Private Kaas City

[Alina Tremiru]

Night time in Kaas city was always. The thick overhead clouds, always storming with electricity, kept the suns rays from truly covering the land below. It worked to the Sith's favor, at least for aesthetic. Alina never did like the planet. But this was her families home. Where their estate was. Where her father was buried. It was the only fond memories she had, even if they were under the large amount of terrible memories her mother had made sure to instill. And, more importantly, it was also where her master was. Taeli Raaf , the Lady of Secrets. She'd been helping with the project, but still knew nothing about it. It's why she'd decided to take a walk.

Take a break from whatever it was her master needed from her. Free time, if however brief. Free time she decided to use to check out the Sith Academy close by. She walked through the streets in simple Sith attire. Black shirt, black pants. Black belt. Black boots. There was a lot of black, but that was how it had to be. To be an Acolyte meant being recognized as one. Uniformed. Easy to pick out. She paused on one of the bridges within, leaning against the railing to look out to the vast, glowing city. This was what she was fighting for. To protect.

"The Empire protects.." A mantra she'd picked up from another Acolyte. Hopefully Iasha Rha was doing well. The invasions. They were hard on them both, but being buried alive certainly wasn't something too easy to recover from. There was so much to try and process still. All while trying to learn. Bein a Sith was hard.

Donith Keinn

 

[Donith Keinn]

​

Doni had hated this planet since his first night here, and that feeling had only grown in the last couple of weeks. Exploded might have actually been a better word for it. This dank, dark place had been somewhat forgivable given the money he'd been making compared to back in the verdant backwoods of Mirial, yet that sliver of charm was long gone in the face of forced servitude. The Sith had him now, and at the moment death seemed like the only real escape from all of this. Slavery in all but name aside, he wasn't quite ready to roll over and die so some fellow wannabe, who actually wants to be there, could present his head for a pat on the back. He wasn't having it. Besides, having a name to go with this odd sensation he'd struggled with his whole life was nice; although, "the force" was a little underwhelming when it came to apparently all important cornerstone of existence.

Given his rookie status, Doni wasn't exactly sure if he was allowed to be outside in the city proper at this hour, but he only partially cared about that. He'd needed a little time away from the bloodlust and blind ambition that seemed to cling to the academy like a bad stench. He'd hadn't been sleeping well either; something he attributed to this overwhelming dread that someone was just waiting to slit his throat as soon as he dozed off. Sith life was intense. The new acolyte had wandered the streets for hours now, without any real destination in mind, just basking in the urban stench he used to hate so much. It almost seemed like a perfume now. Back in his room at the academy, he could swear his bunk reeked of blood when the place got warm.

Honestly, one of the few creature comforts he had left was his flight jacket, and Doni couldn't help but wonder how long it'd be before one of the instructors or a fellow student took it from him, or at least tried to. If it really came down to it, he could see himself killing someone to hold on to this last piece of himself; especially a few of the other acolytes who regarded him like a nerf in a den of slice hounds. The young apprentice shied away from eye contact as he kept trekking along, walking faster when someone noticed he was wearing an academy uniform under a battered, and otherwise unremarkable, flight jacket. His eyes were glued to the pavement as he was crossing an innocuous enough bridge, until they glanced over someone in boots similar to his own, just a lot more worn and broken in. Pausing, the Mirialian's gazed up until he was staring at a blonde in an equally familiar uniform.

"Glad to see I'm not the only one potentially breaking curfew..er-if we have one anyway." Doni remarked, flubbing his opening line like a chump, but still wearing a smirk like nothing had happened. Bluster seemed to be a Sith virtue, so he wasn't too concerned about it. Hopely, failing an introduction was just the right way to get across that he wasn't a threat.

