Private We're All Monsters Here

[Veradun Sharr]

Eurydice // Darth Nefaron
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As much as Veradun wished to stay on Mustafar with his blood brother, the tall and pale forever-youth knew that he would have to return to his Master’s fortress at some point. He had stayed long enough to learn from his Sangnir Sire, learn what he was now, and adjust to his new existence. It hadn’t been without its trials and challenges, and the fledgling knew that many more would arise as he existed in the present moment and stepped into the future. A future that now, for him, extended far beyond mortal comprehension.

Returning back to Anoat would be somewhat of a challenge, but it was nothing that was beyond the Sith apprentice. To conceal his outing and hopefully any ties he had to Kasir and to Mustafar, the youth kept his transmitter and tracking beacon deactivated on his ship even as he left the volcanic world behind and journeyed into the vastness of space. It was here where he would enact the next phase of his plan - and so the freshly turned Lowblood went on the hunt for pirates or other criminals that lurked within the Blackwall. The Sith Empire was full of individuals that would go to any length in order to maintain their pitiful existence. It was something that Veradun was counting on.

It didn't take too long for someone to fall for his bait as he guided the ship through a lane that was frequented by raiders. An idling ship off in the distance noticed him around the time that he noticed them. A dark grin tugged formed on his lips as he made a half decent attempt at escape, trying to out-maneuver the ship that trailed him. Plasma fire ripped into his shields, and he purposefully disengaged them - allowing his ship to be ripped into and mostly disabled. Calmly and quietly, Veradun left the cockpit as the pirates maneuvered themselves for boarding, and he felt the ships lock together as he slipped into the shadows and waited with the patience of a predator that knew that prey was coming to it.

Veradun waited for the opportune moment, then launched his attack against the initial boarders. The first, a human woman from her appearances, went down with a loud snap of bone and a thud against durasteel as the Sith apprentice used the Force to snap her neck, before appearing in the blink of an eye in the face of a near-human male that didn’t even have time to register what was happening before his chest was being impaled by Veradun’s fist, supernatural strength allowing him to punch through flesh and bone and beyond. The scent of freshly spilled blood filled the area and poured over Veradun’s senses like a waterfall, awakening his hunger as it ripped through his veins. A couple of others tried to retrieve their weapons, but they were no match for the killing fury that he unleashed. Another ship raider managed to fire off a couple of bolts at him from a drawn blaster, before they met the same fate as their compatriots. Silence soon descended upon his trapped and crippled vessel, but he knew that they were not the only ones. There were others on the raider's ship…he could sense them.

Time to enact his plan.

Veradun moved quickly, too quickly for the mortal eye to track at times, leaving one ship and boarding the other before hunting through the ship and murdering everyone he came across. Before too long, all were dead except for the pilot of the ship, and they were spared only to feed his hunger. The pilot, a Twilek hybrid of some sort, begged for his life but the Thirst demanded to be satiated. Veradun had learned a measure of control over his desire to constantly feed while he had remained under his Sire’s guidance, but here he showed no restraint and fed until there was nothing left for him to take, before he dropped the bloodless corpse to the floor and idly wiped the residue blood from his mouth and chin, eyes glimmering with a killer’s satisfaction.

But even with the raiders dead, he could still sense the pulse of life somewhere, and he let his instincts guide him towards the cargo hold. There, he found a group of scattered individuals of various races and ages and genders, bound within a sealed chamber. Slaves.

Or at least, they were probably on their way to market and towards enslavement. And now they were his. A cruel smile tugged at Veradun’s pale lips when he heard them plead for help, for release. He could return home with a gift for his Master, hopefully something that would appease the Dark Lord’s wrath that was sure to come.

It was time to return home, and the former Nagai wasted no more time; he jettisoned the bodies before he settled in the cockpit and released the lock between the two ships, then turned the canons upon his old ship, destroying it completely before setting the coordinates for Anoat and sending the vessel into hyperspace.

