Ask [Farana] Uneasy Company

[Darth Tempest]

Farana, Wild Space​

As of recently, Vahliri rarely had much extended free-time. The combination of Academy-classes and an increasing numbers of missions for the Empire had resulted in the half-Annfyn staying exceptionally busy. Nevertheless, the stars had finally aligned and allowed Vahliri a few days completely to herself - and she took the opportunity to finally do some exploring - her journeys bringing the half-Annfyn deep into Wild Space with a rented freighter. She couldn’t help but wonder if she might’ve been slightly in over her head by going on this adventure alone, but it ultimately hadn’t stopped her from doing so.

For weeks, Vahliri had spent countless hours pouring over every HoloDiary and set of dusty scrolls she could find about these particular set of ruins - finally feeling confident enough in her knowledge to make the journey to Farana.

At that particular moment, Vahliri found herself trudging through the swampy terrain deep - hundreds of miles from any sign of civilization. She had come with some rudimentary maps and written accounts of the complex, and she knew that she couldn’t be too far from what she was searching for. She was dressed in her signature red-and-black robes, the curved hilt of her lightsaber clipped to her belt and in plain view. Her black hair was pulled back into a braided ponytail, while the air around her was lightly scented with the girl’s floral perfume.

Minutes passed, and Vahliri continued on her way - lightly humming along to the music that blasted out of the single earbud in her right ear. She could tell that the trees began to thin towards a clearing just up ahead - a bit of a smile involuntarily working its way onto her face as she hopefully neared the place she had been searching for.

@Orbit

 

[Raphael Valtiere]

Raphael had found the scent, the one he had searching diligently for since he left his home of Thustra. Even though it had been years and he ached to hunt, he could and had to be patient for a little longer. If he wanted to achieve his goal, he would have one shot and that meant he had to be ready to take it cleanly. One of those preparations involved Farana and the ruins it claimed under the thick veil of the planet's fog.

The Sephi's Starblade speared through the air with ease, the controls beckoning to his command without resistance as he flew between two mountain peaks. The vehicle still tilted halfway, Raphael would glance out the side windshield and down below. There would be what could be considered a sea of voluminous fog, the ground unable to be spotted even from his view. What unsuccessfully contained this fog was a ring of mountains, the peaks tall enough to stand above them. Silver optics would flick to different sections of the veil before the Sephi sharply banked the ship and dove it straight through the smoke to land.

Raphael would step out from under his ship once he landed, the craft automatically locking itself until his return. The Sephi was donned in armor crafted by his own hand meticulously, his lightsaber holstered on his left shoulder. Ever since he left his home, he knew he would need a replacement for the royal armor he had initially brought with him. It drew too much attention and he needed to adapt from his old traditions and to that of the Sith. Even so, Raphael couldn't completely erase his heritage as the helmet was the one he used when he made his kills on Thustra.

A few steps would be taken away from the ship, the helmeted silver gaze smoothly scanning left to right. It was impossible to see even a couple of feet in front of him. Even though he couldn't see, Raphael could feel the dark side pulse and writhe ahead of him, confirming that he was on the right track. In a smooth motion, the Sephi brought his gloved hands forward and pressed them together for a handful of seconds before he forcefully pushed them outward. The force would stream force upon his command as it pushed the fog to the side and carved a perfect tunnel for him. At the end of it, there would be the ruins there and waiting for him, the dark side beckoning faintly.

Without hesitation, Raphael would begin to step forward and walk to the steps of the ruins.

 

[Darth Tempest]

It didn’t take Vahliri more than a few additional minutes to exit from the woods, the cluster of towering trees and weeping willows giving way to an open, fog-choked valley. Even through the thick haze that hung in the air, the half-Annfyn could see the silhouette of the temple off in the distance - a roughly pyramid-shaped shadow against the moisture in the air. More importantly, Vahliri could feel the distinct ripples and aura that radiated out through the Force - lingering spellwork and rituals conducted within its depths clinging like a smell in the air that was palpable to the senses.

She really couldn’t deny that faint bit of excitement that coursed through her just then - any doubt that she had veered off course or landed miles in the wrong direction put to rest for good.

With her objective roughly in sight, Vahliri began to trudge ahead through the fog - her boots sinking ever-so-slightly into the damp earth as she marched ahead. The Force gathered in her fingertips and flowed outwards like directed streams of wind, clearing the area right in front of her feet as she walked - ensuring that the half-Annfyn could actually see where she was going. Her fluted ears flicked idly on their own - keen hearing picking up on the sounds of nature and movement throughout the swamp, even the things she couldn’t see readily.

When Vahliri finally reached the steps of the temple, the half-Annfyn came to a halt - amber eyes squinting up at the steps that inclined and vanished out of sight. Without hesitating, she drew the Force into herself and spread her arms outward in a rapid motion - dispersing the fog all around her and blowing it away from the entrance to the temple.

Roughly at the same time Raphael reached the entrance as well.

Vahliri immediately stepped backwards, the sight of someone else on the planet and these ruins in particular catching her off-guard. Her hand immediately went to hover over her saberhilt out of instinct, though it didn’t budge or snap into her hands as it dawned on her that the man before her was undoubtedly Sith. She blinked a few times, eyes narrowing ever-so-slightly.

“I wasn’t expecting to find anyone else here.”

