Dominion Never Forget | CIS Dominion of Siskeen Hex

[Luca Ioneşti]

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Wearing: XXX
Tags: Open

He'd gone to pay his respects at the monument; it was only right, even if he hadn't been there, instead nursing his own wounds from an unlikely encounter with a frightened Kod'yok back home, a week prior to the conflict. He would have gone despite it, but he was run through, healing that took time even with the Force, and the scars wouldn't be anything to talk about: he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. His abdomen was still sore and bruised, but the wounds were closed up, at least. They'd told him to lay off the tabacc, but he'd rather have been put through a meat grinder... so the healing took longer. He was never gonna hear the end of it from Rothe.

Putting out his most recent cigarra, and popping a thin, square film of mint breath-freshener on his tongue to melt, Luca turned and went back to join the others. He'd half-considered attending the celebration on Olanet, but this was a slower pace, more suited to his current condition and a proper use of his time, and to be able scan the list for those whose comm lines had went dead provided some closure. Hands buried deep in his trouser pockets, his eyes scanning the lists again, his mouth forming a line, a slow swallow to push down the rise of the guilt he carried at not being able to throw his lot in with them as the tides turned against the Confederacy - and as the radio feed went dark.

"Fething... krasst."

A sigh blew out his nose, and he scratched uselessly at the nape of his neck. This kind of feeling was stressful, but the least he could do was sit with it, rather than sending smoke signals, burning through his entire pack. He could endure the itch to bring himself relief, for them.

 

[Nimue]

W E A R I N G | [x] - [x]
T A G S | Aries Creed​

Nimue, for now, was content to remain close. Content to allow his soft voice to rumble in her ear as it travelled through his chest. But Aries was more observant then she gave him credit for. She stiffened somewhat at his question.​

“Nothing.” Her steely tone suddenly snapped, unintentionally. A force of habit from so closely guarding her thoughts and opinions for so many years. Pulling her head away from his chest, her eyes fluttered to a close for a brief moment as she inhaled the palace air. It smelled of a strange mix of strong wine, heady perfumes and rich foods. “I’m sorry.” It was a stiff apology, but an apology all the same. ​

There was something distracting her. Something that weighed heavily on her chest. Something that nobody had foreseen. Not her coven, not Aries. Not even her. Of course, Nimue had known for a few weeks now. It was impossible not to. Especially after spending the majority of her life trying to avoid it. Finally, her flame orange gaze flicked back open, and cast itself quickly around the swelling group of dancers they were surrounded in. She, of course, could not put a name to a single face. Despite generally disliking company, being surrounded by a handful of strangers was far more uncomfortable to her than being in a room with thousands of people she knew.​

Her step fell out of time with Aries’, despite the music swelling slowly to a crescendo. Wrapping her hand around his, she began to pick her way through the crowds, back to the open night air where they were watched by no one but the stars.​

When they were finally alone, Nimue turned to face Aries with a serious expression. “I think-...” A frustrated sigh followed. “Aries I-...” It was a rare occurrence for the High Priestess to be quite literally lost for words, but how should one put something like this? Delicate had never been her forte, but this wasn’t something she could be blunt about. Though it went against everything she had ever been taught, and if anyone were to find out it would cause an untold uproar, Nimue was aware that it would affect him far more than it did her. It would be something tangible tying him to his realm, whether or not he liked it, and if he was anything like his father in this reality...​

Nimue pushed her hands to her face, covering what she could with her willow fingers. There would never be a good time to say it, and she would likely never find the perfect words to put it in. What was the use in mumbling and muttering like a fool? ​

When she pulled her hands away again, the words spilled out. “I’m pregnant.”​

 

[Aries Creed]

Nimue was more than off set. She was completely flustered. From the moment she answered Aries' question he knew it was certainly something. He excused the curt response, not caring to comment on it as she delivered the simple apology. He looked to her curiously, yet nodded at her words all the same.

Could his presence be getting to her? Nimue had not anticipated their relationship anymore than he had, perhaps it was all happening too fast? Or could it be the current state of the Confederacy? Certainly they had taken their share of pain, but it could not have been more than was anticipated. No, it seemed something more deeply rooted. Aries glanced away for a fraction of a second before Nimue's hand curled around his, guiding him from the dance floor. She sought privacy?

He followed without pause, through he reached out to grab a drink being carried on a tray as he followed the woman away from the crowded area. The balcony that laid before them came with the refreshing breeze of evening air that may help to cool the mind and spirit. He sipped from the glass in his hands before exhaling in some relief, setting the glass on the banister beside the two of them. When Nimue began to speak, Aries leaned back against the railing while arching a brow at the woman. She began, but stopped, and began again, before stopping again. He cleared his throat, taking the drink before his lips curled into a small smile. He was not making fun of her, merely trying to reassure her. "Nimue...just tell me." He urged her.

His lips met the glass and he brought a small well of the drink into his mouth.

I'm pregnant.

Aries spit the wine that was in his mouth out over the balcony, some of it flowing into his wind pipe and burning furiously as he coughed recklessly. "F-fuck!" He coughed, before wiping the excess liquid from his mouth. "Wait, you're what?!" He asked, his eyes turning to Nimue in supreme surprise. He coughed out once again before slapping a hand against his chest. "You-are you sure?" He asked, his expression one of total confusion.

No, this was not what he'd expected. He pulled the handkerchief from his pocket, wiping his mouth before tossing it to the ground below him. "Nimue...how long have you known?" He asked curiously. His hand came up, rubbing against his chocolate eyes as he worked to process the information that she'd just revealed to him. That was when he realized something.

