The Dark Academy on Korriban

"Yes, let zhem rumor und gossip und try to use it against us. Ztill, avoiding the zituation entirely is, for me, somevhat perferable. But I vould not awoid your company for sheer vorry. Zho perhapz ve keep our....clozer times to ourzelves."

"Just remember zho...if you are truly zerious about courting a maiden of zhe Farro....you vill hawe to undergo trials. But, let uz vorry about zuch thingz later in favor of zimple pleasures."

"Rumors. The gossips of the academy need something better to do with their time," he says shaking his head. "And I agree, that such can wait for the future. The here in now is more than pleasurable enough of distraction to help us relax amidst the mundanity of most of our workload. Let me know when you have the time for our next ritual, and we can arrange it."

"It may not be for a vhile. I'we obligations zhat I have been putting off, und zhis upcoming trip to zhe dig zite iz only cutting into time I zhould be fulfilling zhem."

She let her hand trail downward, "But I enjoy making you vait a bit anyhow."

"I've got more than a few obligations myself," he says with a grin as he continues towards the academy. There is no resistance to her hand placement. "We'll have to chat over meals to figure out our overlapping free time for diversions and education."

"It vill come, bezides, ve no doubt hawe monthz und years ahead of uz to enjoy zuch decadent education. Zo, our time between may grow ewer more expansive."

"I just wanted to let you know, I've been enjoying our growing connection. If it grows over years that would please me. I can understand your loyalty to your family and your faith, as well as your contempt for the attitudes of other sith in the Empire at large with their shirking of the old ways. But I do hope that if I am able to earn a modicum of respect from house Farro that you'd be willing to join me in some travels abroad. Perhaps see other dark places of the galaxy and bring your ways to those who have forgotten. Perhaps some, such as myself, will be receptive to the ideals and practices of your house."

"Ve alvays zeek to adwenture in our lifetimes. Zhree centuries iz a long time to reside on a zingle planet. My great-grandmuter, und my parents, both, traveled extensiwely in zheir liwes zhus far. Vhile Korriz vill alvays be zhe place I return to, I am certain at zome times I vill be able to leawe und seek my own vay."

"But ewen zhen, I und ser Thalalas, Remmington if you hawe met him, trawel together often to enjoy zhe idle purzuits of zhe Sith nobility on zhe outer rim of zhe Stygian Caldera."

"We've met. I've been helping him with pilot training," Zeno says with a nod. "Maybe someday he'll be able to take you for a speeder ride like I can."

"I doubt it, but zhen again I do not deriwe zhe zame pleasures from zhe two of you. You each prowide me differently. Und, bezides, he does not have zhe benefit of your Desvright training. Ztill, he iz sveet und dewoted, und v'one of my dearest friendz. House Farro und zhe former House Balmung go back centuries und centuries."

"So you've known him for a while then? From before the academy? Good to know people in this place." He continues along at a good clip, the Academy's spires coming into view.

"It suprized me some, to be honest. Rem has always been loyal, but he haz a shy qvality to him zhat I vould hawe thought vould turn off any admittance. Zhen again he'z prowen himselve zince coming here. Definitely among zhe standout students. Zhen again, you either stand out or you die. I heard zhree died just on our first day in zhe vastes."

"Yes, I saw the pile when I returned. Their failure," he says with a shrug. "It's the way of things here. The strong thrive, the others do not."

"V'one vonders how zhey gained admittance. Like zhe pathetic voman ve zaw disemboveled by zhe tuk'ata. Her error vas not going out in zhe vastes at dark, it vas not being strong enough to do zo und survive."

"They get in because they are skilled. But they overestimate their strength and underestimate the danger of the academy. They could have gone on to become sith without coming here, but the wanted and someone felt they could handle the challenge. I don't begrudge them that," he replies. "If they hadn't they'd likely be alive and live out their days as lesser sith destined to always be a servant and never a lord. They tried."

"A question," she eyed the spires growing in the distance, then to Zeno. "Is it better to live as a lesser or die trying for greatness?"

"That's opinion for everyone," he replies. "But for me and you it is to die trying for greatness. To not back down from any challenge and become something worthy of the dark side's blessings."

"It iz better to be obliterated in zhe glory of zhe Dark Side zhan to zpend a hundred lifetimez newer attaining it. I vould trade my life to know it for ewen an instant zhan to be bereft of it forewer."

"I can respect that," he says with a nod. "I'm not quite sure I'm there yet because I haven't touched it as you have. But if it is as spiritually fulfilling as it seems to be from your descriptions I imagine I'd come around to a similar mindset."

"It iz different for eweryone. Vhen it rewealed itzelf to me I felt zhe infinite powver of zhe Umbră-Ușoară und know it to be zhe greatest powver in zhe universe. It perwaded und expanded to hold eweryzhing in itz being. I felt itz moods und itz dreams. Und in zhat moment I knew I could only grow zhrough it. If I cannot be a part of it zhen I am already lowly und veak."

"I would see you on Korriz, where you have the strongest connection, among your family." The sith-blood takes one of her hands and mingles his fingers with hers. "I would see you intertwined with it which would undoubtedly be closer than we were. And I would know it for myself one day."

"Perhapz zooner, perhaps later." She let him take her hand. "But you must begin to zhink of your priorities. Ve all vish to master all aspects of zhe Dark Side, but in time ve much choose, in zhe now, vhat you must focus on."

"Right now strengthening the body needs to be first, so that I can withstand such training," he says with a nod. "But I can do that with more mundane instruction and study of becoming a vessel of the dark light in the future."

"Exactly. Don't get ahead of yourzelf. You've other lessons to learn, more practical lessons zhat vill benefit you. Far more zhan mysticism und majik can at zhe moment."

"That is true, but I'm also not averse to testing the waters before diving in. Tonight was an excellent opportunity to see an example of what to expect, even if at a smaller scale than what you are used to."

"Small but efficacious....zhanks to you. Zhe hunt may not hawe been as zuccessful vithout you."