Poison

[Lucian Volante]

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Lucian had to admit that he was probably a terrible patient but this seemed a bit excessive.

He was sat upright in a medical bed in the Jedi temple on Tython, waiting for the healers to give him the all clear. That part was fine. The part that wasn't fine was that he had literally no injuries - he had been hit in the face with a stun blast.

All that had happened was him falling unconscious since that was the whole point of a stun blaster! But no, the healers apparently wanted to do some tests anyway.

So, sighing, he just laid back and tried to ignore the fact that the nurse checking him over seemed to be spending an awful lot of time touching his chest. She was, supposedly, checking his heartbeat but...

"I didn't know you could measure a heartbeat from the abdomen."

The nurse moved the instrument - but only back up to his chest. He sighed a little bit and leaned back on the bed slightly, getting rather bored now.

@Esther Nyx

 

[Sigal Adi Chume'da]

Sigal wasn't fond of the temple on Tython; it was ancient and archaic, an utter eyesore to look upon. Tython was just a painful reminder, an irritant, especially as it paled in comparison to Hapes. The temple lacked the modern grandeur, the architectural brilliance one would expect from those of power and authority. Curse the Jedi and their affinity for piety. Their reverence and subtlety was sickening to tolerate. It conjured foolish connotations of humility and selflessness, all things Sigal resented and spurned. These virtues were never fostered in her youth, never encouraged prior to her joining, so why must she suffer them now? As many knew, or could easily guess, though a knight of the Order, Sigal still (stubbornly) clung to her Hapan heritage; even her adornments and garbs were of Hapan design and style. Indeed, she appeared every bit of the noble daughter she was born to be. And she still carried herself as such.

With little courtesy, she entered the medical wing without announcing herself; when a healer approached her, Sigal merely shooed them away. She was far too busy, far too focused on scanning the immediate beds. She seemed keenly interested in those that were occupied, signifying she was looking for someone in particular. Soon enough, she found him.

With a withering stare, Sigal dismissed the nurse tending to Lucian; though beautiful in face, the Hapan could appear quite fearsome, especially when devoid of her usual false smile. "Remove yourself..."

There was little room for argument. Many were fast becoming aware of the diva's reputation; wisely, the nurse did not challenge her, for now at least. She scurried away, like a mouse in flight.

At first, Sigal said nothing to Lucian. She merely looked at them, taking a moment to simply survey him. Was she possibly scanning for any injury or damage? It was hard to read her expression, especially when she purposefully veiled it with indifference. She stepped closer, her fingers reaching out to trace the contour of Lucian's cheek. Some may see it as an endearing gesture, one utterly unexpected, given the Hapan's ardent derision of men. But there was nothing. No sneering or jabs, no narrowed glares and veiled insults. Sigal genuinely seemed invested in Lucian's current state, so much so that her fingers then moved to caress the other cheek; throughout the entire time, her touch was ever so gentle and soft. With avid violet eyes, she watched him, noting the faintest tremors and movements. Once she had determined the extent of his 'injuries', she seemed satisfied, having identified each surface of his face retained the most sensation.

She then used this discovery to her advantage and promptly slapped him...

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[Lucian Volante]

Lucian was ready for almost anyone or anything to get him out of this bloody medical bay and then the doors opened and his relief sank like a stone to the bottom of his stomach. Really? Was she really going to be the first person he saw? It was both aggravating and... strangely rewarding?

A feeling to analyse later.

And, thankfully, she seemed to have scared off the nurse who seemed intent on molesting him in his bed. At least she wasn't a Jedi - that would have been awkward. He was happy to see the back of the the nurse but Sigal seemed to be judging him without even saying anything.

He refused to believe she was checking him over for injuries.

Was she...?

Lucian blinked a few times as she reached out to trace his face. What was...?

The slap stung like a kriffer!

Face turned to the side, Lucian moved his jaw a little bit before saying the first thing that came to mind.

"Ah... not sure I deserved that..."

@Esther Nyx

 

[Sigal Adi Chume'da]

Unempathetically, Sigal stared at Lucian, clearly unamused with his rather droll comment; whilst the rest of her expression seemed rather indifferent, fire was evident in the Hapan's violet eyes. Clearly, something was vexing her and -apparently- it had something to do with Lucian. Taking a moment to inspect her striking hand, Sigal seemed satisfied she hadn't broken a nail; once more, she returned her focus on the steely eyed male. "You deserve far worse..."

It was a rather clipped tone, one she hadn't used in their prior encounter. But with each passing minute, it was becoming clear the Hapan was barely maintaining her anger. She looked as if she were about to strike to him again, just for good measure, but somehow she restrained herself. Her first assault had garnered the attention of attending medical staff; unwilling to deal with them, she refrained from any more -physical- chastisement.

"Do you have any idea what you have done?" She pinched the bridge of her nose, her exasperation more than evident. "What consequences your failure has incurred?"

For months now, Sigal had been trying to mend the tentative relationship between Republic senators and Jedi; in the past, she had served on rather successful diplomatic missions. Every delegation, every emissary assignment, was all part of a much larger game. As many knew, the Jedi were in a precarious position. Their enemies were growing, not only in number but also in strength. The Hapan knew it was only a matter of time until the Order became surrounded on all fronts. So, she had tried desperately to find purchase, to foster seeds of alliance and allegiance. True, she had little love for the Jedi but she utterly refused to allow its downfall; her pride wouldn't allow such shame.

And yet, seemingly singlehandedly, Lucian had threatened that endeavour. In a singular moment, he had jeopardised the Jedi's entire future; one could understand Sigal's frustration, even with the human male could not.

"How, Volante? How could you have let this happen? Are you so incompetent you couldn't save the life of ONE SENATOR?!"

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[Lucian Volante]

He deserved far worse? Well - never let it be said that Sigal Adi Chume'da is not the Mistress of Over-Reacting. Far worse? He hadn't done anything bad enough to deserve to be struck in the first place but she seemed to be happy to push the belief that he deserved worse.

What bee had gotten in her bonnet today?

And then she spoke.

Lucian looked up at Sigal in silence as he let her speak to her end before reaching out to the side. He picked up a glass of water and took a sip of it to collect himself before setting it back down. Thinking about how he wanted to word it for a moment, he spoke quietly.

"Sigal - I am aware that a man is dead because I was unable to save him." he told her bluntly, staring her in the eyes as he spoke, "If we ignore that I arrived too late to stop him. If we ignore that my intervention perhaps saved the life of a respected officer of the GAR. If we ignore that the senator had no business being there in the first place."

He sighed and leaned back.

"But you're right. I attempted to intervene and my intervention couldn't prevent the senator's death." He looked her in the eyes, "I walked in when his own foolishness already had a gun to his head. I doubt the situation could have been made any different but the fact of the matter is that I tried."

Lucian looked her in the eyes, his own narrowed.

"I tried and I failed... and I accept that and I must live with that. Not you." he shook his head, "Attempting to push me into despair over my failure is hardly appropriate behaviour of a Jedi, Sigal."

@Esther Nyx