Private Pink is the New Black

[Sibylla Abrantes]

​

THEED HIGH SECURITY CELLBLOCK
Interacting with: Aurelian Veruna Mauve du Vain
Items: x x x x x

As the turbo lift decended, Sibylla felt each passing level hit her like a tiny flashback to the past, bringing to mind the set of circumstances that brought her here.

Wielu resurfaced first, bringing back with it Mauve's grief, her anger, and the ensuing wake of blood and death where Sibylla had been nearly killed after being shot point-blank by the woman trying to protect Aurelian. Then the fashion show, invited by Mauve herself after a hand written apology and assurance of her safety, then meeting Fenn Stag 's gaunt complexity, his strange devotion to Mauve, and his desire to find a place he belonged. And now the revelation that devotion had splintered into something else entirely. Alliance. Betrayal. Survival instinct. Remorse. Sibylla did not know yet how to name it, but its curiosity insistently twisted in her chest.

What had shifted inside him? What had creaked or cracked? What had driven him enough to break faith.

She wondered if she would ever have the chance to ask.

Shiraya would eventually cause Sibylla to learn the answer from the man himself, but that knowledge hadn't quite reached her yet. The mind often lagged behind fate.

She exhaled and lifted her gaze to Aurelian.

The golden lights of the lift caught in the dark curl of his hair, sketching faint heat along his jaw. He looked composed, though Sibylla knew this particular matter grazed old wounds. The Wielu confrontation, the complications of Mauve's pheromones, and the shadow of such a violent confrontation where he had almost died as well. Had it not been for Sibylla's insistence on his wearing that Spidersilk weave...

No. No need to think on that. They had both survived. Move forward. Progressed now to push the Republic towards defending and protecting itself. It was time to look forward. To what this opportunity meant.

So Sibylla watched him for a heartbeat, studying him in a way she could only pick up, seeing the slight tension at his shoulders, the calculation behind his eyes, and let her tone soften around the edges.

"So, what is our goal with this?" she asked him, not in a hesitant tone but one seeking clarity. She wanted the parameters of their intention drawn clearly before they stepped into that cell block, before they faced a Zeltron whose pheromones were potent enough that the engineers had insisted on a specialized hardlight barrier and aggressive ventilation cycles. And while Sibylla trusted her implant, trusted her willpower, and trusted Aurelian's even more... emotional sway often moved like smoke, soft and persuasive...so very easy to underestimate.

And interrogation was his arena, not hers.

She had her strengths. Empathy, diplomacy, the ability to coax truth from silence rather than pressure. But he had the sharper instincts for the situation, the kind honed by service in the Defense Forces, by chairing Internal Affairs, and by a lifetime of walking that line where charm and threat blurred into something dangerously effective. Together they would make a good team and remain above reproach.

Still, she wanted to hear the matter of his intent in his own voice.

 

[Mauve du Vain]

Mostly healed now from the gunshot inflicted by Arris Windrun, Mauve sat in her prison cell and idly painted her nails. She’d convinced one of the guards that it couldn’t possibly harm anyone, which was true.

So, now she sat painting in a shade of lavender. Not her usual deep winter plum, but she was a little limited on resources at the moment.

Mauve read the holo news as she painted her nails and plotted how she would get her comeuppance. If they wanted to lock her away forever they would have initiated trial proceedings already. Instead, she found herself in a rather plush cell, all things considered.

The opaque rayshield forming the cell wall provides a semblance of privacy, but the constant hum left her wanting to stab out her eardrums.

Mauve sighed with boredom.

 

[Aurelian Veruna]

Location: Theed High Security Cellblock
Tags: Sibylla Abrantes | Mauve du Vain

Aurelian rested his head against the cool durasteel as the lift hummed down. He'd rehearsed this scene a dozen times; Mauve behind a barrier, stripped of her claws, no longer prowling the galaxy in perfume and schemes. In his fantasies Quinn was always right there, equally trapped and angry. One for two would have to do for now; progress, after all, is still progress.

Sibylla's voice cut cleanly through the daydream, pulling him back with a steady focus.

