Push the Limits

[Jairdain]

It had been several long years and pretty much what felt like two lives ago since Jairdain had ever been on Vjun. Here in the skies above Bast Castle, she had brought Battle Meditation into a battle between armies. Because of her actions that day, she had caught the attention of the Sith that had been attacking.

One had stepped up and a mental duel had occurred that quickly ended her meditation above the field. Since it was not a physical fight, distance did not matter. The then knight had focused on being a mentalist and thankfully the Lord she had fought had not. They had ended up essentially locked in a stalemate. That was until something came to the aid of Jairdain and she was able to make an escape. This duel ended up leaving both of them scarred and forever connected.

To return to the world that pretty much started everything was a walk down memory lane. She wasn't entirely sad about all of it any longer or upset even. Now she walked the halls of Bast Castle and searched for the location Lykos entombed himself for that duel.

[member="Mereel Vaun"]

 

[Mereel Vaun]

Vjun was a big, dead rock of little value to him. In fact, it wasn't even one of the countless planets that needed crossed off of his lists of worlds to visit, and yet he had returned to the desolate world anyway.

The reason for his visit to the Dark Hand stronghold was entirely practical: it was high time that he made good on a bet he had made with his Jedi Master, and Vjun's Bast Castle had been in far closer proximity on the starcharts than any Jedi Temple, Praxeum, or Enclave when he had remembered that he still needed to settle up.

Clad in his full Mandalorian armor to offset the planet's acidic rain during his trip to the castle, Mereel slowly sauntered between two rows of shelves containing books of flimsi - a lumbering, armored figure with weapons clattering all about his person in the middle of a library.

He wasn't looking for anything in particular, just a book title that really stood out to him. Something that popped and screamed, "read me to pass one of the two days you have to spend stuck in a library instead of doing literally anything better with your time". So far, he had found no such book, but he was stubborn as an Alderaanian Orobird, and his method for finding something to read would not be swayed by the fact that he had spent the better part of half an hour looking a single book to read.
[member="Jairdain"]

 

[Jairdain]

She followed the path she remembered feeling Lykos take when they were fighting. Felt where he had killed and then the trail ended. Her hands traced where he had written his runes in the blood of his victims. There was no power here now from that day, but she felt it through her memory of him.

That day had caused them to be bound and only his death had broken that. Somehow he had parts and pieces of his soul and placed them into other beings. One she had killed at his request. Her essentially cold blooded murder of that shard had been one of the contributing factors that had shattered Jairdain emotionally. Thankfully that was a part of her life she had recovered from and was whole once again.

Having come to terms with what had happened in her life over the years, she was still the same person, but different. No longer was there the dark cloud of depression around her. Taking a seat in the hallway outside the library, she sat where he had entombed himself those years ago. Any marks or signs had been removed, but she knew this was where it had happened.

[member="Mereel Vaun"]

 

[Mereel Vaun]

He continued his march down the aisle. Luck Without a Conscience, A Compendium on Organized Crime in Imperial Cities, How to Clean Your Droid's Thermal Exhaust Port. As had been the case for nearly half an hour, nothing stood out to him, but when he reached the end of the bookshelf two things stood out to him. The first was a familiar presence in the force, which felt incredibly close to him, and the second?

"'A Night on the Dunes', huh?"

Brandishing a small grin, Mereel's gloved hand pulled the flimsi book from its slot on the shelf. He was supposed to be looking for books that would teach him about the force for his bet. Turning over the book, the synopsis revealed to him that the book was actually a romance novel.

"Perfect."

After taking a quick glance around the library and only seeing [member="Jairdain"] within line of sight, he pulled his backpack from his back and casually slid the novel in. Re-donning the pack, he strolled his way across the floor of the library and stopped when he reached the threshold between the library and the hallway.

A warm grin crept onto the face under the helmet, "Sitting around in hallways, Master? I'm sure the fall of the Galactic Alliance hasn't left you that un-busy."

 

[Jairdain]

Maybe her pose was similar to what it had been on Coruscant where they met. It could also have been the time spent together travelling to Veradune after that battle ended. Soon after landing they had parted and never ran into each other again. He remembered her though and who she was. Coming out of her thoughts, Jairdain stood up and at least looked in his direction.

