Healing an Enemy (Complete)

[Audren Sykes]

Location: Voss

As it turned out, Arabella's injuries had been more severe than first suspected. Given that she was a Sith, the medical work had to be done under the cover of a ysalimir for the safety of those involved; that precluded the Healers from helping much. The result was slower, less miraculous, but still plenty effective. Doctors and medical droids had worked on the Sith Lady for quite some time to simply stabilize her in orbit over Korriban, but in the end stabilization was all they'd been able to do. Thus she'd been sent on a fast medical transport to Voss.

For his part, Audren had gone gallivanting around the galaxy for a bit after seeing Arabella to the medical station. Notably, he'd headed off to Ziost, another Dark Side planet. When he returned to Korriban he'd learned that she'd been transferred to a med facility on Voss and he'd have to go there for further information. It was strongly suggested to him that he check in on her. When he arrived at the facility - which happened to be a part of the Temple - and spoke to one of the medical administrators, he'd received quite a lecture. Apparently the medics - or at least this particular one - had expected him to stay with the Sith the entire way, at least until she was released or imprisoned.

After the lecture, it was revealed that the medical procedures had been successful. Arabella was sleeping off the last of the effects, still confined to a guarded room with ysalimiri bubbles preventing Force use. The Sephi was admitted to the room, and he promptly stationed himself in a chair to wait for the woman to regain consciousness. Shouldn't take long, according to the medical droid present.

[member="Arabella Darkhold"]

 

[Arabella Darkhold]

It was the quietest time she had ever had in her life. There were not haunting taunts from the shadows, no one of the dead whispering in her ear and she dreamed. So long since she had dreams that did not end with her pacing the floor picking the dream apart for meaning.

She drew a deep breath, and then another, maybe she needed to invest in these little creatures.

Then the dull ache started her head still hurt the procedures she couldn't remember but she knew she could feel her fingers, thumbs, and toes so there was damage there. Then there was a sound, someone breathing, that gentle puff that all the living possessed.

Gradually she opened her eyes pushing upwards to see who was there, well now she thought what was his name again, she recognized the selph as the one from Korriban, but now where was she, how long had it been, how bad had it been, and...what were their plans for her.

"[member="Audren Sykes"], that is your name yes?" it sounded right, it rolled off the tongue as if she knew it, so if it was wrong...then she needed more medical attention.

 

[Audren Sykes]

The Sephi had grown tired of waiting - the droid's prediction of 'just a couple minutes' had been incorrect - and had picked up a datapad. There was still quite a bit of information for him to comb through when it came to the construction of a lightsaber hilt. Which features it could contain, which ones he wanted it to contain, and which ones it could actually contain. How the focusing crystals fit together for optimal blade cohesion was another topic. Least among the details were what shape the hilt would take and what material it would be made from. The shaping was what he was working on, working more towards something that was aesthetically pleasing as well as functional.

"Audren Sykes, that is your name yes?"

Voice. Not a droid's vocodor. Arabella then. Apparently he'd become so focused on the two-dimensional shape on the datapad's screen that he'd completely missed her waking up. Maybe it was an indication of how dependent he'd grown to Force sensations, that without them he'd stopped paying as close attention. As soon as his mind caught up with what was happening, he set down the handheld computer and turned his focus to the female. She was conscious and speaking coherently, and from what he could see her eyes were focused on him fairly well. Good signs, theoretically.

"That's me. How are you feeling?"

If he had the Force available, he'd be reaching out in a similar manner to Korriban, assessing injuries. For now though, he just had to go on her word, if she even deigned to answer. A Sith - heck, anyone - at death's door was likely to be far more cooperative than one far removed from it. Maybe the recovery would engender some good will, or maybe she was just the kind of person who would answer. One could hope.

[member="Arabella Darkhold"]

 

[Arabella Darkhold]

Arabella pushed herself up to where she could sit rather than lay, she looked about no bars, no restraints. Ok.