 

[Alina Tremiru]

She didn't sense him approaching, but that was par to the course. Alina had hoped that by starting to develop her power she might be able to start branching out, but the disruptive nature of her bond to the Force would likely never allow such a think. Her Sith yellow eyes turned to watch Donith Keinn fumble his way through the ice breaker. A brow slowly raised on her face. He was.. Talking? Normally? Even Darth Strosius wasn't someone she could get to hold a conversation for long, and he likely was her closest friend in the Sith at this point.

So this display? She ended up laughing. Not at him, well not only at him at least. The fact he'd used such a normal way to speak to her was just so surprising. She stuffed that down after a moment before shaking her head. "I'm not in the academy, so I couldn't tell you. Hopefully for your sake there isn't any." Alina flashed a smile before turning her gaze back out to the city. "Come for the view? Or just passing by?"

 

[Donith Keinn]

​

Doni felt the overwhelming desire to turn around and walk away once he caught sight of the blonde's sickeningly yellow eyes. So far, the only people who'd really had those had been the instructors and the senior acolytes, and none of them had really struck him as the most sociable bunch. Nope, it was time to walk away before the saber came out. Sure, he had his blaster handy, but that would just most likely piss someone of her caliber off. In that scenario, she'd probably skip the saber and just toss him off the bridge to a much messier end somewhere down on the lower levels. With saving his skin firmly in his mind, the Mirialan was about to apologize and discreetly backpedal out of there, when the blonde started laughing. Normally when he managed to get a beauty to laugh he chalked it up as a win; in this case, he wasn't so sure.

The acolyte joined her in laughing, albeit reservedly, hoping to play off the interruption as a botched joke in passing rather than a genuine attempt as conversation. However, what she said next was neither a threat, or even particularly harsh. That was odd. Doni didn't let his shock show, instead just smiling along as she posed a question of her own. "Ah, you found a master. Congratulations." he responded, bowing his head slightly in acknowledgement of the accomplishment. He'd been right, she was way above his level. Still, the feeling of danger was fading by the second; although, that could always be just her lulling him into dropping his guard, the possibility was still there.

"The latter originally, but now that you mention it. This is a nice spot." Doni remarked next, nodding appreciatively as he joined her leaning against the railing. He had to admit, Kaas City wasn't a completely horrid place; the skyline could be downright gorgeous this time of night. "What about you? You come here often? I'm Donith Keinn, by the way. Freshly minted Sith Acolyte....hurray."

 

[Alina Tremiru]

There was always that mistrust. Just how the Sith were. She even had it with Donith Keinn herself. She didn't know who he was or why he was here. Her guard didn't drop. Wouldn't drop, probably for the rest of the time he was there talking to her. But, for now, she could at least smile. Her gaze flicked to him now and then as she leaned more onto the railing. He was right, this was a nice spot. Alina shook her head though.

"No, but I might." Oh, he introduced himself. She cleared her throat. "Alina Tremiru. Acolyte as well. I take it you're not enjoying being a Sith? You one of those late bloomers then?"

 

[Donith Keinn]

​

"Yeah, I might do the same. I honestly hate this planet, but this is a nice slice of paradise. Throw in a good beer and sandwich; it'd be perfect." Doni rambled off, gesturing to the horizon throughout, and indirectly bumming himself out at the mention of food. The academy didn't exactly have a good menu, and he figured the leadership chalked it up to character building. 'Be happy they got that much' etc etc. At the risk of overplaying his hand, he wondered how many establishment around here would give him a free meal if he strutted in and showed off his uniform a bit. Then again, they had to run into dime-a-dozen acolytes all the time.

"Nice to meet you." the Mirialian replied when the blonde revealed her name, and he nearly forgot that shaking hands was frowned upon amongst Sith, at least the first ones he'd met. "Well, kind of. I was never tested when I was younger. I grew up in the backwoods of Mirial, very isolated, and nobody bothered to get that sort of thing handled. Honestly, I'm lucky I received all my vaccines and immunizations. I came here to find better work, and for awhile I did. Then had a string of bad luck, and ended up finally getting tested. Next thing you know, I'm being escorted to the Academy for re-education and training to really use my 'gifts' properly."