"I'm a father?!" He blurted out.

Nimue

 

[Nimue]

W E A R I N G | [x] - [x]
T A G S | Aries Creed
​

As though she had expected it, Nimue took a small step backward as the fountain of crimson sprayed from Aries’ mouth. Her expression drew tight as she watched the realisation cross over his face. “I’m pregnant.” She responded simply to his question. Now the words had been said there was very little need to hide from them. Why she had struggled to say them in the first place was now beyond her. Instead, she was more focused on the way Aries had reacted. “I am.” Came her response to his next question.​

She parted her lips to answer again, but something stopped her. Another wave of realisation over Aries’ face. What else was there left to process?​

Her face fell when he spoke, her brows furrowing softly in the center. “What?” She asked him, a note of incredulity in her tone. “Of course... who else could it be?” Yes, she was a rather mysterious woman, and yes, the Silma were not shy when it came to matters of lust and desire, but Nimue was an exceedingly busy woman. When Aries had first tried to flatter her she had barely taken any notice, never mind being interested beyond mildly chastising him for it.​

Nimue took a step toward Aries, using the tips of her fingers to rub at a small drop of wine that had managed to land on his collar. “A week, maybe two.” Her expression was still slightly soured. She didn’t really want to admit she had known about it for that long. If the tables were turned Nimue would have been furious at being kept in the dark for so long. “I could not find the right time to tell you.” It wasn’t a good enough excuse. It barely passed as an excuse now, but it was all she had to offer him. “I know this complicates things for you.”​

 

[Aries Creed]

The man pulled at the tie around his neck, pulling it off and tossing it down towards the handkerchief that had drifted down to the ground only a few seconds ago. It had a good deal of wine on it and was basically ruined anyway. He listened to Nimue for a moment, clearing his throat when she asked who else it could be. He waved his hand at her before shaking his head. "Not like that...just not words I expected to hear." He told her before listening to her.

Two weeks. His eyes quirked up at this. When she said she did not have a good time to tell him, Aries rolled his eyes at the words. "The days of space travel where we were alone didn't stand out?" He asked, before shaking his head. "Pregnant." He repeated, before he watched Nimue move close to him, her hand finding his collar. He looked down at the woman for a fleeting moment before his eyes turned to the skies. It was not that he did not wish to see her, merely that he wondered why The Force worked in such odd ways. His eyes came back down to look at Nimue as she spoke and he laid a finger upon the woman's painted lips. His touch was soft and loving and when he pulled the finger away he leaned forward. He pressed his lips to hers, kissing lovingly as his hand wrapped around the woman's waist.

He pulled Nimue in for a hungry kiss that had no place in public. He didn't care. He kissed her until breath began to flee from the two of them, only then did he pull back and whisper softly. "I want to stay with you." He whispered into her ear as his hand came up to softly brush against her cheek. "This world, for whatever reason, is mine now and I want to make a new life here." He told her, his lips kissing her cheek softly before his hand slowly drifted down to her belly. "With both of you..." He said, yet he quickly realized his own words and pulled back for a moment. "But...only if that is what you want." He told her.

Nimue

 

[Tess Valnora]

SISKEEN

Objective: Remember and Forget
Location: Siskeen/Ryloth Memorial
Tags: Open​

Spoiler: Wearing

Armor:​

Spoiler: Trench coat

Norris root dyed leatheris trench coat]

PD-00 "Second Skin" Light Armor
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Siskeen had been a planet that had only crossed her radar once when she was on her way to play at security for the Ryloth Founder’s Parade. She didn’t expect to be back in this part of the galaxy so soon, but she couldn’t get the memories out of her head. Fighting on Ryloth against the Twi’lek terrorists and their crazed notions of violence for freedom. When Tess had heard there was going to be a memorial constructed on Siskeen for the fallen of that battle she just had to see it and get these memories cleared. The holonet had also indicated that there was to be some sort of celebration for the possible return of Siskeen to the CIS, the thought of joining in on that celebration had tickled her thoughts for a moment before being chased away by the duty she felt to be here today.

She didn't grudge anyone who had gone to the meetings or whatever they were doing. But she felt like today was not the best of days to have one such gathering. Tess hadn’t lost anyone that she had known at the Founder’s Day battle, but she knew there was lose all the same. She had signed up to keep the peace that day and keep people safe, but she had failed at that. Killing a handful of the Twi’lek ‘freedom fighters’ hadn’t changed the outcome and she had barely made it out of the capital city with her own life.

“Am I even doing any good in the galaxy? Do my actions even matter?” she asked out loud to nobody in particular. She thought seeing the monument would bring her some sort of peace of mind, but it just raised more questions. She had been on countless missions for the Ministry, and never felt this kind of doubt or sense of helplessness after a mission went south and they had to call it a failure.

Tess sat on a bench and looked up at the monument, so many names were on there. Names she had failed at saving. Her vision slowly blurred as tears welled up in her eyes. She blinked and tears rolled down her cheeks, now that the dam had broken there was little that could stop it. BD-404 stood next to her, keeping quiet. His programming didn't fully comprehend what was happening but his little droid brain knew that now was not the time for any type of antics. Tess lifted her right knee to her chest, placing her foot on the bench and hugged her leg as she continued to cry.

She hadn’t cried like this since her mother died.

