Private Frozen Bones and a Chilly Reception?

[Rayia Si]

Darth Virelia
Location: Nordra
Time: Dusk, approximately 8:00pm local time

---

Rayia had been wandering for some time now. Rather than tie herself to one specific faction, with the exception of the wild space rebellion, she traversed the Middle and Outer Rims doing good where she could regardless of who offered it. She conducted such excursions carefully, often hitching a ride in the cargo bay of varying cargo vessels as an unregistered passenger when she could. In all honesty, she was a little wearied. Tension was high and it bled into the motions of everyone she interacted with, smothering her with the vibrations and motions of a system poised to snap.

Thankfully, she did have the occasional distraction such as the mission she found herself on now. One deeply rooted in personal desires yet important nonetheless. Her sources had finally tracked down a potent artifact relevant to her tribe- no, to the Felacatian people: a stolen Volusen or Bone of Gold. It was rooted somewhere within this very system. ‘Perhaps even on this frigid iceberg of a world,’ Rayia thought as she wrapped her fluffy tail tighter around her waist.

A small puff of steam trailed into the air as Rayia’s breath escaped. The corner of her lips pulled into a quizzical frown. Clawed fingers tapped idly on the metallic surface of her comms array as the Felacatian turned it over in her hands. In retrospection, she wondered if this had been such a good idea. Just a little while ago, her battered comms array had pinged with an encrypted signal. Having slipped off the ship and into one of the Nord settlements, Rayia had used her Felacatian ability to sense motion to avoid being seen by the locals. She had been careful to cover her tracks as well as she traversed the secluded settlement. Yet, someone apparently knew she was here.

Instinct, the Force, call it what you will insisted she respond. Something about it felt… familiar.

Click

 

[Darth Virelia]

"Unfinished Craftsmanship"

- TAG: Rayia Si

It had not been long after Rayia stepped upon the ice world of Nordra that Virelia was informed of her arrival. The Tyrant Queen had long ago marked the smith as a person of interest amongst her corrupt local officials, ensuring that if the magnificent artist of the forge ever wandered within reach of her claws again, she would not slip unnoticed through the cracks of the world.

And so Virelia moved to intercept the Jedi's journey through the bleak wilderness.

It was a dangerous path to tread. Treacherous cliffs loomed beneath curtains of snow, while volcanic fissures split the frozen earth apart with rivers of molten fire waiting far below for a single careless misstep. Yet Rayia had endured it safely. That, at least, did not surprise Virelia in the slightest. Those touched by the Force always seemed gifted with surviving conditions that should have killed lesser beings ten times over.

The trail led toward one of the scattered Nord settlements.

Virelia doubted the Jedi would reveal herself openly to the locals unless absolutely necessary. Choosing much the same, she wrapped herself within the Force and moved unseen through the settlement, a shadow drifting between snow-covered structures until she ascended a tower overlooking much of the village below.

Ahh… There.

Between the tavern and a small stone dwelling, Rayia lingered patiently, waiting for the drunken locals nearby to finally disperse. They were easy enough to distinguish: loud, stumbling fools against the poised, feline dexterity of the Felacatian standing amongst them.

Now was the perfect moment.

Virelia stepped from the tower and crossed the settlement in silence, using the Force to carry her through the air. She leapt across rooftops and narrow streets alike, levitating just enough to mask her landing while her Force Cloak concealed her entirely from sight. Slowly, deliberately, she approached from behind the smith.

There were many possibilities here. Many paths this meeting could take, but Rayia had remained a particular fascination to Virelia for a very, very long time.

Click.

The sharp sound of defensive systems activating broke the silence as Virelia allowed her Force cloak to fall away just behind Rayia. There would be no interruptions now. Not when the prize that had captivated her for so long had finally wandered onto Nordra of its own accord.

Like a predator savoring the moment before the strike, Virelia allowed the Jedi a brief instant to gather her senses. And when Rayia inevitably turned, she would be greeted by the sight of the six-eyed mask staring back at her through the falling snow.

Virelia's voice emerged smooth and noble as ever, touched by that familiar sultry cadence.

"Rayia… it is a pleasure to see you again."

