The Dark Academy on Korriban

Sylvain walked along the dig site with Kristal at his side. Of all of the events of the day, he was least worried about this one.

With things still up in the air with Kris, he was hoping this excursion would help them get a bit more clarity.

Always vigilant, there she was. Even if the things she heard had completely shattered what she thought of her family line, it was still true for her. Kristal Serasai, at the very least, was the honor bound warrior that she had become. Perhaps if she too went through the rest of her upbringing she would be different... she couldn't ever know.

Regardless, one step after the other, she was here.

Sylvain and Krist went about their work not really knowing what they were looking for.

"So... how are you feeling beautiful?" Sylvain asked as they began their search.


Roll 1: 2 failures, 2 advantage (setback on further rolls)

Roll 2: 0 successes, 3 advantage + 2 successes(take strain/conflict and flip destiny)

Roll 3: 3 successes, 2 threat

(OOC: Results in Triumph Victory)

"Tired," she admitted, which was a bit unlike her.

Kristal checked around a corner, found nothing, and moved back nearer Sylvain.

He smiled. Kris being that vulnerable was a rare occasion, he'd be sure not to abuse it.

"Understandably so." He said with a glance into her eyes, "Thaine is a bitch."

Their eyes caught for a moment, but then she looked away. Masking it by looking toward something.

"She is..." she said, her tone drifting. Words that didn't seem to quite hold. Leaving the implication that wasn't entirely, or truly the reason she felt tired. Kristal needed to put up some type of defense, and quick.

Thus, "Have you spoken to Shaisha recently?"

"Nope." He said then quickly added, "Wanted to talk to you first. Let you know that I'm here for you if you need anything."

He reached over slightly and took Kristal's hand in his own. Squeezing it gently once he loosened his grip so to allow her to pull her hand back with ease if she so desired.

Without haste Kristal pulled her hand back, merely to have it functional again. No haste or rush to it, as his action had inspired. Kristal paused where she was.

"I am more concerned about you, your mother being ill and your father..." Was, as he believed, murdered by her own. Given how convinced of it Sylvain seemed to be she couldn't quite manage to tell him that she wasn't so convinced. It was eating away at her bit by bit. Arden Serasai was not that kind of man.

He smiled, "Father was a soldier. It was his duty to protect and serve the Empire... and through his sacrifice I think I was able to divert catastrophe today. I will miss him, but he will live on in the way the Empire reaches new heights in the days to come."

Looking into her eyes he could see the conflict. He was a perceptive enough boy to be able to take a guess at what she might be thinking. Daring to make such a guess he said, "I hold no resentment to anyone who may have played a part in his removal. Even if I don't agree with the motivations, I see no point in damaging the Empire any more than it has been because of some thirst for revenge."

He then ventured to be as daring as he could be and wrapped Kristal up in a gentle hug. "You can still be my friend and respect your father."

Kristal was rigid, stiff, and pulled away quickly from it. Looking around at just how open this all was to remind Sylvain of where they were. There was a part of her that nagged, felt bad for pulling away as she did but she had to. For something greater than the appearances she never quite cared about.

Pointing with her head she encouraged him to follow her forward, "Shaisha is seeking a new mentor, she is not yet sure who."

Perhaps encouraging wasn't the right word, moving on was practically being forced. Kristal seemed lesser still, but that was all. There was no dislike, or malice to her actions. Merely seeming to create some breathing room for herself. Words were not her forte.

Sylvain's features had a look of dejection when she turned away, but he tried to hide them quickly. Apparently he had made a misstep... and thought he could tell she wasn't happy with him. Perhaps she was coming to hate him as he had feared the night before.

"Yeah? I wonder who she'll set her eyes on..." He said trying to hide his wounded heart.

"Knowing her it will be someone suiting," she said, trying to push herself forward. Putting distance between herself and what she wished to avoid. It wasn't what she would normally do, this was all so... different.

Sylvain could sense her pushing past him... it hurt him fairly deeply. Deeper than he would have liked to admit.

The pain tore at his outer wall of positiveness and warmth, in a moment of vulnerability he spoke out what he was thinking, "You mad at me Kris?"

Kristal stopped again, turning about. Putting up that position of strength, shoulders broad. Never did Kristal lie, not to her friends, not if she could help it, but sometimes she needed that to make sure her words rang true. "No, I am not mad at you."