She gave a weak smile, "I'm ok, I think. I feel ok, everything seem to still be working" She wiggled her toes again under the blanket. The room wasn't as cold as she thought a Jedi room would be, nor was it as warm as her rooms on Atrisia.

Her father's house had many rooms she didn't recall any of them looking quite like this. She looked again to [member="Audren Sykes"] .

She could only glimpse what was on the data pad, "light saber?" her gaze rested upon the data pad. She asked because she wasn't sure what to ask she was gathering her thoughts and taking in the room, which didn't look like a cell, yes still hung up on that idea.

Cobalt blue eyes went from the data pad to the man who she assumed had made sure she was treated. "Thank you. I..assume it was you who made sure I received medical treatment." She knew there would be a scar or two a tale to tell one day to her children she hoped.

Arabella though she would not admit it was a bit unsettled. She was among the Jedi, the ones that were supposed to cut her down before she could breathe a breath. Yet, here she was. Alive. Uncertain, and searching for something to say to....well...a Jedi.

 

[Audren Sykes]

Audren nodded. Everything working was a good sign, and he was sure that the medical droid - which was thus far staying silent and out of the way - was taking its scans as they talked. Anything odd like a sudden spike in heart rate or other systems would no doubt be noted, judged, and if deemed dangerous the cause would be stopped or a medicine administered. She was sharp enough to see the screen on his datapad, aware enough to put skewed images into context.

"Good. Yes, a lightsaber. I'm working on making my own instead of having to rely on one I won from an enemy."

He didn't go into how the lightsaber held a stain that simply wouldn't go away, or how he'd won it. Though he was proud of surviving the original fight, he wasn't proud of the device itself or how long it had taken him to finally start working on a replacement for it. He couldn't even take the darn thing apart to change the crystal, the original creator had sealed it tight.

"Thank you. I..assume it was you who made sure I received medical treatment."

The Sephi didn't know if he should affirm or deny that. Technically, he hadn't really done anything besides call in the medics. The rest, from what he understood, had been more or less standard procedure. He hadn't leaned on any of them to make sure her care was more effective, for example. Again, honesty was the best policy. No need to get into the fact that he'd gone off on another tangent before heading back to find her nearly completely healed.

"I just called the medics. Everything else was fairly normal; they knew you were a Sith from the get-go. You were wounded, they patched you up."

[member="Arabella Darkhold"]

 

[Arabella Darkhold]

[SIZE=12pt]“So then you create your own just like I would” Interesting while she believed she knew that it was still a comfort to know that some things she had been taught were not lies.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]She listened, “Yes, it was a matter choice of though, was it not? You could have just let me die.” It would have been easy enough she thought, walk away and just say, one more dead Sith. But he had called the medics.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Why?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]She was concentrating hard on this though, she slowly pulled her legs up drawing the covers with it. She reached down and rubbed her leg, she could feel the scar ooo that would be a constant reminder.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]“So Jedi [member="Audren Sykes"] why didn’t you leave me to die?”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]If she was going to learn, she would have to ask questions about their behavior, could she be wrong about things, about many things? A few things?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Cobalt blue eyes stayed on him, she decided something, she liked his ears. She had never met a Selphi before. Was he pure Selphi? Was that a question to ask, or was that bad manners?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Sometimes her curiosity had to be stepped on.[/SIZE]

 

[Audren Sykes]

"So then you create your own just like I would."

"Some use ones that are given to them, but most make their own. I was given to believe Sith were the same in this subject."

Everything he'd heard and read suggested that creating a lightsaber was one of the rites of passage for Jedi and Sith both. There were others of course, there always were. Those others were, for the most part, very different. But there were a few that were similar enough to lend some credence to a shared origin of their two groups.

She was right of course, he could have just let her die. It would have been simple too. She was already wounded when he'd stumbled across her, already dying. He could simply have walked past, pretended he'd never seen her. She would have died then, either from her existing wounds or when one of the unusually dangerous creatures making up the planet's wildlife found her. He could have even stayed there, watched her die slowly. He suspected, however, that both would be the start of walking the Dark Side, especially staying to watch her die.

