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[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

"I'm sure you do." Vrak said as he held her there, watching the flick of her tongue over her teeth.

He gave her a pleased smile for a moment, eyes wandering over the curl of her lips and towards her Lekku. For a moment he lingered, watching as the twin tails curled slightly. The Pureblood was slowly beginning to understand what she said through them.. The sixth month absence hadn't helped in that regard, but he could at the very least tell her general mood through the Lekku, if she wasn't actively paying attention to what she was doing with them anyway.

"And as long as you're good." He pressed her a bit more tightly against the wall. "I'll fulfill every single one."

What could she possibly want that he couldn't give?

Besides his own death, he could grant her almost anything. Not that he always would. Eventually he would be in a position to do as he pleased, whenever he pleased, but for now he had to keep her happy. His thumbs pressed into her hips, and then slowly he allowed her back to her feet. "For now, however."

Vrak said as he released her, turning and beginning to wander towards a small cabinet in the corner of the room.

"I have a gift for you." Amusement drifted in his tone.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Pink toes touched the surface of the floor first, followed by heels. The Twi'lek remained where she was released, instead crossing her left leg in front of the other and her arms over one another.

Her nose shifted with her lekku in tandem, curious to see what he was getting at. "Oh?" What kind of gift would he bother to get for her? For a single moment her thoughts shifted to something of a collar which momentarily flared her emotions, especially given in the manner he spoke the words. The only thing that stifled her anger was the reassurance that he couldn't possibly be stupid enough to try and give her a collar, restraint, or otherwise symbol of ownership.

Not after their first meeting.

"I didn't get you anything." She said both as a joke and entirely uncaring of the fact.

A sarcastic tone carried through her words, as well as a deviant grin. "I had no idea you cared so much."

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

"Of course I care." Vrak said as he wandered over towards the Cabinet. He pulled open the doors, shifting some clothes and small boxes around before he turned to her. "You've done such a good job for me after all."

"That deserves a reward." Not to mention that she had stayed when he'd been gone for six months. She could joke and taunt all that she wanted, but the truth was she could very easily have left. She wouldn't have had the palace of his servants, no, but she would have been just fine on her own. Instead she had stayed. Vrak had no illusions about her willingness to kill him, but the fact that she had stayed, and was still holding to the deal that they had made...well it was a good sign.

It also meant that he had to keep her tied. "Now, get on the bed."

He motioned to her before turning once again.

The gift that he had in mind for her hadn't actually been created for her specifically, but it would work well enough. The item, or items rather had been one of the few things he'd specifically requested be saved. He dug through the cabinet for a minute more, eventually finding the ornate wooden box he was seeking. Crimson fingers ran over inlaid gold, a small smile pulling over his lips as he stood to his full height and took the box from the cabinet.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

The words were cryptic. Generally that left her concerned for the motives of the person speaking them.

Coming from Vrak? That doubled her weariness. When a Sith congratulates you on a good job, that generally meant you were about to be either killed, or somehow maimed in a way. Sure, he wasn't quite like the other Sith she'd come across in her time, but he was still Sith, a pureblood even, the very essence of what the other modern Sith strove to be and model. That was why it concerned her. Sera knew he wanted power, would do anything to get it. They both knew she was stronger than he. What lengths he would go for that power? Killing her was a small stepping stone if he had discovered a way to somehow take what was hers.

"No." She said gingerly, looking to gauge his reaction by her refusal to do as he asked. "What is in the box, first?"

Just because they'd made a deal didn't mean she trusted him any more than he trusted her. If Sera had ordered him to sit down while she got some kind of foreign device, calling it a gift, he would likely be more than a bit nervous himself.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

"Your gift." He told her as he turned back towards her, a small smile still on his lips.

Her refusal was no great surprise of course, he suspected that she thought he was going to collar her or put her in some sort of restraints. Perhaps she thought he had been pushed too far once more, perhaps she thought he had enough of her.

She would be surprised.

"It is old." Vrak said in a cryptic hint. "It will not harm or hurt you."

Slowly The Pureblood wandered over to her, a small smile on his face. The box was kept in his hands, held as one might hold an ancient vase. His fingers latched around the intricate woodwork until he stopped just short of her. "You can always kill me If I'm lying."