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[Aravae]

Objective: | Dance With Me |
Wearing: [X]
Tag: | Shae |

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Never in a million years would Aravae have expected to run into anyone she knew from home, but least of all Shae. Their friendship had been quite the scandal for a while, but over time no one could question it. Despite Ava's royal status, Shae had nothing to gain from her - and the pair had proven time and again that their friendship was genuine. Troublesome at times for everyone else around them, but never for each other. Naturally, Ava knew who her friend was and why she had been there in court in the first place, but it had changed nothing. And to this day, that changed nothing as was evidenced by the sudden embrace shared between them.

It wasn't until that moment that Ava realized how much she really did miss things at home. Would she go back? No, not yet. But that didn't make her miss home any less. "It has been far too long." she agreed, she both repeat and emphasized in return. Though before much more could be said over the matter, Ava was being lead away from the crowds and out towards the edges of them instead. When an open space of balcony became visible to her, Aravae got the idea and easily placed herself outside in the open air. She breathed in slowly once the noise behind the pair was muted, and her eyes closed for just a second. How many times had the pair of them escaped such similar situations back home?

"Work?" her eyes came open, then realization colored her face. "Oh, I see." Ava nodded in her understanding. Never once had she expressed distaste for such things - concern once or twice when she knew of seedy or distasteful contracts, but never more than that. However when the tables were turned and it was Ava's turn to answer questions, the lighter haired of the pair scoffed and stepped to the edge of the balcony. Her hands rest against the railing and her head shook just once. "Boys happened." she answered, making quite the unprincessy face as well.

Her body then half turned so that she was looking at Shae again, "Arranged marriage to one, running away with the other - and now he's gone too." She rolled her eyes. "But rather than wallow over the fact, I decided that I'm not going back yet. I set out to see more of the galaxy than just home, and I'm already out here, so why not keep going?" Eventually she would of course return home - whether by force or not. But for now? She was young and had so many new things to see and experience first.

 

[Eenia Vahn]

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Attire: [xxx]
Tags: | Luca Ioneşti | John Locke | Lesya Kosarev |

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It seemed that perhaps she had over stepped, or maybe her intrusion to the conversation had been ignored (one could hope) and the pair had merely carried on as if she hadn't stepped onto their toes. That was all well and good for Eenia, and she flashed the pair an apologetic smile before stepping away. There wasn't far to go, the memorial had gathered it's own crowd, and as such she would still be within speaking distance or at least ear shot were the two to say something to her. For now however, she gave them the respectful privacy that she hadn't meant to intrude on to begin with.

These moments were often made harder when you had no one to grieve with. That was also something she knew far too much about. But now was not the time to dwell on her own past troubles. So instead she found someone else to at least stand near, as once again there was only so many places a person could go to stand and still be within respectable distance from the memorial.

Eenia did glance at Luca Ioneşti however, if only briefly so that she could speak up, admittedly a little sheepish considering what had happened just moments ago. "I hope you don't mind me taking up space near you." The last thing she wanted was to be intrusive to someone else.

 

[Luca Ioneşti]

Wearing: XXX
Tags: Eenia Vahn

This was the way things were done: respects were paid, introspection was done, and... well, back home they'd all get blitzed toasting to the memories, and to drown their sorrows, the hangover worth enduring for them. People here, though, just seemed to talk, insofar as he'd figured, or not talk, as he'd been doing on account of not recognising the present faces. The mood wasn't meant to be sociable, anyway, and most talk would be disrespectful, 'shut up and mourn', it was called, and save the tongue-wagging for when the bottle was passed around; it'd be a piss-poor thing if that was culturally in-apropos here.

Alas, his libation-fixed thoughts were sidelined by a meek, sheepish voice speaking up beside him, and he skirted a surreptitious glance sideways, then down, at the blonde, "Do what you like," he dropped, deadpan careless, shifting his gaze back to the names, "you don't look infectious to me." That thing about disrespectful talk at memorials? Well, he wasn't on Vandor, was he? That it wasn't the least bit charming didn't even register, not that he was trying. This wasn't the time nor the place, and besides... well, nevermind. After another moment of silence, he broke it.

"So, what's got you so timid?"

No 'hi', no 'my name is Luca', no 'were you close with any of the lost?', just... there he went, same as always, right down to business, right for the balls. Or lady balls. Or... let's just not entertain that train of thought further, shall we? There rests the dark corners of the Holonet.

 

[Raven Thystle]

VICEROY THYSTLE​

Wearing: XOXO
Location: The monuments on the south palatial lawn - Seventeen yards away from the destroyed statue.
Tags: Derek Dib | Muad Dib | Daegon Corvinus | Seraphina Corvinus | Raphael Boucher​

Raven wasn’t at all the sort to attend anything without a reason. In fact, it had become known that she was simply cold and often at times people wondered if she had any sort of capabilities that could sympathize with those that had lost or suffered injuries that were severe. In fact, the only reason she was here was to perform her duties as a Viceroy; duties which included the reentry of Siskeen into the Confederacy's fold.

The Vampiress hadn’t been to Siskeen since the breakdown of the meeting between CIS and AoC. She could still remember the smell of her own burnt flesh and the sound of a gun being fired. Raven could also remember the sorrow that her fellow colleagues had felt, but she didn’t feel anything of the like herself. How the ship had managed to get through Siskeen’s defenses had been one for the books and it was still a puzzle that many tried to solve. Everyone in the room had seen the monitoring systems that Derek had in place and yet a ship managed to somehow slip through. A ship that also managed to escape through those very same defenses and her gaze shifted to the approach of Nala and Nadia, who she had told to keep their distance for the most part.

