To Turn a Blind (g)Eye

[Sierrien]

It had taken a few days of travel through hyperspace - time that the two of them had mostly spent in an awkward silence. Something about her actually going through with this and him figuring out she really was a Sith was likely the cause; she also had been mostly avoiding him. It wasn't that she felt bad about this, as she actually thought that he would make a good Sith. Yet whenever she was near him now it was almost like she could feel him judging her, and that annoyed her. It Also felt like he was looking down on her now, like she wa lesser for being a Sith. She knew the truth of it though; the Sith were the greater beings, in her mind at the least.

They were about half an hour out from Korriban when she decided to make the call. Once she did, there was no going back for him. She first informed Jyn they would be there soon, then moved in to the cockpit and shut the door, locking him out and back in the main area of the ship they had stolen. She had stolen really, as it seemed to have turned out. First she went to the pilot droid and sat in the seat next to it. "Alright. From now on, you only fly this ship for me. Do you understand?" The droid, being not a dumb droid, beeped its compliance and she smiled at it. She even brought her hand up to pat the droid on its dusty head. "We'll get you cleaned up soon, I've got some stuff to take care of first though. Record the following and transmit it to Mila Fay."

She waited again as the droid got ready to do as she had told it, and once it beeped to signify she could start her message, she did so quickly. Mila, sorry to interrupt your time on Korriban. I have someone I'd like you to meet, if you're willing. I'll be landing in thirty minutes, I'll have my droid send you which docking bay." With that she made a cutting motion with her hand, letting the droid transmit it. She hoped it reached the Crusader in time, and the next thirty minutes passed by slowly as she watched from the Cockpit. Finally they dropped out of hyperspace and she saw the familiar red that was Korriban, and the pilot droid beeped to tell her they were making the final descent in to the docking bay, which it had already relayed the location of to Mila.

Lairiel gave the droid another pay and smiled at it, as well as giving it a thank you before she stood and opened the cockpit door, walking back out in to the main room. She sat down as the ship did its final landing, and as the engine powered down she stood and addressed Jyn. "We're here, obviously. You're going to stay in the ship right there on the couch while I go out and get things prepared. If you try to leave before I come back for you, I'll have to think you're trying to escape and will have to kill you. The droid also knows not to fly you anywhere. So just.. Stay put, alright?" She closed the cockpit and put in a locking sequence in to the keypad next to it as well, just as an extra precaution, before turning and lowering the exit ramp. She walked out to see if Mila had gotten her message and would be waiting for her.

She took in a nervous breath as she finished her descent, not sure how this would play out. Would Mila be proud of her, or would she be upset that Lairiel hadn't just killed him? She was wearing her new outfit as well, and hoped that Mila would approve of this one. At least it wasn't a sun dress. She also had her own lightsaber and both of Jyn's clipped to her belt, openly.

 

[Flying Blind]

Jyn had been asleep for the most part, he wasn't a morning person. Especially not when he awoke to the realization he would soon be a Sith prisoner. A part of him felt empty inside, like there was no hope left in his life. That's not true though. He indeed had a plan to escape, and although Lairiel had told him specifically to not escape, they had both come to the silent conclusion that escaping was number one on number of things to do. His timing would have to be precise. He might've opened himself up to Lairiel, which was a huge mistake, but she didn't know all his tricks. And whoever they were meeting would know even less. But he had to admit, a small part of him was proud at his little swap out. Lairiel hadn't noticed, but his hastily created Lightsaber was missing one key component: the crystal. Before handing it over, he had taken the crystal out and hid it in the one place he knew Lairiel wouldn't check, his mouth. Sure, the feeling of a sharp lightsaber crystal was not neccessarily a pleasant thing to have in your mouth, but it would work to his advantage later. It would've worked fine, had Lairiel not startled him when she said they were a half hour out. After his shock, he accidentaly downed the crystal. Oh, crap. He thought. Now what? There goes my brilliant plan.

He would eventually get his crystal back, a bit painfully though. Keeping his silence, he waited until they arrived on Korriban. It had now been a full week he had spent with Lairiel. Probably one of the most odd, eventful, unfortunate weeks of his life. Most likely tied with the week of when he faced his former dark jedi master Vesuvius. A thought struck him at that moment: What if anyone here knew Vesuvius? They could use that against me. Jyn let his mind dwell on that for a few moments but as Lairiel left the ship, he realized he would have a small window. He would need all his smuggling skills and father's habits to get out of this one. Well, maybe not all of his
habits. His father taught him from an early age that even the most insignificant stuff, if placed correctly, could be devastating. In those few minutes with Lairiel outside he found everything he would need to survive the next few days. He managed to get four things.

1. A feather
2. A twisted bolt off of the Monroe's hull.
3. A sharp nail file
4. Cuff links

His survival kit. All of which where easily hid on his person. And none of them the least bit suspicious, unlike like a hold out blaster or anything. He returned to the couch, looking innocent and defeated, waiting for Lairiel to return. His thoughts drifted towards Orion, the droid he had left behind on Aridus. He could only hope the helpless border protection droid could survive in his pit droid form. He missed Orion, more than he had realized before. That droid was really the only family he had left. He hoped, that once he got rid of all this mess, he could go back to ?Aridus and just possibly get Orion back. It would be no easy task, but first thing was first: he had to get away from these Sith, and a plan was slowly forming in his mind...

