Private The Lost and Found

[Darth Morta]

Tag: Avarice ​

The Unknown Regions held many secrets. Despite the numerous operations to map them, there was always something new to be discovered, or be rediscovered in this case. Darth Morta had been prodding the ever-shifting, dangerous hyperlanes, especially around Zakuul and Jurio, and struck gold. On an otherwise unremarkable terrestrial planet with no name, just the survey designation TOI 74219 d, she felt the lingering tingle of Dark Side power.

Upon landing at the site, Morta saw an ancient Sith temple surrounded by old-growth trees with moss growing on some of the stone, though a lot of the vegetation seemed to ignore it, like even the plants knew disturbing the temple was a bad idea. Animals, on the other hand, Morta spotted and sensed several of them moving around the temple, and some of them seemed to have their reflections in the force warped by the ambient Dark Side energies in the area.

Morta entered the temple carefully; these old sites were full of all kinds of traps, tricks, and all other sorts of hazards, but the knowledge that could be gained was well worth the risk.

 

[Avarice]

Tags: Darth Morta

Avarice had come to the temple in search of something lost long ago, another relic to add to his growing collection of Holochrons. His last discovery had led him here, down into the old bones of the place, where dust slept thick along the interior entryway.

He padded through the dim passage with a curious ease, his attention drifting over cracked stone, sealed alcoves, and the faint residue of powers long since gone silent. He paused suddenly feeling as anothers presence drew near.

Avarice went still, his breath easing into a a held silent pause. He pressed his signature down further, folding it into the deeper shadows until only the faintest trace remained. Then he slipped aside, patient and watchful, waiting to see who had wandered into the temple's hushed entry way.

Upon the red red Twi'lek's entry, he lingered where the darkness gathered thickest, studying her in silence. Only after she had passed did he begin to follow in her wake.

The Force gathered around him in a subtle current, of slow languid air. It curled close to his body, smoothing the space beneath each careful step, swallowing the faint scrape of sole against stone and softening the minute tremors that might have carried through the corridor. Even the fabric at his sleeve seemed reluctant to betray him thanks to the subtle manipulation of sound through the very air about his form..

Avarice stalked after her like a prowling panther in the dark curious to see where she might lead him.

 

[Darth Morta]

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Tag: Avarice​

Darth Morta, despite being careful, still walked in like she owned the place, the sound of her heeled boots clacking on the millennia-old stone floor and echoing off the vaulted ceilings.

She had no idea what hidden knowledge might be contained within these walls, and she wanted all of it. To that end, Morta opened herself up to the force more, looking through the low background haze of Dark Side energies for artifacts that might resonate more strongly. She sensed several things that might be interesting, but she'd need to physically examine them to find out if they were worth the taking.

Morta turned towards the center of the temple, where a large glass roof had mostly collapsed over time. It seemed to be a central hub that led out to the different portions of the temple. She paused there, looking around, trying to decide which way to go.

 

[Avarice]

Tags: Darth Morta

Lust red orbs watched her carefully before he paused crossing his arms, the weight of his lithe frame settled into one hip, every inch of him arranged with insufferable leisure and the careful over tone of put on arrogance of the pea-cocking he was about to preform through a calculated display of Dun Moch.

"Lost already, are we little lady~?" Avarice asked, his voice light with pleased amusement. "How disappointing. I thought the temple had lured in a hunter with teeth, not a tourist....And here I thought Sith were meant to be decisive."

There was an unmistakable sentiment of a grin in the tone of his voice beneath that mask.

 

[Darth Morta]

Tag: Avarice ​

"Not all those who wander are lost, child." Darth Morta spat the last word back in a tone of mild amusement and disdain as she turned to face what she could only describe as a petulant child, feeling the need to justify herself.

The fact that she hadn't seen or sensed him until he made himself known was mildly disconcerting to Morta, but she kept that emotion buried. He was either an apparition of the temple's ambient dark side corruption, in which case she wouldn't let the temple get to her, or far more likely, he was another dark side user come to take advantage of the temporary window granting access to this system to seek out artifacts.

