Solace of the Shadows

[Vereshin]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gu3rboE-C2Y​

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A frigid afternoon crept slowly over Bastion. Downpour pelted on the window of a small apartment block a short walk away from the city and Vereshin watched the rain cascade outside of the glass. Seated lazily at his desk, he procrastinated over an essay for his master and rubbed the end of his nose with the top of a pen. Gas lamps burned on the walls, striped paper peeling away above bare floorboards. Incense smoldered from above the hearth. The kettle boiled shortly away and Vereshin jolted at sound of a sudden knock at the door.

Sitting upright with the pen in his hand, he listened to sparse knocks echo through the hall outside. His cat stirred on his lap and mewed at being disrupted. Scratching the head of the fluffy tortoiseshell, the sorcerer rose to his feet and followed the boiling water. He wore a plain shirt and suit pants which fell just above his ankles beneath a loose black robe. Books and papers strewn across surfaces and arcane devices hung from chains attached to the ceiling. He went to fetch the tea pot and the visitor knocked again.

"Yes, yes, I'm coming!" Vereshin ran away from the kitchen and threw the robe onto the lounge, swapping it for a cardigan before scurrying to open the door. The face of a young man, who appeared his own age, met him in the outside corridor and Vereshin recognized him as an Acolyte from the temple. "Oh hello, you may come in if you like, I'm just making tea." Motioning for the young man to follow, he returned to the kitchen adjoining the living room and found the tin filled with his favourite tea.

"Are you here for some papers or books?" The other Sith leaned on the counter and asked. Students of the Dark Side often visited one another to exchange texts and research material. As an Acolyte, Vereshin relied on himself to live and did not employ any servants. The apartment bore traces of poverty from bare floorboards to the gas fire, a home he would not trade for a life in the temples. The violent culture of Sith killing Sith was one he did not care for tried sorely to avoid. Setting down a white teapot with a design of arcane equations across the porcelain, he filled the strainer with a white peony laced with cocoa and coconut pieces.

"What are you studying?" Lifting up the kettle, he poured steaming water halfway to the brim and filled the rest with cold to subdue the heat. On Vereshin's desk sat his essay on the assimilation of living matter and hardcover texts by Vitiate, Ragnos and Nihilus lined his shelves. He found two matching cups, lined a plate of sweet biscuits and carried them on a tray with the teapot over to the coffee table. He set it down and took a breath before sitting down on the chair facing his guest.

[member="Venthis Zambrano"]

 

[Yaadri Osi-Yyn]

Vereshin's Apartment,
Bastion.

The rain poured down upon the technically young, Sith Acolyte. He wore a long black cloak, concealing his face with a hood, shielding himself from the rain. He walked down a long and twisted path, after departing from his personal vessel. The path seemed to have a constant flow of overflowing water from the downfall drizzling down beside him. He had come in search of another Acolyte, seemingly having a similar interest in studies. Sith Magic, or Sorcery. Word of mouth caught the Zambrano Prince, of Vereshin. An apprentice who may have the resources to help Venthis is his newly found pursuit of knowledge on the matter.

He eventually reached the structure he had been instructed to venture to. He raised an eyebrow at the location, far different from what he was used to. His home on Panatha was more or less a ruin. Though, he struts up the stairs making his way to the apartment door. Standing with rain dripping from either side of him, droplets falling down his face, long strands of his hair in a similar fashion. First, come; Knock, knock. Standing with his arms held behind his back, he would slowly tap his foot in a sense of his impatience growing. He heard a rustle of movement come from inside, giving another; Knock, knock. Though this time a response was called out. "Yes, yes, I'm coming!", Venthis grinned, standing still.

The door sprung open revealing the slender and seemingly fragile figure. Venthis gave a quick dip of his head. "Hello, oh yes." He said in return to his invitation in. Crossing the threshold, Venthis would glance around the at most bare apartment. Hanging his cloak on the back of the door, though shortly turning afterward. Glancing to each and every detail in the room, giving a nod out of approval. He followed the Human through his apartment standing shortly behind him and to the side as he reached into the tin. "Well, that depends on what you have to give." He said, showing a rare smile. Though he watched the seemingly extensive process, as the man prepared the tea. Quickly shuffling into the chair, wearing nothing but his usual attire. Though the question came up. "What are you studying?" But it was such a broad topic, he had no idea where he was to start. To be honest, it was why he had come here. To find a place to start. "Sith Magic." He stated boldly. "I was told, you can help me find a starting point to read up on it before I requested a proper instruction."

His eyes drifted down to the tea pot, before glancing back up to him with his emerald eyes.

[member="Vereshin"]

 

[Vereshin]

Thunder rolled outside and a gust of wind blew fiercely into an ajar window. Rising from his seat, Vereshin hurried over to close it shut. He approached the hearth and snapped his fingers, allowing a purple flame to hover above their small grasp. Bending over a stick of incense in a holder, he lowered his hand and ignited the end, watching the tiny orange light smolder across the drab room. He walked towards the lounge and set down a tea cup for himself and his guest before lifting up the pot and pouring the steaming liquid into each cup. Finally, he sat down in the chair facing his guest.

"I have most of the texts of Lords Ragnos and Nihilus and the Emperor Vitiate, if you care to look." Motioning towards the shelves, Vereshin proudly showed the other Sith his collection of books. His cat padded around the feet of the table and clawed at his legs, begging to be held. "Exar, sh!" Scooping up the feline, he hugged him to his chest and stroked the bushy tail. "There might be some Sidious there, though I don't care much for Bane." He politely ended and tried to avoid dragging the conversation into a philosophical debate. Venthis continued to ask about finding a beginning in the realm of sorcery.