 

[Gamov]

"Who's a good boy? You are! Yes you are." Mila cooed as she scratched Mister Skittles behind his ears, the Corbenic all too content in her lap as he nibbled on a piece of fruit in the palm of her hand. Her eyes slowly drifted to her handmaiden Kazumi, currently in a catatonic state on the floor next to her - her body twitching periodically as unintelligible gurgles escaped her slack lips. The Yu had failed to deliver Lairiel's message in a timely manner, leaving Mila somewhat flatfooted for their meeting. She hadn't even had time to adequately adjust her own wardrobe, still wearing her training gear as she sat on a stack of crates in the hangar bay. Mila's punishments for such failures were seldom harsh, at least by the standards of most Sith. But when she did punish insolence, she usually tended to get creative. Presently, Kazumi's mind was a mangled wreck of illusions being forced on her by the telepathic space bunny, Mister Skittles.

What horrendous imagery and sensory torments the Crobenic was subjecting her to, Mila could only guess, but no doubt Kazumi would learn her lesson. If she came out the other side with her sanity intact that is. "You're such a good boy." She gave the little wabbit a pat on the head and he twitched his nose at her, eliciting a subdued giggle from Mila as she grinned widely and allowed him to return to his snack.

A glance at the time on her TranspariPad brought a low hum from her next. Almost noon, Lairiel should be arriving any... her eyes turned skyward abruptly as a freighter began landing in the docking bay. The thing looked civilian in just about every way you could imagine - right down to the rust and peeled paint on its hull. The thing looked like a flying garbage heap. As the ship settled into place on the landing pad, Mila stood, Mister Skittles tucked snugly in the crook of her arm as the boarding ramp lowered with a shrill hiss. Cringing at the noise, the Crusader focused her attention on the ship again as she spotted Lairiel striding into the hangar. Her new ensemble had not escaped her notice - a far cry better than that sun dress, that's for sure - nor did the twin lightsabers hooked to her belt. Well now... that was interesting.

Clearing her throat and straightening her posture, she let the girl approach her. "Lairiel, I hope you have a very good reason for interrupting me." A light scowl crossed her features, but Mister Skittles only blinked curiously at the Arkanian, scrunching his nose as he sniffed the air.

 

[Sierrien]

Her eyes quickly found that her Mistress was indeed waiting for her, though she was in her training gear. That was almost enough to give her pause. What was enough was the sight of Kazumi passed out on the floor. She blinked down at the handmaiden, and then her eyes shifted towards the Corbenic. She finished her approach and came to a stop as Mila spoke to her. And then scowled at her. Her eyes shifted down towards the Corbenic and then back up to Mila's face. If she was worried about the scowl though, she didn't show it. She was pretty certain that this was going to count as a very good reason. Her stance attested to that as she was in a bit of a confident pose as well, or at least she wasn't just cowering in fear. Like she normally would have been if she had gotten Mila in to this kind of mood. Her hand shifted down to the pair of unfamiliar lightsabers on her belt before she spoke out to Mila, bridging the small gap between them. "I captured a Jedi."

She let that hang out in the air and waited to see Mila's response - she was going to guess surprise - before she smirked and continued speaking. "But I believe he only thinks he's a Jedi. I watched him kill two defenseless people. And throw a man in to what was basically a meat grinder. Oh, and he stole some clothes and this ship with me, as well." She brought her hand up, thumb pointed back towards the flying garbage heap that she had just come in on. Okay, so the ship wasn't much to look at, but she liked the outfit and she was pretty sure a captured Jedi was fairly high up there on the list of awesome presents she could bring Mila. She left out the part about her pretty much seducing him and how she didn't even have to actually fight him to capture him. "I was thinking you might want to turn him to our side. Or torture him. Or kill him." She gave a light, noncommittal shrug. Even if she did care what happened to Jyn, she could hardly show weakness in front of Mila. She wouldn't let herself.

"He is a gift, from me to you. His life is in your hands now." Just in case that hadn't been clear, she said it outright. Okay, she was probably trying to gain favor or brownie points with Mila as well, but she might as well do what she could to turn the situation to her advantage. She gell silent as she continued standing there, waiting to take full stock of Mila's response to everything she had just said, and see if she had done something good... or something stupid.

 

[Flying Blind]

Jyn went over the small items he had, trying to think of a plan. He had no idea what to expect. He already had a lightsaber crystal in his stomach, so he figured 'Screw it'. He managed to swallow a grenade seperated into four parts, a fire starter, and even a nail file. Most of which would hurt coming out. But hey, he was a Rayder. Rayder's find a way out. At least, that's what his father always told him. And after a few of their escapes, Jyn believed it. It would be hard, but there was no alternative. With all his escape items 'secured', all he could do was wait. He began to meditate on the couch, letting the Force calm his mind and bring him clarity. Over the past few days he had realized how much Lairiel's very presence had influenced him. And now he would be tempted and influenced more than ever. It was going to be hard. He had already proven to be somewhat 'flexible' in the past. Forget about Nadir. He thought to himself. That wasn't your fault. If all he did was worry about past mistakes, he would never succeed in the present.

He had to go to his happy place, for whatever temporary comfort it would give him. The best day of his life... Six years ago... Thirteen year old Jyn Rayder roams the inside of the Kessel Runner, and Orion watches from a distance, stuck on babysitting duty. Jyn leaps and tackles Orion, sensing someone behind him. "Got ya! That's five points for me! I win again!" Orion does his odd mechanical grumble and says "You're cheating I know it! You have a tracker on me? You can't even see? How did you know I was there?" Jyn just shrugged. He had heard of the Force, yes, but he never imagined he could control it. He always believed, much like his father, in 'gut instinct' rather than mystical powers. Sometimes he also unwittingly used it on his friends Annie and Neil. Apparently Orion was sick of losing and decided to head out. Jyn was left alone in the Kessel Runner, with nothing but sweets and his imagination. After sticking the last gooey treat in his mouth, Jyn let his mind wander, much like he was doing right now aboard the Monroe. He dreamed of the day all these cons and thefts would pay off and he could finally give the Kessel Runner a much needed overhaul. Then he would set out to make a name for himself as Jyn Rayder the Master Raider, he would become famous for his amazing heists in the middle of space, and he would finally afford the medicine to cure his father of illness and together they'd be a force to,reckon with, gaining allies as well as enemies, in tween Jyn Rayder's mind he would become a famous leader of a pirate crew and fly all throughout space with his father. That day, his father would come home to the Kessel Runner with Orion and two brand new blaster pistols. Expensive, but worth every credit. He would give one to Jyn, and over the years despite being blind Jyn would learn to use it effectively. It would also be the last happy memory he would have for several years to come, since his father's rapid decline in health and eventual death would take most joy from Jyn's life from then on...

