An unrelaxing Vacation.

[Julias Tannaras]

Serenno

1.43 post peak sun. Date of 11/12 Month, 26/30 Day of year 508.
​

"They weren't lying about the beauty, were they?" He'd say, a tinge of wonder in his voice. It was filled with emotion, almost childlike in nature.

Julias had made residence at a hotel within one of the less populated cities on Serenno. Even still, the change in environment from Korriban was staggering. There were only ever a few dozen Sith within a chamber he happened to be within the academy- here, he couldn't travel a block without being surrounded by a thousand.

He had spent most of his day going around the city, experiencing the culture, the company, and the drink over the past few days of his stay. He had even attended a Gala at the local lord's estate. Simply identifying himself as a young Brentaali lord, he was nearly overcome by nostalgia from the moment he entered to the hours after he left. The chatter, the ridiculously expensive Champagne, the occasional pair of wandering eyes coming from both sexes, before pointing to the floor in embarrassment as he met the gaze of whichever admirer couldn't keep their sights off him.

His nights lacked passion, but it was entirely by choice. Had he returned to his own room, whoever entered would see the tomes, the warblade, everything he had brought with him from Korriban. Julias had no personal transport, and there weren't any cabs on this world- though he had only ever taken one once, back when he was three to accompany his mother on a trip to Coruscant. But he didn't want to deny all enjoyment out of this trip- which is why he brought his brush.

Julias was enjoying Serenno's landscape quite a bit, due in no small part to the colors on her landscape. The planet's flora lacked a normal color palette to draw from, which he found quite unique. One would think that as he painted, he had applied an editing tool to a photograph to remove the color. Replacing greens, yellows, reds, oranges, browns, any color that any plant might take and replacing it all with a deep black.

Everything else in the painting would appear almost normal, yet different. The mountains were fine, but their plants did nothing to hide the brown, barren soil beneath. The sky would stretch out in the background, but it would be as brown as the land beneath it, devoid of any additional life.

Serenno was the unique in that it maintained the outer appearances of both a barren waste and a lush garden of Eden. Looking at it from either perspective, one could see a totally different world. It was almost like a reflection of the force itself.

The only difference between him and this world was that he could hide whichever half he refused to let be seen.

@Llamalove

 

[Iden Farlander]

The trip to Ossus was supposed to have been Iden’s time to relax and regain her thoughts. On the contrary, it had turned out to be quite the opposite.


Following the death of one of her closest friends, a fellow Jedi Padawan, Iden was sorely in need of time to relax, time to center her thoughts.


Ossus had not offered this, but perhaps Serenno would. By all appearances, it certainly seemed to be the perfect place to find relaxation. It offered the best of both worlds—a bustling city full of interesting people and lively gatherings, and countryside that spanned for miles without any end in sight.


Iden had never been one to party, and she disliked bars and cantinas, so it was the countryside that she was drawn to on her first day. There she could find peace; there she could find quiet.


She had checked into her hotel late the night before and left early that morning, swinging by the local market on her way out of town. The bag slung over her shoulder now full of food for the day, she set out for the sweeping fields that had called to her the night before. Iden was confident these fields would prove to be twice as alluring in the daylight.

@Tom

 

[Julias Tannaras]

All of Julias' week had been spent here, and yet he was still not totally calmed. He was not actively stressed- it wasn't severe. Quite the contrary, it probably appeared tame from an outside standpoint. But what Julias actually wanted people to see amounted to that of a needle in a hay stack.

He didn't want to let people know what he was doing. They could see him do it, but if they did, they couldn't know who was doing it. If they knew who he was, they couldn't know what he was doing.

It was a varying level of anonymity, or at least an attempt. People could see Julias Tannaras, they could know who he was, they could know how he felt, know what he did, but with how he operated, he would never, ever allow a single soul to know everything about him.

This wasn't out of paranoia. He felt no such thoughts, he never did. But he was sensibly cautious. The galaxy had been producing many a threat against his kind. He had watched the death of one of the highest Sith in the galaxy on the live holonet less than two weeks ago. How could any sane person watch a live execution and not feel fear? When they shared your banner, your ideals, your motivations. Hell, even your basic interests were a common denominator. How could you watch someone so similar to you in so many ways be murdered and not immediately feel a sense of unease?

