Pure Desert Flowers

[Jairdain]

Iridonia was a home to Jairdain. When she needed to escape the galaxy this is where she came. To the place where it was primal and natural. Her house was out of town, but still close enough she could come and go for supplies. All in all, she liked it here and while it could get so very hot, the knight was content with her life here.

She was at her home, tending a now blooming garden. Having learned plant surge in her time, Jairdain was able to maintain the garden now and only went to town for a few supplies.

While out in the garden, Jairdain felt the approach of somebody. It was familiar to her somehow, like whoever it was she had met before. Turning in the direction of the person, Jairdain tried to figure out who it was.

Being blind, her vision through the Force was unique and she saw people through their emotions more or less. This person was dark, but maybe not one of the more violet types. She took a slight gulp, but knew it was too late to hide. The person would have seen her by now.

Letting out a sigh, she waited while he approached her farm to see what he was going to do.

[member="Vereshin"]

 

[Vereshin]

A shrill breeze ran through long grass stretching far across the Iridonian farmland and beneath the waving branches of a tree, below which Vereshin sat perched up against the trunk with a notebook splayed open on his knee. Movement stirred at the foot of the hill. The trace of a young woman tending to her farm caught the ajar gap of his shifting eye. He diverted his gaze from her wandering form and the equation which continued beneath the ball of his pen. A cigarette hung loosely from his mouth while he scoured the movement of his fingers keenly through rimless glasses.

With every line he continued the spell, gradually luring the woman below the hill into a dazed trance. A thick eyebrow arched in concentration as he watched her every move. The curse grew stronger while Vereshin struggled to entrap her mind into his arcane hold. He sighed quickly in frustration and scored out the last line of formula to begin again. Something about the presence challenged him and triggered his memory, alerting him to a greater sign of power than the civilians on whom he recently practiced. He folded the notebook shut and slid his glasses off his ears, hiding them away in the pocket inside of his coat.

The Sith sorcerer rose to his feet and made his way cautiously down the hill. He wore a long, black coat with toggle buttons and loose pants tucked into long boots. Stumbling and regaining his balance, Vereshin landed clean on his feet and caught the sight of the woman's black hair before standing upright and approaching. She turned around to face him and delivered a warm smile between thin lips. Her gaze did not focus and he instantly recognized her as the blind Sith from Ord Radama. Now he realized why the curse failed to take control of her as he compounded the formula to affect only those affiliated with the Light Side.

"Hello Madam, do remind me, have we met?" Vereshin asked in a soft tone. "My name is Vereshin and I believe I recognize you." His eyes drifted to the flowers she was tending and instantly felt a rush of delight. Keeping flowers himself, although the ones he owned were altered with alchemy to make the petals bloom entirely black. He slid the notebook inside his coat and reached forward to find Jairdain's hand, guiding her touch to his own and shaking it as he greeted her. Vereshin did not suppose that her other senses were heightened and merely guided her out of courtesy.

[member="Jairdain"]

 

[Jairdain]

The knight was not fully unaware of his stumble, but made no mention of it. Some people could take offense at being called clumsy, she wasn't one, but he might so it would be better left unspoken. When he spoke, the tone was familiar and after he said his name, Jairdain knew why. They had met on Ord Radama once and were looking for any signs of Voss relics there. She had been fully sith then, now she wasn't.

That dark remained within her, just a part of her whole. She now both light and dark, used both sides, but stayed more on the light side of the spectrum. Would he notice the difference or do anything about it?

He didn't appear to be approaching with a hostile intent nor did his voice indicate he was planning anything. In taking her hand a moment later, he guided it to shake his. She didn't mind and gave his very slim hand a shake. He hadn't put on any weight since they last met and they shook hands. For a moment, Jairdain wondered if she had changed at all.

"Vereshin, yes we did meet on Ord Radama a while ago. Sadly I am unable to remember how long it has been though."

For some reason he appeared to like that she was tending the flowers in her garden. Being able to pick up on emotions, it was quite strong in him.

"What has brought you to Iridonia?"

[member="Vereshin"]

 

[Vereshin]

As Vereshin released Jairdain's hand, he blushed slightly and turned away upon wondering if she noticed him stumble down the hill. Physical coordination remained a weakness for him, having never learned or possessed any desire to learn lightsaber combat. Although Vereshin paid no heed to the emotional aspects of the Force, the Dark Side surged within him from over a decade of abusing the limits to further his research. He sensed a great deal of Light within Jairdain and wondered idly if she remained with the Sith.

"Your flowers are quite lovely." The sorcerer mentioned as he moved away to lean on the fence and gaze over the diverse garden. "I keep roses myself, though they have been altered with alchemy to turn the petals black." Vereshin finished with a chortle. He turned around to look at Jairdain and failed to completely make eye contact with hair, darting his gaze over the silo and the vast hills.