”Viceroy Thystle, construction and repairs have begun. There are just some minor details for you to go over,” Nadia said as the Felacatian held out a datapad to the vampire. A brow was perked before pale hands took the datapad from the woman and glanced over at the details while the people from time to time moved around them. Her fingers darted over the screen as her attention was brought back to matters that pertained to her own planet. If only for a little while. Work was all that she had ever allowed herself to dwell upon. To consistently be thinking about the good of her people and the CIS. Plans were being drawn up and documents signed. This particular project was repairing an office and the construction of an entirely new building.

Work helped provide her with an excuse to not have to pretend that she felt anything within her cold, dead heart. It meant that she could come and go without being seen as a monster, a monster that would rather bathe in their blood then show them mercy. If she ever came across another AoC member, that was exactly what she planned to do. Gabriel had been in their custody, until he did a body leap. How that had happened, she didn’t have the foggiest idea. Did a ship manage to get close to Siskeen all over again using the same mechanics that they had before? Wouldn’t the Siskeen government have learned from the past and seen to it that no such ship could do such a thing ever again?

Such questions were very much a bother to the woman, especially considering her own military background and yet, there was probably nothing that she could recommend when it came to their defenses that they probably weren’t already doing. To say that the AoC’s retreat should have been impossible was an understatement and yet, they had managed to do so, leaving so much destruction in their wake. ”They certainly live up to their name,” Raven mused to herself as her chocolate gaze was drawn towards the sound of a statue falling into rubble, a sound which caused quite a stir amongst those gathered.

She heard the roar of pain, not physical pain but emotional and her gaze settled upon the visage of Derek and Muad. Her gaze tracked then the approach of Daegon and Seraphina towards the two brothers and slowly, she handed the datapad back over to Nadia but stayed where she was. Quietly she stood at a distance; to let those who suffered from their physical and mental injuries to bond in their pain. Pain that she could not understand and her hands moved to be clasped behind her back as she simply observed the small group. Indeed, their appearance was not a surprise to her. The vampiress had known that they lived, but their condition had not been made known until now and the dark crimson cloth around Seraphina’s eyes was a telling sign.

”Go follow up on those plans you two, I don’t want any more disruptions today in regards to such matters.” Raven said as her gaze shifted to view the man who once stood with an air of elegance, but now seemed to be lost in a sea of emotion. She herself had been there, many thousand of years ago, but time had seen to that. Had helped her sculpt and control such outbursts. In fact the man and the blind woman reminded her of her own rebirth, one where she stood on a battlefield covered in the blood of those who she once called family. A pale hand brushed back her black hair with treated red ends as she remembered the day. In fact, her black hair was deliberated treated with the colour to signify her own rebirth.​

 

[Raphael Boucher]

Wearing ~ Raven Thystle ~ Siskeen
​

He moved with a subtle elegance in his stride. The man who was both entirely forgettable and supremely memorable. His form was draped in fine ebony silk with small, thin threads of gold and silver. His eyes were keen and took note of each individual who passed him by, yet he spoke to no one. His presence here was two-fold. First, it was in service to his King who had tasked him with the role of messenger. As the King of Illyria could not appear himself, he believed one of his more prominent noblemen could represent Illyria in his stead. So he chose a man renowned simply The Viscount. Raphael was to show his face so that he could deliver a missive to a certain Lady that the King had taken an interest in.

The woman was none other than the Viceroy of Felacat. The moment Raphael was tasked with meeting the Lady of Felacat he had decided to learn more of the woman and there was one thing he'd taken particular note of.

His eyes befell the raven haired woman and he could not help but speak one phrase in High Illyrian. "Magnifique." He said to no one in particular. The Viscount strode forward, his eyes finding the woman's before his nose inhaled deeply. He could smell the blood that ran through this woman's veins. It caused his eyes to flicker at the familiar scent. It was as old as his and just as refined. The thought of this caused him to smirk for just a moment. He wondered something. Will she believe him a traitor, as all others did? Only time would tell.

He approached the Viceroy of Felacat, his eyes washing over the woman before him certainly. "Bonjour ma dame." He greeted her in a thickly plied Illyrian accent. He bowed his head respectfully to the woman before holding a hand out to receive the Viceroy's. "When you visited Illyria there were a number of rumors describing your beauty. I am afraid they have not done you justice." He recovered himself, his tone silken and intriguing as he spoke. "I am Viscount Raphael de Boucher. It is my pleasure to make your acquaintance, Viceroy." The man held a datapad out to the woman. "I come on behest of my King who could not be in attendance. He bids you take a look at this revised proposal, pertaining to your earlier conversation."

Before the Lady could take the datapad he spoke with a bit of amusement in his voice. "However, you would honor me if we could share a drink, before I am forced to part to less....enjoyable company."

​

 

[Raven Thystle]

VICEROY THYSTLE​

Wearing: XOXO
Location: The monuments on the south palatial lawn - Seventeen yards away from the destroyed statue.
Tags: Raphael Boucher​

Raven had heard the footsteps that fell and had angled towards their direction. Yet her chocolate gaze had never left those that stood seventeen yards away from her as they shared in their pain. Did she pity them? Was she even capable of such a thing? From where she stood, they could only grow and become stronger, better versions of themselves. Seraphina might want to protect, but someone who wishes to protect those that they cared for, could only do so with training. To build upon an inner strength and channel the emotions that she currently felt into a weapon that could do more than simply act as a physical body shield. What Seraphina had done, had been foolish. At least that was what Raven had thought, but what Derek had done had been equally foolish and now they both suffered because of their actions. Even those within their lives would be forever changed.

