To forge a Weapon

[Darth Abyss]

Nar Shaddaa

Darth Abyss hideout.

For a long time the smuggler moon had become the second home for Darth Abyss besides the academy. Now that he was not longer an acolyte who had to spend as much time as possible to drain the knowledge of the lords, it had become his first. Hidden under the tones of durasteel and duraplast of an rundown apartment complex was a basement, and inside of it he had build a hideout for himself. While most of the rooms lacked any furniture besides a set of chairs and a myriad of bookshelves stuffed to their limits, one room had been chosen to become his central of operations.

The gigantic table was littered with notes, books and datapads, filled with all kind of information. On the head end of the table the sith knight had taken place on a chair, rereading the dossier he had been given by the one sith intelligence. It had been given to him after he requested a suitable candidate for his newest project. While his search for a worthy apprentice had found its end on korriban, the dark lord still was in need for a talented and loyal individual, to be formed into a weapon to execute his will.

The dossier was filled with notes and intel about a woman, that based on the information was a very talented and promising individual. Everything he had read about here suggested that she was exactly what he was looking for, but the small bits of information he had more or less told him nothing about her.

With the one sith intelligence he managed to get a message to her: Two sets of coordinates, one for the moon, and one for his location on it. And the words "the future awaits." Two sith soldiers, clothed as civilians had been chosen to wait and secure the entrance to the complex, tasked with leading her to him as soon as she would arrive. He had no doubt that she wouldn't resist his invitation.

[member="Ayvari Dorian"]

 

[Lief]

The Mynock was the only home she had ever truly known. It cut her a path through the stars, taking her from destination to destination without complaint. Those who inhabited it alongside her though were another thing all together. While [member='Joon'] proved easy enough to satiate, her student rarely one to complain, the girl who resided in her cells was something else entirely.

Sohna had been nothing but trouble. From the moment she had released her from her Father's laboratory on Mustafar, until just minutes ago when she yet again refused to listen during training, the girl was a thorn in Ayvari's side. But what could she do, for she was her Master's child and that made her Ayvari's responsibility in his absence.

Such a pain.

At least KayFour didn't have base emotions and desires. The droid blundered into her room unannounced, truly the only being in the whole Galaxy who would get away with such a slight, and allowed his monotonous voice to boom out the message. It took her a few seconds to realize that the first part were coordinates.

Lifting up to her feet she gave a slight nod of her head. "See to it that Sohna remains in lockdown. If Joon patches in a call, have it sent to my personal comms." Her student was tending to a delicate task, one Ayvari had refused to aid her in. The likelihood of her calling was slim.

Without warning she made her way through the vessel and into the cockpit. While KayFour was the primary pilot, she had actually taken to learning from him as of late and knew her way around the consoles.

In no time at all she had rerouted their path in favour of former Hutt territory. Last time she had been to NS she had been hunting down Sohna, and had ended up picking up a hitchhiker along the way. This time no such tomfoolery would be happening.

A few days after the initial message was sent, Ayvari found herself walking through the undercity of Nar Shaddaa. Such a disgusting world it was, though not quite as bad as Point Nadir. At least here fallen bodies were disposed of.

She had done her research, knew the building complex she was to be venturing into, though that didn't mean she made a b-line straight for it. Quite the contrary, she rather purposely went around the longest route possible to curb potential followers.

Eventually though she arrived. Her eyes drifted to the two civilians who stood watch, the same pair who had been stood there on her first three circuits around the block.

So these were the ones, were they?

Bold as brass she walked up toward the steps and past them without much in the way of acknowledgement. Would they know her by sight?

[member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

The two man exchanged looks, one trying to subtlety point at the woman that had just walked past them with his head. The other mans face showed nothing but a puzzled expression. Neither of them had seen a picture of the woman she had been tasked to wait for, and while she fitted the description they couldn't be sure. Darth Abyss wasn't known to take mistakes lightly, especially none that could endangered the position of his hideout. With a sigh one of the two opened his mouth, hoping that this was who they had been looking for.