The look on his face made it seem like he thought the scenario amusing.

"Now." He motioned to his left. "Get on the bed."

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

A moment passed where Seraphina considered slapping the box from his hands. His cryptic words only raised her suspicion further. How could she kill him if it was some sort of Force restraint? That wasn't exactly out of the realm of possibility, it wasn't as if such devices were terribly difficult to come by, at least not for someone with his background.

"Very well."

It seemed as though he was not keen on letting her in on the secret of what's in the box. Instead she would have to rely on her reflexes once the box was opened, should it be something harmful to her life, or if it resembled some kind of ancient restraint.

But still, why would he give me a gift?

With a head full of skepticism she dropped her hands and padded pink feet to the bed, turning and sitting just at the edge before looking back up at the Pureblood.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

Vrak watched her for a moment, a satisfied smile drawing on his lips as she slowly did as she had been told. Sera sat herself down on the edge of the bed, still weary of what he had in store for her. The Pureblood lingered in the center of the room for just one moment, and then followed after her.

He said nothing as he approached her, instead he placed a single hand upon her. He looked down at her, and then slowly placed the box between them. Without a single word he withdrew the top of the ornate wood, sliding the gold engraved box open to reveal a set of two large rings. He watched her for a reaction, simply seeing if she would know what they were.

If Sera studied up on her own culture, which he suspected she had, she would know that they were Lekku rings.

They were distinct enough in appearance. Too small to be a collar, too thick to be bracelets, and the odd adjustable clasps marking them for what they were.

Common enough as items of jewelry and neither demeaning nor associated with the slave trade that was so common among her species. These rings specifically were carved of pure Aurodium, intricate engravings cut into them, beautiful lines that formed an ornate pattern.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

For almost a minute the Twi'lek said nothing, instead simply gazed at the box and the rings within. Bewilderment fell over her, studying the design of the metallic objects. Initially they appeared to be some kind of restraint, though her concern for the idea fell away seconds later when she realized they were not intended to be used as such.

"These..." Sera leaned a bit more forward to inspect the items. A pink hand raised, brushing against the metal. "Are very old."

Vrak was presenting her with quite literally a piece of Sith history. The woman had never seen a pair of these in her lifetime, at least, none that were real and not simply decorative modern copies. "How did you get these?" There was a sense of genuine curiosity in her voice, eyes raising just briefly to gaze at Vrak, almost expecting him to take them away in exchange for some other negotiated deal. When her green eyes fell back to the rings she looked almost confused.

"And why would you give them to me?"

True enough that he couldn't use them himself, given that he did not have a set of head tails, and that they were given to people much like her, but Vrak also wasn't the most generous man either. The sudden desire to give her a gift was almost off putting.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

"They are." He confirmed. The rings were part of a set which had been originally crafted six thousand years ago during the resurgent Empire. They were powerful artifacts, meant to make already skilled assassins even more so. Vrak had learned the story behind them at a young age, when his father had been cataloging the artifacts within the Nashar household. He'd never truly cared for them of course, he had no Lekku, but now that he had Sera?

There was opportunity.

"My lineage hails from keepers of history." He told her, allowing her to slowly touch the rings within the box. "We hold not just stories of our people, but artifacts and Holocrons."

His library was filled with them. "These were crafted during the Resurgent Empire."

He could see the admiration in her eyes, the slight want. He could understand it, these were a piece of Twi'lek history, not an important piece of course, but something that was important in it's own little way. Vrak would have felt the same had someone showed him Naga Sadow's crown or Sword.

"They are special." He told her as he slowly leaned down. "Made with Sith Alchemy. They allow a Twi'lek to see the unseen. To sense what is around them not through the force, but something else."

Vrak didn't really understand it, though he knew it was the same ability that Togruta held naturally.

"Why would I not give them to you?" Vrak asked, his finger trailing beneath her chin for just a second.

"You are mine after all." Whatever broken definition of that they used. "I said I would fulfill your every desire and more."

This would be the 'more'.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

The Twi'lek's head lifted to meet the Sith's eyes, green against amber. She lingered in silence for a minute.