If it had been her friend? She wouldn’t have known, because the closest thing that she had to a friend was a bodyguard and the Vampiress would sacrifice both of them if it had been her in Seraphina’s and Derek’s position. A clean death was better than a messy one and a single clean death was better than two handicapped people. At least, she figured that Derek was handicapped in some way, due to the behavioral shift that he was currently displaying. Observation was key, much was the scent that was soon closing in on her position.

She could hear the footsteps and her gaze was pulled from her current observations to view the male. It was odd to smell such a familiar scent this far from Winterhall and Von Black territory. Yet here he was and her gaze slowly drew over the man’s form in quiet thought while she allowed him to simply speak for the moment. The Vampiress unclasped her hands and quietly placed her own in the man’s own hand as she angled her head slightly to the right and appraised the other vampire before her.

It had been such a long time since she had anything to do with another vampire and yet here was another one that stood before her. A Von Black no less who admitted to being within the King Malvern’s employ no less. Raven hadn’t sensed the other vampire when she had visited, but even he had admitted that his presence hadn’t been there and she couldn’t help but wonder why. ”Viscount, I must say that it was a shame that you weren’t there yourself, for I surely would have noticed you.” She said as she perked a brow at the man’s offer for a drink.

With her free hand, she took the datapad from the male and took a quick glance at the revised proposal, but instead of saying much about it, she glanced back towards the man and angled her head slightly to the side. ”I am curious enough to accept the offer of the drink, as I’m sure that we have time before I need to attend a meeting of my own.” Her gaze shifted to view the four, before the glanced back towards the male. For a vampire male to approach another vampire, one who bore the mark of banishment upon their neck in clear view for other vampires, made him all the more interesting. Plus, while the other four got reacquainted with their current situation amongst each other, she couldn’t see the harm in accepting the man’s offer.

Raven’s chocolate gaze shifted over to Muad, then she looked to Derek before she took in Seraphina and Daegon. The four would be able to help each other with their wounds. That was something that she felt would be a binding agent in their bond of friendship. A friendship that had become known when Seraphina had hugged Derek in a meeting that had taken place with the AoC. her gaze shifted to the male then and she nodded her head. ”I am fascinated as to why His Highness would send someone of your caliber to run, what some would consider to be, such a minor errand. Yet I find myself rather curious as to why someone of the Von Black bloodline would even be employed amongst his ranks to begin with.” Raven mused aloud for Raphael to hear, but she continued. ”In any case, feel free to call me Raven.” She held out a hand then, ”Shall we go?”​

 

[Raphael Boucher]

When the Viceroy revealed that she would agree to a drink, Raphael nodded with an easy smile coming upon his face. When the woman spoke of the errand that Raphael was speaking, the man shrugged off the words without too much consideration to them. "I do not presume to know. However, I am in his debt as he recently supplied me with a very important mineral for my research. Perhaps the errand is below me, yet as I have the pleasure to meet you it is quite obvious that fruit can be born from the most trivial of matters, don't you agree?" He smoothly asked.

The Viscount took the Viceroy's hand, leading her to a more lively atmosphere. They walked through the threshold together, while Raphael took notice and finally answered the last words the Viceroy had spoken. His blood smelled of the Von Black line and that was something no amount of time could change. At the mention of his heritage, the Viscount's lips turned into a rather joyless smile.

"The Von Black Bloodline exists only in disgrace, my Lady." He said, without truly revealing the meaning behind his words. "There are no Von Black's anymore. Merely treacherous curs. That is what our kind have decreed." He stated, as they approached a rather expansive bar.

"Illyria has been, for most of it's years, quiet and out of the way. A rather comfortable world to experience exile upon." He said, his eyes falling to the mark that graced the woman's neck. The very same mark that had been placed upon the back of Raphael's shoulder on the day he killed his brothers to exact vengeance for his father. The sight of the mark on skin other than his was a surreal sight to be sure. The bartender droid approached the two of them and Raphael gestured to Raven. "What would you like to drink?" After she ordered her drink, Raphael would quickly order behind her. "Vodka, on the rocks." He told the droid, before it turned back to the bar to fetch the drink.

"It seems the Vampirika have truly taken a liking to Confederate space. I suppose with the flow of the galaxy this is to be expected. Yet, I'm curious as to just how you ended up in this part of the galaxy?" He asked her with a curios loft of the brow. "I'm sure it is an interesting story."

Raven Thystle

 

[Vytal Noctura]

The twin crystals begun to circle the Nightmother where she stood. Slowly at first, their orbit began to speed up and as it did so they drifted further away. Pale hands wove an invisible tapestry in the air before her, and the Force began to warp in the surrounding area. It was unlikely the effect would go unnoticed for long. Every second it only grew stronger, and her magick would not attempt to hide it -- her own seclusion took up more energy than Vytal would have liked given what she intended to do.

There was no such thing as 'taboo' magick in her eyes. Learn how to conjure a Wall of Light. Learn how to raise an undead army. Find a way to suck the very life out of your enemies before they had a chance to blink. It mattered not unless the power was used irresponsibly. Great power's responsibility only revealed itself in the belief 'just because you can do a thing does not mean that you should.' Everything else was personal belief piled on to excuse or limit the possibilities rather than force people to learn to control their own impulses -- from a Nightsister's humble point of view.