"Wait ... Miss ... Miss Dorian? We are tasked to lead you to him."

Without waiting for an answer the two began to enter the building, descending into the basement. In front of a heavy, and thick door both came to a stop, one entering a code, while the other was observing the surrounding area, to the point of obvious paranoia. Darth Abyss had no fear for what could enter, but he appreciate his privacy above everything else.

With a hiss the door unlocked, slowly sliding open to allow the three to traverse into the inside of the basement.

Darth Abyss rarely wore his mask when no one was around, only when the powers confined inside the wood would be useful for research or any other matter. Today way different, he intended to make a lasting first impression on the woman that was on her way ro him. He could feel her presence, overshadowing that of his soldiers as he waited at his table for her to enter the room.

[member="Ayvari Dorian"]

 

[Lief]

Two sets of feet followed her into the entrance foyer of the high rise. Without bothering to wait, without skipping a step, she deftly made her way to the basement stairwell and began to descend.

"Ah yes, Gentlemen, because I need to have my hand held..."

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, the distinctly Imperial-sounding woman stopped at the bottom of the stairs and stood to one side so that they could open up the door for her.

Didn't even bother trying to watch the code they entered. It was beneath her.

The moment the door opened, however, she stepped inside without nary a glance at the two escorts.

Her eyes adjusted after a couple of seconds, to the dim light. No matter how many florescents you had glowing overhead, a basement still retained the same feeling. Stuffy, dark, enclosed. Didn't matter how you played it up.

Naturally her gaze was directed toward the table. At one end a masked figure sat, and she had to refrain from scoffing. Just barely. During her time with the Empire, long before the One Sith and the Tri Sith and all the other silly names the splinter groups gave themselves, Ayvari had come across a great many men who used similar intimidation tactics.

Didn't work on her. She didn't fear masks, the men beneath them were the true monsters. No need to cover that up.

"Pray tell, why have I been sent for?"

At present Ayvari answered to exactly nobody. Her Master, the only man aside from the Dark Lord of the Sith - who perished when Corellia fell - that she'd answered to, had been missing since the day everybody disappeared... With the Dark Lords death came the end of her traditional duties. Their secret Empire had fallen with him. All that was left in its wake was two students and a name. JN-4.

The man screamed Sith.

But which of the little groups did he belong to?

[member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

"Welcome Miss Dorian, please have a seat."

Darth Abyss motioned towards a chair placed on the opposite end of the table. His voice was calm but commanding, as he was keeping it professional at least for now. With a simple movement of his hand the mask levitated down from his face, landing softly on the table in front of him. His yellow eyes stared at her, judging if she was what he was looking for.

"I am known as Darth Abyss, and I am looking for an individual with talents that you might possess."

The sith knight moved his elbows on the table and clasped his hands, still lookin into her eyes without even blinking. On the outside she was nothing special, but he could feel the power that lived within her. Strong and dark, yet not the one of a sith. As he had thought she wasn't made to walk upon the path of the sith, but that didn't meant she would have no use to him. Any sith that planned to rule one day needed an assassin, a killer trained to execute anyone and anything without asking questions.

"You are not here to become my apprentice. I do not offer you the right to become sith. What I am offering is a chance for you to learn, to become stronger. A chance to gain wealth and power, safety for your loved ones or whatever else you desire. The only thing I ask for in return is loyalty to me and only to me."

In the face of the man a grin formed as waited for her reaction. Would she take his offer, and become what she was meant to? Or would she decline, and search for another path on her own?

[member="Ayvari Dorian"]

 

[Lief]

Another Darth in an already saturated market... It was enough to have her Master turning in his grave. If he even had one. No body, nothing to bury, or burn, no graveside to sit at, no ashes to scatter. Just the uncertainty as to his present state. He could be watching her even now. Though deep down he knew that he was gone for good. She had good instincts where such was concerned.

Moving forward she stood behind the chair instead of taking a seat, truth be told she despised sitting down and avoiding it where possible. Especially during situations such as this one, where they were a play for power happening. She did not know this man. Did not trust him. She would not give him power over her actions, not yet at least. Subservient though she may naturally be to the correct bidder, that did not mean she would answer to just anybody.