That was the fear and stress that he was near totally free of. But when things came to a stop, when he was left with nobody to talk to, nothing to drink, no sleep to greet him or no canvas to turn into a masterpiece, like all men, his mind wandered.

It wandered into the dark places in his heart, the places where every man dreads. He wondered things and considered things far worse than any he, a SITH, would ever consider.

No.

"Enough preemptive consideration. Most high and noblest of all Brentaali, why worry yourself with such woe? Spend not your intellect's capacity on such frivolously depressing pursuits. Put your mind to the work of the force, the work of what you love." The young aristocrat allowed reassuring words to whisper into his mind again, prompting a sigh.

He was right. This was a waste of his time. The paint on his brush had begun to dry.

Returning to his work, Julias looked over the fields once again. He would look upon the texture of the blackened blades of grass that ran between what seemed like small canyons and hills as far as his eyes stretched. Mixing an extra hint of white with some of his more darker shades of grey, Julias would carefully begun to add another layer of shading to the image, observing the-

...Curious. There was a... a person? Yes, the figure couldn't be anyone else.

Perhaps... company... would take care of his problem?

With a silent shrug, he would call out.

"GREETINGS! Look up upon the ridges! You and I up until this point seem to have been blissfully unaware of each other's presence, and up until this point, I believe our days would've been significantly less enjoyable! I implore you to make a short climb in this direction, for conversation, and so that I don't have to paint yet another image of a lone person out in a field of grass, because that would be the single most cliched work I have ever done." He would quip at the end. An extra bit of humor always put people in a better mood. He couldn't help but wonder about the nature of his newfound company, but any questions he had he would most likely find answered.

Yes. This would be a swell day.

@llamallove

 

[Iden Farlander]

As expected, the countryside was twice as alluring in the daytime. Sweeping fields, rolling valleys, astounding mountains—what didn’t Serenno have? At the end of the day, Iden would undoubtedly have a difficult time returning to the confines of her hotel. Only the hope of returning to this beauty on the morrow and the necessity of sleep would drag her from this view.

Not a soul had happened across her way as she explored that morning, so it was surprising to hear someone’s voice call out to her. “GREETINGS!” she heard. Following the sound of the voice and the instructions to “look up upon the ridge,” she found its owner—a singular man standing up above her.

He must have an excellent view from up there, Iden thought to herself. He wanted her to join him, and she saw no harm in it. She ensured that her lightsabers were concealed. There was no need to call attention to that aspect of her life.

Chuckling at his quip, she began to make the short climb, sure both the view and the company of this seemingly good-humored fellow would make the climb well worth it.

@Tom

 

[Julias Tannaras]

There was little Julias could do but wait, and that was exactly what he did. He doubted that his newfound company would appreciate it if he insisted on continuing his work. He entertained, briefly, the thought that this person might hold an affinity towards the arts, as he did. Perhaps they might even be another artist, coming out here to find inspiration.

He'd chuckle to himself as he realized just how wishful his thinking had become, and simply, calmly, remained where he had stood.

His setup was surprisingly modest, and as the guest arrived, she'd find very little. His easel stood almost as tall as he was, and his paints had been placed upon a traditional palette that he still had grasped in his hand, along with a brush between his fingers. Upon his lips there sat the faintest hint of a smile.

"Apologies if you were enjoying your walk. I presumed much when upon I saw you moving across the fields, though I see that my presumptions were not entirely wrong,"

Julias would take a pause, his tone a bit more calm and pleasant from when he had shouted down to her, but the unusual eloquence of his speech as present as it had been before,

"You aren't wholly opposed to meeting people upon your travels, and that's an awfully convenient thing for I. When arriving here, I came in search of a way to drown my stress in the many different ways one would expect of a young man with a bit of credits on hand. But I've found that making the time to pursue my hobbies and experience this world's wholly underappreciated landscapes. But it seems I'm not alone in my pursuit of a relaxed atmosphere."

He'd give her a full smile now, and than a nod. "You can know me simply as Julias, and I have come to this especially steep ridge to capture this area's appearance in my work. What of you, miss?"