"Sigh Last month, I drove a Taxi. Seems like a lifetime ago."

Doni didn't realize just how much he'd revealed about himself, until he took a moment to catch his breath and grumble at these turn of events. Damn, he really needed to work on that. Being chatty was going to get him killed one day. "What about you? I can't tell if you've been in this life long enough to not mind humoring a rookie, or are so powerful you can afford to spare a minute for a non-threatening conversation."

 

[Alina Tremiru]

She stayed quiet as she listened to Donith Keinn talk about himself. He was quite open about his past. Kark, he was way too open about it. "A taxi driver? I wouldn't share that so openly. There's a lot of Sith that would try to cut you down for being unworthy." She stood back up, hands clasped calmly behind her back. "Like it or not, you're Sith now. Better learn how to make due with that before you have to fight." A sigh escaped the acolyte as she turned to look back to the city.

"But.. What say you and I go have a drink. I think I could use a break."

 

[Donith Keinn]

"I'm pretty sure they can smell the 'unworthy' on me already. Nobody has made a move on me yet, but I figure that has more to do with me not really being a threat." Doni admitted with a shrug, stepping away from the railing as he did so. Despite her warning not thirty seconds before, he didn't feel too bad being this open about his sense of inadequacy. Alina was already someone's apprentice, and seemed like she was above all the petty politics and backstabbing anyway, at least on an academy level. "Yeah." he added mournfully at the words he'd more or less internalized already: he was a Sith now, and there wasn't much he could do about it. For his own sake, he needed to toughen up. The Mirialan's face lit up when his new acquaintance mentioned going out for a drink.

"Yes, please, so could I." the acolyte seconded, allowing himself to chuckle while he waited for Alina to take the lead. He'd dropped off a lot of clients to a lot of different bars, but the whole city seemed different from the ground. "I don't suppose you can get the bill this time? I was forced into this between paychecks, and never got to pick up my last one."

 

[Alina Tremiru]

"They probably do. You should probably take a more confident stand on what you do. Anything your good at? The Force, lightsaber?" There were other things of course, but she stuck with the basics. Especially with Donith Keinn being new to the order. New to the Force. It was interesting to meet someone who didn't already know. She knew from birth that she could use the Force, even if she couldn't use it how the others did. Becoming a Sith was a hard process, sometimes harder depending on circumstances. His must be especially difficult. To have to relearn what he did know about how the galaxy worked.

She laughed though, as he asked her to foot the bill. She could, why not. But it might be a bit more fun to mess with the Mirialan a little bit. She extended an arm for him. "I'll take you out, but you'll have to pay next time. I can't always be paying for my underclassman, mm?"

 

[Donith Keinn]

​

Doni smiled again once Alina asked about his skills, but there was no mirth in it, not even a hint of humor. "I've yet to actually even hold a lightsaber. Sigh According to the instructors, I have a strong connection to the force, but I've never really manipulated it much, so I can't easily call upon it easily. The seem to flip flop on whether I'm trying to hard, or not hard enough." he explained, falling in step with the more experienced Sith. "It's there, I just need to coax it out, and academy isn't really conducive to working on your problems, especially for fresh meet it seems. Hell, I don't need to tell you about it..."

The new acolyte grumbled under his breath a little, but that didn't help his lingering frustration any; if anything, it got worse. However, Alina's surprisingly accommodating nature was definitely helping. "Hey, I don't mind. I'm glad they'll be a next time. That definitely bodes well for the evening." Doni said, beaming a wide smile at the human. Eyes aside, she was really proving herself probably the nicest Sith one could hope to run into, but that judgement really should've waiting until the evening was over and they parted ways. A lot could happen before now and then. "So, how long have you been a Sith? Did they snatch you away from your career too?"