Nevertheless, there were certain magicks one should not take lightly. Vytal, personally, believe temporal Arts to be one of the most dangerous of all kinds of magick. Pom, Haven, and herself had once engaged in such a dangerous exploit once; after which, once Vytal understood what had happened, she strongly advised all of them to never tempt fate in such a fashion again. You could unravel a planet's entire existence if care was not exercised. So she believed. After all, if time's arrow could be overcome what limitations would remain to such a Witch? Anything would be possible.

Fortunately, neither of them were on Olanet this day.

Slowly her right hand stretched forth while her left drew back, and the crystals spinning around her suddenly doubled. Then quadrupled. Vytal's lips were pressed into a fine line as her green eyes were engulfed in emerald flame.

As her left moved forward and the right drew back, the chamber was filled with translucent specters of days gone by of people and materials. A multitude of moments in time all overlapping before her very eyes. Only when the aftermath of a particular day vaguely came into focus did the Nightmother's hands stop moving.

With a hair's breadth of movement, time young back hours at a time until the unmistakable conflagration surfaced all about the room.

A silent play in reverse showed emergency responders seemingly throwing fuel into the blaze, followed by the Agents of Chaos and their associates reappearing. Vytal felt the pressure of the magick drawing in about her as she fought to control the rate in which time passed. Just a little further... To witness the weapons discharge that would change two lives.

And the moment before that.

The fingers of her right hand stood up to fasten that moment in time on display. It stood before her with a slightly washed out appearance, but every table and chair strewn about, every blaster mark or tuft of fire on display. Vytal's right hand then flicked off to the side and drew the crystals back in toward herself; she gestured for them to take position out in the chaos of the scene on display.

Change the past? No, the Nightmother would not take that imposition on. It was enough that certain people knew the dead could rise and Live once more -- under certain conditions. If they knew manipulating time was an option as well... She knew too much how the galaxy worked. Anything that could be made into a weapon would be made into one. Meddling in time would guarantee a threat to Existence itself would inevitably result.

Once the crystals began to glow with the energy, or essence, of that moment in time -- for those people in that moment -- the Nightmother's right hand would take its place and she would carefully begin to return herself back into the present.

After she snatched the crystals out of the air, Vytal felt herself gasp as if she'd been holding her breath. The pale Witch stumbled over to one side of the room as her shroud shimmered and fell restoring her back to the visual spectrum. Hopefully if she stayed in the along the walkway or back of the chamber none would have been the wiser.

 

[John Locke]

​

Location: The monument
Tagging: Lesya Kosarev | Eenia Vahn | Luca Ioneşti | Open
Wearing: This

“You’re not wrong,”

Dark eyes lifted to glance over that the blonde woman who had also been visiting the shrine. It was easy to get lost in your own mind, to forget that a monument like this was a public place. John wasn’t used to lowering his guard, letting the mask slip in public. So often too many of his competitors and peers would see that as an opportunity to score a point or to take advantage of a weakness. It had bred a reluctance to open up to people, to let them past his walls. In a place like this, under the sight of all those ghosts and failures, maybe this was a place to open up for a moment.

“The world might be better if the many would listen to the few, but it has to be the right few. How do you know if you’re looking to the right people for that? Positions of power don’t always mean that they’re the right choice. Somewhere, some collection of the few got together and decided that doing this was what they should do, that it was a good idea.”

A hand reached out, gesturing at the monument.

“Those that supported them must have agreed with them. Only, I don’t know if they should have. Were we the ones who made the right decisions too? Perhaps we shouldn’t listen to those in power, but listen to the people willing to stand up. The people who asked for peave here, those are the voices I wanted to listen to.”

Dark eyes flicked over to stare at Lesya as the man shook his head sadly. He knew what his friend was thinking of but still…heavy the head that wears the crown.

“One man in a split second can change the world. All it takes is one action to set the galaxy on fire, to change history. Think of it like a flow chart. You’re right, everyone’s choices lead to that moment, but in that moment it’s still our choice. You chose to act, to do something and try to stop them…I didn’t. Power comes with a price, with responsibility. You can’t have one without the other. All those choices, at each step, I had the ability to influence them, to change them. But I didn’t.”

 

[Raven Thystle]

VICEROY THYSTLE​

Wearing: XOXO
Location: At a bar
Tags: Raphael Boucher​

Raven quietly allowed herself to be led by the man after he had taken her hand and it wasn’t long till she found her inside a bar establishment. ”Whiskey. Neat.” The vampiress said as she listened to the male talk. Sometimes one learned more from simply listening and observing and she couldn’t help but be mildly curious, if only to simply pass the time while she had nothing better to do. Inwardly, she did admit that he was rather pleasing to the eye and her chocolate gaze took the time to slowly take in the man’s appearance as he talked. That was until he questioned as to how she had managed to find her way into Confederate space and her gaze shifted to the datapad as she placed it upon the bar in front of her.

Her pale right hand moved to pick up the drink that had been served to her by the bartending droid and she appraised it for a moment. ”One could say that it is quite the tale indeed, but it is a tale that you may only get to hear in part. For I don’t talk about my beginnings, not even to those who have been working closely with me for quite some time now.” Her chocolate gaze flickered from her drink, to view the male beside her as she pondered about what type of scheme that he could potentially be cooking up. One could say that she had become a sceptic of people’s motives ever since she had been metaphorically bitten by her parents and their own scheme. To this day, she still didn’t understand why they had betrayed those of Winterhall.