Back in the present, Jyn made sure both of those blaster pistols, the ones from six years ago, were hidden in one of the compartments he had discovered under the couch while sleeping there. He was still figuring things out, while calming himself, when he sensed a dark presence approaching. "Times up." He told himself. All effort of calm was quickly lost as panic set in, he had no idea who, or what, would come up that ramp. But he was sure he could take them on. Probably. Maybe. Possibly. Yep, he was doomed.

 

[Gamov]

Mila's eyes narrowed, dipping her chin slightly as she continued to pet Mister Skittles with soft, deliberate strokes. She had captured a Jedi? Lairiel? Her own apprentice? The very notion might have seemed entirely absurd to the Crusader had it not been for the fact that she sensed another presence aboard the ship. Her eyes drifted past the girl for a moment, resting on the ship as she explained that this particular Jedi seemed to be one in name only. The fact he had killed people and stolen some clothing hardly made a case for him in Mila's eyes though. Anyone was prone to outbursts of petty anger and violence, even the most stoic Jedi Master could fall prey to their emotions every now and again - being fallible was part of being human. Her attention shifted abruptly back then as she heard the word "torture". Torture the Jedi? Oh that would just be rude. What kind of host would she be if she didn't at least offer him a choice in the matter first? Not that it would matter, of course. Jedi were notoriously stubborn and usually wound up prattling on about their ridiculous code and the Force and... ugh. It was ever so dull. But Mila would never have it be said that she wasn't an amicable person; even to her enemies.

Turning away for a moment, the Crusader spared a glance towards Kazumi, an almost melancholy look about her as she let out a brief sigh. "It's so hard to find good help these days." She mused offhandedly before turning a bright grin back to the Corbenic in he arms. She gave the bunny a quick pat on the head, whispering something to him and giving him a light peck on the forehead. An instant later Kazumi snapped back to reality with a sharp gasp, her back arching at a rakish angle as a spasm raced through her muscles. Her eyes bulged as she rolled to her side, sucking in air between coughs before managing to prop herself up on shaky hands. Just as quickly though, she felt the impact of something hard in the middle of her back, forcing her right back to the floor with a pained grunt.

Mila dug the heel of her boot against the woman's spine ever so gently, twisting back and forth as she sneered at the handmaiden. "Now, what have we learned?"

"I... I'm sorry, my Lady. It won't happen again."

"See to it that it doesn't." She eased the pressure off, giving the Yu room to breathe as she scrambled to her knees, bowing her head respectfully and offering another apology. "You're on thin ice, Kazumi. Consider this your last warning." The handmaiden nodded, eking out a demure resignation and slowly returning to her feet as Mila turned her attentions back on Lairiel. "Well, we'd best not keep our guest waiting." She said, offering her apprentice a delightfully bright smile in the process before she strode past her and onto the ship...

And what a horrible ship it was.

If she thought this thing looked awful from the outside, then it was even worse on the inside. It was cramped and utilitarian with hardly any room for even basic amenities. How Lairiel traveled from one end of the galaxy to the other on this flying tetanus trap was beyond her. But sometimes you just had to make due with what you had. It was a concept Mila had been keenly aware of as a girl. Her mind circled back around to the Jedi soon enough though as she entered what appeared to pass for a common room on this thing - her eyes gravitating towards the boy on the couch. He couldn't have been much older than Lairiel if she were to guess, but his tattoos certainly set him apart from your average human. There were only a handful of races she could name right off the top of her head that used tattoos as a means of marking members of their species. Mirialans and Zabrak were out, for obvious reasons. Kiffar perhaps? Hmm... maybe. Or Miraluka, if the blindfold he had on was actually there as part of his people's strange traditions and not another measure Lairiel had taken to hobble her prisoner.

But that wasn't really important at the moment.

Staring at the boy for another second or two, Mila settled into the seat directly across from him, crossing her legs and giving Mister Skittles a reassuring pat on the back as she felt a pang of anxiety race through his connection to the Force. "Well now, isn't this a surprise. For you of course, not me." She said, mocking the boy a little. "Your kind always end up here eventually... one way or the other. It's a bit of an inevitability really. Ah but where are my manners? Allow me to introduce myself, I'm Mila." She paused deliberately then gave a gentle wave of her hand towards the Padawan. "Now comes the part where you introduce yourself and thank me for not ripping your throat out."

 

[Sierrien]

Okay, she had no idea if Mila appreciated her gift or not. She shifted somewhat uncomfortably on the spot she was standing in under Mila's scrutinizing gaze, and then the woman pretty much crushed her hopes and dreams. 'Good help is hard to come by' she said, while looking towards Kazumi who had clearly done something to displease the Crusader. She watched as the Corbenic finally released the poor servant, then winced as Mila's heel crunched in to her back and forced her back in to the ground. Finally Mila let up after Kazumi apologized pretty much relentlessly, finally returning to her knees and finally her feet. Her last warning - Lairiel wondered what would happen if Kazumi used that one up as well. Probably Kazumi would be replaced by herself, she assumed. Not that she would mind overmuch.. right, her mind was wandering. She refocused on Mila as the woman again acknowledged her presence, giving her a sudden bright smile as she strode past and on to the ship. Oh - maybe she had done something good, then?

