Lost and Found
Aurelion's Lightsaber
The desert winds that swept over Ryloth were numbing and uncomfortable to Aurelion. Having grown up in, relative, luxury he had not begun his journey as the most hardy or weathered Padawan of the Silver Jedi. Far from it. But his adventures since then, and especially his time amongst the Sith, had caused him to be able to stand among the stinging granules of sand with a lucid passivity about him. Here, out among the dunes with only a simply shawl and covering Aurelion swept his covered gaze out along the cramped Rylothian city streets before him. Passerby of every stripe granting him a wide berth due to one simple reason..... the roiling, hissing trio of coiling Dark Side tendrils that lashed and snapped about him with barely-contained malevolence. Like living, predatory serpents did they undulate in the air, fine wisps of disintegrated smoke rising from them at each and every particulate of sand that struck their glossy, obsidian surface was met with a complete and utter end.
To say that the young man was in a clear state of mind would be the furthest thing from the truth and while being in the recent presence of one Valery Noble had helped him in a way, it had also made his inner darkness something akin to malevolent. To be denied devouring such a light had caused it to seethe with cold, choking madness that Aurelion could feel numb away at his fingertips and the back of his throat. Causing him to itch at his neck a bit as he was reminded of why he was here. Not knowing where else to go, or even who to turn to, Aurelion had thought about who he knew within the Confederacy.... and the list was rather short. Obviously there was the Exarch Srina Talon but... well.... why would she take notice of someone like him? Much less help him? Next on his mind was Taiia Locke whom he had trained with but he had been unable to learn of her whereabouts with his desperate efforts. Next was Nimue but she.... had vanished and while the bond between them was broken he was uncertain as to her fate. Lastly, and perhaps most mysteriously, was one Vytal Noctura whom he had met only briefly.
With some research Aurelion discovered the Nightmother was nowhere he could find her, and despair had begun to set in, however, luck would have it that this last effort would lead to him a rumor of a new potential Dathomiri witch to approach. A small twinge of uncertainty prickling Aurelion's skin at the idea of knowing so many as... odd. This rumor claimed that a mysterious, sultry witch would supposedly on occasion frequent places... well.... the types of places that made Aurelion blush and want to shut his eye behind his blindfold. At the very least wish the thing actually did block his sight. As well as a possibly way to at least get on her good side at first.....
So it was that Aurelion found himself walking into a establishment of debauchery. A place that made his skin crawl, heart race, and do his best to keep his eye trained on the floor. What would his Buir Taozi Fuyuan think of him being in place like this!? Thankfully, or perhaps regretfully, the hissing chords of darkness that writhed about Aurelion made creating a path through the crowd trivial. Deeper and deeper into a twisted world he never really wanted to know did Aurelion stumble almost blindly, able to sense who he was here to meet, and only after nearly falling into a seat across from Vanya Aklin did he furtively glance up at the striking woman before him. As attractive as the rumors and reminding Aurelion of a velvet-wrapped blade of barely-concealed deadliness did he hastily fumble under his coverings. The hissing, writhing tendrils twisting and coiling almost more passively in Vanya's direction as Aurelion's throat constricted as he hastily deposited his peace offering clumsily on the table in front of her.... a pumpkin-scented candle.... as he blurted the words "I-I need your help....."