"I should hope that I'm not here to be your Apprentice" she stated, a little bluntly, as her fingers toyed absentmindedly with the back of the chair, plucking at stray strands of fibers. "Been there, done that." Have a lovely set of scars and a cybernetic leg to show for it.

Her fingers ceased in their ruminations and her back straightened just a touch, chin lifting as she measured up the man across from her. "Money... Power... Protection..." Her lip twitched at the very notion, and with a slight tilt of her head she made a quiet tssking noise. "What makes you think I have need of either of these things?"

So presumptuous, but then weren't most of his ilk?

He wanted her loyalty. "Loyalty cannot be simply bought... You of all people should know that, what with your background, Sith."

[member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

"Loyalty is myth people tell each other to sleep at night."

His lips formed a thin straight line as he observed her reaction. Without asking she had already revealed more about herself than the one sith intelligence could piece together. So she had once been the apprentice to another sith, something Darth Abyss had already noted as a possible past for a individual like her. Also she made no attempt to sit down, an almost laughable attempt to suggest a sense of power. Still he had some admiration for the game she was playing as it was the same he was playing himself most of the time. True power began in the mind of an enemy.

"Anyone has a price. For most it is money, power or love."

The last word was followed by a single, dark laugh, a sound so inhuman that it seemed unrealistic that it had just left the lungs of the man. His eyes looked began to wander over her, trying to see behind the mask of flesh that her mind was hidden under.

"Anyone has a desire, something that drives us. Tell me yours and it shall become reality."

With the one sith crumbling to dust, Darth Abyss had to option to take everything he wanted from the dead empire, as he was the last Knight of the One sith. He knew that there was no such thing as true loyalty, and he had no need for it.

"Decline my offer and go on with your live if that is what you desire. If not, name your price and I will form you into a weapon, I will show you how to reach your full potential."

[member="Ayvari Dorian"]

 

[Lief]

Oh Ayvari was not trying to convey personal power at all. She was simply ensuring that he knew he had no power over her in that moment. She could walk away and there would be little he could do to stop her. His guards were meek enough, likely didn't have the nerve to stand against her should she call into action her saber.

She didn't give her allegiance to just anyone. But when she did it was set in stone. Unless they vanish or perish without a trace... For so long now she had been left wandering without a purpose. Coming here had been a way to reignite the passion she was missing. She so loved the missions she had once carried out on behalf of her Master.

He began to speak of motivations, and Ayvari simply raised one slender brow as she stood there watching him. He did not know anything about her, she realized. No idea of her drive, of her living conditions or her status. No idea if she had a family, if she had debts... If he thought he could bribe her, buy her loyalty in any way, then he was in for a shock.

The only thing Ayvari craved was purpose. That was her sole desire, her sole driving force. Which left her in a cyclical conundrum did it not? For she was unwilling to bow to the orders of another without due cause, and he was unwilling to make her. Always with the temptations, always with the promises.

Ayvari scoffed.

Her expression was an empty canvas. It revealed little about her. She had been raised in service from the moment she had been taken from Ilum. So very young she had been. By now they were mere flashes of a dreamscape to her than reality. All she had known was servitude toward her Master. The Master who existed no longer.

"I do not have a price. So tempt me all you wish, Sith, and see where it leads..." Nowhere. At least, nowhere fast. Oh, what's wrong little Sith? Your methods not working? She pouted just a touch, before realizing she had not said it aloud. Oh well.

[member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

"Oh really?"

The sith knight slowly rose from his seat, showing the full extend his height, now standing a head higher than her. With slow, precise steps that made almost no sound on the cold ground he began to move around the table.

"I could crush you with nothing but my bare hands, could I not?"

His left hand moved slightly in the air, and as it did the table and the things littered on it began to shake and levitate into the air. It wasn't even meant to scare her, it was meant to show her that he was powerful enough to lead her. His hand relaxed and with it the table loudly banged as it touched the ground once more. He was now almost standing in front of her, his expression showing no emotion at all.