"So Jedi Audren Sykes why didn’t you leave me to die?"

How to explain that one. He could say that he didn't know she was a Sith until the end, and by then he'd already offered his help. It was technically true, she hadn't acknowledged that she was a Sith until she fell unconscious. But it wasn't the real truth.

"If you and I had been fighting, and there was more fighting to be done, things would have been different. I would have left you and moved on. If we'd been fighting alone, I probably would have called for medics. But we didn't fight, you were already wounded and didn't even try. So honestly? Because it was the right thing to do at the time. For all I know once you find a way out of here you could go on to slaughter planets, but the decision to help would still have been right at the time."

Hindsight, perfect vision, old sayings. Maybe if she was infamous for her Dark Side-inspired deeds throughout the galaxy he might not have helped, that was one of those morally gray areas. More gray than the current one, as it was. Or if she'd been too wounded to be helped, which happened from time to time even with the miracle that was modern medicine. He might have ended her suffering then. But those situations hadn't been the case and were just mere speculation.

His throat felt dry now, he didn't usually speak that much at one time. Heck, he might have used up his daily word quota with that one...if he had such a quota.

[member="Arabella Darkhold"]

 

[Arabella Darkhold]

"I believe we are crafting a light saber indicates two things, promotion, or skill change." She smiled again, she was trying to be..just Arabella. Considering that the room was taken care of by a force bubble that nulled her talents it was easy to just be Arabella.

Bella listened he made a logical argument for his choices she considered this. "That line of logic goes against what I've been told." She looked down for a moment as she thought about the answer, since she had been hurt, and the injuries were not from them fighting he felt it the right thing to do. Still this contradicted what she had been told over the years. "I have been told Jedi just kill Sith because they look at Sith and see nothing but evil."

Her gaze came up looking across at him, watching to see if he flinched, moved, something that would tell her more about what he was thinking. "Do the Jedi believe everyone who bears the tag of Sith is evil?" Was she evil? Was she too blind to see evil? She wasn't sure how do you look at yourself in a mirror after earning an achievement and think that was evil.

[member="Audren Sykes"]

 

[Audren Sykes]

"I believe we are crafting a light saber indicates two things, promotion or skill change."

The Sephi tilted his head at that, his eyes now looking past Arabella at nothing as he thought on the matter. To a degree he could agree with that, they were two of the more prominent reasons for making a new lightsaber. There were two others that he would also consider common, though each person's reasons were different. As his eyes returned to focus on her, he nodded slightly.

"Yes, or a change in tactics or replacing a destroyed hilt. Much more common now in the galactic conflict than it was in ages past."

Jedi kill Sith because they see nothing but evil? It was a possibility to be sure. He'd heard of killing Sith because there was no way for them to be contained, or when the Sith continued to fight every waking moment. There were many ways to contain a Sith, from ysalamiri to Force-resistant cuffs to cutting them off from the Force with Force Light. Each was rare though, the last rarer than the rest. And with the power, fanatical followers, and advances in the various Force branches none of them could be counted on as an end-all solution. Too, in the past killing a Sith had ended the threat...not so much any more.

She wasn't looking for a response to that though, but to the wider question of whether Jedi saw all Sith as evil. In short, he couldn't answer that. He couldn't speak for all Jedi, for their experiences with Sith and what they determined as 'evil'. For all that he wanted to believe 'evil' had a singular definition, he understood that each person interpreted it differently. Only his opinion could be offered here.

"Each person determines what is 'evil' differently. I can only speak for myself on the matter, and I am no Force scholar. That said, from what I've seen those who use the Dark Side are capable of far more evil than those who use the light. Innocents, whole worlds slaughtered. Captured Jedi - and enemies of the dark sider - tortured in horrific ways. Is it only Sith? No, I think not. Yet I have not heard of a light sider, someone who is truly of the Light and not pretending, doing that sort of thing."

More talking. His throat was drier than it had been before...so he stood and walked to the sink, where he grabbed a flimsiplast cup, filled it, and drank it in one go. He then refilled it and held up another cup in mute question of whether she wanted one before speaking again.