The lift chimed and the metal doors slid apart. "Vengeance," Aurelian said simply as he stepped into the corridor. The guards saluted, stiff with nerves, but he brushed them aside with a flick of his fingers. This moment didn't need an audience.

A gentle rose‑hued rayshield wrapped Mauve's cell. Aurelian approached slowly, feeling a quiet satisfaction rather than triumph. "It was a whole ordeal to get you here," he mused, stopping just shy of the shimmer line. "Paperwork, committees, favors… even a senator or two who thought you were 'too pretty' for containment. For the whole operation. Tiresome."

He tilted his head, studying her with the detached curiosity one uses when examining a venomous insect under glass. "But to read the reports that your own bodyguard shot you…" he clicked his tongue, amusement threading through his voice. "How fascinating." He glanced briefly toward Sibylla, then took another step closer.

​

 

[Fenn Stag]

​

The way that Fenn carried himself was as most people described, was off-putting. Like something was incredibly off. Something was wrong with him.

There was.

But he bore the same reaction to people like seeing a nocturnal animal out in daylight. Wrong. To be avoided. To be pitied. And it was much more unnerving and in a word scary to see him appear like an apparition. Whether he was let in by the Republic security forces or found his own way in, the fact was that he was there. He was deathly quiet, despite his size and physique. He moved oddly- as big as he was, he appeared low to the ground, and seemingly always leaning forward despite obviously not doing so. A coiled snake in the garden. Never not deadly, never not without violence. Even though completely unarmed and stripped of weaponry and closely watched, his capability for violence was never truly gone, diminished perhaps. But even unarmed he was.... a killer. Shaped, born, molded, trained, perfected.

Far from the three others he was about to come into contact with.

Sibylla Abrantes and Aurelian Veruna might not have even noticed him come in, appear. The Republic owed him money. And he came to collect. But he didn't need to come here to get it. He didn't need to elect to see Mauve in person. He could've collected his mountains of credits and UCs and left. Could've faded into the stars.

But perhaps it was loyalty.

Perhaps it was shame.

Or perhaps comeuppance.

Vengenance.

Righteousness.

Cruelty.

An amalgamation of all the things he felt about Mauve and what he did. But he had to see her one more time. So, Mauve's former trusted man, now turncoat- stood behind the royalty of Naboo. He cared little for their titles, their politics, their squabbles between them all. The lines of relations that connected them all. Their politics, their crimes of passions and loves and apologies had nothing to do with him.

But yet, everything to do with her.

So, the killer stared at Mauve, unseen by the two for the time being. The Republic Guards near them and that he passed were watching him closely. He was not well-liked here. He did not wish to stay long. He did not belong. He was not born in fine china with spoon in hand like these people. He was not a politician vying for revenge, a debt between lovers and friends with lines blurred between all of them that it became hard to see who was truly friend and who was truly foe. He preferred his enemies to be on the battlefield- oh how he missed it! The simplicity of true warfare, not the subterfuge he had been subjected to and subjected himself to. Gone were battle lines and plans, instead, words of loyalty and betrayal, power in the shadows instead of by the sword.

It hurt him that he positioned himself to be part of the reason they were so successful in some areas. Perhaps that's why he did what he did.

Or perhaps even he would truly never truly know.

But at the end of it all-

The Republic owed him money.

 

[Sibylla Abrantes]

​

THEED HIGH SECURITY CELLBLOCK
Interacting with: Aurelian Veruna Mauve du Vain
Items: x x x x x

Vengence?

Delicate brown brows rose slightly in silence even as they stepped out of the lift and towards one of the many rose-hued illuminated cells in the wing.

Truth be told, while she understood it, especially in the wake of Wielu and Kalantha's kidnapping, vengeance wasn't at the core of Sibylla's thoughts. Prudence would say that hers was more in understanding and getting a glimpse of what and who was at play. What areas could be addressed, and how could things move forward?

In her mind, she thought back to what Fenn had spoken about Mauve. How she worked within the Syndicate as she moved her way up. She was more than what she seemed, for certain, and while she didn't trust the Zeltron wholly, Sibylla wasn't the sort to let emotion run the discussion.

Not that she believed Aurelian would do so, but that was also why she was here. So they could work on this together.