A sign to indicate Mereel had her attention.

"It wasn't the fall of the Alliance that kept me un-busy as you put it. Rather the fall of Commenor, the situation they are in and the fact the Price I advise is still missing. Among a few other things. I needed time away so here I am. Unemployed and un-busy. What brings you to Vjun?"

Not entirely positive they had even exchanged names, she did not attempt to call him anything.

[member="Mereel Vaun"]

 

[Mereel Vaun]

He hadn't recognized her by her pose or stance, and truthfully he couldn't even recall her name for a few moments after she got up and looked at him. What he had recognized was her power - the one and only thing that he had strove for from his mid-teens and into his late twenties. Power would have given him the ability to return home on his own terms, on a visit that would have ended with Detrik dead and him at the head of his clan. Fortunately, the Force had had other plans for his return home; plans that were indirectly responsible for him being where he stood now.

Jairdain's stare brought him back into focus. Something wasn't quite right about it, it was like lazy eye to an extreme degree. Dense as a brick, he didn't put two and two together right away and took his helmet off out of respect to look her in the eyes. He breathed an audibly pained breath at her mention of Commenor.

"Commenor.. bad business that. Don't worry, unless your Prince was in Munto City, I'm sure he'll turn up. Royalty have a way of getting through these types of things, whi -"

Mereel's eyes temporarily widened as he caught his tongue. Jairdain had just admitted that she was the adviser to a Prince, and he had started on the path of unsympathetically bashing the man she advised just a few seconds afterwards. His next words were going to be 'while the common folk die by the untold thousands', but he tried his best to change his next words mid word.

"whi-elp, I just stopped here to spend a day in the library, believe it or not. What brings you?"

[member="Jairdain"]

 

[Jairdain]

Even though Jairdain was not a broken woman any longer, the recent past still left a mark on her. She had also mostly evaded giving him the reason for her being here. That would soon change enough though. Not deceptive by nature, she could alter attention away from herself, but sometimes that didn't work.

"I really had very little connection to those of the Alliance. Commenor has been my life for a few years now. Their fall has seriously caused me more upset than the other. The Prince is alive, I feel it."

Raising a hand above her heart to indicate something, there was no doubt about it in her tone. Lowering that hand, it was clear she could tell he had altered what he was going to say before changing his mind.

"What were you going to say?"

Not answering his question yet, she wasn't about to give up her secret for coming. He would probably think her a fool if she even mentioned it.

[member="Mereel Vaun"]

 

[Mereel Vaun]

Mereel exhaled a minute sigh of relief as Jairdain initially didn't show any indicator of picking up on his verbal slip. His shoulders tensed a little when she said the fall of the CSA had caused her more grief than the fall of the Alliance. It was a good thing he had stopped himself from saying something regrettable about the prince that he hardly knew.

An eyebrow raised slightly when he saw her hand go above her heart. Since she had been talking about the prince, he assumed that whatever that gesture was, it was something she had done out of respect, or perhaps something else, for the prince. If only that had been the case.

Caught off guard by her question, his brain processed that she had picked up on his change of words slowly, and two seconds of silence passed by in what felt like slow motion to him before he thought he could inflect enough ignorance in his tone to respond.

"Uhh, what? What do you mean? I said what I wanted to say."

Like all good lies, there was truth in what he had just said. If Jairdain could see his face or feel his discomfort in the force though, there was a high probability that she would easily be able to tell there was more to it than what he had said, and Mereel knew that full well. As he replayed the conversation in his mind, a light-bulb came on over his head, and he was presented with a pathway he could use to attempt to force the pressure away from himself.

"I think you were telling me what brought you here though?"

[member="Jairdain"]

 

[Jairdain]

Her focus in the Force became centered on him far more deeply than before as he realized his slip wasn't missed. Since she saw through the Force and picked up on the emotions of others, Jairdain knew he was lying. Even though she was blind, there were some facial expressions that were universal to humans. Now was one of those times and she gave him a very flat look that indicated she saw through his attempted deception.