 

[Alina Tremiru]

"I never went to the academy. My family are all Sith. My early lessons were beaten into me at a young age." Thus far she hadn't felt like Donith Keinn was lying to her. So, why not share a bit of herself? Quid quo pro. "I'm not very good at using the Force myself. My powers are.. Different. But my mothers lessons always involved using your hate. Passion. Try that next time. Focus on that feeling." She chuckled lightly before making her way through the streets with him in tow. A pair of acolytes would be less likely stopped by others, at least.

"Ah, like I said. I was born into Sith nobility." She shrugged it off. "What is it you prefer to drink?"

 

[Donith Keinn]

​

Doni's smile waned after Alina revealed some of her background, leaving plenty unsaid and up to his vivid imagination. Being raised as a Sith sounded like a special kind of horrid; at best neglectful, at worst downright child abuse. This was all speculation, but the acolyte couldn't help jumping to conclusions over this revelation. However, he couldn't discount growing up in this lifestyle entirely just yet either. Something along her path had kept Alina from becoming the same conniving scumbags as so many of their peers, private tutelage might have been the deciding factor. "See, that's my problem: I don't really have that much hatred. I never thought being a mellow kinda guy would backfire so spectacularly, but here we are..." the Mirialan admitted with a shrug. His frown turned back to a sad little smirk as he dwelt on the irony of the situation; trying to live a stress-free life was now actively contributing to mountains of anxiety.

"I admit I'm saying this from a place of ignorance, but I kinda envy your upbringing. At least you knew what to expect out of your life, and trained accordingly. I can't help but wonder if mine would've just kept chugging along just fine if I hadn't have come to this place?" Doni added, growing aware that he was officially leaning into whining territory. Nobody liked whiners, and he really didn't want to piss off Alina with his baggage. "Hatred might not be my thing, but I'll try out a few other emotions. One of them has to resonate with me."

The Mirialan arched an eyebrow at his fellow Sith's downright thoughtful question. "I'm not picky. My first favorite brand is 'Free', my second is 'Cold'. I'm more interested in just seeing what the nightlife around this city is like from the inside. If I still had a job, I'd be working tonight. Dropping folks off at half the nightclubs in this hemisphere, but never going to check out the place myself Heh.'"

 

[Alina Tremiru]

Her upbringing certainly wasn't why she wasn't as cruel as one would expect from a Sith. Should of had the opposite effect, given how cruel her mother was. Not that she'd bring such a thing up to Donith Keinn after just meeting him. Or.. At all. Alina frowned a bit. Was it ever possible for her to speak of such things with her peers, or would it just be a sign of weakness? She stopped though, as he started speaking of what it might be like to not be Sith.

"So you would rather be a taxi driver for all your life?" A genuine curiosity. "You have a chance to attain power and glory. To become something more in this Empire. The Empire protects, Donith. Best you be willing to step up with this gift to do so." Then it was back to walking. There was a place close by, and if he didn't care where they went, well. She lead the way into this nightclub. Already the music could be heard as they went through the front doors. And people.. Avoided them. Tried not to get in their way as they went to the bar.

She wasn't technically old enough to drink, but that wouldn't stop her as she ordered something simple for them both. Her gaze turned to the club, scanning through the crowd. "I've never been to one of these places before. Interesting atmosphere."

 

[Donith Keinn]

​

Alina....had a point. Standing back and looking at this from an outsider's point of view, finding out he was force sensitive, or whatever, was actually a net positive. He'd barely been paying attention during his first day at the academy, still shocked from finding himself in this situation, but the instructors had made a point to tell the fresh batch of acolytes that behind all of this dedication and hardwork was a life few could dream of. They just had to be strong enough to grasp it, and hold it from those who'd try to pry it from them. Like his jacket. This recontextualized things in a big way. Was his former life really worth all of this mourning? No, now that he thought about it honestly, he was destined to be a nobody back then. Ignorance would've kept him happy, but that just made this fact all worse.