Morta reached back, not to touch her lightsabers, but the scythe, Crimson Harvest, she wore on her back, the feeling of the Sarrassian Iron amplifying her connection to the dark side was comforting to her, and an unconscious tell that she didn't feel in full control of a situation.

"If you must know, I sense more than one artifact of significance. I am merely considering my options on which one to pursue first, rushing in blindly will only lead to unnecessary problems." She spoke, an honest memory of her days as an urchin on Ryloth, picking her targets carefully to pick pockets or steal bags from to make sure she had food for the day, briefly surfacing before she crushed it.

 

[Avarice]

Tags: Darth Morta

He watched her hand move toward the weapon and raised a brow.

"If I am but a child, art thou so frightened as to raise more than thy hand to me?" he queried, making no motion to reach for any weapon of his own. "Do you fear the unknown that greatly?"

He stifled a breathless little giggle. "Or is it what lurks in the dark that frightens you?" he asked softly, sounding utterly amused by the very notion that she might find him threatening.

"Perhaps, if I am a child, I am the one who is lost…" he mused. "But then again, perhaps I know exactly where we are, and you have stumbled into my humble abode, trespasser."

His gaze settled on her with a foxlike mirth.

"You come here seeking power, yet tremble at the first shadow that speaks back. I come here for knowledge. We are not the same." His smile thinned, pleasant as a knife kept polished for ceremony. "There is no need for us to hurry toward violence… unless, of course, you require it to feel brave."

 

[Darth Morta]

Tag: Avarice
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"You have a big mouth for someone so small," Morta said dismissively, though now conscious of the fact that she had been reaching for her weapon to find reassurance, she pulled her hand away. "If you care so much about fear you should know that caution is not fear. Ensuring a knife left in a room is not going to be pressed to your throat is a reasonable precaution, just like being ready to strike down an unexpected visitor while exploring a dark side temple."

Morta flexed her hand, she wanted to grab this insolent stranger by the throat and slam him into the wall. The only reason she didn't was that last line, despite her mental defences always being up, especially in a place like this, was that last line of his. Morta often reached for violence as a method of covering up her shortfalls, and having that thrown in her face, unknowingly or otherwise, made her stop to collect her thoughts.

Morta's rage bubbled under the surface, for now, she had enough control to keep it contained. "You are wrong, though, I did come for knowledge, and knowledge leads to power. Either come with me, and we can share in the knowledge, or stand in my way, and I'll retrieve it alone." She had defaulted to treating him as a lesser simply because of her ego, an accident that showed a weak spot in her mentality.

 

[Avarice]

Tags: Darth Morta

"Mnn… you've wisdom beyond your years then… excellent. Perhaps you will be a wonderful mentor to devote my services to... "

His gaze lowered briefly, thoughtful rather than cowed before taking in a slow steady drink of her image from to to head settling those lust red orbs on her fiery golden eyes.

"Violence is, after all, the calling card of a weak intellect… however, I must protest one simple thing: Knowledge is power.... And... Knowing something when another does not... makes all the difference.

He looked back to her, a faint, curious smile touching his mouth beneath the blackened mask.

"So tell me… will you show me all that you know, Dark Mistress? Can you show me what makes men fear your shadow before your name ever reaches their lips? I am both elated and content to have the honor of sharing such secrets with a worthy Mistress who understands that power is sweetest when it need not announce itself."

 

[Darth Morta]

Tag: Avarice
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For a moment, Darth Morta wasn't sure what to make of the sudden shift in attitude, going from the typical cocky Sith acolyte with an inflated ego to a total ass kisser. The conclusion she came to was that he wanted something from her, which was as typically Sith as one could get.

Feeling satisfied that she'd seen through the ploy, Morta approached Avarice and ran a finger along his chin, "Play your games little acolyte, we all do, just don't feth with me and we'll do just fine."

As she finished speaking, Morta let the tip of her sharp talon run over the smaller man's neck, a not-so-subtle threat, unconsciously falling back into the threat of violence that he had just called her out on before.

Morta turned her back on him and picked a random hallway she'd been feeling one of the artifacts. "If you want to learn, you'd better follow."