There were guards stationed everywhere, and a few inclined their heads in greeting after their salutes to Aurelian, and Sibylla responded in kind with an incline of greeting of her own. Unlike Aurelian, she knew that even this small gesture would be seen positively, especially by their people.

However, while Aurelian stepped up with curious amusement towards Mauve, it was the subtle sensation of another that drew the Interim Queen's attention. It slid down the nape of her neck and down her spine with an alertness she only felt when her stomach twisted in a way that set her slightly on edge.

But to read the reports that your own bodyguard shot you…

Aurelian's words floated along the shell of her ear just as she turned, locking eyes with Fenn Stag . Just the slightest of unnoticeable hitches of breath came.

He was here.

A soft gentle brush of her hand came to rest along Aurelian's forearm. It conveyed an alert as much as caution.

"Fenn." The corners of her lips moved into a seemingly gentle smile at the soldier, but also gave him an expression of subtle concern that conveyed just a touch of confusion. Her mind wondered where his mind was at. What percolated there.

And certainly this wasn't the sort of scenario she ever expected to see him again in after the Fashion Show.

Sibylla gestured with an apologetic motion of her hand that she would attend to him in a moment, before turning to Mauve du Vain . Her smile gentled, and she inclined her head in greeting to the Zeltron.

"Miss du Vain," she began, her hazel eyes scanning the cell as if ensuring that every need had been met. "I trust your accommodations have not been too disagreeable. Lady Corazona von Ascania is an exceptional healer, and with our medics alongside her, we have done all we could to ensure both your recovery and a reasonably comfortable stay."

 

[Mauve du Vain]

Mauve looked up from painting her nails as the delegation approached, affording Aurelian a long look as he spoke. She could see the vile glee wafting about him in notes of yellow and red. He enjoyed this.

Behind him stood Fenn, who bled the blue and black of depression around him in a fog. Mauve sighed, if anyone in the galaxy needed to be medicated it was this man.

Lastly, her violet stare turned to Sibylla. A faint smile touched Mauve’s lips.

“Thank you Lady Abrantes. I confess I expected to be tortured for information, so yes this is a nice surprise,” her lower lip jut out and she glanced down sadly, “though I enjoyed seeing you at that fashion show more.”

She said nothing to Fenn, knowing he was busy ripping himself to pieces over what he’d done. Instead she looked back at Aurelian.

“I have had a lot of time to think in here. About this meeting. So please indulge my little tirade. I should hate you, maybe I still do. But… it all seems so pointless doesn’t it? A carousel with no way off but dying. That sounds very boring to me,” she glanced at her nails then up at Aurelian, “Rather like your bureaucracy and paperwork.”

Her smile was tight, pained.

“I congratulate you on capturing me, but the question I suppose is now what? My bodyguard did shoot me, yes. Arris Windrun. She was always ambitious, I should have realized how ambitious. If she isn’t already moving in on my territory, some other mercenary will be. And Velzari will still be there with Mercy, ruling over all of it. And you’ll get nothing by holding me. They want me gone, you see,” her eyes shimmered with anger, “competition.”

Mauve sniffed.

“So like I said, I’ve had a lot of time to think about this and maybe I can offer you something you don’t have. A way around all the paperwork. And an end to all these assassination attempts.”

Wouldn’t that be nice for him.

“Of course you could just laugh and kill me or imprison me but, well, I know you appreciate good art, Aurelian. Do you really want me behind bars forever?”

King. She should have called him king. Oh well.

Aurelian Veruna Sibylla Abrantes Fenn Stag

 

[Aurelian Veruna]

Location: Theed High Security Cellblock
Tags: Sibylla Abrantes | Mauve du Vain | Fenn Stag

Aurelian's attention slid from Mauve when Sibylla touched his forearm. Her touch was light and precise, a warning wrapped in etiquette. He followed the tilt of her gaze and saw Fenn. He hadn't heard him approach or felt the air shift; the man was just there, a specter with a soldier's spine and a killer's stillness. Aurelian recognized the name from the reports, the other turncoat.

He regarded the man and his thousand-mile stare. It was intriguing. Dangerous men usually announced themselves with swagger or noise. Fenn carried his violence like a ghost carries cold. No wonder he'd slipped knives so easily into Mauve's world.