@llamallove

 

[Iden Farlander]

Anxious to see the view from the top of the ridge, Iden quickened her pace. She wasn’t disappointed by what she saw when reaching the top. The landscape was breathtaking, and there was no question as to what had drawn the artist to this exact spot. All one had to do was open their eyes to see why he had chosen to paint here.

Drawing closer to the artist, Julias as he introduced himself, she eyed the easel and painting in progress.When Julias spoke, and his words were formal and eloquent, flowing with ease and practice and causing Iden to wonder if he was some type of nobleman. His appearance only added to this wonderment: well defined facial features, well-groomed, his clothes extravagant and costly.

Iden couldn’t help but return the full smile he offered her. “I am glad you did call to me, Julias. It would have been a shame to miss this view,” she stated agreeably, her eyes scanning the landscape with appreciation.

As an afterthought, she answered his question. “My name is Iden. I arrived late last night. This trip is supposed to help me unwind, center my thoughts.”

Iden was surprised at herself for having shared this with a total stranger—her motives for being here. She would have to guard herself; the atmosphere here was relaxing, and he was proving easy to talk to.

@Tom

 

[Julias Tannaras]

Julias' lips would purse just a bit before he'd grin once again, hiding a twinge of... concern. "A remarkable set of coincidences, it would seem! With the trillions of those who live in the galaxy, a pair of anxious minds winding up in the exact same place for the exact same reasons? Were I superstitious, I would call it fate." He would respond to her answer, which placed a focus far away from a route that led to the truth. He completely believed in the powers of the force. In his mind, he began to consider something.

Julias had arrived on Serenno; here, in this small and rather unimportant city, whose noble estates were all that actually put it on his radar; he was completely unaware of the beauty of this world up until he had landed, and he was made even less aware of the exact topography of the land; and he had landed here so he could calm himself. So he could reassert his confidence, purge fear from his mind, body and heart.

And she had managed to do all of this, for the same reasons, and now they had met here.

A six year old girl might think it was true love. A person with little investment would probably write it off as a serious of coinciding events.

But Julias was always invested completely in every action regarding himself. He was suspecting something else. Something far more sinister.

"Truly an odd amount of twists together between a pair of most unrelated strings in the tapestry of the grand design. What might the weaver intend on spindling along with those threads? Which does he intend to reach the edges and fray, rather than be cut?" His voice whispered to him, but there was something beyond it. What he felt was more than just the voice of paranoia. Perhaps...

A frown flickered across his lips for a moment

What more paranoia would he have to endur? Was not his constant efforts to calm himself down enough? He was Sith, he had every reason to fear plots and conspiracies, but he commanded the FORCE. He was not the one who would be dictated to, not the one who was told what to fear. This girl was a girl, nothing more.

Nothing more.

"Contemplation and considerations abroad. My words escape me as silence drives them off the stage of my tongue, and I have to say a sorry for it's arrival. You've come for the same reason as I, so let us not be pensive. What is it you have brought in that sack of yours?" He would say, cocking his head slightly as he'd walk over to her. He had calmed, and had no reason to be wary. He could treat with this girl, and he would still keep his identity hidden. "You aren't of this world of ashen flora and dirtied terra. Where did you once call home?"

@llamallove

 

[Iden Farlander]

Fate... The artist’s words were suggestive of the force, and yet he had labeled it “fate,” dancing around the true culprit behind the inner workings of the galaxy. Iden believed in the workings of the force—that it brought people together, that it elevated people and tore them down. The how’s and why’s of the force were a mystery to her, but she didn’t need to completely understand them for her to believe in them.


Could it be that there was more to the man standing before her than a simple artist? The way he had spoken of “fate” was suspicious. Perhaps she was being paranoid; he had not mentioned the force, after all. And neither would she. There was no need for him to know that she was a Jedi. She had come here to relax, after all, not suspect the first person she came upon of hiding something. Perhaps that revealed more about her than him, she contemplated with guilt.


“Fate does work in mysterious ways,” Iden had said, hoping these were the words of an average person with no connection to or affiliation with the force.