She turned and was quick to follow Mila on to the ship, noting the disdainful look she was giving around the ship. Right, it was kind of a mess in here. She made a mental note to clean it out later. Unless she could con Kazumi in to it. Right, she made a mental note to con Kazumi in to cleaning her new ship later. She shifted to stand beside and a little bit back of the chair Mila had decided to claim after studying Jyn; she didn't offer anything herself about what she knew of him. She figured it was better to just let the two get.. acquainted. She slowly settled down to a seat on the floor herself, mostly because the only other places to sit in the small room were beside Jyn on the couch and in to Mila's lap. Neither really seemed very appropriate to the matter at hand. Mila was her usual brusque self with her opening statement and introduction of herself, and her demand for him thanking her not to have instantly killed him. She mentally noted that it would probably be a good idea for him to take her up on that demand without a fuss, but she certainly had now way to tell the Miralukan that.

That said, he wasn't likely to find much support from her. She had clearly picked her allegiance just by bringing him here as a prisoner in the first place; now on top of that she was sitting beside Mila, who was clearly her superior at the least and he could likely surmise that she was a personal teacher of Lairiel's, at the least, given that she had actually met them at the hangar instead of her dragging Jyn through the facility. Her face and emotions were also carefully impassive, making sure that he wouldn't get a read off of her as he spoke to Mila. She was intent on letting them have an honest conversation, because she was curious both about how they would feel about each other - and if Mila really did or didn't agree with her assessment that he was pretty close to a Sith as it was. With Mila's help, she was sure that they could turn him to the correct side of the Force. All he needed was the right push.

Her eyes were intent on Jyn, keeping him in her focus so that she could be sure that her emotions remained fully in check, and because she was pretty sure he could use force sight rather well she would keep from smiling or frowning, despite what he said. And if he spoke directly to her, he wouldn't get an answer - though Mila would of course, if she did. Lairiel did not want to end up like Kazumi outside had. That did not sound like fun to her.

 

[Flying Blind]

Jyn sat on the couch, preparing himself for the worst. The most vile, bloodthirsty Sith who would enjoy watching Jyn rot in a torture chamber or something. But that wasn't what came up the loading ramp and into the Monroe. Behind whoever it was came Lairiel's firebrand aura. The unknown Sith sat across from him in the chair, and Jyn waited, maybe it was just a Hutt in disguise. Normally he would find it amusing, but the situation was anything but. So he kept his laughs inside for the time being, as well as a bit of blood that was trickling into his mouth after cutting his throat trying to swallow those small escape kit items. He doubted any of them would come in handy, but then again you never know. The Miraluka sat in the rather uncomfortable couch as the Sith sat, whoever it was, they must have been superior to Lairiel, who seemed to have become oddly quiet, which in his limited experience with her was weird. He listened intently to the Sith's introduction, who mentioned her name was Mila. In the back of his mind he kept telling himself: Remember, these are Sith. Not friendly! This is all fake! They are evil! he tried desperately to hang onto these thoughts, because lately it seemed the border was clouded, even more so now with the presence of not one, but two Sith.

Nearly forgetting to respond for a moment, Jyn said to Mila "Hello, Mila. My name is Keith." He began, deciding to not use his nickname in order to try and be overly formal. "Let's see, I'm nineteen years old, born on Shili. I enjoy droids, ships, women, and..." He said, making sure to be back in his faux smuggler's drawl. Now, he paused, and with Force Sight made sure he was 'looking' straight at Lairiel, he said "Sabacc. In that order of course." Whoever Mila was, Jyn was sure she had Lairiel twisted around her finger, and Jyn would play that angle for as long as he could. If Lairiel felt uncomfortable now, he would make sure she stayed that way and more. "Oh, I'm sorry, I don't believe I heard yer hobbies, miss." Again, making a reference to the first time he introduced himself to Lairiel. He had been accustomed to saying Miss to whichever woman he met, but it seemed to bother Lairiel when he called her that, so he would make it a point to say it as often as possible. He could only imagine what Orion would say. He'd probably say something like: "Sir, please do not aggravate our captors." Or maybe "Sir, I must inform you this woman seems capable of killing you, by my calculations, in 36 dif- wait, 37 different ways at the moment.". But, to Jyn's regret, Orion wasn't here to say those things. Instead, Jyn would have to figure this out on his own. It was only then when he realized how heavily he had depended on Orion throughout his life.

His thoughts travelled back to what had transpired in the past week or so. Especially wondering what Lairiel had done with his new lightsaber. He made a mental note that she had it, picking up its slight force signature in the crystal, it was weak, since he had hardly spent time making it, but it was there. He would need those parts back, it had been hard enough to find them once, he couldn't imagine having to find them all twice. Hopefully, between this time and the time of his escape, Lairiel wouldn't think to turn the lightsaber on. If she did, she would realize it was missing the crystal. Then he would really be in trouble. It seemed that everything that happened from here on out depended on Mila. That was an idea that Jyn did not like. At all.

 

[Gamov]

Well now, this Keith certainly was a cocky one. And fairly bold to use sarcasm so brazenly with a Sith. Still, Mila could almost respect him for it... almost. She used to have an attitude like that at his age, mostly contrived as a means to stave off the unpleasant fate that had been meted out to her. But only now that she was on the receiving end of that attitude did she realize how irritating it could be. She hadn't missed his glance towards Lairiel either, that in itself placing special emphasis on his words even if his tone did little to draw attention to them. It seemed, from how casually he addressed Lairiel, and her telling silence in response, that the two were familiar with one another beyond the simple "captor and captive" roles they were trying to play up now. Never the less, Mila wore an impassive expression, keeping her eyes trained on Keith as he fished for a response regarding her own hobbies. She let his comment linger for a moment, answered only by the tapping of her boot against the floor.

