25, 2021

Sophisticated illusions and a grand display of energy manipulation made to seem almost casual, it made the swordsmanship seem a bit bland, albeit no less lethal. This was the kind of fight in which a single mistake could have deadly consequences - but Force Users very rarely made mistakes with deadly consequences unless pushed past their limits. One of the many advantages of prescience, that.

<It depends on who emerges victorious, I imagine. The Jedi does not wish to harm them, not truly - I believe his intent is genuine. He may wish to, ah, recondition them, of course.> Briefly, his gaze rested on Arcturus, his clear favourite among the three Sith. <The Sith have no such choice.>

If they were the victors, the Jedi would lie dead or quite likely face a fate arguably worse than death at the hands of some Lord or another.

<I have a tracker. Singular. If this Aaran incapacitates them and attempts to bring them with him, it's going on Arcturus or his transport.> Friends did not let each other rot in Jedi prisons, after all. Even if one was being stupid; at least it was born of fearful self-interest and not homicidal rage.

Or a baby-dream fuelled frenzy, as seemed to be the case for the Acolyte's smelly pink-haired partner.

Dis ||

Melydia Gold · May 25, 2021

Meanwhile...

Melydia had long since wandered off from her band of friends and would-be acquaintances. Not intentionally, of course. No, she'd simply followed a wandering flight pattern, excited by the thrill of discovery and oblivious to her lack of followers. Whoops. The insectoid didn't fret too much, though. She was never alone, after all. And her friends were all capable in their own rights, at least she'd like to think. Those she'd known less well, well, they'd probably be fine, too.

The wandering bug left her mark wherever she went, sometimes with more subtlety than others. An innate talent for creation left growth in her wake, just as it did corruption. A wandering hand would drift along lichen-covered bark, inciting a growth spurt in the lichen but also a discoloring. Whether Melydia noticed this herself, however, was anybody's guess.

Eventually, she came across a pond, drawn in by the ribbits of frogs. "Hello, new friends!" she croaked back at the amphibians, voice of many doing well to imitate their low tones. "We don't wish to bother you. No, not too much. We only wish to sit and make more friends." She opened a hand, smiling as a frog hopped into it as if under some spell. It sat there a moment, unperturbed before corrupted creation would take it, too. The frog gave a surprised croak as its limbs began to grow at uneven rates, hints of panic caught in its voice though it could not bring itself to move. "Many, many more friends."

Firrerreo · May 27, 2021

"So this is how you work."

A figure spoke, stepping beside 

 Melydia Gold
to crouch down and observe the corruption of the frog. He had a notebook in hand, idly jotting down his own notes on the process much like any observer would. Alchemy without a basin. Or, something similar. To think there was someone with such power. For the briefest moment he smiled.

Then snapped his book shut. 

"How many.. Friends do you plan to make? I would love to observe."

Arcturus Dinn · May 27, 2021

Precognition had him sensing Aaran's motions before the blade darted out, yet the heat of the moment and the arcing of his own blade made it impossible to truly circumvent the act of clashing blades. One could not shift momentum so readily, even with the knowledge of what was to come. And so it was that his blade was caught by the Jedi's, and a battle of strength began.

Arcturus continued to press his saber against Aaran's, doing his best not be distracted by Kalt's antics. So much was happening around them in that moment, as projections of himself and Ishani manifested into place.

"We cannot cease," he informed the man, rather bluntly this time, and as Ishani sent a series of blows his way Arcturus tried to keep up their lock to ensure he wouldn't have time to block against them all. Or in theory that would be the case, at least.