Aurelian offered no greeting, only a single, measuring glance. He assumed the man wanted to be paid, which was simple enough to handle. Debts were useful. But Fenn's brittle, breaking kind of loyalty was never something one could truly trust. For now, Aurelian filed him away as a curiosity with potential purposes and potential consequences.

His gaze returned to the cell, to Mauve's violet eyes gleaming behind the hardlight like gems behind glass. Sibylla had shifted into diplomacy with a soft tone and gentle posture. The good cop. Expected and effective. Aurelian let her speak, letting Mauve breathe, and stepped back into the conversation as the Zeltron's tirade wound down.

"You're correct," he said, his voice mild but threaded with that cutting clarity he wielded so well. "Remove one player, and the underworld replaces them. Nature abhors a vacuum. Crime even more so."

He lifted a hand, examining the shimmer of the barrier as though comparing it to her lavender nail polish. "And you're right again; your absence already invites opportunists. A fool tries to purge the galaxy of crime entirely. We have far bigger things to worry about." Her barb about art earned the faintest upturn of his mouth. "It would be a waste to leave you behind bars forever," he admitted. "You've carved out influence, structure, fear. All things that can be applied toward something more productive than perpetually attempting to kill one another."

He stepped closer, posture relaxed, his voice dropping to something quieter and sharper. "So, you've had time. You've been thinking. What solutions have you come up with, Mauve?"

​

 

[Sibylla Abrantes]

​

THEED HIGH SECURITY CELLBLOCK
Interacting with: @Aurelian Veruna Mauve du Vain
Items: x x x x x

Sibylla smiled, widened, and her expression shone with genuine assurance, "No, we are not of the mind that torture does anyone any good..." Her voice waned, but she quietly added as she took a deep breath, "...Although I wish our former High Chancellor could have said the same."

And while her tone was quiet, they were all very well aware of the very public broadcast and demands Black Sun had made regarding the former High Chancellor, her bloody visage, and the obvious proof of physical assault on her. And that was only on the surface. Who knew what else the former Queen of Naboo was going through?

As it was, things were too chaotic now to determine where things stood. The Senate had decided to pursue every avenue to locate the young woman. It was in Shiraya's hands now.

Those dealings were left to expert negotiators who would try to negotiate a trade for the Zeltron. Although Sibylla wasn't quite sure how well that would result when the woman's own staff had turned on her, one of them actually attempted to kill her.

But for now...Now was a matter of dealing with the present.

Especially since Mauve was declaring that this Arris Windrun wanted her gone and was moving in on her territory. It made one wonder where Velzari and whoever this Mercy was thought of Mauve. Did they even care about her capture, or did they want her back?

And where did the Sith Princess, Quinn Varin, come into play with this? The report indicated the young blonde's presence there. If Mauve and Quinn were close, and the reaction to her capture was volatile, what did that mean for the Eshani's desire to get the Zeltron back?

And where did that leave the Sith Order at the crux of it?

"I agree, Miss du Vain," Sibylla added after Aurelian, her tone inviting without softening its purpose. "You may speak freely. Whatever you choose to share, we will meet it with clear eyes and a fair mind."

With that, Sibylla gave Aurelian another soft brush of her hand against his forearm to cue him on her departure, murmuring, "I will be back shortly."

Returning to Mauve, Sibylla gave a soft incline of her head in respect, then turned, moving towards Fenn Stag with a quiet and purposeful step and a swish of her skirts.

The corners of her lips gave a soft, gentle curve upwards despite the way her heart gave a slight uptick in its pace. Fenn was truly unknown at his core. And while a conversation may have revealed a few of his facets, there were, Sibylla was sure, some hidden deep, afflicted by his past experiences. He told her as much back on Nar Shaddaa at the Fashion show.

Now he was here.

"Fenn," She greeted him, coming to a stop about an arm's length from him. Her hazel eyes swept over him in that empathic searching way of hers, trying to determine where he was at, what state he was in, and how to proceed.

"Are you well?" she began quietly, speaking to him as an individual first and foremost. Sibylla didn't want to come off as merely a Republic official thanking him for a bounty she knew had more stirring there than met the eye. In her mind she could only think back to the plainly stated observations Fenn had for Mauve and how she was perhaps in a way, better than the rest.

