The Beginning

[Caid Centurion]

Rock crumbled beneath the booted heel of the large, dark-skinned figure that casually crossed what...little remained of the ruins. The silver-green eyes of his paternal line swept across the scene before him as Caid crouched down to place a tentative hand to an odd-looking rock formation. Allowing his eyelids to slowly close over his bright orbs, the Dathomir native exhaled softly. He was trying...something, something he'd only recently come to be exposed to during an extended trip to Kuat.

As was his nature, Caid refused to merely accept something as gospel...or even a partial truth. Growing up around a bunch of women that chanted spells to access magical powers, learning all that had largely been one of countless methods for accessing a greater nexus of life and energy was a bit much to swallow immediately. An open-mind he certainly did have, but he chose to expand his own knowledge of both the past and the present.

Plagued by the nagging feeling of deja vu in countless situations all his life, the Republic Admiral now, finally, was beginning to understand how and why. Opening his eyes, Caid stood back to his full height and scanned the horizon. His casual dark clothing was wrapped in folds of black and silver. The penetration of silver-green orbs from beneath the veil of darkness provided by the hood of his cloak gave him a rather...striking similarity to the man he'd never met and even less desire to.

[member="Kassandra Distorith"]

 

[Kassandra Distorith]

There was something to be said for solitude, the Lordess mused, a soft sigh passing plump crimson-stained lips. The changes happening within the leadership of the Crusade had been enough to make her wonder what she was truly doing there. She’d gone simply because Vascious had been the one to find her when she’d woken. The sight of his familiar frame looming in her clouded sight had been the first moment of clarity she’d had in over five hundred years. Feelings she’d long thought lost had soon followed.

But now...she waited. Thoughts meandering along quiet paths in search of clarity. It would come, in time, she simply needed patience.

Kassandra pushed her raven curls back over her shoulder, and rose from the lotus-like position she had been meditating in. Slender fingers smoothed out her sweater and brushed absently over the hilts mostly hidden beneath the fabric that fell to her hips. She paused, the silence of the forest around her as telling as the frisson of energy that soon caressed her senses.

Reaching out to the delicate web of energy she’d left behind in the ruins, a gentle brush of her mind told her that there was someone there. Who, she could not tell, only that there was a presence where there should be none. It certainly wasn’t one of the locals, who knew far better than to go near the ruins she’d claimed centuries before as her own.

Slow, sauntering steps carried her through the forest and into the far side of the ruins, where columns and walls had begun to take shape once more. Hands outstretched and pressed to the stone, she bid her pets to guard the perimeter, and watched as eight vornskrs melted back into the night’s shadows. The ninth, Aya, remained at her side as she moved forward once more, picking her way through the over grown rubble with a sure step.

She did not bother to hide herself nor cloak her approach, but she did dampen her presence in the Force to mask the true horror of her power. A smile curled her lips as she approached the figure, her crimson gaze lambent in the pale light from the moon. “It’s not often I find visitors here...what brought you to these ruins?” Kassandra breathed softly, head canted to the side. She stopped a short distance away, gaze roving over the shrouded form he presented.

[member="Caid Centurion"]

 

[Caid Centurion]

Caid did not sense the approach of [member="Kassandra Distorith"] through the Force predominantly because he was expending what little affinity he had to keep the reality of his capability muted to the point of appearing to have no real discernible ability. However, had she interrupted him perhaps a few moments earlier, she would have made her own existence known after Caid had dropped the cloak on his force affinity.

As the figure of a woman emerged from around some rubble, Caid remained motionless, standing like a tall shadow amongst these particular ruins. The crimson nature of her gaze gave her quite a predatory look in the pre-dawn hours. For a moment, he wondered after her species. It was but a fleeting intrigue, however, as his gaze briefly roamed much more interesting attributes.

