Private Peace is a lie, and it's a beautiful one.

[Darth Nwul]

Wake had found a spot to settle and reflect, he hadn't had many such opportunities over the past few weeks after being picked up by Darth Strosius. He had learned a lot, though, and he'd finally had an opportunity to see the galaxy from the perspective of the Sith. There were many things he liked, most things, but some points were lacking in fundamental ways. In the end, he had chosen to stay on, because he believed in the ideal over the reality. The Dark Side was with him, he felt it in that cold wound in his abdomen. It was from there that he felt the dark side eeking into his body as he began to recite the Sith Code from his perch. He'd found a cliffside on the battlescarred world, away from the Sith camps, in a place where he could look out over the vast beauty of the place before his kin scarred it beyond all recognition. A small presence appeared in his periphery, but he sensed no hostility so he ignored it.

Destruction was a part of nature, though, and ultimately it would serve a greater purpose some day. He allowed himself to feel the irritation at his comrades, the anger at them for blindly destroying nature, and the rage at losing such a spectacular view. He consumed the feelings, converted them into power and finally allowed them to rest, setting them aside. He took a deep breath and savored the view, drinking in the beauty of nature and reveling in the awesome beauty of it all. Joy came next, replacing the rage. His expression turned to a brilliant smile, his eyes gleaming with an eager delight, that emotion too was turned into power. The overwhleming feeling of delight and passion for what he was seeing adding to the great flame growing in his chest. He allowed himself to feel sad, angry, happy, frustrated, lonely, and even felt the misery he suffered through every day after killing Master Abaas. He faced his emotions and turned them into something useful after confronting them in a healthy way.

The power built, and built, and built, as rage was not the sole emotion providing him grounding, his foundation grew wider, stronger, more stable. He let out a breath that was thick with the force, a flame erupting from his nostrils.

"Peace is a lie, there is only passion..." He acknowledged, rolling his head and clenching his fists, he got to his feet and began his practice forms. Form I, Form II, Form III, one form at a time, building up his stamina and forcing his muscles to memorize the patterns his head knew.

When he was finally done, he sat down. To his surprise the small presence that he felt had drawn closer instead of further away, practically within earshot if he had to guess. He took a sip of water and tilted his head towards the newcomer. "Oi! No free shows! I charge for every inch of skin, my dear voyeur!"

Capris Halcyon

 

[Capris Halcyon]

This was stupid dangerous. And also just regular stupid.

Capris was under no illusion otherwise, but her awareness of the situation did nothing to change the fact she was indeed on a sith occupied world with zero backup and a complete inability to mask her presence.

Sure, It wasn’t ideal, but it wasn’t like the Jedi could send in a full studded task force without drawing considerable attention to themselves. So.. Capris took the liberty of sending herself, masterfully equipped with a single saber and a comically oversized cloak.

There was a deeper reason behind it of course. This planet, desiccated as it was, had once been home to a lab. One of her Master’s playground for all lengths of sith alchemy back in his days of a Sith prince. She didn’t know exactly why she sought it out. Superficially she toyed with a plan of destruction, to keep whatever secrets and twisted creations it held out of the grubby hands of encroaching sith. And for the time being that answer satisfied her.

Yes, she was only interested in purging this world of darkness. As any good little Jedi should be. And honestly everything was going great until some sleazebag made himself known.

She’d spotted him from afar while trying to get a vantage point of the scenery herself. Less out of appreciation and more strategic need. But either way she found herself an unwilling audience to Wake’s quick succession of antics, only finding time to quirk an eyebrow before he suddenly turned his attention on her.

Shit.

Once Wake turned he’d be met with the sight of a rather unimpressive figure. A single lithe teenager swimming in the fabric of a cloak that clearly did not belong to her (nor anyone who wasn’t a 6 foot 8 Epicanthix) with arms crossed in both mild offense and in an attempt to look more intimidating than she evidently did.

“Hard pass. You can keep your skin to yourself. Please do actually.” With her brow slanted and nose wrinkled in an equal mix of confusion and disgust, the girl regarded Wake. “And I’m not your dear anything.” Dear voyeur? Who the actual feth spoke like that? It was such conversational whiplash she nearly forgot the high likelihood she was talking with a Sith. Because well.. Every sith she’d met usually opened with a threat of a slow and painful death.