"There is power inside of you, but its raw and shapeless. I can form it into something more, I can give it purpose. The future awaits us."

His right hand extended towards her, not as a thread but as an invitation. Would she agree, was she ready to become his tool in his never ending conquest for power and knowledge?

[member="Ayvari Dorian"]

 

[Lief]

Really...

She watched him instead of speaking though, for just a moment, seeing if he would do anything worthwhile, anything to give her good enough cause to stand and listen anymore than she already had. It was a fools errand though, rather than giving her a reason all he served to do was prove to her further reasons to walk out of the door and not look back.

"Is that supposed to impress me?" she said, with a very slight sigh. I'm disappointed, truly I am... A note comes in the night, holding so much promise... Only to find this. Whatever this was.

"I've seen Younglings more intimidating. So you can do a fancy parlour trick..." She did not lift her hand. She did not look in the direction of the table. Yet when the items he'd made tremble ceased in their movements she plucked one straight from its place and into her hand. Passion fruit... Dorian no less... The irony was not lost upon her.

She took a bite, lifting a slender brow, before loosing another sigh.

"You don't know anything about me, do you? I'm guessing you're newly Knighted, fresh off the press and finding your feet. Your tactics might have worked if I was poor, or defenseless. If power was something I crave. But I'm not, and it isn't."

Perhaps she was too used to the commanding presence of Xanxus. He didn't offer, he ordered. Commanded. Demanded. The only choice he gave her was right at the very beginning... And that had been an obvious decision to make. Live or die. From the moment she gave herself to him, in all her childhood naivete, he had owned her. And she had followed his every word.

Maybe that is the problem.You're comparing what is to what was. That didn't mean she had to buckle at the first step, though. Didn't mean she had to make it easy for him. I'm not going to roll over like some kath hound.

[member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

Darth Abyss expression twisted into a cruel grin, as the woman once again belittled his power. Her mind was strong, and she had yet to show fear. Good. He enjoyed a challenge. The hand that had been meant as an invitation slowly moved towards her throat, not to strangle her, but to show her that he could if he wanted to.

"You are right, I only know little about you. I think it is time to change that."

Now his left was following his right hand, moving towards her forehead, while he summoned the darkness that had found its home inside his mind. She was right, at least to some degree. His power of the physical realm was limited, and while above hers still far from that of a master or even most knights. Like any sith he was exceptional, but his talents had manifested more in his mind than his body. She said she had no price, but everyone had one. Someone just to dig deep enough to find it.

It was like his mind extend through his left, fueled by the darkness within himself, using the whole might and power he had to break into her head, to drain everything she knew, everything she was holding back. Her fears, her hopes and dreams. Her price. Only few individuals had managed to completely block out the mental of attacks of the sith, and most of those who did had been part of the few races born with a natural shielding for attacks on their mind. Others could keep parts hidden, only giving him the surface of their conscience to claw into. He was interested to she what group she would belong to.

[member="Ayvari Dorian"]

 

[Lief]

Oh here we go. Rubbed the poor Sith up the wrong way, have we, Ayvari? Let us see if its bite is worse than its bark... Usually that's not the case.

As he stepped toward her, hand snaking up toward her neck, she didn't so much as flinch. Her gaze remained fixed on his, one slender brow higher than the other. His hand did not curl around her throat, a shame truly it was, but there was enough pressure to imply that he would if goaded into doing so.

She said nothing, for there was nothing to be said. Instead she watched as his expression became focused. Could feel him on the very edge of her mind, prodding, probing.

Without hesitation she opened herself up to him mentally. But it was not recollections of her past that appeared in her minds eye, not even surface thoughts. Instead a vast void stretched before him.

And then, with little in the way of warning, a twisting, winding labyrinth.

So little you know, Sith... Did you think I would so readily divulge to you anything I did not wish you to know?

This he could hear, this she allowed to echo through the empty labyrinthine workings of her mind.

You want to know me? Then come find me...