"Forgive me for inquiring, but I have only just arrived." She asked, looking around at the guards, noticing that one by a desk was looking a little frantic at his data computer.

"Do you require assistance?"

 

[Fenn Stag]

​

"We're fine."

Came the curt, quiet reply. His breath hitched when she approached. He stiffened up, as if he was preparing for a strike.

The many layers, the many faces of Fenn. Mauve saw him as carrying the blues and blacks in a fog. With the Force, he was oily shadows against a matte background. Constantly pulling and pushing, between many.

Cursed.

And cursed for so long. He looked over the Queen, towards the cell with Mauve.

"No. I just came to collect."

It was a lie, an obvious one. But a lie moreso to deter the possibility of questioning by either party, aggrieved or aggressor. He had a twinge of respect for the Republic now- striking so deep and willing to get their hands dirty against their enemies. A powerful move, a display of force that the galaxy had not seen in some time.

He moved only slightly, stepping to the side to get a glance at Mauve. The guards behind him shifted, stopping to stare at him. A six and half foot tall Mandalorian with a cybernetic arm being close to the two of the more important people in the Republic was already unwelcome. Him moving was entirely even more unwelcome.

He turned his head towards Aurelian Veruna . A slight lean back of his head in admiration, perhaps. Or curiosity, or at the least in Fenn's case he didn't quite hate him. It wasn't his place to speak. Their relationship, Mauve, the King and Queen. Intersecting lines of hatred, care, forgiveness, malice, favors and betrayals and mercy. A blur of emotions and a blur of actions and inaction, decisions and consequences. He turned his eyes towards Mauve.

His stare was short. But it conveyed much more than he ever could say. Or ever would. Anger, guilt, shame, comeuppance. Maybe he pitied her. Maybe he felt regret. Maybe he felt like she deserved what she got. Maybe she was part of some sort of redemption he was seeking, the path forward from a wicked turn he took in life. Or maybe she was just the bounty.

He turned fully finally, and walked out. A Guard handed him a receipt and was going to escort him to pickup his payment. He was escorted, flanked heavily, to leave the trio to their own devices. And left as quietly as he came.

 

[Mauve du Vain]

He stepped closer, posture relaxed, his voice dropping to something quieter and sharper. "So, you've had time. You've been thinking. What solutions have you come up with, Mauve?"

Mauve thought for a moment before answering, gaze flicking briefly to Fenn's retreating back as he abruptly left. She smiled tightly.

"Well, you have absolutely no reason to trust me. But. I am the devil you know. Aren't I?"

She gave a one shouldered shrug, the gesture impossibly graceful.

"The others are too greedy. They don't appreciate the finer things in life. They just want to conquer everything and sit on the heap like some sort of Arkanian dragon on his horde of gemstones. I don't. I like nice things. I like my penthouse on Nar Shaddaa. Let me go and I would start moving the organization in a direction more beneficial for Naboo. Away from your planets. The money from our operations could find its way back to Naboo. To invest. I've always admired Naboo architecture. Besides..."

The Zeltron raised an eyebrow.

"I am the one with the connections in the Sith Order. I hear they are spoiling for a fight after their victory at Atrisia. I could bend the ear of a certain princess to convince them to look somewhere else for that fight. One of your rivals, maybe?"

Mauve's smile slipped away as she came to the sting in the tail.

"I think you've already figured all this out for yourself though, haven't you, King? Everything I'm offering you is intelligence and influence. It's... intangible. I understand that. If I had something else to barter with, I would. But that's what I deal in."

The smile fully disappeared, replaced with a frown.

"That's why you should trust me when I say I didn't have anything to do with your Chancellor. Not my style."

Aurelian Veruna Sibylla Abrantes Fenn Stag

 

[Aurelian Veruna]

Location: Theed High Security Cellblock
Tags: Sibylla Abrantes | Mauve du Vain | Fenn Stag

Aurelian watched Sibylla drift toward Fenn, offering a small nod that held trust. His focus then sharpened fully on Mauve. Her pitch was elegant, sharp, and self-preserving, exactly as he had expected. He let the silence stretch between them, long enough for her to feel its shape before he huffed a quiet, almost amused exhale.

