Private Reflections in the water

[Adeline Noctua]

Equipment | In Bio

Location | Yalara

Tag | Darth Malum of House Marr

Another day, another formal invitation to come visit the newest home of Keres. It would be mid day, the sun at its highest. The cursed world of Yalara never slept, for the dead walked amongst the living in droves here.. Much less what horrors lay deep under the skin of this scholarium of the depraved.

Its newest guest, Malum. Would be asked firstly for proof of his reason for visitation before being escorted by hooded individuals to a grand looking gate, the other side seeming to have a decayed garden.

On its own the gates opened, one of the hooded figures nods to Malum before walking off.

The garden itself was a macabre assortment of wilted plants, ritual sites, and a dark pond. Right next to the pond sat a figure in a fine black suit, long raven black hair paired with strange ears sat calmly under an umbrella.

"So you did visit, go on and take any seat you desire."

The figure said with an all too familiar voice, paying little attention to what seat he would pick, be it next to her or somewhere else.

"Busy as of late?"

Adeline says before taking a sip of her fresh tea, gazing into the dark waters while a slight smile adorned her pale face.






​

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

The dead seemed to make themselves manifest upon this world, indeed it was little surprise in some sense, from what light reading he had done on Yalara before he received this invitation, he knew that it had been inhabited by a species that had died out... well millennia ago, and no prize for the name of that species, the Yalarans.

Yet it was not that kind of dead that inhabited this place, indeed, millennia passed there would be no remnant of them.

No remnant of their bodies anyway, it would not have been far different from his own Alvaria, most of the population having been wiped out, leaving only the great metal cities in their wake.

Unfortunately, here on Yalara, when he said that the dead seemed to make themselves manifest in the world, he did mean it quite literally.

There seemed to be a new necromancer monarch in the Order, the King of Korriban, and now the Queen of Yalara, the former was the originator of the new spread of Blackwing, so he was certain that Lady Raaf was more concerned with him.

But he doubted that she would approve of this.

Even... if he felt that perhaps these undead hordes, were raised in a different manner to the Blackwing.

But he did not know nearly enough to simply tell from a glance.

Still, this was one way to be introduced to what his one-time lover was up to he supposed, it seemed every time he saw her, she was in the realm of some new obsession... or perhaps this was simply an extension of her old wants? He could not say, for all that he crushed on the woman for years, had even dated her for a short while.

There was much he could not place regarding her.

After all, he had not expected her current course, aiding the newly formed Dark Empire, which had certainly been a surprise.

He followed behind the hooded man, Malum's own mask placed over his face, the replica of his famous ancestors, the stench of rot was a constant companion, for all the quietness, he could not call these servants of Adeline rude... indeed he could not say much apart from the fact that they were... mysterious.

It reminded him of his Sepruchal priest to some degree, it was a good thing he had not been brought here.

Malum would never fully trust the man.

This place was as dead as the subjects of the world's Queen, wilted flowers, sorcerous intent flowed freely about them, and dark pods that promised much underneath its void.

The gate opened and the hooded man left him.

Gazing up, a ghost of a smile graced his lips underneath his mask. Even now, after all that had happened, her visage never failed to draw a smile from him.

Taking his hand to the mask, there was a short hiss, as the mask unclipped from his face, revealing the noble face of Darth Malum, of House Marr, red eyes glimmering like rubies, and raven locks flowing freely down to frame him, "Of course, I was never able to deny you after all, why have it change?" The smile widened, as the mask fell way underneath his robes, and he took the seat opposite the Sangnir.

It had been quite some time since Rapture and Korriban.

Much had changed between them.

Much had changed for them.

But it was nice to meet like this.

Her smile was a sight to see... it was idle this time, rather than ravenous, indeed it seemed those were her two smiles, he had rarely seen something... pure.

But sometimes, he was unsure if Adeline Noctua was capable of that.

"Something like that... though I hear you have been just as busy, how has the Dark Empire been treating you?" He felt his mind take up ink and quill, he would note down anything she told him.

 

[Adeline Noctua]

Equipment | In Bio

Location | Garden

Tag | Darth Malum of House Marr

"What truly is busy? I have all the time in the world.. Mostly.. Ha.."

Her normally smug tone was more shattered, perhaps she was just in a foul mood.

"The empire? They do as they please, I just enjoy being on the ride. Watch everything burn and decay, but we all have heard enough about my thoughts on everything, on everyone."

Did we? To this day the woman remained rather tight lipped about almost anything, only giving out small samples of information even to those that figured she may be close to them.

"I think perhaps the most amusing part to me is how little such things matter, be it the order taking control.. The empire, even the alliance. Nothing compares to what my eyes have seen, to what has tainted my very soul. If you are seeking delectable drama or information about your future foe... I am afraid I have none to spare, even if I cared."

She says in a calm tone, simply expressing a deep seeded nihilism.