"You're trying to fool the adviser to royalty. Do you think it that easy to fool one? Before you try that again, I suggest practicing."

Giving him half a smile at his attempt to also turn the conversation back to her, she just shook her head a little. Folding her hands in front of her, her focus did not falter from Mereel, but there was not any anger in her.

"What I came here for is in the past and won't do you any good in knowing about it. Would probably give you nightmares. My gods know it did me."

As much of an answer he was going to get until he came clean on what he was going to say. Her words were also true, but did not reveal the whole truth.

"Hey we're at a library. Even if it is a rather dark one. Let's go learn something. I mean if a day goes by and you don't learning something, then it is a day lost."

[member="Mereel Vaun"]

 

[Mereel Vaun]

Mereel could tell before she spoke that she had seen right on through his bull crap just by reading the look on her face. Although he couldn't help but think there was still something not quite right with her stare. A tinge of red rushed to his cheeks as she called him out on his lying, but his embarassment didn't stop him from wanting to test a theory. A theory which could have very easily ended up embarrasing him even more.

"No, I suppose it wouldn't be that easy, but some things are better left unspoken."

His voice matched the flatness of her stare as he said it, but although his tone and demeanor were serious, he was doing things that were rather silly with his fingers. His hand was out to his side, fingers forming animals, letters, and shapes that would be painfully distracting for someone with sight, but perhaps if she just saw him through the force the minute hand movements just might go unnoticed.

Not wanting to volunteer any more information on what he had been about to say, Mereel freely embraced her nightmare and learning comments, "I'm all for learning new things, but I think you could teach me something right now, with your talk of nightmares and all."

This place was drenched in the dark side of the force, and although she said the past wouldn't effect him, he had ample reason to be skeptical of her claim.

[member="Jairdain"]

 

[Jairdain]

She could of course pick up on the embarrassment he felt, but didn't press that much further.

"It's been said there's a reason people like to be able hide what they feel. I never could figure out why. So I see below the exterior and know what people wish to keep secret about what they feel. That's not something that can be kept hidden from me easily. Now you say it's better some things are left unsaid. I trust you there, but whatever it is, I can handle it."

Giving no reaction at all to his hand movements, she then considered pushing him and changed her mind. If he wanted to tell her, he would. Thankful Mereel did not press his own questioning of her any further, the line was probably better left alone.

"What do you think I can teach you exactly?"

This wasn't what Jairdain had in mind when she made her suggestion, but would go along with it.

[member="Mereel Vaun"]

 

[Mereel Vaun]

Although Mereel was generally a pretty open person, his life had been spent in the confines of a durasteel helmet. Privacy was something he had almost always had available to him if he chose to embrace it, which is why when Jairdain said she could never figure out why people liked being to hide what they felt it was absolutely baffling to him.

His temporary beffudlement caused him to stop making shapes with his hands, but when he recollected himself he didn't resume. He had taken note that Jairdain's eyes had never once diverted to look at his hand, no matter how strange the gesture he made was, and he took that fact for proof that she either had extreme mental fortitude, or she was blind.

"Oh, I'm sure you can handle it, you just wouldn't hold me in very high regard if I said it. That's why some people sometimes choose to hide what they feel.."

Mereel sighed and rolled his shoulders. He still wasn't going to tell her what he was originally going to say unless she explicitly asked him to, but she was wrong in her thinking that he hadn't pressed her about what she was doing here.

"Anyhow.. I reckon you could teach me a lot of things. I was not-so-directly asking about what brought you here , but now I guess you can just teach me something else."

He shuffled his feet about a little, a tad uncomfortable as he thought about how to ask about the new elephant in the room if they were going to go into the library."Forgive me if this an obvious to answer question, but are you blind?"

[member="Jairdain"]

 

[Jairdain]

"I have heard a great many things in my time, Mister Vaun, I highly doubt there is anything you can say that will sway me one direction or the other. It also has nothing to do with hiding how you feel, but with what you wanted to say. You do not need to tell me if you would rather keep it to yourself."