When the artist came closer, she opened her bag to allow him to see what was inside. “Food. I didn’t want to get lost out here without something to eat. Would you like something?” she offered before answering his question. “Originally, I’m from Corellia. And where do you call home? ”

@Tom

 

[Julias Tannaras]

The belongings of a traveler. Reassuring; there was nothing especially different about her after all. "I hadn't noticed it, but I have found myself quite a bit famished. I would happily have some of what you're offering." He'd say, courteous in his reply.

Turning around, he would reach under the blank canvases that he had placed on the ground, and draw forth two sets of what appeared to be metal rods. As he placed them on the ground, however, they'd quickly began to assemble themselves into a pair of low to the ground chairs. A board, had also been placed beneath the canvas, which he shifted out from underneath and placed to form a makeshift mat or table.

"I wasn't sure if I would continue beyond a single rendition of these fields when I had initially made my decision to venture forth and indulge in my muses. Seeing these fields makes me want to capture it, but more than once would feel in a way to excessive to me. I would much rather prefer it if I could simply keep the view with me." Julias would carefully explain. His words were entirely honest for what seemed like the first time in their conversation. "On the topic of my homeworld, I am originally of the traders jewel, Brentaal. It is not a well known world, but it is by design- people discover Brentaal at the ends of their journeys along three different hyper space routes. Anyone who actually had any holdings in the system was handsomely rich- my family was no different." He finally answered.

"My full name is Julias Theodoras Tannaras, second of his name. My mother was Theodoras Angmarias Tannaras, and she was the last of my family to hold power over that great jewel of the core... I've missed it. The core worlds are a treasure chest of wealth beyond all compare. I would say coruscant is the shining diamond all hope for, but along the way of digging to the bottom, anyone would find the greatest and most beautiful of Rubies. But... taking it would have a price." He'd purr, eyeing up the various foods that Iden presented. "Using Brentaali star ports, even being in the system places quite a duty on any ship."

Julias would eye a cannister of blue milk. Taking a cup that had been in the bag, he would pour himself a glass and begin to sip from it, slowly. "On such travels when you go upon such lengthy journeys, I would recommend a tea. Very calming; but even this glass is quite a refreshment." He would recommend, finishing his tip with a smile before taking another sip. It was points like these that he particularly enjoyed, and the words of an old hymn danced across his mind.

Mirie it is while sumer ilast,

with bird born song

Oh but now eth winder blast,

with weather strong/

Ei o ei this night is long,

Yet here I have done such wrong,

With sorrow to mourn and fast.​

The melody on it's own that played was nothing short of beautiful as the lyrics danced in his mind. Those words especially had stuck with him. Whoever had written in the ages before even the founder, Andraste, had been born, people must have had some strange concept of right, wrong, and the fates and forces that brought down punishment. The heir of Tannara felt different in that regard.

Nobody with strength was ever wrong.​

@llamallove

 

[Iden Farlander]

Settling on the seat that the artist offered, Iden was surprised to find it actually comfortable. This artist had come prepared.

One thing she concluded: this man liked to talk. Specifically, he was talking about himself and his home world at the moment. Iden did not mind, however, as she liked to listen. Much could be learned in this way, from others’ experience and journeys. On the topic of his home world, Brentaal, Julias was correct in his assessment that it was not well known. She did not know anything about this planet; she wasn’t sure she had even heard of it before today.

So, she quietly ate at a piece of bread and listened to him talk of his home world, her eyes rarely straying. Talking came easily to him, and he was easy to listen to; the scenery was beautiful, and she was comfortable and filling her stomach—thus, she was content.

“A tea?” Iden echoed, amused but taking the suggestion to heart. “I shall keep that in mind.”

@Tom

 

[Julias Tannaras]

"I speak much of myself, I now realize. But we may not be allotted such vasts amount of time together that I might be able to give you all I have told over the course of time in a more well paced manner. I know that I will make my stay here for a not at all protracted length." He would say, knowing his sudden burst of words might seem overwhelming. Thankfully, his company wasn't at all caught off guard or overwhelmed by what felt like a speech.

Looking at the opened up bag of foodstuffs, Julias would take a block of cheese and begin breaking off pieces, taking bites from them every few minutes. "I haven't... dined like this in quite a long time. Eight years, at the least." He would confess, looking down.

What was this he was feeling?