"All I have learned is that my way of doing things... My teachings. All of it is for the good of everyone, even if they hate me for it. A funny situation but I did let go of the concept of love long ago, it doesn't matter anyway."

Adeline smiles while pouring Malum a cup of fresh tea, bitter in its initial punch, it would at least muffle his sense of smell for now.

"I figured you may desire something like this.."

She takes a sip of her own drink, going back to gazing at the waters, looking at herself with a blank expression.

"Forgive my rambling, illogical problems require an equally illogical mind to solve them. You still carrying on the work of your late master? Or have you new ambitions within that head?"

A branch cracks, one of her ears turns a bit in the direction of the disturbance.. It was just one of her little bats, finding a nice spot to rest in the shade.






​

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

He may have had to quickly revise his opinion, though such was always the case with Adeline he felt... the woman had grown and changed immensely from the ethereal beauty he had once spied on the Kathol Outback.

Bogan, sometimes it was hard to imagine that was years ago.

Much had changed since then... perhaps too much.

But they did all they could.

It was no exaggeration to say that Adeline had veritably transformed from their days as acolytes and apprentices... not even counting the fact she could literally transform if she desired it.

Adeline had always seemed strangely detached from mortal concerns, such was no great surprise, for one as powerful enough to attempt to eat a Force Nexus, as one who was of a species that was functionally immortal. How could she ever truly... be or relate to one who even in his own eccentricities was still at the end of the day... man.

It was no exaggeration to say that Malum was mad, the voices were enough evidence of that.

But Adeline... indeed... she may have been something beyond that still.

He quirked an eyebrow at her words, attempting to sift through for what could be of use, and especially what could be analysed. It did not paint a comforting picture, losing time, the royal we, apathy, nihilism, perhaps even a supreme self-confidence that may have broached arrogance... and even perhaps an admission of insanity herself.

He was frozen, as by instinct he took the tea, assumedly the same that Adeline was drinking, he did not imagine she would poison him... but well, he could not be certain of quite a few things currently. The amulet would protect him he knew, so there was no real risk, but... well one did not often drink poison willingly.

He cringed as he first sipped the drink, bitter was an understatement, but rapidly he noticed the smell of the surrounding environs was fading. So at the least, she was telling him the truth. That... he did appreciate that much, but alas, it likely meant all that she said was the truth. Oh, what had become of his once lover, and old... friend(?).

"And what exactly are your teachings, I do not believe I have had the opportunity to be suitably... enlightened," He masked his feelings behind further tea, getting used to the bitterness of the draught, thankful enough that it allowed him to breathe without the foulness surrounding them, his eyes softening as he fully registred her words, "Love... I once thought myself incapable of it too... you would be surprised, it does creep up on you," He smiled behind the cup, before revealing it as he brought it down to the table in front of them, leaving nought but the dregs.

He had loved twice since her... not that he truly considered his childish crush on her that... but, his romantic naive mind certainly had misconstrued the concepts... no but since... two he had loved... one with heartbreak, the other... made his heart full.

Hearing her talk of the nihilism, of nothing mattering between the conflicts between the Sith and the Jedi, whatever banner it was fought under... he could not help but wonder if she had fallen under the Mawite dogma. Their remnants had made themselves home with the Dark Empire... and she held links with the Maw... concerning.

It was the question addressed to him, however, that truly brought him to pause, what could he truly say? He could not trust her with any of it, she who had apprenticed under both R- Darth Empyrean and Kaine.

"Something like that, I see fault in the current Order, I would like to see reforms undertaken," Vague, non-committal, and truly nothing radical, everyone saw some problem within the Order after all.

His eyes flicked to the sound of the branch snap, revealing a rather small bat, resting by the shade. A rather adorable creature, one of Adeline's pets?

His smile widened, as he reached out to the Force, and between them, suddenly a raven appeared, standing high and proud, uncertain for a moment, flapping its wings in the air, before takings its first steps, cautiously, and slowly approaching the bat, investigative, and curious.

Adeline Noctua

 

[Adeline Noctua]

Equipment | In Bio

Location | Garden

Tag | Darth Malum of House Marr

"My teachings?"

She huffs out a mild laugh, sighing a bit after.

"Misunderstood, none fully grasp the idea that I am helping. Even less make it beyond, to see the bleak truth. I would recommend you stick with whatever you know now, helps bleach the perspective."

Vague.. As always with this woman.

"I of course wish you luck with those reforms, you have to so deeply enjoy the insanity of bureaucracy."

She jests while still focusing on the waters.

"Have you students of your own? I am sure they could benefit in some way from whatever it is you desire to teach. I would introduce you to current students here, but I have just finished with them the other day. Over twenty wanted to learn from me, and now only one remains. If I must be honest I wouldn't have it any other way, it showed me which ones were worth the effort."