Perhaps if she hadn’t inadvertently suffered at the hands of others, she would feel more emotion than she did. Maybe she would be able to sympathize with those like Derek and Seraphina, instead she couldn’t worry about the maybes or the what ifs. What was done, was done and so she found grief to be a rather useless emotion. One that she didn’t dwell upon. ”I must say though, I’m not at all surprised that the Von Blacks are no more. They were a cadet branch of Winterhall, after all. They were not governed by the same oath of loyalty and tradition that many of those who were born into the Winterhall bloodline took on board. A bloodline can only succeed if it upholds such codes. If they were not upheld to the strictest of scrutiny, then a bloodline would surely fail. Such is the case with the Von Blacks. Whereas, I’m sure that the Winterhalls are thriving still.”

The woman took in the male for a moment before she lifted the glass to her lips and took a sip and she placed the glass down upon the bartop in front of her. ”Exile isn’t so bad once you get used to it,” Raven said with a slight chuckle and then moved to slide the datapad in front of her, yet continued to speak as her gaze shifted to the documents once more. ”Even I found a new home after my two thousand year slumber. A home on Felacat. A dedicated species once you’re gained their trust, but that is such a hard thing to gain when they are cautious of strangers.” The woman mused as she continued to read and ponder in silent thought. ”It took me almost three hundred years to gain their trust and here I am thinking about allowing more strangers to traverse their homelands. However, I am hoping that it will encourage them to travel more.”

Was she wrong to be thinking more about her people? Who knew, it had been her only distraction, to avoid letting the monster out to play. For when she got bored, then things got messy and no one wanted messy. Yet here was a male who was rather interested in her for some reason and so she pushed the datapad aside for a moment, if only to turn her full attention onto the man beside her. ”I am rather fascinated by you however,” She said as a slow smirk curved her lips, ”You can obviously smell that I am of the Winterhall bloodline and you can even see my mark of banishment clear as day. I don’t hide it and yet you’re rather persistent in pursuing this…” The vampiress held out a hand to indicate the drink before her. ”Whatever this is. You have nothing to gain by trying to curry favor with me. Even other vampires from other bloodlines who haven’t been banished, wouldn’t take me in. I have nothing to give you.”

She twisted her body to fully face the man beside her as she lifted a hand if only to bend her arm and rest the elbow upon the bartop with her palm facing upwards. Raven leaned slightly to the side to place her chin upon the palm, but the smirk still ghosted upon her lips. ”So tell me. Why do you live in exile?”​

 

[Raphael Boucher]

The scion of the Von Black Bloodline sipped down a bit of his vodka, enjoying the warm rush that filled the back of his throat as he drank down the liquor. He listened to the Lady's words on her past and felt his lips curl up to a smile. Still, it was not until the mention of the Von Black's that he arched his brow at the Lady. His eyes, narrow with scepticism and curiosity, peered over his drink as he listened to the woman drag his family's name through all manner of mud and dirt. When he swallowed the last of his vodka, letting out a brief sigh from the burn of the drink, he looked to the woman and could think only of one thing.

"I could not agree more." He said, before his eyes turned to the bartender. He tapped the edge of his glass, showing he wished for a refill. "The Von Black's no longer exist due to the actions set in motion by their own hands. They forged their destruction effortlessly and were well rewarded for it." His words were not spoken out of hatred for his own or even in a vain attempt to swallow pride at the cost of reality. No, Raphael's words were spoken from a single bitter truth. Treachery had destroyed the Von Black's and though to many Raphael had become the face of that treachery, it truly mattered little. A father killed by a son, a brother killed by a brother, they had succeeding in doing what thousands of years could not, eradicating themselves. A thousand years of consideration on the matter had made it a rather easy pill to swallow.

Her comment on exile caused the man to chuckle as he sipped at his drink. "Better than the alternative, surely." Death. That was the only alternative to exile from the Vampirika world. There was a time when the Viscount believed to have preferred that over the disgrace that followed his name, yet years had sobered his mind of the thought. The woman spoke of her people and Raphael considered her words. "If it is meant to be then your people will take to it. I watched the world of Illyria descend into war again and again. Over credits, phrik, women, and all manner of things. Each war was more and more costly and the reasons only seemed to get more and more idiotic."

"Every King was a commoner in their heart. Forged from blood made Royal by parchment and marriage. Their true Kings died out years ago, but now they have found the King they will serve, and they serve faithfully. In Exile I found some amusement in watching the ways they would waste the precious little time supplied to them. Some would toil from birth to death, others never showed a spark of ambition to do anything other than live and die, and then some spent every waking moment trying to subvert their fates."

"That is why I say if it is meant to be then the people will take to it. They will only change their ways if it is to be. If it is not, then you would have better luck commanding the mountains to blow into the wind and time to move in reverse." He said, simply. When Raven admitted her fascination, Raphael arched a brow whimsically at her words. His lips curled into a small smirk before he chuckled softly into another sip of his drink.

"That is exactly why you interest me. Because I have nothing to gain from you." He said simply, before setting the glass of vodka down onto the bartop. "Nothing that lays on the surface, at least." He said simply.

When the woman asked of Raphael's exile the man licked his lips before glancing over at the bartender who came to refill their drinks once again. Raphael nodded his appreciation before speaking evenly. "I murdered my father and brothers so that I could take control of the Von Black family affairs." Did the truth matter? When speaking to a Vampirika, was there truly any level of integrity that mattered. Raphael was uncertain of the answer to these questions, yet as he sipped down his vodka, he continued to speak. "That is what they exiled me for." He looked to Raven with an interested quirk of the brow. "Underwhelming, I'm sure."