Anger began to swell up in him. Why was he revealing how he felt to this girl? His mind began to wander once again, but upon realizing it, the young Sith would feel his emotions flair.

He simply couldn't stop jumping away to conclusions. No matte what it was he did, he was always pulled away from any sense of calm by either outside influence or his own head. It was infuriating to a point where he could barely contain it- and he had been suppressing his emotions for years, sharpening them and using them as a weapon rather than some bludgeoning instrument.

The cheese in his hands had become a crushed paste before finally returning to a semblance of calm. He would hope that his company didn't notice, and if it was, that it was all she noticed.

"What of your background? I know of Correllia, but what of your family? Your history? Before we part, such an indulgence would leave a fond aftertaste."

@llamallove

 

[Iden Farlander]

“Don’t feel guilty,” Iden told him sincerely, “I enjoyed hearing about Brentaal. Truth be told, I knew nothing about it. Now I do.” She smiled at him.

"I haven't... dined like this in quite a long time. Eight years, at the least." This statement of his reminded Iden that this war effected everyone, not just Jedi and Sith and Mandalorians and the Republic. He had a troubled past, and quite possibly present, like so many people in this galaxy.

Iden wished she could offer some sort of consolation, but his demeanor told her that he wanted to dwell on or discuss whatever dark recesses of his mind he had just come out of. Instead, she silently proffered a piece of cheese to replace the crushed cheese in his hand.

“My history...” Iden replied slowly, thinking of a way to be honest with him not reveal anything past a certain point. “I grew up in a mountain town called Doaba Guerfel. It wasn’t far from the capital of Corellia.” Plucking a blade of grass to entertains through her fingers, she continued. “My father’s life was claimed in the war, and my mom and I made our own way. Doaba Guerfel was a nice town to grow up in, and I liked the people there.”

Realizing herself, she stopped. Why had she told him all of that? She had told herself she’d be more guarded. Ah, well. She supposed she hadn’t revealed that much. “I’m sorry,” she chuckled. “That was a lot of information.”

@Tom

 

[Julias Tannaras]

"It wasn't excessive," the Sith replied, looking down at the new bit of cheese she had offered him. Silently, he would take it and continue eating.

There was a flickering in his eyes she hadn't noticed until now. It was almost like a fire, burning hot. It only appeared for a few seconds before they returned to normal- and than like they had never been there.

Gradually, his neck would crane up until he was looking at the sky. "My father was terminally ill before I was born. He died. I lived at our villa on Brentaal for years, until my mother sent me off to an academy." He would say slowly. "I learned a lot there. Hell, you could say I'm still a student. It changed the way I acted, the way I thought in a few ways."

"Than my mother died. She was in the imperial palace on Coruscant those years ago. I watched it on the Holonet, you know. It seemed so sudden. One moment it was there, and a few minutes later it was rubble. I should have cried. I should have broken down in tears, I should have never gotten over it." He'd continue. Anyone would expect the young noble's face to begin streaming down tears, but none came. He just sat there, a blank, flat, emotionless face plastered onto him. The eloquence he had used earlier had almost disappeared, in what felt like an instant.

"But who would allow that to happen? Who would allow themselves to be dominated by thinking of the suffering of others? Where would I be if I cried for every death in the galaxy, for every death that has ever been? Where would I be?"

It was like a total emotional breakdown, but it had no emotion. His voice remained calm, steady, even though his hand trembled a bit.

"I...I...I-i..." He'd begin, starting to stammer a bit.

And than where there had been no emotion, there was a torrent.

He practically exploded in grief, tears traveling down his face until it looked like he had been rained on. The red paint around his eyes smeared as he'd sob, placing it in his hands. It sounded like he was trying to speak, but it didn't matter.

But now there was something more than just a sobbing man there. Around him was an entirely new presence.

It was dark. Raw. Powerful. Iden could feel it, but Julias hadn't realized yet that the wall he had put up to conceal his power had slipped.

It seemed like it had always been there, suddenly. In some twisted way it matched him. It was sharp in it's nature, but right now he seemed as volatile as anyone else would be; when he finally calmed down, anyone who felt the force could feel him. But he still didn't notice.