"However, using the dark side doesn't necessarily mean that one will do that. You could use the dark side, never harming another in your lifetime. The dark merely has a greater potential."

[member="Arabella Darkhold"]

 

[Arabella Darkhold]

"Are you ok, you're drinking a lot?"

She was thinking also on what he said about darkness and light. "My father says that if we use our emotions in any way and influence the force that we are sith." Her curiosity was growing, what he said gave her some hope that she and if she could she could go but what about her..her thoughts jumbled.

"Audren, am I allowed outside this room? Do you mind my calling you Audren? You can call me Bella" She didn't want to see the temple, "Can I go outside?" She was no accustomed to being inside so much, even Hyogo had grand gardens that she walked in and high ceilings that did not crowd upon her. She liked being outside the most, many did not know that she could not share it. Sharing it would expose a weakness, a weakness that she'd sooner or later have to defend. She was growing tired of having defend the simplest of things in her life.

Perhaps these Jedi knew something that she could use, something that would make it so she could at least see her mother. What would she say if she could?

Bella knew she had to know more about this Jedi way of thinking even if it was selfish reason for learning.

Bella had done only a few things that were awful, could she still not be considered Sith having done them?

Only the Jedi could help her to understand.

[member="Audren Sykes"]

 

[Audren Sykes]

"Just don't talk this much usually."

She continued as he sat back down, explaining what her father told her. For his part, Audren couldn't imagine what kind of father would want his daughter to walk the path of the Sith. At times, being killed was the best of the available options among the contentious group, by all accounts the members of the Sith - even if they weren't themselves trained or even capable of touching the Force - were brutal. More importantly though, he thought on what the father had taught the daughter, that using emotions in any way then using the Force made them Sith. If that were the case...

"Not necessarily true. There are Jedi who teach their students to use positive emotions such as love when drawing on the Force. Others don't subscribe to that theory, but I can tell you from experience that those who do are not drawing on the dark side. They teach that negative emotions like fear and anger are what trigger the Dark Side. Personally, I think emotions are volatile. Love can morph to anger or rage in a heartbeat or be both at the same time. In that case they very well could draw upon the darkness. Best to avoid the temptation, I think."

"Audren, am I allowed outside this room? Do you mind my calling you Audren? You can call me Bella. Can I go outside?"

Ah. The tricky question, the one who's answer - if he was judging her correct - might cause some problems. It was the asking twice bit that clued him in, otherwise he wouldn't have picked up on it at all. The fact of the matter was that she was a prisoner, unfortunately. There may be cases where she would be allowed outside, but he was almost willing to bet that she would not like them.

"Audren is my name, there to be used.

There are guards outside the door, Bella. They are there to deny people who shouldn't be coming in as well as to prevent you from leaving. You have claimed the title of Sith, something that cannot be ignored. Once the medics deem you well enough, I'm told you will be transferred to a cell designed to hold Sith. If you are allowed out, it will likely be under guard and ysalamiri. Unless you can convince them you are not a threat."

It started in a roundabout manner, but he got to the answer. The one she probably wouldn't like. It was not the kind of news he enjoyed giving, but in some cases it had to be done. He'd almost given her the number of the guards outside, but had realized just before stating it that she might be able to use that information in an escape attempt. Then whatever injuries were given those guards would be on him. They were allies, she was a prisoner and a Sith. He had to prioritize their lives and well-being over her curiosity.

[member="Arabella Darkhold"]

 

[Arabella Darkhold]

[member="Audren Sykes"]​

She nodded she was a prisoner afterall but she had a condition seasonal affective disorder, she needed the sun otherwise her would grow dark and broody and become every bit a sith in temperment as any Jedi would have an expectation of. But this too was a weakness and to disclose it would expose her.