"Well Keith, I have many hobbies. None of which I enjoy being distracted from." The malicious underpinnings to her words would seem obvious to anyone with a brain. "I am not here to be cordial and play hostess. In fact, were it not for the fact that you happened to be captured by my apprentice, I couldn't be paid to care less about you." She leaned forward slightly, staring daggers straight into the boy. "You don't belong here, despite whatever misguided notions Lairiel has. So you murdered some people, is that supposed to prove something? It takes more than simple acts of barbarism to be a Sith. Frankly, I'm offended your views are so narrow." Mila settled back, a slight sneer lingering on her lips. "But that's to be expected from a Jedi. Your kind are always so quick to judge... the hypocrisy is rather poetic."

And anyone who knew Mila - which, thankfully were very few - would find the hypocrisy in her comments equally ironic considering she had once been counted among the Jedi Order's numbers. Though she had always held contempt for the Jedi, finding them entirely too strict for her own liking. "Tell me, Lairiel... how did this boy manage to come into your custody?" She addressed her without having to look, she knew the girl never did wander far from her shadow. "I rather doubt he just surrendered to you. Or did you rook him into slavery with your little card game?"

 

[Sierrien]

Lairiel's eyebrows rose as he introduced himself as Keith. Wait, that was neither of the names he had given her. That didn't make any sense. Her lips pursed as she frowned at him, studying him from across the way as he and Mila spoke back and forth. Well, he spoke and Mila was her usual somewhat angry self. She shifted slightly in her spot when Mila said she disagreed with Lairiel's choice to bring him here. Oh.. well, apparently she didn't know what she was thinking, then. That made her frown deepen as she continued to sit there, her thoughts almost preoccupied enough that she didn't even hear Mila's question to her. Thankfully Mila said her name before asking her questions, so Lairiel's attention snapped back to reality and over to Mila, her frown disappearing quickly as she looked at the intimidating crusader. She found it doubtful that he had just surrendered to her, and then asked if she had rooked him with her 'little card game'. Oh, if Mila only know just what she could rook with that particular card game.. she made mental note to challenge the Crusader sometime.

"He surrendered to me." she let out, giving a rather serious nod. That had actually been what had happened. "Our card game got blown up before I could win everything he owns and then himself off of it, unfortunately. But then we went on a bit of an.. adventure. And at the end of it I learned he was a Jedi, and he surrendered to me. I think it was my winning personality. Either that or he was afraid of me." she looked towards Jyn for confirmation on that point, a bit of a smirk of her own on her lips. Yeah, she had just turned that around to make him look like a wuss. And then before he could comment on it, she bullied right on to a new point to steal both of their attention. "Not to mention that your name is Jyn, not Keith! How can you just lie to her about her name when I'm sitting right here?" Her head gave a light shake and she let out a soft 'hmph'.

She shifted in her seat again, actually moving to lean ever so lightly against the chair Mila had chosen to sit in now. Yeah, it was pretty clear where her loyalties lay; Mila had already confirmed to him that Lairiel was her apprentice, so there was no use trying to hide it. Not that she really had been before; she had brought Jyn here specifically to meet Mila, so it had more than likely been entirely obvious from the get-go.

 

[Flying Blind]

Jyn listened intently to Milan apparently her mock-kindness was over already. Oh well, he thought. His ears perked at the mention Lairiel was Mila's apprentice. So that was why she listened to Mila. Another little mental note. Feeling a little brave, and queasy, Jyn let out a burp in the middle of Mila's comment. He was proud of that one, even if it angered Mila further. Then the subject turned to what they had been doing earlier and the events that led up to his 'capture'. If you could call it that. Which Lairiel didn't either. She was a tease, like always, and tried to play it off, something about having a winning personality. Sure. He thought. He couldn't help but smile at Lairiel's vain attempt to get brownie points with her master trying to say his real name.

"Tsk, tsk, Lairiel Lairiel Lairiel. You seem to be mistaken. I apologize, Ms. Mila for Lairiel's contradicting statements. She gets a little disoriented when she's flustered." If Lairiel wanted to play, then he would play. Turning to Lairiel, he said "And by the way, sweetheart, Jyn is my smuggler name. It sounds better than Keith don't you think? So I most definitely was not lying about my name, you were simply misinformed." Jyn turned back to Mila now, wondering how she was taking all this, since for a change he couldn't see a person's aura. "Lairiel has also confused the events leading to my 'capture'. You see..." He was on thin ice here, but he couldn't pass up on the opportunity to put Lairiel on the spot. Before he could convince himself to not do it he said to Mila flatly "She 'captured' me after spending a very exciting night in the room right beyond that hallway." Jyn knew the layout of the ship well enough to know that from here, Mila would clearly see the room with the only bed on the ship. The message was clear enough. The best part was, Lairiel technically couldn't deny it.

 

[Gamov]

Mila's expression turned all at once more dour as Jyn had the audacity to burp at her. A burp! He didn't even try to hide it, in fact she was pretty sure he did it on purpose. Whatever shred of hospitality she had left to spare quickly faded as her brow darkened with a stern frown. Absently twisting the rings about on her fingers, she let Jyn - or whatever the wretch decided his name was now - and Lairiel have their back and forth; each trying to gain footing and favor by undercutting the other. Frankly their game was entirely too tedious to hold her attention for long, but at least it seemed as though Lairiel had managed to "capture" this boy by preying on his emotions. Trading physical affections for favors was never something that appealed to the Crusader - she found it entirely too crass and degrading. But if her apprentice had managed this much just by batting her eyelashes, then it seemed Jyn was indeed the weak willed urchin Mila had taken him for when she first met him.