Adeline soon finishes her own little cup of tea, the aroma of it would have hit Malum with a metallic scent if it wasn't for the drink he had been served prior.

Meanwhile, the little bat would stay curled up, bound within its little wings as it rested away from the sun. Yet more would show up, flocking to spaces with shade. Dozens in various sizes, all napping. With space running out the last few bullet on down to their mother, nestling and burrowing into her suit and even pockets.

The normally cold hearted creature didn't seem to mind them, not even giving a reaction to the sudden handful of bats that clung to her.

"If you don't mind, you can always share what you don't like about the Order. No better a place for idle gossip than a garden while sipping tea yes?"

Adeline smiles a bit, pouring more into her cup.





​

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

He parsed his lips at her words, "Keeping with what knows is certainly a comforting belief, yet far from an ambitious one, tell me, how indeed are you helping?" Curiosity had always been his course, and that laugh, and all that came after, filled with all the derision and sombreness of one that had tried, so very hard.

He did so hate to see her like that.

He found a hand reaching out for hers, finding her fingers, and providing a comforting squeeze.

This was far from the most intimate they had been in the past.

He was taken aback as she continued speaking, in fact, almost loosening the grip he held, but instead, a deep rumbling chuckle escaped out of him, "Oh my desires are from the mind-numbing chasm of bureaucracy, indeed, if I could avoid it entirely, it would have been a life well lived." How much of his life had he already lost to reviewing and signing papers, virtual or physical? Regarding Alvaria or the Tsis'Kaar?

How much more did Kaine have?

How much more did the Emperor?

Perhaps such immortal tyrants were above those things.

Her gaze was settling unblinkingly upon the water, as her next question was broached, resulting in him tilting his head.

"Far too many these days, so many that with my responsibilities, I am certainly neglecting them, alas, it has taught them how to be independent, and I make time where I can," The hand free from hers gripped underneath the table, memories that he did not need at this moment, red eyes, his most favoured.

The one he had failed the most.

He quirked an eyebrow at the mention of twenty down to one, truly, either talented or extremely lucky.

Yet, either way, one to meet.

"Well, I would certainly desire to meet one who will be learning from you, and was able to surpass your rigorous standards." They had been peers, and still were peers, but it was up to them to create the next generation's rivalries.

Meanwhile, his raven was ever intrigued, ever cautious, approaching now, not only the singular bat that they had seen, but the great many, that lazed against the rays of the sun, all the while gazing curiously back towards its master, but to the woman that carried all the more bats as if they were articles of clothing.

Yet turning away, as Malum nodded in permission.

Its talons gripped with seriousness, as its beak gently caressed one of the smaller bats, seeming to wonder what it would do.

All the while Malum's attention turned back to the Sangnir.

He himself was also rather curious about the bats that seemed snug in her company, her apathy was obvious... but at the same time, as a whale did not mind those smaller fish that made home atop it, it seemed much the same.

It was... a shift from the woman he once knew.

Though even then, despite how intimate, how close, they were, had he ever truly known her?

"The Order lacks purpose, and is disunited even as we declared loyalty to an Emperor, the Order is ill-disciplined, and knows not what to do other than cause wanton destruction and cruelty," The Order was led by a gaggle of immortal tyrants which played this game over decades and centuries, and could not or did not see the movement of time as any other mortal creature, and would be more than willing to see generations die if it gave them even minuscule advantage.

They needed new blood.

New leadership.

He took another sip of his tea.

So very bitter.

Adeline Noctua

 

[Adeline Noctua]

Equipment | In Bio

Location | Yalara

Tag | Darth Malum of House Marr

"Wanton cruelty and destruction are a staple of existence, be it from proclaimed gods or the wrath of nature herself. A man beating another to death over something minute and seemingly pointless... Is just as natural as one of these flowers in my garden."

She huffs a bit, slightly smiling.

"Perspective. It is what separates as all, one sees good, the other evil. Where as say we may consider something so cut and dry... The perspective of others can be so very different from what you own eyes see. The man that got beaten? Perhaps within that culture he had done something taboo, an 'ultimate' sin that we were not privy to, and thus we see it as barbaric or evil. I can assure you that I have seen evil, felt it caress my flesh. Nothing in the existence your eyes and mind can see comes close... That is the thing that shook my core, perspective did not exist that day."

Still vague, perhaps unwilling to share.

"My teachings make sure my students are ready for the cruelty and pain all around us, by the end they become a solid wall. Even when I fight an enemy I am doing them a service, I teach and they follow... Doesn't matter how they see it or if they cannot put together what is going on. They fight, I force them to value all they hold dear and push the limit. They either die or become better, such is life."

The bats seemed to not be the most social of creatures, choosing to squeak in protest before scrambling to either fly away or hide within the comfort of their 'mother'

"If there is one thing I can share with you today, I find your ideals to be noble ones for sure.. But ultimately pointless in the end. I am rather confident you cannot change both perspective and nature, I don't mean to say this in a foul manner of course.. Just how I see things."