The flight did not take long…an hour at most…before Veradun was breaking through the toxic and familiar atmosphere of the horrid planet he called home for the time being. Darth Nefaron’s fortress loomed in the distance, illuminated by flashes of lightning from the ever present and raging storm that existed around the Sith bastion of terror and suffering. The Sith guided the vessel to a landing bay, where a group of Legionnaires gathered with weapons, ready to attack as the vessel was unknown to them…that was until Veradun stepped forth. Though his appearances bore subtle changes, the corpse soldiers were too simple minded to see or notice such things, but they did recognize the power and presence of the one that served their Lord and Master, and they dropped to their knees in submission to one of their overlords.

“There are slaves in the cargo hold.” Veradun said to them in a flat voice after a long pause, before he moved off and towards the Fortress itself. His Master had not been on Anoat when he had left, but he couldn’t say if that remained the case now. He wasn’t entirely sure just how long he’d been gone either. No doubt there would be some sort of wrath directed at him, but now Veradun was confident that he could more than withstand such a thing.

The pale young man took a lift from the hangar to one of the main Fortress floors, and stepped off to stalk silently down one of the shadowed halls and towards one of the many great chambers that he could access, keen to see if his dear Master had any information about what he was now. The door to the library opened with a hiss and the former Nagai stepped across its threshold, and instantly came to a halt as a rather sweet and alluring scent washed over him, filled his mind and made him zone in on its source, the whispers of thirst echoing in his mind and prickling just underneath his skin. Piercing blue eyes with their faint glow shifted and settled upon a figure he had not seen since before he left.

Eurydice.

She was here…which meant so was his Master, somewhere. No doubt the Dark Lord already knew his prodigal Apprentice had returned; Veradun would be foolish to assume otherwise.

“Hello Eurydice...” Veradun greeted in a low and soft voice like sweet poison as he made a slow approach, his steps measured and almost predatorial. “...Did you enjoy your little outing with our Master?”

 

[Eurydice]

Veradun Sharr | Darth Nefaron (ugh)
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Eurydice felt his presence long before the library door hissed open.

Notes of familiarity had drifted towards her from down the hall. One of her Master's accomplices? Another Sith Lord? Strange, given that there hadn't been anything scheduled. Eurydice had become quite familiar with keeping house here on Anoat, strange as it sounded.

There was little she was not aware of. Or at least, that was the impression she had been lead to believe.

As the presence drew closer, Eurydice's hand hovered in front of a tome. Her brow furrowed, but she did not yet retrieve the book from the shelf.

It was Veradun, but it wasn't.

The seer frowned. He'd always had a penchant for getting himself into trouble, which unfortunately included rebelling against Nefaron. No punishment seemed to stay his disobedience.

At least, not for long.

At last, he stepped through the threshold and into the library. The Force shivered, and something akin to an aching hunger vibrated in the still, stale air. The tome had found its way into Eurydice's hand by now, but she didn't stop to linger on the dusty, embossed words of the title.

Then, he spoke. A voice rich as honey and smooth as silk, silk that did little to obscure the sharp edge of a verbal dagger. Eurydice stepped back from the shelf, absently clutching the book against her chest.

Stars, he was taller now. Much taller than he'd been the last time she'd seen him. Did Nagai biology permit such growth spurts?

Eurydice knew that it didn't. She'd been making good use of the library, after all.

Luminous blue eyes flashed as each footstep brought him closer, closing in on the girl with the patience of a hunter. Had they not been in the study, she would not have been surprised to see carrion birds circling above.

"V…" His name was lost on her lips, suddenly parched. Her throat, suddenly dry, suddenly tight. Her breathing, suddenly audible.

Eurydice took a step back. Then another, then another. She matched Veradun pace for pace.

"Veradun?" Finally, she managed to speak, incredulous. "What are you…stars, what have you done to yourself!"

Her hiss held as much admonishment as it did uncertainty, electing to ignore his question for now. A bead of sweat already found purchase on her knit brow.