As the little lover's quarrel simmered down, Mila appeared suitably disinterested, shaking her head with a weary sigh. She shifted, standing from her seat and sidling in closer to the Padawan. "Jyn, I don't care what you and Lairiel did. You could have screwed her brains out for all I care. What you fail to realize, what you are too stupid to comprehend, is that no matter how you try to spin this story, no matter where you try to place blame, the fact remains that you are here with me now." She knelt down in front of him, caring little for whether or not he could actually see her - she wanted him to feel her presence encroaching on him like a creeping malaise. "This is my home, and while you are here you will obey my rules. Starting with manners." Suddenly, Mila leveled a vicious backhand across Jyn's face, her rings raking across his skin to leave a series of angry welts in their wake. Clutching his jaw firmly in her hand, she forced the Padawan's attention back to herself.

"I will not sit here and be mocked by an indignant little shit like you." She released her grip, breathing out a stiff sigh. "Now, do we have an understanding? Or do you need me to drill some sense into you?" Mila would only wait just so long for a response before she would be compelled to "motivate" the boy again. Next time might not be so pleasant if it came to that though.

 

[Sierrien]

Lairiel let out a derisive snort towards Jyn. "Please, the only one who gets me flustered is Mila." Wait, that hadn't come out right. She blinked and let out a cough, letting the conversation simply continue as Jyn went on to mention them sharing a night together, and then Mila told him she didn't care if he had 'screwed her brains out' even! She opened her mouth to speak - and then Mila was moving and instead she just closed it and brought her arms up to cross them. And then she backhanded Jyn, good and hard. Lairiel's jaw dropped open as she watched, her eyebrows raising a bit too. Well, that certainly made it fairly clear just who was in charge here, didn't it? He had better hope he listened and simply stated that he was picking up what she was laying down. Then again, with how he had just been talking about her and making her sound like a hussy, she wouldn't overly mind if he got the snot kicked out of him at the moment.

"Just so the record is clear, he chickened out when I showed up just wearing a towel, so... nothing at all happened, because he lacks resolve." She nodded firmly then, letting out a bit of a 'hmph'. And belatedly noticing that she had just kind of made herself sound like a bit of a harlot. She frowned at herself and shifted where she was sitting, but she didn't rise yet. She was still sitting there in a huff with her arms crossed; standing would just put her more in to Mila's way and she didn't really want to get in to the angry woman's way at the moment. "She's right, though. She owns my life too; whatever happened doesn't really matter anymore." She hoped that would move the subject off of her acting like more than a little bit of a tease; though at the end of the day Mila was actually thinking along the right track. Most of what she had actually done had worked out to be the equivalent of batting her eyelashes. Even if he was technically too blind to see most of it.

She settled back to just watch then, and see just how things would work out from here.

 

[Flying Blind]

Jyn was feeling a little mad at the moment. It took all his willpower not to burst out laughing at his own mental joke. Gotta admit, I did not see that coming. But he did the next best thing, and sent the thought rough the Force implanting into Aliriel's mind so she would get his little joke. Mila's rings had torn some flesh off his cheek, nothing too bad, but it did sting. He vaguely remembered something about Mila screwing Lairiel's brains out, wait that's not right. He was a little disoriented after that backhand. Testing his jaw by slowly moving it back and forth, it seemed to be fine. Could've been worse. He tasted a trickle a blood on his lips, and forced himself to not gag. He hated blood. Especially because it was one of the few things he could see. When he saw someone bleeding, it was their life force draining from their being, which sickened him greatly. But he held his disgust in, not showing it, for the most part. His face was swelling a bit now, but he ignored it. He listened to Mila more closely, if only just slightly. His main focus was still Lairiel. He was still getting mixed signals from her, literally. Her aura was all out of whack, it made his head hurt to just look at it. But it was one of those cant watch but can't look away scenarios.

Turning back to Mila, he nodded his head like a good little boy and said "I am nothing if not polite, Ms. Mila. I was raised to hold up umbrellas and open doors and let ladies go first. I assure you I know manners." He gave his best smile, which was a little weird since he almost never used it. He didn't really know what a smile looked like except for the rare glimpses he got with Force Sight. Either way, he tried and hoped for the best. Turning to Lairiel, he dropped the facade, assuming it had gone on for long enough and said in his sincere voice "Sorry, Lairiel. Not for the lack of resolve thing. I mean, for putting you in this position." He would show Mila how Lairiel had really captured him. Maybe even before he was a prisoner. Turning to Mila again he said "Well, Ms. Mila I know who I belong to. And since Lairiel belongs to you, I guess I do too." He gave a weak smile, the same one he'd given Lairiel when he didn't put up a fight in the landspeeder. He figured he shouldn't bring that up, it probably wouldn't make a difference anyways. So he just shrugged his shoulders. "Well, Ms. Mila, what next?" Jyn was a little worried as to what the next step was. After all, it wasn't every day you were brought o a Sith base. He was a little inexperienced as far as the whole captured by bad guys thing went. Whatever happened next was totally up to Mila, but hopefully, Lairiel would have at least a small part in it. And it was that small part that Jyn would be banking on. That and his complete honesty.