Raven Thystle

 

[Raven Thystle]

VICEROY THYSTLE​

Wearing: XOXO
Location: At a bar
Tags: Raphael Boucher​

The smirk stayed upon her lips as she listened to the male speak and as he spoke, he continued to intrigue her. The woman’s head angled slightly to the right, while chocolate eyes only continued to appraise the man before her. A man who seemed rather interested in his drink. Of which he was now on his third, while the bartender refilled her drink, it had only been half empty. She only drank while in the company of others and she often didn’t drink much. Raven found pleasure when she enjoyed the simple things and she took her time doing so, for she had the time to waste. Why rush to the finish line when she could all but walk there and still experience so much that the many worlds had to offer?

Every time he spoke of the Von Black’s she could almost taste the sense of bitterness and did she regret saying what she did? Absolutely not. To regret would mean that she felt and regret was simply not something that she had a knack for feeling. Then again, she didn’t have anyone that she allowed close to her heart. So she couldn’t even begin to fathom as to what regret even felt like. His story however struck a chord within her and to say that she felt somewhat uncomfortable was an understatement.

Raven straightened her form and her elbow shifted from its position on the bar so then she could turn to face it. The woman’s free hand moved to pick up her glass to take a drink of the liquid that sloshed around inside of it while her thoughts shifted to the man’s story. ”Sometimes, there are no good choices. It sounds as if you were caught between a rock and a hard place and I’d be the first to admit that before my own banishment, I wouldn’t have broken so much as an oath. Even if it was meant to bring about good to my people. Change can be difficult, it can be daunting and sometimes no matter what you do, you will always suffer.” She paused as she lifted the glass to her lips and took another drink before she continued. ”However, it’s what you do after that choice is what matters the most.”

Chocolate eyes glanced to the male for a moment. ”If you repeat what I say to anyone else, I will kill you.” Raven said, before she looked over her shoulder to make sure that no one was eavesdropping and then at the bartender droid of whom she waved away. ”My banishment was because of my own family and I had three choices, each leading to exile no matter what. Afterwards, I spent one hundred and thirteen years hunting those that had destroyed my position within Winterhall. I took my revenge, I murdered my parents and bathed in their blood. I took my hits, grave ones. Which was why I spent so long in such a long slumber. My wounds were great and I had to go to ground”

A shrug of her shoulders was given then as she turned back to her drink and finished it off. ”I took my revenge and now I get to live with the monster inside that would rather watch their enemies bleed then let them live. It is a monster of my own making and I do not feel emotions like others do. I do not pity those that have fallen, but merely show appreciation for those that still manage to get back up, no matter their hindrances. You got back up and although you may have been exiled, it seems as though you are still trying to clean the Von Black name. It’s not an easy road, but it’s one nether-the-less.” the vampiress said as she flagged down the droid bartender to fill her glass.​

 

[Raphael Boucher]

There was something about Raven's words that caused the Viscount to smile softly to himself. "Words I have come to understand the meaning of years ago." He was more than aware of his situation after all. In fact, he was aware of it then. He knew the situation that he would land himself in yet he held no hesitation, no thoughts of sorrow. In act, when his eldest brother, Gabriel's final breath had been taken, Raphael had felt more relief than he'd experienced in years. When the threat of death came, Raphael glanced over to the woman with an interested expression.

Raphael listened to the woman's words and found her own story all too familiar. Though he was thankful the revenge he exacted had only sculpted itself in a manner of weeks instead of decades.

As the woman continued to speak, Raphael nodded at her words before turning back to her and speaking simply. "We are all the creators of our own monsters...it is merely a manner of how and when." He explained before finishing the vodka that was before him. He exhaled, enjoying the soft flow of relief that the liquor brought him. It would not last long, nor would it deepen unless he was to drink a considerable amount more than he already had. Still, there was an amused look in his eyes when she spoke of the Von Black name. She assumed he sought to cleanse it of the ilk attached to it? He said nothing to the contrary, though it was a statement that paused and gave him thought.

"Thousands of years and I am yet a man without a vision. Merely a man in search of the proper path, my Lady." He said before adjusting the collar fastened around his neck. "Now if you will excuse me, Viceroy. There are yet other matters I must attend to." He said with a soft bow of his head. The Viscount stepped past the woman, halting only to pass her a knowing glance as he spoke keenly to her. "I have enjoyed this talk. We must do it again, soon." He said, before making his way away from the Viceroy.

Raven Thystle

 

[Nimue]

W E A R I N G | [x] - [x]
T A G S | Aries Creed​

Another incredulous look.​

“I had no idea how you would react, and if you had taken it badly I did not want to spend days with you brooding on a spaceship.” It was firm, but a fair assessment. He spoke the word again. Another confirmation, as though it still hadn’t sunk in.​

Nimue looked up at him. She knew what he was thinking. It was something she had thought herself not too long ago. The force certainly worked in mysterious ways. Ironic ways. Complicated and impossible to understand ways. Long ago, in her youth, Nimue had felt trapped by it. Forced to walk a path she could change no more easily than she could change the wind, but now? It had been a bitter pill to swallow, but she accepted it for what it was. Sometimes she was given warning, sometimes it came as a surprise, but in the end she always accepted it. Aries would too, in time. She hoped.​

Much to her surprise, it was quicker than she expected. He laid a finger on her lips to cut any further conversation off, but quickly replaced it with his own. Nimue melted into the kiss, for once entirely unaware of anything else around her but Aries. Never in her life had she allowed her guard to slip around someone who was not a member of her coven, but Nimue did not even consider the significance of that. ​

“Yes.” Nimue said with a soft smile into the kiss as her hand came to rest on the top of his. “That is what I want.”​