"Jedi believe in love? But love is so..or can be so volatile." She nodded when he said that he believed emotions were volatile. "Emotions they twist us up inside, when someone you care about is in trouble dividing your attention between what could be a fight for your life and watching someone take theirs.." She stopped she had seen Muadie do that tear himself a part into a million tiny fragments that she agonized over. It finally drove him away from her, leaving her feeling raw and angry.

He had taken to calling her Bella that was good she liked hearing the familiar name it gave her something familiar to hang onto in a strange place where she felt more alien by the moment.

"I'm not a threat, and I don't mind guards, or the ysaIlamiri. The force dampening creatures provide a peace I'm not often granted." She thought about what he was saying comparing it to what she had been taught, learned, and witnessed.

"Have you ever touched the force when angry Audren?" She was curious again about this Jedi sitting with her.

 

[Audren Sykes]

"Jedi believe in love?"

Oh, that one stung. He hoped how she meant it wasn't the same as how he now interpreted it, but even so. Was that how the galaxy saw Jedi? They were still living beings, with all the emotions and bits that were part of their species. They simply didn't let themselves be controlled by that. Love was a common one, and married Jedi had become next to commonplace since the time of the Old Republic. Heck, the two highest-ranked Masters in the Sanctum were married.

"Emotions they twist us up inside, when someone you care about is in trouble dividing your attention between what could be a fight for your life and watching someone take theirs.."

On that he could not comment. Yes, it was sad every time a friend fell, but it was not the same heart-rending feeling that he'd seen on others. He had not experienced that - nor did he care to - but did have some ideas on the matter. Ideas that would be left unsaid. Chief among them was the response that would seem coldest: they knew the risks. Situational, absolutely. Even so.

It was odd to hear a Sith say they didn't mind the ysalamir. That it granted them a rare peace. To be fair, he'd never heard a Sith say otherwise, but others had. In his case, the creatures had granted peace from the Dark Side on and around Korriban. When he wasn't surrounded by the Darkness on all sides, the Force itself was a comfort. Its absence right now was similar to seeing in black and white after seeing in color, and he suspected that for others who'd been aware of the Force longer it would be worse. It made him think that maybe she wasn't so far gone.

Then she asked her next question.

"Have you ever touched the force when angry Audren?"

He very much hoped it didn't show, but at that instant his guard was raised higher. That was a gateway question if he'd ever heard one, and he would not be caught off guard by it. Here in the field cast by the ysalamiri he could not touch the Darkness, but that didn't mean he couldn't be tempted. A seed planted now could take root later, which would be unacceptable. Hence the guard.

"I have not."

[member="Arabella Darkhold"]

 

[Arabella Darkhold]

[member="Audren Sykes"]​

​

If he had not touched the force in anger then he could not answer her question she could not compare it to herself for frame of reference or understand how it would feel. She nodded her acknowledgement of his answer.

Bella stared at the blanket, "I've" she didn't lift her eyes she just bore holes into the blanket, "have never known anything but what I am. " She lifted her gaze to meet Audren's her confusion would show, "I don't know what to do right now" Bella raked her fingers through her hair shoving it backwards away from her face. She could feel the long strands pull through her fingers someone had brushed her hair.

She had dreamed so many things growing up, and she knew her father loved her and taught her to defend herself. All that she knew of the Jedi came from hearsay and now in the midst of an enclave she had the opportunity to ask questions, and they were afraid of what she would do.

So, what was she to do, accept the circumstances and give up.

Push poor Audren for answers when clearly she was pushing him to speak longer than accustomed.

She was an inconvenience that they would lock away soon in some dark cell.

The lack of sun was beginning to take it's toll, her mood was changing, as well as her outlook.

She just didn't know what to ask.. She sighed, "If I were a stranger and you were asked why you are a Jedi, what would you say?" maybe there would be something in this that he could share that would help her to know more. She was a Sith because her father was a sith and she wanted to please him, her brother was a Jedi and always at odds with their father...so...why was Audren a Jedi.

 

[Audren Sykes]

He had personally lived with and without the Force. The two parts of his life were radically different; he didn't look back on his time on Cholganna with distaste or regret or a longing for something simpler, it was simply there. It was the past, and he was able to use what he'd learned there now in the present. Were there things he wished had happened differently? Absolutely. That was life however.