 

[Gamov]

Mila's composure wavered ever so slightly, eyes wide in astonishment at Lairiel's comment. Her jaw tensed and she resisted the urge to massage the faint pang throbbing in her temple. Her apprentice's infatuation with her was hardly a secret to the Crusader, but to hear her address it so casually was as embarrassing as it was unexpected. Fortunately enough though, it seemed Jyn had missed - or perhaps overlooked - the gist of the comment as he shifted his jaw and flashed an awkward smile. Lairiel's comment that she "owned" both of their lives now grabbed Mila's attention; how true that was, she thought. "Indeed, Lairiel. Now, do me a favor and shut up." All at once, and without even shifting her attention from Jyn, she used the Force to seize the girl's throat. Perhaps this would teach her to keep her thoughts to herself from now on, though she rather doubted that. "As my apprentice has so astutely pointed out, you belong to me now. From here on out you will do as I say when I say. Any hesitation will be met with punishment... and my patience has already worn thin."

Sensing Lairiel's fading consciousness, Mila craned her attention over her shoulder, releasing her hold on the girl as she felt her slip just a little farther away through the Force. She had no desire to kill her - quite the opposite really. But Lairiel really did need to learn to control her inner monologue. Turning her eyes back to Jyn, she spoke to her apprentice first, almost as if it were an after thought to her. "How are you feeling, Lairiel?" She stifled a sarcastic chuckle, addressing Jyn directly in the next breath. "Considering you are still my prisoner, I suppose the next step would be to throw you in a cell until you rot. Unless you can think of a reason I shouldn't do that." Her tone softened and she tried to lead him into making the reasonable choice here. Any other Sith would have just killed him already; hopefully Jyn was keen enough to realize just how fortunate he was here. "Despite what your masters would have you believe, Sith can be reasonable."

 

[Sierrien]

Her eyes bulged as her throat was suddenly constricted, tight enough to block her airflow completely. Her eyes shifted around in a panic as her hand clawed lightly over her throat, as if trying to pull a wire away from her throat. Unfortunately there was no wire there and she couldn't grab the force though, which meant it was entirely ineffectual. She opened her mouth to apologise but couldn't get any sound out, panic crossing her features then as she struggled to rise. She didn't get very far.

She was starting to see dark spots as she collapsed back to the ground, too weak to do anything except pass out and possibly die. Just before she did pass out though, the choke was suddenly lifted and she gasped in a huge breath, before coughing violently for a few long moments. She heard Mila ask how she was feeling, but then the Crusader simply moved on without waiting for an answer and spoke directly to Jyn again. That was all well and good, she was busy panting for breath between shirt fits of coughs, her hand rubbing over her throat.

Her eyes shifted up towards the back of Mila's head, but she didn't say anything else. Being quiet was probably going to be an awful lot safer for her. She shifted up to sit and lean against the chair again, and now just did her best to look small and not get choked again. It hadn't been overly fun the first time around, and she didn't want a repeat performance. Especially since Mila probably wouldn't stop until she was unconscious, next time.

 

[Flying Blind]

Jyn was helpless as he watched the Force wrap itself around Lairiel's neck. He couldn't see her physical reaction, besides her falling to the floor, but he watched as her aura turned to panic and started to wane. Even though he wanted to stop Mila, he didn't want to see any death even if it was Lairiel's, he kept his face neutral, even shielding his own thoughts for a change. He couldn't show any care for a Sith. So he remained indifferent as Lairiel got closer and closer to death, but apparently Mila didn't want her apprentice dead, so she stopped force choking her, and Lairiel recovered from the invisible strangle. He gave a silent thanks Mila wasn't going to kill her own apprentice over a little mistake. But Jyn was slightly glad she had revealed such information, something else to keep in mind for later on. He knew the Sith didn't tolerate weakness, but apparently Mila did, to a limited extent.

Relieved that the little episode was over, he turned his attention back to Mila as she spoke to him again. She gave him a fair warning on trying her patience, saying he would do whatever whenever, or be punished. Yea, like I need a warning. He thought to himself. His cheek was still throbbing a little, which was warning enough. He had been returning Mila's mock hospitality, and he knew better than to push his luck. One of the many things he learned from smuggling. Going for it all was a gambler. And Jyn had made very clear time and again he was no gambler. After Mila mocked Lairiel a bit, she continued to offer him a slim chance. He was a bit shocked. But he held his shock in. All this time he was planning an escape, he had planned to escape from a cell of some kind. Now Mila was giving him an opportunity to avoid that, which he doubted he would get a second chance at.

In his mind, he considered the offer. It would make escape much easier, but he doubted he'd be given any freedom if he were to try and pose as a prospective apprentice. It would threaten his chances of successful escape, but at what cost? It would be hard to convince Mila. Anyone could say they would turn to the dark side, but she would easily see through his lie. There was only one way... Jyn rejected the idea from his mind completely. No. He wouldn't do it. He had known ever since he discovered his old master Vesuvius was a dark jedi, that his learning had been tainted by the dark side. And for years he tried to make up for it, to wipe that darkness away, but it was practically in his bones. He would have to do the one thing he didn't want to do. He would have to let that dark part of him show, bring it up from the deepest depths up to the surface so all could see. It was the only way.

He didn't like the idea, but any other alternative was increasingly difficult. He told himself he could control it, that the dark side could never take control of him. So after a moment of thinking, he brought all those memories to mind, he unshielded his anger, and fear, and hate. His anger over being helpless to save his ill father from a slow death. His fear of losing anyone he still had, even his droid Orion. His hate of everyone who had ever crossed him, including Lairiel. They were all dangerous thoughts to a jedi, but it was what the Sith fed off of. He let it roll off of him in waves, seeing his own aura turn a deep red color in his Force Sight. Hopefully Mila would also see it, or at least feel it, and realize that the feelings were genuine. Having let down his barriers, he told Mila "I speak the truth when I say I never actually believed in the jedi's way of seeing things in black and white. Good and evil." Again, a slight joke at his blindness, but hopefully nothing to get smacked for. "Maybe you could help me understand your side of things instead of locking me up, after all, you can't hear only one side of the story." He gave a sly grin this time, but with minimal effort. He surprised himself a bit by how easy it was to slip into this guise, and he suddenly wondered if it was a guise at all.