One thing was sure, the labyrinth would not be easy. Far from it. And who knew where within it she lay.

He had called her here because of her talents. He wanted a weapon. So why did he keep believing that she would be such a pushover? That she was untrained? Ayvari Dorian had tricked a whole Order of Jedi into believing she was something that she wasn't... Stood before the Grandmaster, before Jedi Masters, and lied to their face without them ever realizing it. And when they came to teach her mental skills she had to fake surface thoughts to keep them from seeing what lay beneath.

True, she did not know much... But what she did know? Well, she'd used it in life-or-death situations. She could damn well make use of them now.

[member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

A Labyrinth? The only thing Darth Abyss felt when his mind entered hers was fascination. She couldn't have know but that state she put her mind in to shield herself from his entrance was quite alike the state his own mind was in any waking second of his life. With time he had learned to control the chaos but not by bringing order to it. Instead he learned to let his thoughts flow freely, allowing his mind to work on its own until it found what he was looking for.

In the blink of an eye his mind had been let loose. Taking multiple paths at once, exploring any end, any turn of the labyrinth, his mind moved forward. It wouldn't take long until he would find her.

His right was still around her neck, and as his mind was pushing at her defense the grip of his hand began to become tighter. As much as he enjoyed to play her little game, he would not allow her to outplay him. He had no doubt that his mind would be successful even if it would take him some time, but for the unfortunate possibility that he didn't he wanted to have another way to break her.

As his mind continued his way, less and less of the labyrinth was left for him search. The path towards her had narrowed down to a handful of options. Simply crossing them of the list wasn't enough for Darth Abyss. If he wanted to get a point across to her, he had to do something that would leave more of a impression. Collecting his power and focusing his mind, bringing together the pieces that had wandere around every turn, he unleashed his mind once more. He didn't wanted his mind to find the right path, he intended to tear down any mental wall that stoof between him and her.

[member="Ayvari Dorian"]

 

[Lief]

At last, some substance!

His hand began to tighten in place as his mind explored her own. She could feel him winding his way through the labyrinth, and rather unfairly he would find the state begin to grow outward with each dead end he stumbled upon. On and on and on, almost endlessly growing, all the while Ayvari remained in place... But where?

That wasn't for him to know. Let him focus on the turns and the dead ends. Let him think to look for her amidst the ordered chaos like some plaything. A silver ball avoiding the pitfalls, searching for the center... Or Force knew where else.

She could feel the labour of each breath she took as the time inside her mind stretched on. Eons had passed internally, but externally who knew? Seconds, minutes, hours... And at irregular intervals further tightening. A squeezing of the breath from her lungs.

You're cheating, Sith... Her voice boomed out over the playing field... Though truthfully she didn't care. Let him split his focus across the labyrinth. See where it got him...

He was pressing harder now, both at her throat and in her mind. Searching for a way to knock down the labyrinth entirely instead of completing it. Tssk tssk... Pesky Sith.

Her focus intensified... And the walls began to crumple around him. The floor fell away, leaving a void beneath his feet. A sensation of falling would wash over not just the Sith but Ayvari herself... Down, down, down...

SPLASH...

No more stone, no more walls, no more paths. Just one large vast ocean from horizon to horizon to horizon...

Checkmate... came the calm voice of Ayvari, though there was a slight hint at discomfort if one knew how to look for it. Her throat felt contracted, on fire, and each intake of breath she took burned her lungs. She could not keep this up for too much longer she realized. She was Ubese, she needed a respirator for anything arduous as it was. And he was clawing at her already rasped breath.

Part of her was enjoying the chase though. She did not want it over so soon, especially not via ulterior tactics. That was no fun.

Oh yes, please do choke the life from me... I'm sure you can learn so much from the dead.

No fear at that thought. No worries about death. None what so ever. It would inconvenience only this Sith if she were to be choked to death right now.