Her mannerisms were starting to change. Slightly, to be sure, but there was little else here to focus on. The droid noticed something too, shifting its head slightly and refocusing the photoreceptors to get a better view on her vitals. It didn't say anything though, didn't stop the conversation at all, which was well within its rights as doctor.

Then she asked why he was a Jedi.

A simple question, but the answer was more complicated. Oh, there was a short one, but it didn't explain much of anything. He took a second to frame the answer before actually starting to speak. The complete answer would seem to be off-topic, yet he hoped she would give him a bit of patience so he could actually get there.

"The planet I grew up on was not a tame one. My parents were doctors, constantly patching up people of all species. They wanted me to do that, but I didn't. The forest was more fun, so I became one of the outriders. I learned how to fight, how to survive. It quickly became evident that the outriders were not an organization to have fun, they were there to protect people. We were there to protect people.

There are plenty of Force Users that aren't Jedi or Sith. On my home planet, I could deal with things ordinary people couldn't. As a Jedi, I can do the same. I can help stop the things that actually go bump in the night, the things that would enslave or kill wantonly. By standing in their way, I can help make the galaxy a little better."

[member="Arabella Darkhold"]

 

[Arabella Darkhold]

"A better place" she whispered how many times had her father said how much he wanted to change the galaxy for it to be a better place. But she knew just from listening to [member="Audren Sykes"] that he meant it in a far different way than her father had meant it. She couldn't smile right now, she couldn't focus.

She shifted in the bed it was hard sometimes to just sit still and from the soreness of her back she had a feeling she had been doing it far too much. "My Aunt is a doctor, I am told she's pretty good at it. Luckily i've not had need for many doctors. "Things that go bump in the night' she nodded she imagined when she was younger and stories were read to her that someone would come and save her from things in the night.

"You seem very kind Audren I am grateful for your company, as you didn't need to come, and that you didn't leave me to die." She didn't have many friends, perhaps one day she could be friends with someone like Audren who seemed to have great control on things. She had never had that kind of control she was volatile.

Emotionally, and that is what it seemed gave her skills. "It sounds like you made your choice quite easily" She had hummed and hawed over it and in the end chose her father more than she chose being a Sith. However if you hang with darkness you cannot help but have darkness touch you, it touched her.

Bella decided she needed to move and look, she carefully swung her feet from beneath the blanket over the side of the bed. Slowly she moved her right leg to where a single toe touched the floor, she inched closer to the edge putting weight on both her feet now that she had them there.

She smiled that was pretty good, "I wish I could go outside though, its been too long since I was outside." That sinking feeling returned, "Do Sith ever fall and become Jedi?" Was there hope? Or would he say something else?

 

[Audren Sykes]

Audren acknowledged her thanks with a slow nod of his head. Many would have argued that he didn't have to do what he did, but as he knew it to be the right thing, he had to do it. Simple, but it seemed many weren't raised that way. To be sure, everyone seemed to have different ideas on what was 'right' in the galaxy, but there were still people that didn't do what they knew to be right.

"It sounds like you made your choice quite easily."

Indeed, one could choose to look at the situation that way. Then again, any number of circumstances - such as parents putting guiding influence on things - could skew the situation beyond what was readily apparent. Personally, he saw it a different way. A subtle difference, to be sure, but a difference nonetheless.

"Or that I have yet to encounter the choice."

The Sephi watched as she swung her legs out from under the blanket. He made no move to stop her; if the doctors didn't want her moving the droid would have put up a protest by now, and it had been clear from the get-go that she had clothing on. Though he didn't begrudge her the sensation of feet on the no-doubt cold floor, that was always a quick way to wake up in the morning. He anticipated more questions, but the particular one she asked caught him off guard. To give himself more time to formulate a reply to it, he instead commented on the 'going outside'.

"Once the doctors say you're up for it, we'll talk to the wardens, see what arrangements can be made.

