The Dark Academy on Korriban

“No, he’s a jerk,” Thy says looking away.

Veers chimes in and adds, “He is not worth discussing.”

“Was there anything you wanted to ask her, Layne?”

"Well, actually I think he *is* worth discussing," she said, trying to fake some vulnerability.

"You see I... think he has it out for me. He's very... charismatic. He can convince people of a lot of things. And I know he has secrets that could potentially hurt me. Maybe Anya too. I need some way to protect myself from him. He's spoken with you, hasn't he? Is there anything you know that could help me?"

“I don’t know what you are asking? I just spoke to him about the Force and Jedi philosophy I don’t think I know anything like that?” she says with an uneasy tone.

"You might not even have realized you were helping him. He's very manipulative like that. Are you sure you don't know anything?"

She tried her best to look distraught.

"Anya and I are both in a difficult situation here. Unlike Torsin and his people, neither of us were born to this life. I'm not here by choice. Unlike Torsin, who chose this and has a lot of connections, and his master is a very powerful Sith. We need some kind of insurance to make sure he doesn't have us killed... and I was hoping he might have told you something that we could use like that..."

Layne didn't mind lying... which in this case she wasn't seeing as how everything she'd just said was technically true... it was the acting like a weak little girl that annoyed her.

OOC: Deception check versus 1 Challenge die and 2 Difficulty dice with a setback as Thy does not like where this is going.

If if destiny intervened on her behalf, it would not make Layne sound any more convincing.

Deception/Cunning, DESTINY, setback removed from blade of woe: 2eP+2eD+1eC 1 failure


((I knew this would happen... also, I accidentally made it two proficiency dice instead of 1 and an ability... oh well... failed anyhow))

“Sylvain is a jerk but I don’t… I need to think,” and the holocron shuts off.

Veers adds with a shrug, “I warned you it was not a good topic. Sylvain basically blackmailed the holocron and betrayed her trust, it’s a not a topic she wants to discuss. Despite it being… not the Jedi it has much of her sentimentality and trust.”

For fuck's sake!

"Ugh," she balled her hands up into fists. "It's just a computer program right? Can't we just extract everything she knows? Or something?"

“It has incredible amounts of data, holocrons… are both data and the force. I actually read a book on this, they are not completely digital,” she says in response.

"Okay," she rubbed at her temples, "so *please* tell me she's told you something concrete? Something useful? You mentioned notes?"

“Dirt on Sylvain is vague, what specifically are you trying to find,” she says.

"Well, if I knew all the places he keeps his blackmail information and how he plans to have it sent after his death, I'd be fucking thrilled. I'm guessing he wasn't stupid enough to tell her that, though."

She sighed.

"Unless you know anything about, just forget him for a now. What about the Jedi? What'd you find out about them?"

“You suspect something, what is it?” she says still prodding the topic.

She sighed.

"Suspect? Nothing. He flat-out *told* me he's blackmailing his master with information that the other masters can use against him. That's at least half the reason he's still alive."

Veers laughs and says, “Then who are the obvious suspects… I am guessing Marr. He founds something he could use to give to Marr to even the score, whatever it may be. You also know he is sweet on Kristal and Shaisha, or do you pay attention.”

“I have watched Baras, I don’t claim to know him but whatever he does… it is for a reason. He would not have allowed himself to be blackmailed unless it served a purpose. Just my observation.”

"Yeah I figured that out too. I'm not a complete idiot. Propaganda. Son of the old war minister being the apprentice of the new one. But that won't last forever. And yeah, you told me about Kristal, and I knew he's friends with the other one. That whole clique they've got going is fucking annoying as shit."

“If you really want to cement your place, then I have something that could aid your cause. I give this to you only because you feel so hurt about me keeping the holocron. Marr is an obvious suspect, Vowrawn is more personal. It’s a long standing feud kept in the dark, implying that Vowrawn is backing Sylvain will drive a neat wedge that you can build on,” she says with a queenly smile.

"It's good information."

"Explain?"

“I’m not revealing my sources if that is what you mean,” she says.

"No, I mean how is it personal? What kind of feud are we talking about?"

Veers shrugs, “I don’t know the whole thing I just know it’s a slow burn that has gone on for at least a decade in the shadows. Both are conniving liars, both are far too clever, and they cultivate secrets about others like you cultivate anger.”

“They hate each other, naturally.”

"I don't cultivate anger."

“I was a teen once, but I am not sure our experiences are remotely alike,” she says with a knowing chuckle.

"Whatever. Since you're not going to give me the holocron, and since this information is of questionable value... how about we switch our focus elsewhere? Like Overseer Thaine?"