"You always aim for the most glamorous version of pragmatism," he said. "Investment from criminals? Hard pass." He flicked his fingers dismissively. "I don't intend to launder blood-credits into Naboo's fountains." He stepped closer to the barrier, its rose-hued light sharpening the angles of his face. "But moving your operations off Republic worlds is interesting. And practical. And beneficial..."

Her mention of Atrisia, Sith victories, and the Princess coaxed something colder through his expression. He leaned in slightly, his voice dropping. "You're not wrong. The Sith are spoiling for a fight. They've convinced themselves the Black Wall makes them untouchable." His gaze narrowed. "A princess with that much ambition tends to imagine her destiny written on someone else's bones."

He looked around the cell. "You say you could redirect her," Aurelian murmured. "Bend her ear. Nudge her toward… other targets. But tell me, Mauve." His eyes locked on hers with a razor's interest. "Is your freedom worth betraying her?"

He watched her closely, observing every shift in her posture, every flicker of emotion behind her violet gaze. "Because it would be a betrayal. Would it not?" he continued, his tone cool and musing. "A very personal one. You'd be weaponizing intimacy, influence, and trust. All the things you claim as currency." He tilted his head, examining her the way one might examine a priceless piece of art for hidden fractures.

"How far does your self-preservation stretch? How much of her would you burn to keep yourself alive?" Aurelian's smile surfaced.

​

 

[Mauve du Vain]

Purple brows drew together in a slight frown.

“I really want to avoid correcting you while I’m in this position,” the frown faded and her lips curved upward, hinting at more, “But you’re asking the wrong question entirely.”

The Zeltron held up her nails, examining her work on the polish.

“It’s how much would she be willing to burn for me?”

Quinn would be wallowing in self-loathing and frustration after the failed rescue at the landing pad. That and the Wielu aftermath would leave her apologetic.

But steering her in one direction, away from the Republic?

“Besides, I don’t even see what you described as a betrayal. Pushing her toward other targets is just good business. She would rather have me at her side than a war with the Republic.”

Mauve believed it to be true. Hoped it was true. But could she be certain beyond a doubt? No. Doubt lingered like a shadow.

“And there are plenty of others to hate. Sularen, for instance. A silly man with a silly little fleet.” She tapped her lower lip with a nail.

“His imperial baldness would make quite the alternative target.”

Aurelian Veruna Sibylla Abrantes

 

[Sibylla Abrantes]

​

THEED HIGH SECURITY CELLBLOCK
Interacting with: Aurelian Veruna Mauve du Vain
Items: x x x x x

"We're fine."

While Fenn had replied, we're fine, there was the subtlest furrowing of delicate brown brows that gently expressed that she was concerned that it wasn't truly the case.

Yet before she could inquire further, Fenn stated that he was only here to collect. Which likely meant the bounty the Republic had placed for Mauve.

"I see." She replied softly, but not before adding just as he turned in a low and quiet murmur, "A conversation. If you would. In the Royal Gardens later today. That is, if you are alright with it."

Whether or not he would accept her proposal was up in the air, but the guards would let her know if he would, in fact, request an audience with her. For now, her hazel eyes drifted to follow his waning figure before taking a deep breath.

There was still so much to consider. To think on. Straightening her shoulders, the Interim Queen of Naboo gave a slight turn, the swish of her heavy skirt swishing as she returned once more towards Aurelian's side, but unlike him, standing just a few feet back in a respectable distance, catching the last few pieces of conversation between the Zeltron and Aurelian.

She quietly mused over that, and on a personal level, understood what Mauve meant. Which was more to the matter of what Sibylla's questions that followed.

"What is the Princess of Eshan's interest in the Black Sun Syndicate?" Sibylla asked, her tone composed but edged with intent. "There is no question she cares for you. That kind of devotion can drive a person anywhere -- but why is she there?" Sibylla knew that too well, having walked the razor line between love and ruin with Vere and Set.

Which meant Quinn Varanin, like the women who raised her, would not be easily deterred once her course was chosen.