 

[Avarice]

Tags: Darth Morta
"You wound me, my Dark Mistress… Truly, thou offerest company most pleasing, surpassing even that of self proclaimed kings and deities."

He pressed a gloved hand over his chest, fingers splayed over his heart in an overdramatic, theatrical display, before offering her a cordial bow with a flourish of his hand, gesturing for her to lead the way.

"It would be a pity to squander such an opportunity to be educated by so refined a mind; and I would be remiss to deny myself such an exquisite vista." He practically purred before padding after her.

"So… does such a terrifying beauty have a name, or must I continue worshiping my dark idol from ignorance?"

 

[Darth Morta]

Tag: Avarice
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"You'd think one would know my name before swearing their service to me so fervently," Darth Morta said as she turned her head back with a disappointed tone. Her body language, though, seemed to indicate she found the situation somewhat humorous, especially since she thought she knew his angle. "And it's rude to demand a lady's name without offering your own."

Morta was clearly enjoying the back and forth between the two of them now that she felt more in control, even if she wasn't fully so.

"You may call me Darth Morta, if you present me with your name."

 

[Avarice]

Tags: Darth Morta

"Ah… forgive me, my lady." The words slipped from his lips like velvet over steel. "I fear my manners have suffered from the prolonged exposure to the wider galaxy. One grows accustomed to finding that even those with vaults full of credits cannot afford such proper courtesies." He practically purred.

"Though, what is the name of a lowly scholar before a goddess? However... if a moniker you must have, then you may have it, Mistress. I am known as Avarice, for my thirst for knowledge is unquenchable, my hunger for understanding has gnawed past reason and consumed all caution, and my lust to possess what others would bury knows no bounds. Such endless desires to study the art of power absolute, even upon the shoulders of kings, has left me unsatiated… and wanting."

The petite apprentice padded after her, seemingly remaining off to her side at a respectable distance.

"Yet still… It would look poorly upon me to compound one discourtesy with another by allowing you to wander these halls unattended. Ancient temples are so often, such dreadful hosts. They offer doors where there should be walls, and riddles where there should be warnings... and in the case of Sith architecture, occasionally they murder the guests.

If it would soothe the injury done to courtesy, I would be honored should you see so fit as to permit me to be of use and place my services at your disposal. Though light of stature I may be, so too are my steps; my eyes are keen, and my hands dexterous. Speak your desires, Mistress Morta, and command my hands and eyes as you see fit."

 

[Darth Morta]

Tag: Avarice
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Morta was starting to think that the snippy brat version of this Avarice fellow far more appealing than the boot licking version she was now dealing with, unless he took that figurative term more literally, then she could deal with it.

“Has anyone ever told you that sycophantic loyalty and overbearing worship can be far more annoying than the brat you played earlier.” Morta said on the edge of exasperation, “Every Sith acolyte that has ever existed and every acolyte that ever will exist has schemes, when attaching yourself to a Sith Lord or Lady to work on them it’s best to not annoy them into wanting to leave you stranded on whatever mud all they found you one.”

It showed that he was getting under her skin some, but since Morta thought she knew what Avarice’s game was she felt safe in letting him peak behind the curtains, she was actually attempting to be a teacher in that moment, imparting some wisdom that she thought would help him in his future as a Sith.

 

[Avarice]

Tags: Darth Morta
"You've no idea how refreshing that is to hear," he said, dropping the simpering loyalist act of one who had fallen madly in love with her at first sight.

"All of them?" he queried, almost incredulous at such a revelation. Truth be told, he was taking some small, gleeful enjoyment in testing the waters, learning just what buttons pestered her most. It was, in fact, a good learning experience. He, too, hated false praise and needless prattling, though he had been playing a game of his own, trying to bait some form of response from her that would equate to a complaint of him speaking far too much… all so he could follow it up with:

"Lip service is but one of my many talents… though I assure you, my tongue is just as well-practiced in delicate work," he mused. "It is good to know you find my less performative side endearing."

He followed after her, regarding her with that same poised amusement.

"Everyone wants something, and I doubt you're interested in giving me something for nothing... My last Master didn't offer me much. You seem much more ambitious than he. What service would earn your interest I wonder? "