 

[Veradun Sharr]

Eurydice // Darth Nefaron ​

The expression of shock and surprise on her face did not alter his slow stalk towards her, not until her voice failed her and she clutched that tome against her chest as if it was a shield and began to step back from him, mirroring his steps with her own. He stopped mid-way into the chamber, a faint upturn to his lips as he smirked at her. He could hear the thrum of her heart, its pace having quickened. Was it fear? Uncertainty? Distrust? Surely all of the above…otherwise she would haven’t backed away so quickly.

He followed her with his piercing gaze, though he no longer made any movements towards her.

"Veradun? What are you…stars, what have you done to yourself!?" Eurydice exclaimed, her voice sharp with a hissed admonishment, and he noticed she had ignored his question.

“Oh I didn’t do anything to myself. This was done to me.” he responded in a slow and lazy fashion, leaving out important details of course, eyes glimmering with his dark amusement at the situation as he finally took a couple more steps forward. “Quite the change, isn’t it? You’ll grow used to it in time, I am sure…if you don’t die first.”

He angled his steps away from her, slightly, though he watched her from the corner of his eyes for a moment before he stepped up to one of the shelves that housed various tomes, datacrons, or holocrons even. He let his pale blue eyes drift over them, not looking for anything in particular…not yet anyway. He had come to do some hunting, of a sort. But Eurydice being here put a slight hitch in his plans.

“Oh do be at ease, Lady Eurydice.” He whispered, his voice still so soft as he cast his gaze to hers, catching her eyes. There was the faintest hint of compulsion in his gaze, layered in his rich, masculine voice. “I am not going to harm you…” Yet. “ - I would rather have you as my…ally.”

He turned once more to face her directly, his form towering above her own, casting a long shadow in the flickering lights, as some dark and devious expression played over his pale and now rather eerily handsome face. He had been a good looking young man before he had been Turned, but now it had been amplified to a devastating level. He had already learned what his charm could do to others…but he did not attempt to seduce or tempt his fellow co-apprentice. His eyes narrowed slightly in thought as he gazed upon her, before calling a chair from one of the nearby tables towards him through the Force, before taking a seat.

Maybe…she could be of use to him here.

“I came here to see if our dear Master had…tomes or things of that nature…that would give me insight into my…condition.” He said smoothly, though of course he didn’t divulge the full truth to her. He knew exactly what he was, but he wanted to see if his Master had anything on Sangnirs or other vampiric creatures. It would work better in Veradun’s favor if the Dark Lord did not have anything of that nature. Perhaps Eurydice could help him in that regard. Or perhaps she would sense his lie, spoken so naturally, and poke him with her own questions.

“You seem to frequent our Master’s libraries often enough…you wouldn’t happen to know if there is anything here that could be of assistance for me?”

 

[Eurydice]

Oh, he was enjoying this. If there was anything Eurydice disliked more than cruelty, it was someone who delighted in his cruelty.

Which was to say, that she did not enjoy living among the Sith. Especially one as calculated and sadistic as Darth Nefaron.

"What was done to you?" She echoed as a final step had her backside bumping against a high shelf. The Seer didn't even have the chance to curse her poor luck, because every space was suddenly occupied by the changed Veradun.

He filled her field of vision, so tall and devilishly handsome. The soft, boyish curves of his face had sharpened, refining themselves into something dangerous and borderline decadent. He was the sort of man that old Ukatian fables and songs warned about - perfect to a lethal degree, a siren designed to lure you in through every sense.

His eyes caught her own, holding them in a lingering gaze that was nearly hypnotic.

Veradun let his threat hang, but there was no venom to it. Only honey. Spiced honey.

Eurydice could not help way crimson heat suddenly bloomed across her pale cheeks - not when he was this close. Absently, the tome she clutched like armor rose a little higher over her chest.

A moment of reprieve came as Veradun stepped back, but it was snatched away as he swallowed the girl in his shadow once more. This time, she grimaced, her expression only thinning once the cat decided to release the mouse.