"I am here researching the feats of the Jedi Acaadi and the remains of his ship." He lied only slightly and did not reveal the truth surrounding the curse he was practicing. The Jedi Acaadi possessed skill allowing him to see into the future, a skill which greatly interested Vereshin and he travelled to the world to investigate the remains of the Champion of Iridonia, the ship belonging the seer before the crash on the world. "Forgive me for asking, Jairdain..." Vereshin began before allowing a pause the hold the air between them. "Are you still with the Sith?" He asked only out of curiosity, to uncover the reason for his curse not taking effect.

[member="Jairdain"]

 

[Jairdain]

The handshake ended and Vereshin commented her flowers were lovely. She was unable to see the actual coloring of them, only their life through the Force. Which ones were healthy and which were sick.

"Alchemy I never learned. Much more of a mentalist myself."

She wondered if it affected the health of the plants when they were altered like that. Not keeping the thought to herself, if he could pick up on those stray thoughts, he would know of her curiosity.

Unable to see, his lack of eye contact was missed. Listening to his answer about what he was doing on Iridonia, she found it quite fascinating.

"I have never heard of him, but would be interested in learning more. From how long ago? This being mostly a desert world, I'm sure there's going to be something left over. Might be buried by time though."

He then asked if she was still with the Sith. It was almost hesitant though, like maybe he was afraid of offending her. As much as she was afraid of offending his dignity in mentioning his stumble down the hill earlier. Shaking her head before speaking.

"No...however, I still have the darkness that was introduced to me by them within myself."

It was an honest answer from her, it would also provide for him the reason his attempted curse didn't work. Even though Jairdain didn't know what he had attempted. She felt no real ill will to anybody with the Sith, so hopefully her answer wouldn't send him into some fit of rage. Not knowing him well, anything could happen.

[member="Vereshin"]

 

[Vereshin]

"Oh I am not an alchemist, I merely purchased my flowers from one!" Vereshin chortled as he released Jairdain's hand. He blushed slightly as he worried suddenly if she had noticed his stumble down the hill."I too practice mentalist techniques through distorting light and reality as opposed to the mind itself." He continuing, wondering if an illusion of light would affect Jairdain. Being blind, tricks of the sight may not have any impact on her. Vereshin repressed his desire to ask, worrying if the question might seem intrusive.

"Acaadi was alive during the Old Republic." Vereshin explained as he gripped the edges of his jacket. "I am travelling to the wreckage of his ship to study time distortion and foresight." He finished. When Jairdain mentioned leaving the Sith, he held no ill-will or anger towards her and admitted silently questioning his place with them himself. Upon receiving the rank of Knight, Vereshin remained loyal to the Empire and en to pursue a with them as one of the Dark Lord's greatest scientists.

"Fear not, Miss Jairdain. I harbor no no anger towards those who have found their place elsewhere." He extended a splayed palm in a gesture of reassurance. Following a pause, he spoke again in regards to the shipwreck of Acaadi. "Say, there is the possibility of danger lurking in Acaadi's wreckage. I might be in need of a combatant as company." Vereshin offered hesitantly. Despite preferring to work alone, he knew the skills of Jairdain might aid in his protection on his quest.

[member="Jairdain"]

 

[Jairdain]

When he said he wasn't an alchemist either and had bought the flowers, Jairdain nodded. Her time with the Sith had taught her some physical illusion skills, mainly to make her an assassin. The ability to hide herself in the Force for those that could read signatures as well visible signs of her. They did not distort reality though so what Vereshin did was something new to her totally.

"How do you distort reality?"

There was total curiosity in her voice. Not picking up on any hostility from him after she answered his question about being sith still, she had no fear of him and relaxed a little more. Even he stated he held no anger helped since she could sense it from him. However, she didn't fully trust him and probably never would. She was finding it more difficult to trust people fully now. Not that it couldn't be earned, but she was no longer the naïve girl she had been.

He stated what his purpose on Iridonia was and it certainly caught her interest. History was one thing she had missed out on growing up with her people. Not in touch with the rest of the galaxy so much wasn't known by them...nothing in fact. What Jairdain knew of history, she had learned after she joined the SJO.

"I can try to help, but I'm not much of a combatant either."

[member="Vereshin"]

 

[Vereshin]

"Come along with me and I will show you just how." Vereshin smiled gleefully at Jairdain's curiosity. Rather than elaborate with a dull explanation, he thought he ought to show her in practice. For now, he extended a hand and touched her fingers. In an instant, the warmth of Iridonia vanished and she experienced a sensation of freezing cold. Condensation drew from her breath as thought the illusion was real. Vereshin left her hand and the effect of the spell disappeared, turning her senses to normal.

"That is only a simple example of how perception can be distorted. The alteration of light and colour would not affect those without sight, so you need not worry about being fooled by a tricksy mage." He explained while following Jair as she prepared water to carry along the trip. "However, all senses can be tricked besides vision." Vereshin as he allowed Jairdain to prepare.

"What I am particularly interested in, is the manipulation of time. That is why I am seeking out this figure and his feats in the Force." Vereshin finished and received Jair. He waited eagerly join her along the quest to Acaadi's shipwreck.

[member="Jairdain"]