"The Black Wall has obscured nearly everything regarding the Sith Empire. Its current structure, its stability, its leadership... and where the Princess fits within it. You are right that redirecting her attention could benefit us both, but that presumes knowledge we do not possess."

Sibylla stepped forward, a quiet shift that brought her nearer to Aurelian and to Mauve, though her expression remained impeccably courteous.

"What we require is a steady line of information on Sith affairs. Redirection is useful, yes, but understanding what lies behind that Wall, and using your access to the Princess to illuminate it... that is where your value truly lies."

A pause, then a slight quirk of a brow to draw interest.

"... and perhaps in a more beneficial arrangement for you than merely your freedom."

 

[Aurelian Veruna]

Location: Theed High Security Cellblock
Tags: Sibylla Abrantes | Mauve du Vain

Aurelian smiled when Mauve answered him as if he'd missed something obvious. It wasn't the soft kind of smile people gave friends. It was sharp, entertained, and edged with a warning. He opened his mouth to respond, already shaping a retort, when he caught Sibylla's return in his periphery. He stepped aside without complaint, giving her the space to speak.

He listened. He even nodded. Sibylla's points were clean and strategic, exactly what the Republic wanted to hear. But the entire exchange still sat uncomfortably close to something personal. He understood the larger stakes, but he struggled to care about them the way he knew he was supposed to.

He leaned against the cold stone wall, crossing his arms loosely. When Sibylla finished, he lifted a finger, signaling that he had something to add. He let the silence stretch a moment before speaking.

"I don't give a chit about Sularen and those stuffy uniformed fanatics in the Outer Rim playing at being Imperial," Aurelian said. His voice was calm. "And I don't give a chit if you're bedding Quinn enough to have her Sith Empire push toward other targets. Don't mistake that for the point."

He looked directly at Mauve then, gaze steady. "Do you actually see it as reasonable for the Republic to allow the Sith to conquer other planets? Because I don't. That's not redirection. That's giving them a free pass to burn someone else's home instead of ours."

He pushed off the wall and stepped closer, the glow of the barrier brushing pink across his cheekbones. "The betrayal I'm talking about isn't about nudging a princess toward a different battlefield. It's handing us the Princess of the Sith Empire on a silver platter. That's the price of your freedom, Mauve. That's the kind of self-preservation I'm assessing."

His attention flicked to Sibylla, acknowledging her earlier words with a small tilt of his head. "But she's right. There's more we can squeeze out of your smitten pet before we lock her away forever."

Aurelian's smile returned, slow and certain. "I can play the long game. My vengeance doesn't care how much time it takes."

​

 

[Mauve du Vain]

“You want me to spy on her? And…”

Mauve’s lips seemed nearly unable to form the words.

“And turn her over to you?”

Those violet eyes widened with horror. They shimmered with sudden, unshed tears. They felt hot at the corners of her eyes.

She would not cry.

She would not.

Mauve swallowed and steadied her voice.

“Information yes. That’s my business anyway. That I can give. But the princess?… would you really only lock her away?”

Or was Aurelian more nefarious.

The Zeltron seemed to consider for a moment.

“If I were to do this… I want to know you’re not going to hurt her. I want a guarantee. House arrest. Somewhere nice. A house on Naboo, maybe.”

Aurelian Veruna Sibylla Abrantes

 

[Sibylla Abrantes]

​

THEED HIGH SECURITY CELLBLOCK
Interacting with: @Aurelian Veruna Mauve du Vain
Items: x x x x x

Sibylla let her gaze move between Aurelian and Mauve, a quiet sweep that ended with a brief, pointed meeting of Aurelian's eyes and a subtle brush of her fingers against his forearm again in caution. The faint lift at the corner of her mouth was polite, but the message beneath it was unmistakable: you are letting this drift into the personal.

The Republic needed clarity, not to pick at old wounds. This was not about vengeance. It was about purpose.

Stay with me, her hazel eyes seemed to say, asking him to rein in on his temper and focus.

With a soft exhale, Sibylla returned her attention to Mauve. Her smile widened into a softer, if more diplomatic expression, her shoulders settling into a firm, straight line of confidence, but also encouragement of discussion.

