The Dark Academy on Korriban

With a mind soothed of a few things, Kristal made her way toward the Massassi Village. Keeping to the outskirts as she truly didn't trust the primal beings within. That they were warriors they would gain her respect, but she didn't seek out a moment of learning with the Massassi. Near the entrance she waited, looking for Sylvain whom she knew was nearby.

It had been some time, and a great deal had happened since they last spoke.

Sylvain came walking down the path that led out of the village and spotted Kristal from a ways out.

As he approached he smiled brightly, "Evening beautiful. How was your day?"

"Typical," Which was a lot more atypical than most, after all this was Kristal. "I see you were successful earlier today?"

"Was there ever any doubt?" He said with his normal bravado, but it seemed a bit more hollow than usual, like he was trying to sell the idea to himself.

There was something about reading people Kristal was good at. Most definitely those she called friends which was... hazy at the moment. Sylvain she still felt she could read easily though. At least, she thought so. With a slight look of concern, she pointed with a nod off toward the forest. Wanting to be out of the sight of the Massassi.

Of course, she answered too, "Never."

Sylvain smiled and nodded, starting their trek into the forest.

Once they got a bit of a distance away he smiled, "So you feeling better yet? You've been pretending not to be hurt for the past few days now... Really put a damper on what we could have been doing in the room without Shai in there. I felt guilty about trying to make out with a girl that could well have a hole in her chest and just didn't want me to know."

"I am fine Sylvain, nothing to worry about," she said, looking to him to reassure him of that at least.

"Is that what's eating you right now?" Classic redirection.

He chuckled, "Must be something juicy if you're swatting me away like a fly. I know better than to try and force my way past your defenses. You'll tell me when you're ready..."

He smiled a playful grin, "Though I would like to inspect your physical condition myself at some point; you know... just to make sure your chest is how I remember it being."

He reached out and grabbed her hand and returned to her question, "Got lots of stuff eating at me right now Kris... More than I care to deal with actually..."

Once they were sufficiently away from others, the affection was easily returned. As he grabbed her hand she walked a few steps closer in step with him. "You're incorrigible," she said with a slight tease at first but then got a little more earnest.

"Tell me then, if not how I can help, just tell me," she said with a gravity to her words. Not that it was any different from how she usually was. Simply just naturally her, authoritative and straight forward. Her words always held weight.

"I don't know..." He said.

"I just seem to make really shitty decisions." His hand squeezed her's slightly and led them both to sit down on a log that had fallen beside the path.

Kristal followed readily, wanting Sylvain to continue. Or, perhaps a bit more, expecting Sylvain to continue. It wasn't soft, but it was caring in it's own way.

"Explain Sylvain."

"Where to start...." He said with a bit of exasperation.

"How about trick myself into being Baras' puppet who goes around and works his ass off for no benefit... Or giving up Thy's holocron to a monster that I created in exchange for data that when I gave to Baras all I got was a 'good boy' and was kicked out of his presence... Or getting my father's informant killed because I thought he should intervene against one of Baras' top assassins... because I wanted to be able to ask the target if I could marry her daughter someday..."

He shook his head, "Or letting Shai go her own way when I know full well she'll probably one day actually become my enemy.... or not spend every waking moment with the girl I love and instead go around looking for excuses to sabotage the trust she has in me like some dumbass..."

He then took a breath, "Like I said... where'd you like to start?"

That was, a lot. Before anything she turned Sylvain toward her and brought her hand at a support on his neck. Slowly and gently bringing him forward till their foreheads met. Leaning against him and he against her like that for a good few second. Hoping to stop the flow of thoughts for a good moment until they were calmer. More focused. Or just until she had felt they were.

Leaning away again she looked to him straight. "Where do you feel like you need to?"

He shook his head as it faced downward dejectedly, "I don't know Kris..."

He picked up his head and rolled his eyes at himself, "I'd probably make the wrong choice there too..."

After a couple of breaths he said, "Well I guess I'll start with your mother... Baras has sent his top killer after her for some reason... No idea why... You may want to let her know."

"I will, and though I am biased. You made the right choice there. My mother is a formidable woman and..." well, her eyes spoke well enough what it meant to Kristal that her mother may very well be alive because of his actions. Even if it costed the life of Sylvain's agent, whom Kristal never quite trusted in the first place.

Kristal didn't push, letting him move at his own pace for now. As long as there was progress.

He shrugged, "But now we know nothing of Baras' movements... My man proved himself to be a loyal servant and I sacrificed him for my own needs instead of what was best for the Empire...."

He smiled weakly, "Don't get me wrong... I love your mother and all... I just seem to have cut off my own right arm to give her a chance at survival."

He then shook his head, "Betraying your trust is probably the next thing you're worried about... I had a vision... wherein I pretty much sold you down the river... I saw the look of devastation in your face and yet... the Force pushed me to work past my sentimentality... to hate myself for having the feelings I do."