"...I apologize. I shouldn't... I shouldn't be doing this. This was quite a pleasant meal and conversation, but I should go." He would say, eyes burning with that same fire that had been there for a few minutes ago.

It was at this point that Julias realized that his barrier had broken. His face suddenly turned to a brief look of panic- and than the flame was gone.

The presence was gone.

"I, um... I realized that in the way I've acted, you've probably been left less than impressed. I should leave, yes?"

Now it was just a matter of what the Jedi not known to him would do.

@llamallove

 

[Iden Farlander]

The sudden outburst of emotion from this man had taken Iden by surprise. He had exuded nothing but a sense of calm before, of complete control over himself. Now his face was running with tears, and she couldn’t blame him. To never know one’s father, and to not only learn of but watch your mother’s demise on the Holonet was a horrible event to witness and experience, especially as a child. Her heart ached at the thought of a child going through that degree of loss and pain.

Iden reached out to place a reassuring hand on his shoulder, but then... her hand froze in place, inches from his shoulder. She suddenly felt it, snatching her hand back to herself.

Darkness...power...anger. It cascaded off him in waves—large, overpowering waves that took her by surprise and put her at a loss for words. The dark side permeated from within him. This was no ordinary artist that she had stumbled upon.

Then, as quickly as it had come, she felt him no more. How could this be? The artist sitting before her with tear stained cheeks... He... he could not be a Sith, and yet she had felt it strongly. She had enjoyed his company, taken pleasure in listening to him, opened up to him in some way, but what she had just felt could not be denied. Could it? The force could not be wrong...

“I should leave, yes?” brought her out of her thoughts enough to at least be aware of her surroundings once again.

Iden was silent momentarily. Honestly, she didn’t know. She was...so confused. Could he really be... a Sith? This artist?

“I don’t know,” she finally answered, just as much answering her own question as she was his. “I... maybe... maybe we should... what is your profession?” she asked directly, staring into his eyes with a determined look.

 

[Julias Tannaras]

That look.

That accusatory glare.

His mind was still wracked by emotion, skewed in a variety of different directions, and paranoia had returned in full swing.

She had felt it. All of it. He could sense it. There was no doubt in his mind.

But...

"NO. Do you really think she would ask such a question, you stupid fool? Ask such a vitally important question immediately after your little hissy fit?! How could you be so daft?" His mind told him, burning through his skull.

Placing a hand on his temple, Julias would take a step back. It was becoming harder and harder to concentrate. He couldn't maintain his cover without focus- but why would it matter? She was a girl, a simple traveler who wanted to experience the beauty of Serenno!

...but here he was. A Sith, out here, in pursuit of the same thing. To any outside eye their situation would look very, very similar. Similar, yes, but he was so much more than just an artist or a student. The possibility of her being the same as him were even greater when he put everything into consideration.

But her question seemed so nonchalant. They WERE asking about each other's backgrounds, were they not? Asking him how he spent his time was nothing terrifyingly different or out of the way.

But the way her hand had so suddenly drawn back, how quickly a look of recognition had flashed across her eyes.

She felt it. All of it.

He half considered taking her by surprise. Yes, respond to her question by reaching out with the force and choking the life out of her. Whoever she was, whatever connection she had to the force, he'd snuff her out.

But a twinge of sense still remained in his mind, and he'd decide against it. Senseless murder was for Mandalorians, and he would never allow himself to be held comparable to them.

So he'd play along. What was it she could even do? Run around and shout "SITH!" for a few hours? Serenno was right next to Korriban and the elites here had been allies of the sith empire since it's founding.

A smirk would flicker across his lips for a moment. He was calm. "My... profession? I fear I don't currently possess one; I'm still, in many ways, a student of that academy I spoke to you of. You never really... graduate, it's a unique learning institution in that way. I've studied philosophy and history there for years, and I've put much of it to good use. What about you, Iden?~"

@llamallove

 

[Iden Farlander]

There was nothing suspicious about that answer at all, Iden thought to herself sarcastically. The hesitation before he had spoken, as if he was unsure wether he wanted to answer at all; the tone and manner of the way he had spoken; and the words themselves. “You never really... graduate.”