The answer to if he ever really knew her? Not at all, none did. Her cold shell made sure of it, either by choice or accident.

She raises a brow while giving him a confused glare, not understanding why he randomly touched her hand.

"Is there some reason you decided to touch my hand?"

Perhaps not remembered, but indeed a reminder that she didn't understand such things.




​

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

It was hard not to raise an eyebrow at all she said, indeed, the veritable philosophical thesis which she delivered, an attempted vivisection of his ideals and goals, intended or not, well, as much as he enjoyed being disagreed with as much as the next person.

A challenge was raised, and it was his turn to respond.

"I do not deny how the past nor the present has been, nor do I deny the general trend which has been visible throughout all of life and existence, yet, it is as our code states, through victory, our chains are broken, with passion, strength, power, the limitations placed upon us by nature or ourselves, can be surpassed." Malum began, the hand not wrapped around hers, beginning a rhythmic tapping of the surface below the table, the poet could not help but find tune in what he spoke.

And she did have such an enchanting smile...

...It had entranced him once.

He narrowed his eyes at the rest of her words, "Perspective is certainly the way of all things, there seems to be very few absolutes in this galaxy beyond those that we consider for ourselves... though perhaps even they are false, and we simply were not pluralistic enough to consider if they were truly good... or evil." A galaxy considered them, the Sith, evil for millennia of actions, were they false to do so? One man's villain was another's hero.

But to him, how could the Sith ever be evil?

For all the evils they had committed, and there were so many...

...Did not the freedom they wished to bring, make it all worth it?

...Did not all they had been through, the many defeats, the many annihilations, make what they did simply an act of self-defensive, against a very different evil, that had the ability to claim they were good?

The tapping slowed in pace, becoming mellow, as the lines on Malum's forehead quirked, deep in thought.

"I am not so idealistic to believe all wrong can be fixed by simply my desire, my ambition, but as you said wanton cruelty and destruction are staples of existence, of Gods immaterial, of nature, unfeeling. Yet our Order is neither of those things, our Order has the capability for rational thought, of logical decision, we may choose to be wantonly cruel and destructive, but it is not something ingrained in our bones." Indeed, it was something ingrained in them by the power they wielded.

The invisible puppetmaster, dancing them around for its impossible want.

It would be when they were slain, or otherwise banished.

That they would be free, truly free, to make that decision.

Malum raised the side of his lip, the ghost of a smile visible both upon his rim, and his eyes.

"My, my, Adeline, do you believe your perspective so absolute, that you believe yourself above the thoughts, beliefs, and desires of all others, that simply you have ascended to such heights, that those below can not understand?" He leaned forward, squeezing the Sangnir's hand as his smile widened, the arrogance, the mockery, of a Sith noble feigned, but all too visible upon his features, "There are many I have met in my time that considered themselves gods in their own right, believing after all they had accomplished, all that they had done, they were simply beyond mere mortals like I... truly, I wonder what would happen if you put some of these deified men and women in the same room... would they agree about their absolutism?"

She reminded him more and more of the aloofness exhibited by Lady Onrai .

Malum was convinced, more and more, that this was a consequence of the immortality so many chased.

To become an immortal tyrant, was to find oneself beyond humanity.

She was already immortal.

But had she yet become a tyrant?

Malum's eyes snapped away from her at the sound of the scattering of the bats, smirking at the rather taken aback expression of his familiar, who clearly had not expected that reaction from the bats it was inspecting. Extending out its wings, it flew upwards, flapping as it found its way back to the table, cautiously approaching its master, as if asking if it had done a good job.

Malum's smirk fell to a low smile, ending his strumming, as fingers gently caressed the raven's neck beneath beak.

Before red eyes returned to his former lover.

Smile not giving way as her words struck him, "Why thank you for the kind words, along with the vote of confidence," He chuckled, continuing to offer comfort to his familiar, as he considered what to say, "You are likely right, but better to have aimed high, than to have not aimed at all, and after all, the first step will be within the Sith, I am not some idealistic philanthropist after all, we will see if those who consider themselves so powerful, so intelligent, shall be able to accept what is in their own best interest." He was not alone after all.

That made it all the easier.

For them, he would do anything.

He raised an eyebrow of his own at her last words, another squeeze of her hand in answer, though this one perhaps of a more petulant quality, along with the desire to offer comfort.

"Do you mind? It is after all, far from the most intimate, we have been," He challenged, teasing as much as it was serious, as he loosed the grip, simply laying the hand atop hers, as he wondered how to explain to a woman... who genuinely did not know why he did such a thing, "A promise... that should you ever need a friend, someone to talk to, a comfort, that I am always here for you."

Adeline Noctua