"Well firstly I will mention that Sith sorcery and alchemy are entirely separate skillsets. Sorcery deals with metaphysical forces while alchemy manipulates chemicals and flesh to create a variety of devices and medicine." A delighted tone rang in Vereshin's words as he answered the other Acolyte's question. He began with the obvious in case Venthis did not already know the difference. Placing the cat on the seat on the lounge next to him, he reached over and raised his teacup to his lips, sipping deeply and savoring the ethereal taste. "In my own studies I pursue the limits of energy and force and also life and death." He finished and wiped away a trace of condensation from his glasses. "What form of power appeals to you more, the otherwordly, or the physical?" Vereshin asked, displaying a certain confidence in his gathered knowledge of magic. Despite being young, he had been isolated within the world of Sith magic since birth and knew of nothing else.

"Do you mind if I smoke? I'll refrain if you do." He smoothed out the front of his cardigan to find his cigarette case, only to find it in his trouser pocket. The cigarettes calmed his nerves, for the sake of being a good host, he would wait until Venthis left if he did not like the habit. "Forgive me, but I forgot to ask your name." Vereshin inquired again.

[member="Venthis Zambrano"]

 

[Yaadri Osi-Yyn]

The thunder sounding from outside of the apartment caught Venthis' attention, quickly turning to it as Vereshin gathered to his feet to close to the door. "Interesting." He stated as Vereshin explained the two parts of the topic he ought to learn about. He sat back in the chair for a moment, picking up the tea in thought before taking a long sip. He gathered his thoughts for a moment. "We seem to have similar interests. Death, in general interests me very much." He said, nodding his head along gently placing his cup down. "I've heard stories of what can be accomplished with Sith Sorcery, what intrigued me to come seek out more." Squinting briefly as he came to an end. He glanced to the cat for a moment, letting out a cough-like chuckle. "Interesting name choice." He said amusedly.

Though, he could tell that coming here was proving useful, he had come for knowledge and it seemed like he were to leave with a mass of it. Venthis gave a soft shake of his head in reply to Vereshin's question. "Your home, do as you wish." He said, dipping his head. Though he would glance off to the side, looking at his collection of books then turning back. "Oh, no worry." He said in response to his ask for forgiveness. "My name is Venthis Zambrano." He stated proudly. "If my memory is correct, Vereshin is yours?" He showed another rare, though extremely creepy smile.

[member="Vereshin"]

 

[Vereshin]

Extending a pallid wrist, Vereshin gripped the teacup and raised it to his mouth. He set it down with a short clang and considered Venthis' words. Reaching over to the desk, he gripped the neat sheets of paper and glanced over the esoteric mathematics. He compounded the properties for a ritual to separate the life force of one organism and transfer it to another. Handing the essay to Venthis, he propped his glasses up his nose and stroke the steam from the lense.

"If death is your fascination, I am looking for a partner to conduct this technique." Vereshin stood up and handed the paper to Venthis. Shifting his eyes cautiously, he did not explain the details of the practice just in case the other Sith displayed some form of disapproval. "What interests you more, the plane beyond death or cheating death?" He asked while taking a small bite out of a biscuit. "I'm rather interested in flow-walking myself, it is an uncommon technique, but may allow a user some degree of control over the aspect of death." He finished his sentence and lifted a large hardcover book off the coffee table and flicked to the marked page detailing the force technique practiced by the Aing-Tii.

Vereshin chuckled lightly in response to Venthis' comment about the name of his cat before slipping the cigarette between his lips. He snapped his fingers to crate a dancing flame above the tips and lit the end. Sitting quietly for the moment, he inhaled deeply on the cigarette between sips of tea. Upon hearing the other Sith mention his name, his eyes turned wide and he froze slightly in his seat. A Zambrano in his humble flat shared his privacy and breathed in his smoke.

"Yes, that's right." He stated with a smile and felt a pang of honor paired with fear. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Venthis. I am most honored to have you come and seek my own interests." Vereshin finished sincerely.

[member="Venthis Zambrano"]

 

[Yaadri Osi-Yyn]

Venthis would idly reach out and skim-read over the essay. His eyes caught the bold line 'Transferring life force to another organism'. A soft nod would leave his head. "While I'd like more information, I'd be more than happy to help with that." He said, referring to the ritual, nodding he would place the essay down. Looking to Vereshin for a few moments. Though another important question came to the conversation and it required Venthis to take a moment. "I'd say the plane beyond Death, personally. I'm lucky enough to be able to live for hundreds of years due to my species. No need to worry about that for a good hundred years." A soft chuckle would leave his mouth, jokingly. Though he would reach out to the book, detailing Flow-walking with interest and placing it besides the essay.

Venthis noticed his change in expression. Raising a hand in gesture. "No need to feel such... honor. I'm just Venthis, unlike my father and cousin. Eheh." He would take a long sip from the tea, allowing it to swirl around in his mouth taking the taste of it in. Before giving a nod of approval. "After all, my cousin is only... The Dark Lord." He said, with a boisterous laugh following.

Though he would turn back with more interest than before, settling down from his joke. "But do go into detail for this ritual." A soft exhale would leave his mouth as he awaited his response.

[member="Vereshin"]