The words were almost stern.

"Then what is it?" He asked, as an exasperated teenage boy would ask.

"I don't get why you won't talk to me. It's me. Syl... you're buddy. Who respects, admires, and adores you..." He said it in a way that could have been taken either way, but given their history would probably come across as something a friend would say.

Looking about Kristal found something to sit on, a small almost table like construction. It was dusty but Kristal didn't care. Sitting on it she looked to Sylvain, "Because I am not as convinced of my fathers guilt as you are. My father was not that kind of man and..." Their was a bit of hurt in her words, it affected the tone. Kristal had been avoiding it.

"I thought you knew that."

Sylvain nodded when she finished speaking.

Damn... I hurt her...

Biting his top lip a bit he looked down, unable to look her in the eyes. It was a difficult thing... all of the evidence pointed to her father... it would make the most sense, but one thing stuck out. Why would Baras threaten Kris if her father was his man?

His eyes opened widely as he started to think of the possibilities... Who was the man who called him last night? He had the cipher, but why was Sly so quick to believe the story just because it seemed to fit a common narrative? What if that wasn't the story... who would have fed him the information...

I've played into Baras' trap...

He dreaded that thought for a moment. Who was there to trust but Kris and Shai? No one... and he needed to make sure he didn't damage that trust.

Looking up he said, "I do know that... there's no one I respected more than your father... and no one my father trusted more."

He looked into her eyes with sincerity, "I'm sorry Kris. I jumped to conclusions... I should have thought more about you and less about my pain last night. The shock clouded my senses... You may be right. We would need to find out though."

"We do, we will. First..." Kristal seemed a bit more resolute after his words. Like she grew a bit brighter. Forward, but this time it wasn't because she was running away from something. There was fear that admitting this would drive a wedge between them. It didn't. Like a weight was lifted she very nearly smiled.

"Let us find an artifact," she said as Kristal started to push herself up off the squarish stone thing she had been sitting on. As she pushed the top slip off, bringing Kristal with it. What had seemed to be nice slab to sit on apparently was a container of some sort.

And inside...

Sylvain ordered the slaves nearby to pull it out of the container for their examination. One of them collapsed from some type of booby trap, but Sylvain urged them on anyway; though he had some of the slaves attend to the injured one.

Seeing the object outside of the box Sylvain smiled, "It looks like we got something... probably wouldn't have been so hard to get if it wasn't a good one right?"

Standing again, dusting herself off Kristal looked about.

As the slaves sought to removing the artifact Kristal took a spot beside Sylvain as he ordered them about, perhaps that helped a bit of obedience but it wasn't her intent in the gesture.

"I would have rather found it another way," she admitted openly, before dropping her voice a tone or two lower. "You and Shaisha are my family. My father is my blood, a good man, and my father, but you are also my Family Sylvain Torsin."

He chuckled, but deep inside there was a pricking pain.

"Like a brother?" He asked with a smile.

"I wouldn't know, I am an only child," she said with that cool tone of her. Clearly not picking up on his concerns and thus merely answering as she felt proper. Sylvain was after all a master of manipulating emotions and conversation compared to her.

He chuckled, "As am I. I'd like to think of you as more than that."

He paused for a second, letting the implications permeate for a moment.

"Blood only goes so far sometimes..." he added.

This was the extent he was willing to go to today. He hoped that it'd be enough to plant an idea without scaring her away.

"Family is everything," she said in response. Keeping that position beside him. "However it is not simply what you are born to. Forged through various means. The one formed through fire is strongest."

Years of friendship, fighting side by side, her connection to both Shaisha and Sylvain was the strongest she knew.

"My father, he created that between himself and his men. Your father too.. I imagine." There was an inkling from earlier with Shaisha, Kristal was feeling.. different.

"When we return... I think I will try to contact him. Hear how he might explain himself."

He kicked himself for portraying the wrong meaning. She'd obviously taken it differently than he intended.

Why must this one time be so hard... all I want her to know is that I care for her more than... well anyone... Yet I can't get that across.

"I didn't mean to imply that you and your fath... or me and mine... I meant, you and me... I mean..." He waved his hand in front of his face, "Nevermind."

He then smiled to hide the conflict, "I'd like to talk with him too if possible. There's a bit of family business between our families that I have on my mind... I want to see if he'd be able to... help."