Doni chose not to answer his new acquaintance's most likely rhetorical question quite yet, instead remained silent as their journey for fun continued. It was subtle, but the acolyte's stride gained more confidence and purpose as they went along, reaffirmation quieting his formerly anxious nerves. His ears picked up the thumping of music before they even reached the place Alina apparently had decided to have this drink of theirs. The mirialan smiled wickedly for the first time as they passed well-to-do folks who likely wouldn't have even given him a decent tip in his old career last month, scum who now shied away from their superiors like wretches. This power was starting to feel...intoxicating.

"Neither have I. Always too rich for my blood, before now." Doni admitted with a shrug, closing his eyes for a moment to let the pulsing music just wash over him. "This is nice..."
He returned to gazing across the spectacle with an amused grin, not really knowing where to begin. The dance floor was nice, but he wasn't nearly drunk enough to ask Alina to do that yet. "I've heard places like this always have VIP areas, wanna check it out? I don't see them denying us."

 

[Alina Tremiru]

"It is kind of nice, isn't it?" She chuckled a bit. This was surprisingly nice. And the drinks weren't that bad either. Though she wasn't the best at holding her drink. Not drunk, but she could feel the buzz. Her grin widened as she glanced over to Donith Keinn and heard his suggestion. The VIP area? Yeah, they could probably swing that. "Lead the way then, Sith."

 

[Donith Keinn]

​

"Ok..." Doni replied, not having expected to suddenly find himself making decisions for them. His flicked about looking for signs to point them in the right direction; however, the arrival of a gran in a stylish suit cut this effort short. The gentleman's three eyes were a tad difficult to manage, since he didn't know exactly where to look him in the face, but the acolyte still found the host's smile quite reassuring. "Good evening, always great to have Sith under our roof, my lords." The gran said with a regal cadence, bowing deeply toward the end. "What can we do for you this evening, we're happy to provide just about any service!" The acolyte just stared for a moment, spacing out under the honestly overwhelmingly good customer service.

"Ahem Take us to the VIP area, we'd like a booth. Have your bartenders prepare a sampling of your finest products." Doni replied, doing his best to stand a little straighter and stare down his nose at the dapper gran, who did a sweeping gesture and started leading them down a carpeted path to a posh turbolift. "This looks promising." the acolyte whispered to Alina, after leaning in conspiratorially.

 

[Alina Tremiru]

Alina offered a small wave and a slight bow of her head to the Gran, but kept quiet. She wanted to see how Donith Keinn would do when power was at his fingertips. Not too much, but if he was doubting he should be Sith, perhaps it would be good for him to see what it brought. She leaned in her palm as a coy grin spread. A demand? Once more she kept quiet as they were lead to the VIP turbolift. The high rise, for sure. Once inside she would lean back over to him in kind. "It does indeed."

Then she leaned back against the wall, gazing out to the city. It was a glass turbolift so they could see the town as they rose up higher and higher. Definitely not for those afraid of heights. It wouldn't be long until they were lead to a private booth and the Gran bowed his head. "We will get this sampling for you right away. If there is anything else, please, let me know. And, of course, what account should I put this on?" He glanced between the two. Alina waved a hand this time.

"The Tremiru account." The Gran froze for a moment, then immediately lowered his head. "I did not realize the Tremiru family was gracing us. This booth is not e-" Alina held up a hand. "This is enough. Please, the drinks." The waiter nodded quickly then took off. The acolyte leaned back in her seat, smirking to Donith. "Goes without saying, but remember. We're acolytes. Don't think we can get away with much. I imagine if there were any higher ranking Sith here we'd get in a lot of trouble."