"So you really are here for information, then," she muttered. Eurydice tucked the tome beneath her arm and ran a hand over the skirt of her robes, straightening fabric that had already been pressed to perfection.

When she next looked to Veradun, it was with a critical eye. Slightly sour. Her gaze swept over his form, comparing it to her memory of what he'd been before all…this.

"I don't know the word for it. Not yet," she began. "But there are said to be…creatures like you where I'm from. Men and women transformed into something…everlasting."

Indeed, there was a coven of vampirika on Ukatis - living in seclusion, they operated on similar biological principles as the sangnir. They were the subject of old stories, many fashioned into tales of caution and obedience.

In reality, they were men and women who'd broken away from tradition and left society of their own volition, or had otherwise been discarded.

Eurydice eyed Veradun with more scrutiny as she moved to stand at the opposite side of the table, grateful for the stretch of wood between them.

"Perhaps I can better assist you," she continued, "if you'd tell me how these changes came to be."

A pause.

"Does he know?"

Veradun Sharr | Darth Nefaron

 

[Veradun Sharr]

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Eurydice // Darth Nefaron ​

Veradun tilted his head in a slightly predatorial fashion as he regarded Eurydice and her…reaction…to his presence. Her heart rate racing a little faster, the breath in her lungs quickening ever so slightly and the blush of crimson that colored her cheeks, even as she asked what was done to him. His smirk widened a little more; he truly was enjoying this moment - of prey caught in the sight of the hunter, who was too lazy in the moment to make the kill.

He had told her he wouldn’t harm her - and he would abide by his word. His master may have seen to it that his honor was all but destroyed…but the former Nagai still clung to remnants of it. Remnants of himself that he buried so deep within so the Corpse Lord couldn’t take it from him.

The Sangnir didn’t respond immediately when Eurydice muttered her thoughts about him being there for information, but his small smile remained. She tucked the tome that she’d been clutching over her chest under her arm, and straightened out her robes which were already perfect. “Oh Eurydice…if I was here for anything else, you’d know by now.” Veradun said in his oh so soft voice, like a caress against her ears, though his words held the promise of violence that he was mercifully withholding. If he wanted to feast, his fangs would be buried in the softness of her throat already. If he wanted her dead, she’d be a corpse at his feet. If he wanted a thrall, she’d be on her knees looking up at him with utter adoration as if he were her god.

Next, his co-Apprentice eyed him a little more sharply, critically. As if she was trying to truly assess him.

"I don't know the word for it. Not yet. But there are said to be…creatures like you where I'm from. Men and women transformed into something…everlasting."

The fledgling eyed her in utter stillness and silence - as if he’d become a statue frozen in place and time. He didn’t even blink as he assessed those words. How had she…picked up on his nature so quickly? Remember, she’s a seer. Perhaps that was how she’d figured out he was some form of immortal now…though she clearly didn’t know what he was exactly. Not yet.

"Perhaps I can better assist you…if you'd tell me how these changes came to be." she said as she came to stand on the other side of the grand wooden table that separated them. He tracked her with his frigid blue gaze, the only part of him that moved the entire time since he had taken a seat in the chair.

“Does he know?”

“No…he does not. But he will learn the truth for himself in due time. I am in no rush to see him yet.” Veradun responded. “If he wants to see me, then he will have to come to me.”

Quite suddenly, Veradun was up and moving - but faster than Eurydice could probably track with her mortal eyes. One moment he was seated in the chair, the next he was right beside her, towering over her like some demon conjured from a nightmare. Pale hands with a slightly blue hint to them laid flat on the table, long fingers splayed out. Unlike most other Sangnirs, his fingers didn’t terminate in claws…yet. No doubt that would come in time, though even he wasn’t certain about that.

“Tell me…Lady Eurydice…” Veradun leaned down slightly to get a little closer to her, his eyes boring into her own as his voice dropped to that of a bare whisper, like his words were meant for her and her alone. “...do you desire to see him cast down and overthrown? Given the fate he oh so deserves for the hell he’s brought upon you? The torment?”