"And for these? What is it that I owe you in return?"

She assumed there had to be a catch of some sort. It was difficult to fathom why he would just give her a pair of ancient trinkets out of the goodness of his heart, however little there was in there to begin with.

Pink hands lifted the pair of rings from the box, turning them over a few times to get a better look at them. They were relatively light, even considering their size.

"May I?" She asked, intending to attach them to the highly sensitive head tails hanging behind her shoulders.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

"Nothing." He told her with a smile, slowly pulling back as she plucked the rings from the box. She would expect something of course, some sort of payment or punishment that he would exact for this gift, but there was nothing.

At least not yet.

He watched her trace her fingers over the small rings in fascination, her enthrallment more than obvious. The Pureblood hadn't quite expected this reaction. He'd known that she would like them, but he'd expected more suspicion, more convincing on his part to actually get them to wear and use them. The fact of the matter of course was that her wearing the Rings was better for him. The more she used them, the stronger she would become, the better she could kill for him.

That was it. "Of course."

He told her as he slowly held out a hand.

"You must be careful, however" His hand gently came to cup her cheek as she reached back. 'The rings can be disorienting, you'll need to focus."

Adding another sense to the ones you already had was difficult enough.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Carefully the woman opened the rings, making note of what Vrak had said. She hadn't ever worn them herself, so this was an entirely new experience. A quick nod was made before she snapped them shut gently over the head tails, adjusting them to fit comfortably. For a few short seconds nothing happened. Everything seemed rather normal, leading her to almost believe they were broken.

"I think something might be wrong." Green eyes stared back at the Sith, "Nothing's happ-

Then it hit her like a sky-car at full throttle. Much in the same way as an adult having been blind their whole life finally seeing for the first time would be overwhelming, this too was simply too much for the fallen Jedi. A lightheaded sensation overtook her, hands raising to her forehead to try and balance herself even while she sat. "I don't feel good." She spat out quickly. Sliding herself off the bed and onto her knees her hands hit the floor, head hanging as she began to feel the new sense unravel inside of her mind. Every sound became amplified with precise location. Her stomach turned and her mouth filled with saliva.

"I'm gonna be sick." She warned. He either wanted to move or get her something quickly.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

His palm fell from her cheek and slowly Vrak moved to the side, allowing her to fall to the bed. He watched in an odd sort of fascination as she drew into herself, the effect of the rings more than evident as her Lekku curled and twisted upon themselves. The Discomfort she felt was notable, her head swinging down and her declaration coming just a moment before Vrak used the force to pull a small trash can from one corner of the room towards her.

With a gentle nudge of his foot he pressed the bucket towards her. "Focus."

Vrak told her. The Rings didn't exactly come with any sort of instruction manual, but Vrak did have the Holocron of the Sith who made them. He knew well enough what Sera would experience over the next few moments, and he knew well enough that it would likely take her days just to get used to her new ability.

"Push everything away." He continued on. "Focus on only one thing."

Sera had to center herself on one sensation and one alone, lest she get lost in everything she was experiencing.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Oh she focused alright. Focused entirely on emptying anything and everything in her stomach as rapidly as possible.

As if punctuating his final words, the Twi'lek vomited violently into the bucket in front of her, fingers lacing around the lip of the canister to prevent it from moving or potentially falling over and making an even worse mess. It was not a wonderful sight or sound. Which, speaking of sounds, the sound of her own vomiting further enhanced the sensory overload going on inside her head and began to give her a terrible headache.

A hiss of pain pushed through her lips between gags.

Her eyes looked up for a single moment, as if she wanted to say something, but quickly returned to her pitiful state with her head tucked into the bucket.

Small beads of sweat formed on her forehead as she tried desperately to focus on maintaining some semblance of composure. It was unbelievably difficult. Her eyes slammed shut, blocking off one mode of sense, half attempting to force herself into some form of meditation to remove herself from natural hearing, leaving only the enhanced echolocation provided by the rings, and her sense of smell and touch.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

Slowly Vrak squatted down besides her.