Darth Nwul

 

[Darth Nwul]

Wake stood in stunned silence for several seconds. Staring at the unimpressive and frankly absurd figure that stood before him at the edge of the breathtaking vista. He blinked a few times, a few more times, and then unceremoniously collapsed to the ground in roaring fits of laughter. Tears in his eyes, he grabbed his sides and rolled to the right, coughing from laughing as hard as he did. "Oh my stars, oh no, oh you- you look like- you look like a riff-rat that got into a dresser-drawer!" He stopped laughing and tried to catch his breath, only to look back at the frumpy teenager and burst into more tearful laughter, "Oh no! No no no, don't look at me like that- ha ha ha!"

He finally caught his breath after several seconds, gasping for air, "Oh wow, you are way outside of your safety net, kid," He grunted, pulling himself together enough to sit up straight and crossed his legs, squaring his shoulders mockingly and opening his eyes with a half-lidded gaze. He did his best to emulate the 'regal' air of a Jedi Master, he was about to break into a condescening 'I sense you are a padawan learner, what brings you to this place' when he caught something else in the flavor of her presence. There was color there. Emotion. Frustration. Tension. Concern. Concentration. The feelings of someone on a mission who wasn't sure of their own success.

His amusement slowed and he stopped, "Forgive the theatrics, you don't exactly cut the most dramatic or imposing figure as you are. It's been a while since I saw someone like you. You remind me a bit of Braze, funny kid," Wake chuckled. "What brings you here besides the spectacular view?" He asked, gesturing to the vast expanse of natures beauty to his left. "And before you start something stupid; I have no interest in violence, but I'll understand if you want to keep your guard up," He added with a shrug, thumbing in the direction of his cloak and sith warblade set off to the side and out of immediate reach. He didn't even have a lightsaber.

Capris Halcyon

 

[Capris Halcyon]

Oh that hurt.

Capris stared back, equally stunned. Bit ruthless wasn't he? In all honesty she might've preferred just being poked by that warblade of his. At least that approach made some rational sense. But no, she wasn't enough of a threat to warrant that kind of reaction.

Before she had a chance to snap back with a wounded quip, Wake interceded anew, comparing her to some Braze kid all while failing to keep his composure. Suffice to say his amusement was met with a rather deadpan expression. One that almost gave way to confusion in the following moments. She'd been so absorbed with poorly concealing her own presence that she hadn't so much as considered his... outside of the fact it was swarming in the dark side of course. But there was something more to it. Something she could feel but not name.

It took her a moment to scrounge up a response.

"Not interested in violence?" The girl snorted from the perceived irony, eyes dropping to the warblade stationed at his side, "Isn't that like your guy's whole MO?"

Sith. They were destructive by nature. And also apparently jerks.

"Why I'm here's really none of your business, just like this-" She said gesturing to Wake and his previous stunts as a whole, "-Is none of mine."

Darth Nwul

 

[Darth Nwul]

Wake scratched his chin and glanced away, distracted by a sound nearby. A bird. He smiled at the feathery creature as it twittered out a small song before departing. Wake glanced her way as she eye'd his warblade and snorted, patting it once and winking at it. He shrugged, "Next you'll tell me the sandwich in my traveling pack is filled with sentient flesh and not wanhog ham," He teased, opening up that very same pouch with a flick of his wrist and a brush of the force. The sandwich leaped from its spot and into his hand where he bit in without hesitation.

He chewed and tried to say something with his mouth full before gasping, holding a hand up, chewing really fast, and then swallowing hard. "Mmf! Mm, sorry! Training works up an appetite you know?" He said and waved the sandwich at the newcomer, "Yeah I couldn't care less about fighting you kid, not gonna do me any good besides satisfy curiosity and I'm not about that life. Reckless abandon gets you killed," He explained and took another bite, "Mffrhfmmfhhfmmrrr,"

He coughed and snorted out a laugh, "Sorry again, I was saying, if you're gonna be a grump be on your way. I deal enough with grouches among my own kind, boring, that stereotype is pretty solid I'd say," Wake laughed, "But if you want to sit and appreciate nature for a little while, I won't stop you, it's the best view for probably a hundred miles or so," He said and gestured again to the enormity of the plains beyond the mountain he was sitting on.

"You at least don't seem boring, have a drink with me!" He blurted after a heartbeat.

Capris Halcyon