@Orbit

 

[Raphael Valtiere]

Raphael trudged to the set of stairs for the temple, each step earning a small splash from the muddy and swampy surface. Once he reached the stairs, his long stride helped him take one or two at a time but about halfway, he would halt and remain perfectly still. The Sephi could sense it around him, the force that swirled but not from the temple and certainly not from his own command. A slow spin was made on his heel so that he faced the new appearance but the moment he laid eyes on her, he recognized the face immediately.

It was the girl, the half-Sephi from a while ago, the day he had discovered where rumor had become truth. Of course, it was her and with the helmet hiding his features, Raphael's ears would press back in annoyance. Unfortunately for Vahl, she was a direct link to what he had discovered and with her being a half-Sephi herself, the bile he felt upon seeing her only magnified. Where her hands went had also been noticed by the Sephi, his gaze following to where her lightsaber was. When his helmeted silver optics then traveled back up to lock on her own eyes, the silent message he sent was clear, try it.

After she spoke, a brief moment of silence passed between them before he finally responded, his voice modulated, "Then we're both disappointed." Raphael would immediately face the other way before proceeding up the steps without any further explanation. The entrance to the temple would be a large set of stone doors, markings covering them in Sith design and of other varieties unknown to him. He would stop a few feet in front in front of the doors, examining and inspecting each marking before he extended a hand and pressed it against the rock, able to feel the coarse surface through his glove but more importantly, the dark side that festered within.

For Vahl, she would find that Raphael seemed in his own world, completely pushing her out of his mind even though he truly didn't, remembering what she was like from their last meeting. But he would just silently examine the entrance, not offering her a glance.

 

[Darth Tempest]

Vahliri’s hand didn’t immediately drop back passively - hovering just above her saber as she stared down the shrouded Sith. Even if they were from the very same Order, she didn’t know who he was or what his intentions were. Had he found this place by his own accord, or had he followed her here? The haf-Annfyn didn’t have the answer to that question, and her own eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly the longer they lingered on his own - a silent response to the message he sent her way.

She didn’t immediately respond when Raphael spoke, nor even he proceeded to walk towards the temple - amber eyes following him and the way he turned towards the runic markings along the door and archways. A moment more ticked by, and Vahliri finally strode up the stairs without looking at the Sephi. “If you aren’t going to be helpful, then simply don’t get in my way.” She said flatly.

The half-Annfyn had arrived on Farana with the intention of going it again, and if Raphael wanted to be off in his own world, then Vahliri wasn’t going to ask for an explanation or suggest they work together on this.

Without another word to the Sephi, Vahliri fixed her attention on the door that led into the temple that was framed by two braziers nearby - senses expanding through the Force all around her. She could feel the Darkness that thrummed like a heartbeat within the temple itself, and more importantly the way it seemed to seep into the very stone of the door itself. It was all the indication that the half-Annfyn needed to know that attempting to brute force the door open wasn’t likely to get her anywhere. There was a methodology to getting inside - she needed only piece it together.

Adjusting the satchel across her shoulder, Vahliri reached inside and pulled out one of the many tomes she had brought with her - the very same reading material that had gotten her to Farana in the first place. Flipping through the pages of the book, the half-Annfyn glance down at the pages and then back up to the symbols on the wall - noting the clear similarities and looking for a match where she could find it. It didn’t take her very long, gaze fixating on one symbol in particular. Tilting her head ever-so-slightly to the side, Vahliri reached up towards the symbol and proceeded to drag her fingers across the stones around it, applying a firm bit of pressure until…

There.

With a click, Vahliri watched as one of the stones sunk into the wall of the temple after applying pressure, eliciting a series of echoing ticks that resounded through the walls. With only a moment of delay, the brazier closest to Vahliri rotated - turning to face the door before a flame abruptly ignited within its basin.

Vahliri blinked a few times, staring at the brazier curiously before approaching. If Raphael was paying attention, the Sephi might notice a single stone from the wall closest to him - similarly positioned underneath a rune - jut outward. As if somehow connected to what Vahliri was doing.

@Orbit

 

[Raphael Valtiere]

Long gloved fingers traced each rune that had been carved into the wall, almost unable to help it, certain care to his touch as he offered a certain amount of respect to them. Unlike the half-blood, who flipped through pages of whatever book she stole from, Raphael had performed no research to find this place. There had been a pull inside him, an itch that turned into a burn that couldn't be ignored. The way his hands caressed the runes, it was as if he was almost familiar with them in a capacity.

Without even glancing over to Vahliri, his hand would traverse downward and press the specific stone on his side as well. The brazier on his side shifted too and faced the door. Raphael paid no attention, his gaze fixated on the double set of doors as he took a lone step back. Both of them would be able to hear the sound of mechanical gears clanking and grinding into each other, roaring back to life with a vengeance as they got back to their immortal task. The set of large doors would groan before finally opening outward, the Sephi the exact distance he needed to be to avoid a collision.

Once the doors were fully opened and set into place, the only sound would be the howling of the wind, the breeze easily making the Sith's one-sided cloak flapping in the wind. Raphael would just turn back to face the half-blood, his emotionless mask exposing nothing as there was a soft clicking from it, the workings inside as he spoke, "By all means..." The voice was distorted but there still remained a smoothness to it, "Don't allow me to get in your way."

After that, Raphael would basically turn into a statue, the fibers of his muscles frozen upon his command as he simply stared at Vahliri. If she decided to press on without offering him anything, then he would just silently follow behind her, his helmeted gaze scanning and inspecting the walls from left to right innocently but always aware of her.