The force itself had practically screamed what he was to her; his emotions and the darkness that resided within him had been laid bare before her, and yet... she found herself not wanting to believe that he was a Sith, that somehow she was mistaken.

Conversing with him had been easy; he had a pleasant manner about him, and she had even envisioned herself forming a friendship with him during her stay on this planet. Surely this same man who admired the landscape and loved to paint could not be a Sith.

“My life is far less interesting than yours, I can assure you. I would much rather hear more about this academy you attend,” Iden deflected.

@Tom

 

[Julias Tannaras]

Julias was already finding this game to be quite a fun one. He would sit down fully now, a smirk on his face. This was getting fun- exciting even. He was beginning to wonder what exactly she was- maybe she was another Sith? Unlikely; he'd never seen her at the academy, and she didn't look like she was hiding that sort of a secret. Perhaps she didn't follow any form of teachings? That would be good- but how would she know to fear the power of the dark side? She could be independently taught, that was for sure, but to know so intricately the nuances of both light and dark and to reject one or the other required something formal.

Was she...

...a Jedi?

"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? SUMMON A STONE OR SOMETHING, TRY TO USE LIGHTNING! Incapacitate her, KILL HER! If she's a Jedi she probably isn't alone, she probably-"

"No."

He didn't know why he was still thinking so paranoid. Jedi were not pacifists, but they also certainly weren't Mandalorians- they didn't go hunting on planets for Sith with the express purpose of exterminating them. They fought the Sith because of some perceived wrongness to their behavior, because the empire "oppressed" people.

In that case, Iden would just be a misguided fool and nothing more.

But... she could still be a threat. Anyone who felt the force was. Anyone who could tell who he was... was.

But regardless, playing along would be the best option.

"I don't think I would go that far! Your life probably contains s many of the most interesting facets of experience one could have thrust upon them in their years. Still, I'd be happy to tell you- the academy focuses on many different aspects of education. Mathematics, science, literature, philosophy, and art. In that last part I spent much of my time, even though art isn't the main focus. Philosophy on the nature of the galaxy, the best way to rule it, they're all varied courses- of which I took all of the,. Combat is also a sub-course there, and I've found it hasn't been useful. Had you instead been someone far more dangerous, I would have definitely put it to use."

@Llamalove

 

[Iden Farlander]

Iden had, at the very least, once again caught his attention for the present. He sat back down, a smirk playing across his lips which implied that he was enjoying this little game of cat and mouse that they found themselves in. Iden, too, was enjoying this... in a small way.

“Me? Dangerous?” she echoed innocently, as if this was the most ridiculous suggestion she had ever heard in her entire life. “What a silly thing to say. I’m just a girl out for a walk in the countryside. I think you might have a suspicious mind, Julias. That wouldn’t have anything to do with this academy you attend, would it? Everything you say about it is all rather...vague.”

@Tom

 

[Julias Tannaras]

Many a person would probably think it would be the aristocratic 22 year old whose primary sense of right and wrong came from the phrase "Does it feel good?" would be the one to seem like he was being overtly deceptive. Yet it seemed as if though Iden was the one who best fit Julias' description of a "Shit faced liar." Best. But that was only because of a few factors- the first was that, well, Julias was the one who was determining it. The second was that Julias had been lying the entire conversation- and it had only been now that Iden had noticed. This made him, very obviously, a much better liar.

Her lying was somewhat good, but she obviously wasn't as experienced as Julias. How could she be? She had probably been taught all her life that the right thing was the truth. Julias had been taught all his life that the right thing... well, it didn't exist.

Right and wrong, good and evil, it was a fiction to him. There was no right thing or wrong thing to do except if it benefited or hurt you; and right now, lying definitely benefited Julias.

"I never said you were dangerous! Though I did say that, if you were someone else who was, I would be using all those different bits of combat skills to dispatch that person." He would say, a sudden coldness hitting at the end.

He was getting a bit aggravated by this game now, yes. He would much rather prefer her to simply draw her lightsaber- if she had a lightsaber- and simply arrest him right there. It would be easier on his schedule, and it would be more entertaining. The situation of having to escape from her would be fun, and if he did incapacitate or kill her, he could take- and later bleed- her lightsaber, which would be useful in a variety of ways.