She was a pitiful sight in her current state, really rather pathetic. He would have taunted her, but that would be the opposite of what he wanted to achieve in that moment. A small smile twitched on his lips as he slowly settled down at her side. His fingers slowly laced around the back of her neck.

"Focus." He commanded her as his fingers slowly stroked over her skin. "Focus on me."

Slowly his hand traveled down her spine in a gentle caress. "The sound of my voice."

It was not a subtle manipulation, but one that would at least draw her attention away from the violent purging of her stomach.

"My touch." The caress of his fingers continued as he sat beside her, drawing her attention away from the new sensations the ring allowed her and bringing her focus to him instead. Slowly he drew across her skin, his fingers tracing a light pattern on her back before sliding up and down once more.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Focusing on anything short of the terrible sensations running through her body was easier said than done.

At first his touch sent her reeling back, a hiss of aggravation directed towards him as she nearly clawed his arm. Dizziness forced her hand however and she retreated back, leaning her back against the foot of the bed, head resting atop the edge. Slow, deep breaths were pulled in, an attempt to steady her breath at the same time.

"Everything feels like it's moving."

Even the floor beneath her felt like it was nothing but floating atop water. She felt seasick. Her eyes kept closed, fearing that opening them would induce another vomiting fit. The Twi'lek hadn't quite expected side effects as bad as this.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

"It will take time to get used to." He told her as his finger continued the caress of her skin. "I understand the sensation is quite surreal."

Vrak couldn't even imagine what it was like. The ability that the rings bestowed were not born of the force, rather they created the same odd vibrations that came from a Togruta's montrals. Unlike a Togruta however, a Twi'lek wasn't used to interpreting these signals. The rings helped with that slightly, but she would have to learn to properly utilize them. That would take time though, and until she could actually filter it all out she would continue to experience the side-effects.

"You are likely sensing the movement of the ship." Vrak explained.

"The bending of the metal as it contracts due to the cold of space." It made sense. "The steady beat of the Servants moving around us."

His hand gently came to rest at the base of her neck. "The thump of my heart."

Every movement was now an open book to her, she just had to learn to read it.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

She heard Vrak speak, though the difficulty was not in hearing him speak, but actually listening to the words he spoke. Her attention was elsewhere, inward, attempting to control the flood of sensations sailing through her. Nothing seemed to help. The very thought of opening her eyes caused her to wince, her had reaching up to grab her temple, a small groan escaping her lips.

It felt like she'd been clubbed over the head a few times and left in a daze.

Heavy, deep breaths followed. "Hearing everything this way is difficult. Not in a general sense, but interpreting what it all is, and where it is coming from. My species was not meant to interpret this way." Perhaps if she had been born with the ability it would have been natural to her, but unlike the Togruta, her head-tails were for language and emotion, rather than hearing.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

"It's not hearing." Vrak said simply, though he imagined the distinction wasn't really one that she cared to listen to at the moment.

She was right though. Twi'leks hadn't exactly been born to this ability, which is why the rings had been crafted in the first place. Togruta didn't make the same kind of assasins that Twi'leks did for various reasons, but the rings allowed them to better perform the job. Vrak knew that, mostly because he had been allowed to study the history behind the artifacts. A small smile pulled at his lips, though he didn't repeat his thoughts out loud to her. Not yet anyway.

"It will get better in time." He assured her. "The last person to use these rings was quite successful with them."

A woman by the name of Darth Veril.

She had been powerful enough to nearly ascend to the Dark Council before her death, only stopped by the turning tide of the Republic. She had been an expert lightsaber duelist, using the rings to sense her opponents movements rather than her sight.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

"We'll see."

Sera picked herself up and slid towards the head of the bed, leaning her head against the cool headboard to rest. The nausea was slowly subsiding, but the headache and dizziness was likely to linger for quite some time. Strenuous activity would probably not be in her best interests for the time being. Thankfully they were out of Athiss' space and for the most part, relatively safe from danger. So long as Vrak's enemies didn't know where exactly to find him upon his fleeing they would be in good shape.

"How long is what worries me. I'm not quite useful in this state."

She was a rather pitiful mess, more vulnerable now than even when Vrak had first taken her on Coruscant.

This level of weakness was something she did not wish to keep to.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]