Clasping his hands behind his back, the offspring of Cameron Centurion settled his silver-green gaze on the woman's face. "I'm studying archaeology," came the flat response. "Are you of the civilization belonging to these ruins?" Obviously, the man had neither the appearance nor posture of any type of scientist.

 

[Kassandra Distorith]

There was a peculiar sensation lingering just out of reach of her senses, tantalizing with the possibilities it held. Something about the young man within her ruins echoed in an almost familiar fashion, with a silver-green gaze that only made the sensation brighter at the back of her mind. But without delving into her full powers and revealing herself, she was left simply to wonder for a brief moment, then set the thought aside.

The Lordess had time on her side, she could afford to be patient.

Her smile warmed as she dipped her head, his response drawing mirth into her crimson gaze, the lambent energy of it flickering. "I was, once, a member of the Order that dwelled here." she said simply, a soft purr to her voice that seemed to trail warmth in its wake. Kassandra studied him for a moment longer, letting the silence linger comfortably. Let him make of her statement what he would...there was truth in it, after all.

"Have you any...questions?" she breathed, crimson eyes rising to meet silver-green.

| [member="Caid Centurion"] |​

 

[Caid Centurion]

Caid arched a curious eyebrow at the woman as she dipped her head in some manner of perceived deference. While he knew of the planet's...far-reaching history, he couldn't really say he'd heard much about Dantooine during recent times. Naturally, this left Caid with the impression that the alluring woman was extremely old, or he just needed to bone up on his post-Gulag history.

Keeping his vibrant gaze leveled on her form, Caid made no presumptions. The reality of ancient sentients was not an uncommon one. Thanks to both his grandmother, [member="Petra Cavataio"], and aunt, [member="Lauda Cavataio"], he had a healthy appreciation for the deception of pretty faces. "Well. That's fantastically vague."

A thin smile touched the Rogue's lips as he considered her question. "Not really, no." Yes, Caid had come here in search of...some level of insight, answers. He'd hoped to perhaps better understand where the Jedi had come from without...having to subject himself to the ramblings of some monk from the Jedi Order. Rest assured, he had no interest in becoming a Jedi, but his thirst for knowledge was insatiable.

Knowledge that would one day be of great use. He held the woman's eerie gaze in silence for several moments, perfectly content to allow time to slip by. "One, perhaps. Who are you?"

[member="Kassandra Distorith"]

 

[Kassandra Distorith]

A peal of laughter escaped from the woman at the candor inherent in his words. The vagueness had been intentional on her part, from a want to see his reaction. One could read a fair amount into the way a man responded to a simple verbal sortie. This one, however, presented quite the delightful riddle...one that would be most entertaining to solve.

"Ahh...a question at last. And one I am more than delighted to answer. I am called Kassandra, and this is my home." the Lordess said softly, one hand dropping to rest atop the head of the formidable vornskr at her side. Fingers stroked through the fur on Aya's head while the beast rumbled with contentment, though it's gaze never wavered from [member="Caid Centurion"].

"Might I have the same consideration in return?"

 

[Caid Centurion]

Caid afforded [member="Kassandra Distorith"] a polite incline of his head after she'd introduced herself. Releasing his restraining hold on his own force presence and potential, the Rogue Padawan rolled his shoulders backwards slightly and flexed his fingers. The focus he put into muting his affinity with the Force was not massive simply because he was no great Force Practitioner...at present. However, that reality meant that some of the more advanced abilities such as masking his presence came at a price to comfort.

As the tension in his body ebbed away, Caid inhaled deeply before exhaling slowly. For but a brief moment, his eyes darted to the vornskr at Kassandra's side. He knew of the creatures, and he smiled thinly at the reaction to the moderate surge in force activity from his own body. To be clear - the beast was so seemingly disciplined Caid doubted it would have a reaction, so he quickly reverted his gaze to more interesting sights. "My apologies for intruding upon your home, then, Kassandra. As for me, you may refer to me as you see fit. I am referred to as many things." The statement was accurate so there was certainly no deception from Caid.