 

[Rayia Si]

Darth Virelia
Location: Nordra
Time: Dusk, approximately 8:00pm local time

---

Rayia had felt a presence moving behind her as she had entered the settlement. Her finely tuned Felacatian senses could register and interpret vibrations of motion, after all. Being followed had given her a measure of pause and she had stepped into the alley to be discreet. If she was going to fight, the fewer witnesses the better. Her fingers had tightened on the hilt within her cloak. But she had not sensed a Force signature. Not until the click of defensive systems around her sprang to life and a familiar, metallic tang roiled in Rayia’s mouth.

Rayia reacted almost instantly. Feline reflexes firing as she spun around. Golden, catlike irises finding… Virelia. Rayia stopped in her tracks, letting Light Fang lamely find her hip again. She straightened, attempting to gather herself in the face of someone she hadn’t expected to see again. Yet she supposed she should have expected it, given the galaxy’s tendency to inspire their odd dance.

Face smoothed into something not quite unperturbed, Rayia replied. “Serina. This is a surprise.” As usual, Rayia did not bother with titles as most people did. The galaxy was more suited for blunt directness nowadays besides. Those golden orbs took in Virelia’s armor and weaponry, noting everything. Especially a distinct lack of one item in particular.

After a brief moment, Rayia’s lips pursed together. She didn’t suspect Virelia meant her any harm… directly. Not with -whatever it was- between them. Plus, Rayia had already hosted her twice and if there was anything a Sith hated it was being shown up. But Rayia couldn’t be too careful.

“So…what now?”

 

[Darth Virelia]

"Unfinished Craftsmanship"

- TAG: Rayia Si

It was all so very… casual.

A small disappointment to the Tyrant Queen, if she were being truthful with herself. Virelia had always adored dramatic flair—the sharp gasp of surprise, the shudder of anticipation, the delicious tension that came from prey realizing the predator had already cornered them long before they noticed the hunt had even begun.

Yet Rayia offered none of that, instead, there was only familiarity.

As though the Felacatian had long since accepted that Virelia would inevitably appear somewhere behind her shadow one day, waiting patiently for the perfect moment to emerge. Still, Virelia could not find it within herself to be displeased by such a thing. If Rayia expected her, then the Jedi had carried thoughts of her for some time now, and the Tyrant Queen was immensely fond of occupying space within the minds of others.

There were, of course, two ways this could proceed.

The first was dreadfully boring. She could simply instruct Rayia to accompany her back to the Nordra facility, and the two of them could endure the long frozen trek in near-total silence before discussing matters somewhere warmer and more private.

The second option, however…

Dangerous. Far more dangerous.

Not in the sense of violence—Virelia had no intention of harming Rayia—but dangerous in a far subtler way. The sort of danger that came from proximity, temptation, and the slow erosion of certainty. Whether the young Jedi could truly withstand that kind of pressure was another matter entirely.

Still, the choice belonged to Virelia, and she rather enjoyed that fact.

There was something deeply satisfying about holding complete control over the moment, about Rayia quietly surrendering the initiative into her hands. A devout Jedi allowing a dark and terrible woman to decide the course of their encounter—it was the sort of irony Virelia found endlessly amusing.

More than that, Rayia clearly understood she was not in danger.

Virelia had never desired her death. Quite the opposite. Rayia's craftsmanship alone had elevated her beyond the countless forgettable figures scattered throughout the galaxy. The way she maintained the halberd had ensured that much.

And so, after allowing the silence to linger just long enough, Virelia began to slowly approach the younger woman. Snow drifted softly between them as the sultry cadence of her vox-filtered voice returned once more.

"Well, darling, I am quite certain we have much to re-acquaint ourselves on. I have been a very busy woman since we last met… and I imagine you have as well."

She came to a stop directly before Rayia now, towering slightly over her. Six violet eyes stared down through the mask with a vicious intensity that somehow never crossed into outright hostility.

"Why don't you come with me?" she purred. "It would be such a terrible shame to see someone like you wasting away amongst the dregs of this world. Hiding amongst drunkards and savages…"

Her head tilted slightly.

"Someone as special as you deserves far more than that."

A brief pause followed. Then:

"Besides… I would be more than happy to help you." Her voice softened into something almost intimate. "People do not come to places like this without a reason, after all."