 

[Donith Keinn]

​

Within the turbolift, Doni let his new experimental persona lapse a little, mostly so he could really enjoy the raising view of the city behind them. It reminded him of the last time he'd taken off in his cab. He'd really have to see about getting another ship as soon as he was able; perhaps he could requisition a fighter from the navy, or something equally slick. Just about anything would be a marked improvement over the clunkers and only slightly better transports he'd piloted up to now. The room the lift deposited them in was lavish in the extreme, easily fit for a king, and boasting a clientele that were royalty in their own ways. As they trekked through the immaculate decor and past equally small groups of VIPs, some fellow Sith and others likely officers or business magnates, he couldn't help but feel a little out of place, grubby even. When was the last time his flight jacket had been sent to the cleaners? It was a relief to finally be seated at a secluded booth away from the others.

The acolyte relished the idea of testing his boundaries as he rolled the possibilities around in his head; although, the gran's sudden question caused him to wince for just a moment. There it was, the first challenge to his authority; albeit a reasonable one. Thankfully, Alina immediately stepped up to say she had it cover it, saving him from having to seem like a cheap date in front of a complete stranger. The mirialan already knew that his companion was considered Sith nobility, but it really didn't sink in until he saw how this gran rushed to bow and scrape before her. Truthfully, he hadn't really thought about their being a nobility among the Sith, except for perhaps the Lords themselves. Was one, or more, of her parents a Darth? In the interest of not seeming like good connections was the only reason he'd approached Alina, he decided to leave that topic alone.

"I'll keep that in mind, the last thing I want to do is draw unwanted attention. I'm not ready to face any serious challenges yet." Doni fired back, idly drumming his fingers on the table between them. He leaned forward and rested his elbow, and subsequently his chin within his palm, against the edge. "I didn't answer your question earlier." he began, flashing Alna an embarrassed smirk for a moment. "You're right, I didn't want to be a cab driver my whole life. I was actually saving up to afford my own ship, so I could become a smuggler or independant pilot, but even that seems...so much lesser compared to being a Sith. The Empire protects, and it provides more than the bare essentials it seems." the acolyte continued, gesturing as the splendor around them with a smile and a sweep of the hand.

"Guess my next step is to get a lightsaber someplace. What about you, what are you hoping to get out of this life? You already have fame and power via your family, but I suppose one could always acru more."

 

[Alina Tremiru]

Good. He wasn't letting it go to his head, yet. The arrogant were going to be useless in the coming age of the Sith. Alina took a similar posture as Donith Keinn as she rested her chin in her palm. A calm, pleasant smile formed as she listened to his long awaited answer. A smuggler? Not a very prestigious line of work. And certainly a waste of his affinity to the Force if his teachers were correct on his natural ability. "The Empire protects, but you must earn your place. Nothing is given."

There was a laugh though as he mentioned her family. "My family despises me. They are a group of powerful Sorcerers, but I have no such skill. An embarrassment. I imagine I'll get in quite a bit of trouble for putting this on my families account. I've no power or fame. Not yet." Her smile faded in favor of a more annoyed expression. "But when I do have enough, I'll take my family for myself. First though, I need to get stronger."

 

[Donith Keinn]

​

Doni looked downright confused when Alina dropped that bombshell about her family. She'd mentioned that using the force was a bit difficult for her, but he hadn't put two and two together that that little detail would cause a rift in the family. It made sense though, in a typically brutal Sith way. In the end, what were offspring but tools at best and rivals at worst? He definitely could see some of his instructors saying as much. His acquaintance's apparent hindrance seemed like it'd sting more with her family, since by her own admission they were sorcerers. Sith alchemy was supposedly a very difficult process for even seasoned force wielders, and the instructors had forbidden the other rookies from trying it, so this must have been like being born deaf to a virtuoso musician.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry your family are so atrocious. At the very least I'd say they give you a fresh reserve of hate to fall back on if needed." the acolyte replied, shaking his head and slowly chuckling. "I'm sure you'll be an absolute terror before you know it. Tenuous force connection aside, you've already gained yourself a master, that seems to be half the battle right there." He added, throwing in a quick grin then leaning back into his seat, resting his elbows on the booth's back edge. "With sorcery out, what have you been focusing on with your training? You asked me basically the same question earlier, so you've gotten me curious."