 

[Gamov]

She didn't need to know Jyn's thoughts to read the concern in his reaction to Lairiel. He may have tried to wear an impassive expression, but the fact he tried to shield his thoughts from her prying senses tipped Mila off to the deeper emotional tides of his thoughts. Experience had taught her that ones mental reflexes to unpleasant circumstances were no different from the reactions one might have to experiencing physical pain. You recoiled and tried to avoid the discomfort at all costs, it was just instinct. So when Jyn's mind reacted to Lairiel's predicament by retreating behind mental barriers, Mila knew he was hiding something more than just fear or anger. But she kept that to herself for now, letting him think his little mental barriers had succeeded in dissuading her from searching any deeper.

She spared a glance over her shoulder towards Lairiel, her "lesson" obviously having had its desired as she didn't seem all too keen on speaking out of turn anymore. The Crusader's attentions shifted onto Jyn again as she sensed his more turbulent emotions simmer. Anger, hate, fear, all very non-specific yet speaking volumes to her. She quirked an eyebrow at the boy, somewhat skeptical of his motivations as he claimed to have never fully believed in the Jedi's "black and white" philosophies. He even went so far as to cock a sly grin and ask her if she could enlighten him on the Sith way of thinking. Well, that was something she could do - or at least as far as her own perceptions could edify him. Everyone had differing views, so what she told him might not necessarily be what he would hear from another Sith.

"It is possible for me to share 'our side of the story', as you put it." Mila said, standing over the boy. "But not here." Her expression turned to disgust as she panned another cursory glance around the ship - this thing was positively filthy. She hated it. Turning towards Lairiel, the Crusader addressed her plainly as if she expected nothing short of a prompt response to her commands. "Escort our little 'friend' here to somewhere a bit more... private. I'll be along shortly after I tend to some private matters." Mila's eyes fell on Jyn for another fleeting instant before she excused herself from their company, the nagging thought in the back of her mind that Lairiel would somehow find a way to botch her orders.

 

[Sierrien]

Lairiel was still recovering from being choked, having watched the two of them interacting from her spot she had picked. She was seriously reconsidering Er plan to bring Jyn back here. It seemed to her that Mila didn't seem to appreciate it at all, and in fact seemed pretty annoyed in general about the Jedi's presense. Should have just let him go and pretended I never met him, she thought to herself. Certainly wasn't winning her any points with Mila. In fact it seemed to be losing her points with Mila instead.

She stood to her feet as she was directly addressed - or rather, ordered. "Yes Mistress." She let out softly, not sure if her voice would catch or not if she spoke nornally due to being choked previously. Then Mila was gone off to do her 'personal' things and Lairiel shifted her eyes finally back to Jyn. "You're an ass." she let out towards him, before stepping forward and simply trying to roughly pull him up to his feet. Were that successful she would lead him out of the ship and then start to walk, not looking to keen on talking to him.

In fact, she seemed downright angry with him, probably blaming him for her almost getting choked to death. It was almost like a dark angry cloud was going along with them due to her anger as she lead him seemingly at random through the compound. she all but ignored any of his attempts to talk to her, or at least she didn't respond to them. It turned out not to be so random after all, as the end of their journey was to what appeared to be a detention Center - and the room she led him in to was actually an interrogation room. For as much as the sith interrogated - perhaps it was more for torture than interrogation that tended to happen in this room.

 

[Flying Blind]

Mila stood now, apparently their initial conversation was over. Jyn watched as Mila went to deal with private matters. Maybe the Sith had to use the bathroom, he laughed mentally at the idea. For the first the since they arrived on Korriban he and Lairiel were alone now. Lairiel choked out a response, apparently still recovering from Mila's 'lesson'. He felt bad for Lairiel, but did his best to hide it. He hoped he had fooled Mila, both by showing no care for Lairiel when she was choking, and by showing his darker , more dangerous emotions. He frightened himself a bit in the process, realizing that he hadn't lied. He didn't really believe the difference was as black and white as the Jedi sometimes described it. But still, he believed with every fiber of his being that the dark side was the most evil thing in the galaxy.

He couldn't help but chuckle when Lairiel called him... Well, a more inappropriate version of 'posterior'. Jyn wasn't a fan of curse words, he thought they were just empty words used to sound more serious. Normal words were just fine for him. His father had taught him to always be proper, especially with women, but apparently Lairiel hadn't received the same message. "I might have one Lairiel, but that doesn't make me one." He said back at her insult. With that, they finally left the Monroe, heading into what Jyn decided to call Sith HQ. The whole place reeked of dark side, seeping from the walls and surrounding them. He felt it roll over him, almost drowning him. Every muscle in his body screamed to run away from this place,but he walked on, never flinching, ignoring the stares that few of the Sith sent his way.

He figured he had to say something to Lairiel, unsure of when he would see her again. However, she seemed dead set on ignoring him. Fine he would do all the talking himself. "I guess that could've gone better." He started. "Look, sorry my arrival didn't quite have the effect you wanted." He was on thin ice already, but he continued "That was uncalled for back there in the Monroe, she shouldn't have choked you like that." He started to wonder if any of this was reaching Lairiel, who still looked pissed off, even if the look was a little strained. "I don't want to be your enemy Lairiel, at least, not personally." He decided not to push his luck and left it at that. Besides, apparently they had reached their destination. Now all that was left was to wait for Mila in awkward silence. Great.