Though she spoke with a sense of certainty, there was also a bit of dismissal at points. While he might be able to pick up she really did want to know, he should also see the choice really was his.

"The past brought me here. You see this location has a great deal of meaning to me. It started me down a path that I thought I had gotten past. However, the past seems to keep coming back and haunting me."

Running her hand along the wall behind her in a way that traced the runes Lykos had done those years ago, she didn't even realize she was doing it. Chuckling a little, she finished the motion her hand had started and nodded at him slightly.

"Yes, I am physically blind. The Force has gifted me with a sight greater than what a person can normally see with. Allows me to see what emotions people want to keep hidden."

[member="Mereel Vaun"]

 

[Mereel Vaun]

She hadn't meant to do it, or at least he didn't think Jairdain did, but when she called him "Mister Vaun" it made him slightly uncomfortable. His subconscious caused him to raise a curious, and rather un-trusting eyebrow. His right hand brushed to his side to hover more than comfortably close to his belt holster.

"I don't know what kind of person you struck me for, but please, there's no need for formality with me. Just call me Mereel."

Like Jairdain, he had a past that occasionally came back to haunt him, and if she was actively listening she would be able to tell she had struck a chord through his voice. Typically, his hauntings came in the form of a weekly nightmare that ensured he would never forget the faces of those he had killed, but once in a blue moon it went beyond that. There was a good reason he rarely told people his last name when meeting them for the first time. His last name had the potential to result in blood if a person knew the right context.

But since she had decided to run her hand along a wall instead of moving to restrain him, his brain told him to ease up. His anxiousness was replaced with a faint feeling of sadness when she confirmed that she was blind. A sigh of resignation escaped his lungs.

"Good, if you can sense emotion then you'll know that I take no pleasure in saying this. I was going to say that the regular folk tend to die in swathes before, or rather for, royalty. It would take the death of a whole lot of commoners before the Sith could get to your Commenori Prince."

[member="Jairdain"]

 

[Jairdain]

The emotion brought up by her addressing him formally wasn't lost on her, but she did not react to his movement. Instead she nodded and finished drawing the rune she knew that had been there before. There was a minute nod when he told her to him just Mereel.

"It is how I was raised. To speak to others with formality until requested not to. I suppose a proper introduction for me is in order, but why go through the trouble and motions if we are on first name basis? Just call me Jairdain."

There was no apology from her though and she didn't feel there was a need for one. Her reason for speaking to him formally already having been explained, she hoped he would understand.

Some things were naturally a human or sentient motion and she tilted her head slightly as he continued. Giving him a small shrug when he felt some sorrow at her answer, she remained silent as he answered her own.

"If only that was true. The prince has been missing from before the Sith attack happened. He also wasn't born a prince and was adopted by Kay and Veiere. Actually I don't think many would even know he's the crown prince outside of those involved with the royal family. Though since he's been missing for so long...it makes me wonder if his own past came back to haunt him."

Shutting her mouth, this wasn't anything for Mereel to worry or concern himself about.

"I'm sorry, I won't bore you with politics. What in my grand bank of knowledge do you want to learn?"

This of course was a wrong question to ask since there was no way for Mereel to know what skills she might or might not know. If he picked something she didn't know they could maybe learned something new together.

[member="Mereel Vaun"]

 

[Mereel Vaun]

He eased up even further when she explained why she had addressed him so formally. Still, it was odd to him because they looked to be around the same age.. An embarrassed frown formed on his face as a painfully simple revelation donned on him. She wouldn't be able to see how old he looked just because he had removed his helmet.

Seemingly on the same page with names, Mereel shook off his embarrassment and replaced it with the relief he felt knowing he probably wouldn't be hearing his family name from her again. His relief only compounded when she didn't react to the last bit of what he had said by slapping him or bursting into tears.

"No need to apologize. I find political intrigue intriguing. Although, admittedly, I have no idea who "Kay" or "Veiere" are."

As far as what he had wanted to learn from her, his only questions had been: A. what are you doing here? and B. are you blind? Of course, he probably could've asked her if she knew some obscure force ability right out of the gate, but he didn't particularly want to do that - seeing that he had been more or less pressured into spilling the beans on what he had been trying to hide from her.