"This is not a discussion on vengeance. But on what can serve the greater good. There are no qualms regarding how the more extreme Sith parties have enslaved, tortured, and overrun worlds in their growing conquest of the Outer Rim, and now, in the wake of the Alliance's fall, Coreworld as well. The Republic does not stand for the continued conquest of worlds in such a manner. Conflict is inevitable, but we seek to minimize the casualties."

Another breath and she followed suit with a more pragmatic approach that she hoped Aurelian would realize would best suit. The Sith Princess may have tried to kill him, and while that had also shocked Sibylla, it had been Mauve who almost killed her.

Yet Sibylla held no desire to continue to stir that pot. She understood Mauve's true worth, and from what Fenn explained, how that could work in their favor.

"What the Republic offers, Miss du Vain, is an arrangement that serves all parties. Not only us, but you and the Princess as well. We have no desire to provoke an open conflict with the Sith Empire, especially when we possess so little intelligence on their true strength or what lurks behind the Blackwall. Our border systems remain on high alert, and the Convergence has left the entire region dangerously unsteady. The Empire, however, is a known threat in the Core; their creation of the Death Star only emphasized that all the more."

She stepped forward until only a few feet separated her from the hardlight barrier Her posture remained courteous, but her scrutiny sharpened, seeking the truth beneath Mauve's practiced poise.

"Whatever personal histories exist," Sibylla continued, letting her eyes pass once more to Aurelian before returning to Mauve, "the strategy before us is plain. We gain nothing by harming the Sith Princess. What we seek is to redirect the threat, to turn the Black Sun Syndicate's and any Sith Empire aggression away from the Republic and, if fortune favors, toward the Empire, Diarchy, or the Imperial Confederation instead. The Galactic Empire has already lit the flame of aggression by attacking the Maw Cluster, hasn't it? Why not continue to let that be where the Sith Empire's focus lies?"

She let the next offer land with quiet precision.

"So here is our request. We are not seeking the arrest of Quinn Varanin . We are requesting a path to speak with her at a secure, uninterrupted location of our choosing. No harm will come to her. I extend the same assurance of safety you once gave me at your invitation. She will be safe. And she will be free to go after."

Aurelian would likely riot on that, but she hoped he would see the why.

"As well as information on the Sith Empire, their status, power structure, and what we may expect in dealing with them should be discussed if conflict ensues. Ongoing information would be best, but I am sure you also may wish something in return for that."

Sibylla gave a cant of her head, quietly musing on the Zeltron.

"So, what would you want in turn for that?"

 

[Aurelian Veruna]

Location: Theed High Security Cellblock
Tags: Sibylla Abrantes | Mauve du Vain

Aurelian rolled his eyes as Mauve's composure cracked just enough to let the shine of tears gather. Almost believable. Almost. He opened his mouth, irritation already coiling into something sharp and theatrical of its own, ready to cut straight through her conditions and fears.

Sibylla stopped him without a word.

Her hand at his forearm, her look alone, pulled him back into the room. Back into the purpose of this. He inhaled through his nose, slow and deliberate, then exhaled with an audible groan that bounced faintly off the durasteel walls.

"Shiraya," he muttered, scrubbing a hand down his face. "This is not how I imagined this going."

He leaned back against the wall again, head tipping briefly to rest against the cool surface. Then he straightened.

"I'm not interested in hurting her," Aurelian said at last, tone clipped but controlled. "If I were, this conversation would be very short and very bloody, and you wouldn't be bargaining for beachfront property."

His eyes flicked to Mauve, sharp and assessing. "You want guarantees? Fine. You'll get them in writing. Oversight. Terms. Conditions. I don't need her dead. I need her predictable."

He glanced sideways at Sibylla, irritation still simmering but tempered now by reluctant agreement. "She's right. Dragging the Princess in chains would light half the galaxy on fire. I don't want a martyr. I want leverage."

Aurelian pushed off the wall and stepped closer again, hands clasped behind his back. "A conversation. Secure. Controlled. On our ground. After that, she walks. That's as generous as this gets."

His gaze hardened slightly. "And in return, I want everything. Names. Movements. Factions. Who answers to whom when the shouting starts. I want to know what the Sith Empire looks like when it's not cowering behind a Wall."

​