As far as falling...it's usually spoken of in the other direction. Perspective, I guess. Falling to the dark from the light. But to answer your question, yes. I'm told Taeli Raaf is one such example, moving from a highly-ranked Sith to eventually becoming a Jedi Master. However, I also know that there are those among the Coalition who use the Dark Side. Some use the Dark exclusively, some use both the Light and Dark, many use just the Light. But none claim the title of Sith, all work towards a better galaxy for all."

He wasn't a recruiter, honestly. In fact, the inclusion and acceptance of the Dark Side in the Coalition was something he was personally strongly wary of, and to his knowledge it was something unique to other major Jedi splinters. However, he also wasn't in charge of the organization. That meant he followed leadership directions in divisive matters...but still stayed prepared. Would it be better for Arabella to give up the Dark Side cold-turkey? Yes, he genuinely thought so. It was difficult though, from what he was told, and achieving one's balance was better for all involved. Whatever situation she found herself in, choices were available.


[member="Arabella Darkhold"]

 

[Arabella Darkhold]

[member="Audren Sykes"]​

​

"I would appreciate that" she responded to his saying they would talk to the wardens. She couldn't exist without sunlight if everyone thought about it they couldn't either the sun provided strength and warmth that the body often craved, her cravings were just a bit more extreme.

"If one is dark it would be considered a fall to the light, just as someone who is light falls to the dark. But" He had her attention on this one sentence, "How can you have force users who use the dark side and yet be considered of the light? That's very confusing" And her confusion showed in her eyes she sat there mulling over the words taking on the number of possibilities that a single sentence could bring to her.

"So, it's just that they don't call themselves Sith?" She could use the darkside and not be a Sith??!!! How was that possible?????

Why did she not know more about this, was there something she could read, something that told her how to explain this difference? She bit her lip so hard it began to bleed she quickly wiped the iron taste from her mouth. Audren had just thrown a wrench into the workings of Arabella's mind.

 

[Audren Sykes]

Audren grimaced, very slightly. He didn't like admitting what he didn't know, and this was a case where he didn't know many of the specifics. He knew those affiliated with the Sanctum were not Sith, even though they used the Dark Side. He wouldn't consider them of the Light, but no doubt some might. Too confusing. He could only imagine how it looked for someone on the outside.

"I have no doubt some would, but I wouldn't categorize them as 'of the Light', as they use the Dark Side. But supposedly they are not Sith either, though I could not tell you why. They are allied and part of an organization that dedicates itself to the Light. It's complicated, I don't even come close to understanding it."

It didn't help that he'd never taken any of the formal philosophy classes from the Jedi. He didn't know the minute differences that shifted a Dark Jedi from a Sith or otherwise. He just knew there were differences. He wasn't so engrossed in his thoughts that he missed the blood however, and the droid was monitoring the girl's vitals. Even though it was facing away from her and couldn't see the blood, it would be able to see the bit left on her hand as she wiped it away in addition to her vitals. But where Audren's question was pointed at Bella, the droid's statement was directed at him.

"Are you okay, Bella?"

"If there is further disruption, you will have to leave."

[member="Arabella Darkhold"]

 

[Arabella Darkhold]

[member="Audren Sykes"]​

​

Bella wiped her lip frustration getting the better part of her and now such confusion over it all. She heard the warning from the droid her gaze quickly shifted over to Audren, "I'm fine Audren, thank you" She really wanted a cup of tea now something warm and familiar of home something comforting.

Was she fine, no. Her mind reeled on all that was happening. She grew still as she tried to clear her thoughts to focus. "Audren I need to understand." What could she say to him that she didn't believe herself to be evil, though she wasn't sure she would say she was all good, she definitely wasn't all good. There can be no light without the darkness she had read this and wondered how it would apply to her.

Could she change? Could she be of the light? And yet still be of the dark?

It was important for her to learn the difference.

"Our conversation is confusing to me and leaves me questions about what I could be." She sighed, "Perhaps in time I can speak with one of these individuals and learn from them the difference. Do you think that is possible?"