He waves his hand, "There are other women... one somewhat serious... the others not at all... I don't know why I do what I do... The flow of the force pushes me to self-destruction and betrayal... I want to be rid of the foolish self-destruction that they pound into us at the Academy. I just want to have you by my side... and the Empire to thrive... and yet our houses are marginalized and attacked... I act like an ass... and the only way to fight back is by doing the same type of backstabbing bullshit that creates the problem in the first place..."

He lets out a sigh, "I want to be free of this bullshit... I just want you... and an Empire of honor and conscious...."

"You place trust in this man easily, there is no way to know exactly what it is you've lost, but we retained my mother... that is.. more than you might currently realize," she said taking his hand in hers.

"Baras, a man like that will never see you as a threat. Which is your greatest strength even if you do not realize it, it is a strength I could never wield."

Now the next, the betrayal of trust. It inspired a concern in her. Worrying her greatly. It showed a slight crack in her otherwise complete defense against such things. Especially when it turned out to be true...

As much as she wanted to be supportive here and now, with him so vulnerable. It was like there was a knife shoved into her gut. Given the Jedi, it was an actual feeling she could compare. Shaisha's actions had hurt her, but this was betrayal. Slowly her hand fell from his as she went pale. Kristal looked away, dejected. Not sure how she could deal with this the way she wanted to. Following that moment she was silent.

Sensing her shift in emotions Slyvain knew he had stepped into a pile of trouble...

And here it is... the moment where I finished off the last bit of respect anyone had for me...

He could stand to look into her eyes and see the look he was sure was the same one in the vision.

"I know it sounds ridiculous... but it is you who I love... no one else..." He said with his head still down. "It's hard to stop being who I was... though I intend to do that if you'll give me time..."

He shook his head, "I'm so sorry Kris... You deserve to hate me... and everyone who puts you through shit you don't deserve..."

Kristal had once agreed with an old man who walked the wastes of Korriban. Spindral was a mad fool to some, a lunatic, but from her experience he had only ever spoken sense. Did that mean she was crazy? She couldn't tell. Everything just felt numb as she sat there with him.

Arden Serasai was dead.

Arlena Serasai was hunted.

Kristal Serasai, well, as she knew she was a pawn in some greater play. Expendable enough to consider sending a message with her death but finding even that unwarranted.

Shaisha was practically, solely responsible for her fathers death. That there was a trail leading to him meant that it was likely part of the plan anyway. Kristal had pieced together that much. Nor was the attempt to spite her, or was it really ever that thinking. For that she had to believe Shaisha.

Sylvain... Sylvain she had convinced herself to trust. Even with everything that would have normally lead her to suspect dishonesty. Even the moment she had with Moyr where the truth practically came out in front of her. There was a moment where she almost asked which one she was, but it didn't matter. Nameless, faceless women they would always remain as far as she could hope. There were too many thoughts that struck her in that moment. Pulling them apart from one another was a task if she had tried. No, the molded together into one solid lump of difficult to swallow pain.

Standing to her feet it seemed almost as if she was just going to walk off, into the forests of Yavin. However, five steps from where she was she stopped. There was nothing she could think to say. Not even sure she was capable of it. What would come out if she were to open her mouth now wouldn't be words.

Kristal tried to break one of the rules of becoming Sith. She had tried to trust, and she was paying for it.

Sylvain watched Kristal stand up, and felt the pain he had inflicted on her... He closed his eyes and wished very much to be dead for the few seconds it took her to walk the short distance away.

When she stopped, he finally gathered the strength to look up at her. She stood with her back to him, ready to walk away... Everything in his world was leaving. His father, his confidence, his sister, and now his Kristal... Regret and sorrow coursed through his veins as he felt tears well up in his eyes.

What could be done? What could he say.... He had been so confident that he'd never betray her. He'd expressly told her that on their first night together... and yet... he had failed miserably. Beyond miserably.

As she paused he felt the tears begin to overflow. In a ragged voice he called out, "Damn it Kris... don't... don't leave me... you're all I have... You're all I have ... don't... don't you leave me too... I can't..."

That ragged voice, the clear signs of sorrow. She could even feel them before she turned around, she knew it, it was like she could feel it. Turning around he could see that cold flame if he looked for it easily enough.

It happened in two steps, quick.

And her hand was brought hard and swiftly across his face.

Before the pain could even register, she spoke slowly with that cold flame, "Don't you dare."

Kristal's slap served as a jolt across his senses. Despite the pain, the tears in his eyes disappeared. He looked at her for several moments, trying to decipher exactly what he was prohibited from doing.

"Tell me what to do.... Anything..." Was all he said in return.

OOC: Vigilance or Perception rolls at Hard difficulty, upgrading the check for both with Destiny.

Sylvain turned his head at some type of noise in the foliage.

D9 EE Perception/Cunning Roll: 2eA+1eP+2eD+1eC 1 success

Not even a broken heart could distract a Serasai from possible danger approaching.

Day 9 | Tropical Vacation | Vigilance: 1eP+2eA+2eD+1eC 1 success