Julias had never actually bothered to build a lightsaber, and it was for a very, very specific reason. His mother had not built hers either- she, like he would intend to, would have inherited her lightsaber from the hands of their single Sith ancestor who had been born a matter of centuries ago. Even the crown he had intended to wear was imbued with the power of the dark side, and right now it sat in his mother's casket back home on Brentaal.

So there would obviously be no lightsaber duels on Serenno between the two travelers today. Although... he could try a different approach.

"I feel as if I've been as descriptive as possible, Iden. I couldn't possibly know what piece of information you desire- a name? A location? I don't think those matter, and I'm surprised you would! Education is education- no matter where you get it, no matter how you're taught it. We all still learn math, we all still learn history. No matter the lense, we all study the same thing." He would say, his grin widening quite a bit now.

"Iden, Iden, Iden, Iden. Do you think there's a difference between us?" He would suddenly say, looking directly at her. "Do you think because your doctrine taught you in one direction, and mine taught me in another, there is a danger in my being here? In my existence? Am I not the same man who walked up this hill? The same man who shared a meal with you? The same man who painted that landscape over there?" Julias asked. "Whatever school it was that you went to may have taught differently, but you still learned to appreciate the beauty of the world, and so did I."

"But alas, it seems that's exactly what you think. You seem to think my little outburst earlier reflects a problem in my character, it reflects some emotional instability. You're prying at my background, so amused, so entertained- are you trying to prove an agenda? That by my presence in some group or institution you know NOTHING about, that I am somehow less than you? More broken than you? Less good than you? What foolish and self righteous behavior. You probably think I'm some evil, dark hooded Sith ready to shoot bolts of lightning at you, or stab you with some crimson lightsaber in my sleeve- or reach out across the force and choke the lights from your eyes."

His voice was heated with emotion and fueled by contempt. It may have initially sounded like a confession, and it read like one to- but the way he had stylized it, the way he had added just a few, carefully placed words, he had turned it into the ultimate misdirection. It depended heavily on how his Jedi friend would receive and read his message to get which one of his two meanings.

If Iden had read it with initial suspicion, and she was dead set on the fact that he was a Sith, she would most definitely ignore any of the subtext and jump straight towards the glaring conclusion. But if she had even a hint of self doubt, each line would read off as someone who was deeply offended by the questions asked, who understood when he was being silently interrogated, and who feared the Sith. It was a verbal checkpoint.

It had taken every bit of concentration to maintain the illusion of his lack of especially powerful dark side presence. He could still be felt if she was looking- it took a master to make oneself appear dead in the force, but it took only a bit of illusion to make someone seem far less powerful.

And throughout the entire, emotion fueled, conversation, his power seemed equivalent to that of a simple man, on a hill, having a picnic after he stopped working on a painting.

@llamallove

 

[Iden Farlander]

Iden had not expected Julias to turn the conversation back onto her so quickly and in such a harsh manner. He spoke quickly and with conviction, not stumbling even once or stopping to catch his breath. Words came much more easily to this man than they did to Iden.

She sat there, silent and maintaining eye contact as she took every accusatory, angry word he threw at her. When he had finished his rant, there was nothing for her to do but to sit there and process.

Was she being foolish? Was she being self-righteous? She had observed over the years that self-righteousness and arrogance were two pitfalls the Jedi often faced, and Iden had long ago told herself that she would never succumb to either of these character flaws. But... had she? She began to doubt herself.

Had she really just, in not so many words, accused this poor man of being a Sith? Of being the very evil her entire being opposed?

But the force... she thought to herself. I could feel him through the force—the darkness, the power, the anger.


But perhaps...perhaps she had sensed fear. Perhaps it had been fear of the Sith, not fear of a Sith.

Reaching out with the force, she tried to sense him again. All she could feel was what she could already see with her own two eyes: an artist sitting on a hill, enjoying the scenery and forever committing it to memory with his painting.

She was... confused—and beginning to feel guilty. His words and behavior were convincing of a man genuinely offended. “I... I apologize, Julias. I was... hasty... in jumping to conclusions.”

Although sincere in her apology, Iden still felt, somewhere in the back of her mind, that there was something...off... that she hadn’t been entirely wrong about him before.

@Tom