A small grin formed on his face,"Alright grand banks of knowledge, here's a tough one for you. What was that thing you just drew on the floor?"

[member="Jairdain"]

 

[Jairdain]

"Oh I wrong assumed you already knew who Lady Kay and her husband were then. They are leaders of Commenor and my employers."

Her own connection to them was known and the role she had within their government. Though Jairdain felt her time with them was coming to an end. With Brad missing there wasn't any reason for her to be employed any longer. At least not until he returned, if he did. She would have to arrange a meeting between her and Kay to talk and make her resignation formal.

"Politics can be very interesting, but they can also be very deadly. When the Sith attacked, it became clear that no matter how many treaties or pacts made...politics can be deadly. Luckily Kay and Veiere are fine. Their people are hurting, but recovery is being made."

When Mereel asked what it was she had just traced on the floor, she reached her hand out again to feel where Lykos had done his runes.

"I'm not sure honestly. Long ago a man I knew entombed himself somehow right here. Because he and I ended up with a connection of a sort, I can feel what he did. Being blind though, I have no idea what I just drew."

It was an honest answer and something he could help with. If he could draw what she traced, he could look it up and learn its meaning.

[member="Mereel Vaun"]

 

[Mereel Vaun]

"Errr, the assumption is no fault of your own. I should probably know of them. Before you hold me to my 'political intrigue' comment too hard, let me add that my political knowledge is pretty limited to the New Republic, the Mandalorian people, and a few odd planets in the Rim and Unknown Regions."

Mereel raised a skeptical eyebrow at her when she said she wasn't sure what she had drew. As she further explained how she knew how to draw the thing she didn't know, his expression only became more confused. What she said was mind boggling enough to make his mind pause if he hadn't been a man who had found absurdly strange things while investigating spacer legends.

That didn't stop him from saying something about it, "A man you knew entombed himself? Sorry - no, I can believe that."

He walked over to where she had drawn the rune and unclipped his helmet from his belt. Redonning his helmet, he used the headgear's built in camera to save an image of the drawing to his HUD.

"I can describe what you just drew if you like. I'm something of a soothsayer, so poor description shouldn't be an issue."

[member="Jairdain"]

 

[Jairdain]

"It is not something I can exactly replicate in the current time. There isn't a battle going on. Besides, what good would describing it to me do? It isn't like I know what writing looks like. It was a rune though, that much I do know. Most likely something Sith. Perhaps the lady of the castle here has a book on Sith runes or their language. If you can replicate what I drew, then you can look it up and see what it means."

She took his words in stride and smiled a little at the tone.

"Can that thing pick up on heat or something? Like able to see the shape I just drew with my fingers? I'm sure all the blood would have been washed away by now."

Her own tone was entirely calm, but indicated she wanted to know the answer. If he wanted further details on how she knew what it had been drawn with, they would be provided, but Jairdain was not going to just volunteer it.

[member="Mereel Vaun"]

 

[Mereel Vaun]

Mereel blushed under his helmet as he continued leaning over and looking at the area of the floor that Jairdain had traced. He hadn't forgotten that Jairdain was blind, but he had taken for granted his own ability to recognize what something was by sight when others described it with words to him.

"Yes ma'am. This helmet has more viewing and recording options than a Tusken tribe has gaffi sticks. Night vision - green and black and white, thermal imaging, magnification filters, color dampening.. sorry, I'm rambling. What matters is I do have a copy of the pattern you made. Now we just have to see if we can find a book to tell us more about it."

He leaned back up and titled his helmet towards Jair, still partially looking at the blank spot on the ground with cautious curiosity. If someone called him a superstitious man, he wouldn't deny it. Still, many things could be explained by men of science and philosophers; hopefully one of them had written something in the library that could better explain the thermal rune pattern now saved in his helmet's recordings.

Letting out a small sigh, he tore his eyes away from the floor and looked at Jairdain. He accepted that she knew about the rune and the fact that it was drawn in blood without a single doubt in his mind.

"The blood used in that rune. Who's was it?"

[member="Jairdain"]