[member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

His eyes widened as Darth Abyss was spilled out of the ocean of her mind, the yellow glow of them piercing through her body. They had wasted enough time with her little games and as much as he had enjoyed them, it had to end now. The grip around her neck remaind as tight as before, as the sith knight summoned the force to give strength to his body to lift her of the ground. He wasn't as strong as many, but his physical strength still surpassed that of almost any common man. He felt anger, not at the woman but at himself. It took him far longer than it should have to finally find her "price".

How blind had he been, thinking of bringing her with money and power, while the only thing she seemed to desire was pain ... and control. He wanted to make her an allie, a Individuum that he would treat with professionalism, respect even if she could do what she had to. Now he realized that he should have made her his slave from the beginning.

After a few more seconds of keeping his grip tight, his hand opened, releasing her to the ground. A part of him wanted to just kill her, and continue his search for a suited candidate, but the logical part of his brain knew that it would be a mistake. She had shown more tha just potential, she had shown power, power that he wanted to make his own.

"If you want more pain, it would be my pleasure to give it to you. If you want death, I would be more than happy to grant it to you."

His right extend, blue lightings jumping up and down across his hand and arm. He eyed her, waiting and watching, ready to release his power onto her any second.

"If you want purpose, than kneel."

[member="Ayvari Dorian"]

 

[Lief]

Hoisted from the ground, raised into the air, Ayvari for the first time during their encounter showed some signs of fallibility. That she had taken a wrong step, erred in her ways, and now she would pay. Her body twitched, hands lifting to claw at his hold on her throat. If it had burned before, then right now it had fully ignited. All the way down her throat and into her lungs, she longed for the sweet release of a single solitary breath.

For a few more moments she flailed, though in truth to her it felt like an eternity, before he released his grip and she landed by his feet. On her knees, the one place she had sworn she would not end up during this encounter.

One hand lifted to rub at her neck, a slight grimace on her previously unreadable expression. Xanxus had taught her well, but not well enough. There were some things even she was susceptible to, and while she could stand being choked for a short time even she needed to breathe. Especially she.

Her breathing was rasped, a natural side effect to her people's condition. It would take her far longer than most to catch her breath, and she hated that it would make her seem all the more weaker in this instance. What she really needed was her respirator, or some other kind of rebreather, but she would rather die than ask for such a mercy.

Pain? If she wanted pain? Did he think... Did he know..? Certainly not! She did not openly relish in the pain others inflicted, if anything she remained guarded against any sensation it brought within her. Most definitely not! And yet when she lifted her head to look upon him she saw a knowing look in his eye. He had found out more than she had been willing to tell him, it seemed.

So he had realized he'd have to take it, her control, her service. Her jaw set firmly in disdain. She hadn't experienced anything even akin to this since Xanxus, and then she had been a child. No real choice there, was there? Live or die. A child could not survive alone.

But Ayvari could. She could survive without this man.

And yet... Had he not just bested her?

For a moment the promise of pain seemed like the more appealing course of action. Death was senseless though it did not scare her. She closed her eyes, and inhaled another ragged breath. Kriff, what I wouldn't give for my damn respirator... She had stopped wearing it most of the time though, trying to build up her resistance and her lungs to normal atmosphere, right now that seemed like a foolish mistake on her part.

Her head lowered, gaze to the floor in opaque submission. But no words were uttered, she would not give him the satisfaction of hearing it from her own mouth.

[member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

Once again a single dark laugh left his mouth, not one of disdain but one born out of real amusement. This new weapon of his would give him more than just a few riddles to solve, or at least that was what this encounter was suggesting. It was completely oblivious to him why anyone felt the need to be broken into submission. Not that he would complain about it, after all this made his plan far easier than he had expected. His left raised into the air, the force pushing against a small button on the upper side of the table.

"Bring me a rebreather."

The door opened, as a sith soldier entered the room with a small breathing device in hands, presenting it to the sith. Wordless his right extended towards it, holding the small piece of tech in front of his eyes.

"The need to breath is a weakness most live in the galaxy sufferers from. Evolution has not planned for us to reach the stars, and we still conquered them. Power is not given, but taken. Only when we overcome our weaknesses we can truly be strong."

He slowly descend the rebreather, almost in range for her to grab it, yet only if she would stand up she could actually reach it. Sure, she wasn't his apprentice, but a weapon had to be forged. He would from not only her body but also her mind into a extension of his will.

"Stay weak and die, or rise and take what is yours."

[member="Ayvari Dorian"]

 

[Lief]

Laughter.

That was what she had been reduced to. Humour, a joke. Nothing to be taken seriously. In that moment Ayvari hated herself more than she had ever hated anything in the history of ever. She exhaled through her nose and felt further sparks of pain running down her throat. Her sight became somewhat hazy yet she fought against the dizziness and somehow managed to remain upright. As upright as one could be while down on their knees.

The next thing out of his mouth was belittling. Rebreather? He was going to... No. She would not be caught dead accepting his help, not for something as trivial as this. Her mouth set in a firm line, gaze glaring holes into the ground between them. She wanted to rise, she wanted to beat him to the ground, to a pulp, to Chaos... But she didn't.

You were bested, girl. Those were your terms. If you do not honor your terms then you're little more than worthless.

"I can breathe" she rasped, sounding more like her people than she had throughout their entire encounter. So long without her respirator had left even her accent more discernible and the rasping of her voice inaudible. Yet how quickly it had returned with her struggles. She would not be accepting his stupid rebreather.

Without looking up she exerted her will through the Force to bat the damn thing from his grasp.

"Do not insult me" she snarled, as she forced herself up to her feet. Her head tilted just enough to meet his gaze, vehemence lay within. Not once did she even look in the direction of the rebreather which was likely on the floor a few feet away by now. She did not need that, as much as she craved it.

[member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

"So much pride, so much arrogance."

The expression of the sith knight darkened as he watched his new weapon in her fight to stand on her feet once more. She wanted to seem strong, to survive without the help of her new master. Had she been his sith apprentice he would have given her at least some respect for her dedication, but she wasn't. She was his weapon, nothing more and nothing less, and he wouldn't allow her to damage his new tool because of her hurt feelings.

His left extended, the grey and corrupted skin tightening around her neck once more. His right presented her the device, just in reach to take it. He was her god now, he would make her suffer for every time she would resist his command. And if she would continue to do so, he would replace her, for another less self destructive addition to his arsenal.

"You want your mind to be broken and so be it. But your body is mine now, and I will not allow you to damage it without my command, only because you can not keep your ego under control."

His expression remained dark, as his eyes pierced through hers observing her reaction. If she would fail this little test of obedience he would have to find a replacement sooner than anticipated.

[member="Ayvari Dorian"]

 

[Lief]

Was he right? Was this prideful of her? Arrogant? To want to stand on her own two feet without a crutch, without his aid?

Why are you so resistant? You always relished in doing what was asked of you, in being respectful and courteous. Xanxus would be turning in his grave if he saw you now.

And maybe that was the problem. Still she couldn't get her Master from her mind.

I had promised him my life's dedication. My unyielding service. Yet here I am, before another who would demand the same. I do not even know if Xanxus is dead... Oh who am I fooling, of course he is. But that doesn't make this any easier to stomach.

But she had to, she realized, as the hand once again snaked around her throat. In this moment he had her entirely where he wanted her, and they both knew it.

Time to swallow your pride, time to break away from your past...

She had never thought of herself as having an ego... What a strange concept, after so very long of belonging to just one individual. Now she was what... Changing hands? That or die. Would death be so bad? It was too final. She could not come back from that. And besides, Sohna would shrivel up and die in her cell if Ayvari was not around to let her out. The last remnants of Xanxus' legacy snuffed out in one fell swoop.

Then no. If only to preserve his memory.

Reaching out, she took the offered device. Her whole face softened, the anger and loathing eradicated as she finally made her decision. To obey, to serve...

Now all she needed to do was wait for him to release her throat and she could feel the sweet relief of air working its way through her lungs. It wouldn't be perfect, at times like these she relied on type two rebreathers - after all she had been struggling for longer than usual - but a standard one would work for now.

[member="Darth Abyss"]