The Dark Academy on Korriban

Sylvain emerged from the office of his master and began looking over the data he had been given on his new assignment. Lists of names and places of importance; all the tools he would need to be successful in Dromund Kaas were laid at his fingertips by his new master.

Holding his new mask in one hand and his datapad in the other, he walked down the corridor out of the administrative building out towards the dormitories.


(OOC: Song Inspiration for the Title)

Her footsteps had often been quiet, and now they were even more so with the reinforced sleek fibers of her shadowsuit armor, so it wasn't difficult for Shaisha to sneak up on him after he exited the office. She had only waited a few minutes, and it had paid off.

With one smooth move, her hand moved forward and picked the mask out of his hands. And with a gentle pivot, she now stood before him.

"Nice mask. Not sure if it fits you," she looked at the object in her hands, turning it over with a skeptical eye.

Sylvain offered a slight smile and a nod of his head as a greeting, "I'll take your opinion into account."

He then asked, "To what do I owe the pleasure today, Shaisha? I suppose I should be pleased I don't have a knife in my ribs like you mentioned the last time we met."

"Well, you were pretty stupid there, I admit," she said, giving the mask a try herself.

"And yes, I did want to do something to you then, but that would only have hurt Kris more... and I didn't have the heart to do that. Not even now."

He smiled a hurt smile, "So considerate of you."

Then he bowed his head slightly, "Congratulations on catching Vowrawn's eye; that should be a wonderful fit for you."

"I can be very considerate, Syl," the masked Shaisha said with a somewhat hurt tone. "To those who don't hurt me and mine."

"And you'll be Darth Baras' apprentice, officially now. Sharing the spotlight with a rabid attack dog?"

He nodded, "That appears to be the case."

He then tilted his head, "There was once a day where I was considered to be 'yours' as well, but I suppose those days aren't worth as much anymore to you as they were to me."

"You still are," said the muffled voice in the mask in a quiet tone.

"... Kristal taught me the importance of forgiveness. It doesn't mean I'm still not mad at you, and disappointed in you, as I always considered you to be the smartest of the three of us."

She slipped the mask off and tossed it back to Sylvain.

He caught the mask in his hand and looked down into it, "And yet, a line in the sand has been drawn... and I find myself on the outside looking in. Like a movie of a life I knew at one point... but now looking for a different actor in my role."

"Your own actions brought you there, Syl," she said with a pointed look.

"And you can mope about it like some spoiled brat, or you can start to learn. I've already learned the hard way. Will you do it now?"

He shook his head emphatically, there was no moping going on, "I have come to terms with my decisions. My my rash behavior and foolish errors instigated this problem, but that does not absolve you two from responsibility of casting me off as useless chattel. In an emotional and rash response, you became directly responsible for Kristal's father's death, and yet things are fine. Yet my circumstance do not deserve that same level of forgiveness in your mind despite, the 15 years of trust I have built into our relationship. I have always been the glue of our group, yet the moment I lose my cohesiveness I am deemed unworthy of participation. The two of you prioritized the immediate failure of a man who apparently is not allowed the same leeway as you two because he is somehow intrinsically irredeemable. You two chose to cut your losses and refuse to work towards a path of reconciliation... that was not me. But as your friend, I will honor your wishes; because I owe you that much..." He paused briefly, "As a loyal friend."

Her eyes narrowed.

"... It took me weeks to even let Kris speak to me again after that, and no, things are not fine, but she had no one else when you broke her. I warned you to take it slow and give her time, and the very same day you stomp in like a bantha in a china shop. If you had not left then, you would've done irrepairable damage."

She sighed. Right now it seemed easier to bring Zeno back from the edge of madness.

"I can't speak for Kristal. But if you think you were cut off as useless chattel, you're wrong."

"As you say." He said with a nod.

"I was a fool, and had no reason behind my actions that could be considered valid." He said it in such a deadpan fashion that it was hard to tell if he was being serious or critical.

"I deserve my banishment, which is in no way indicative of how you two actually feel about me." His intent became a bit more clear with that sentence.

"In the moment when I could not contain my desire to be of some use... and needed to feel that I could indeed contribute something to you two again... I was met with vitriol and coldness. In the moment of crisis, there was no 'consideration' for one that you claim is 'yours'. What is that indicative of? I am not saying it is an unreasonable result given the circumstances; I do not resent you or Kristal for your decisions because I am fully aware of the motivations behind them. I admit to my failings, and regret that they brought about the results that it did, but to exempt yourself in the critical thinking process does you no favors. If you follow the motivations for your actions I think you'll find a system of prioritization that indicates I do not hold the same type of important position as other people you value do."

He pursed his lips slightly, "You both seem to have deemed my contributions to be no longer of equal value, and so I will render what I can to you in the form that you asked for. My isolation. Until you deem it requisite to change that arrangement I will proceed on as you desire."

Shaisha crossed her arms over her chest in response to Sylvain's lengthy reply.

"... Are you done speaking that bantha-dung? Or is your head so far up your arse that you're unable to do anything else? Do you even hear what you're saying?"

"You would offer proof that it's different than I see it?" He asked.

"I sacrifice my own happiness to have you and Kris's desires be met. I saved her mother's life at great personal loss and risk to me. I would still die for both of you at the drop of a hat. What is it that proves you still hold a similar level of dedication?"

"Because I've put myself and the one most important to me at a great risk to help you, Sylvain. And that won't stop. I've said I would help you in your goal, and I won't take that back."

She looked away.

"... Some day, I might tell you all about it." If I survive it.

Sylvain squinted his eyes trying to ascertain her intent. Shaisha wasn't as calculating as he was, but she wasn't immune from deception and cunning.

"I suppose that is the most prudent choice, allowing me to gain the access you need to help accomplish a mutual objective. Undoubtedly your new master would be interested in such an arrangement. I'm glad I still have marginal utility even if I don't occupy a place of importance."

"My master is merely another step in assisting you, Syl. Even that choice was made to help you. You're not a marginal utility," she rolled her eyes, "you are Syl and I do this for you because you would do the same for me."

"I only have you, Kris and my father. I don't like putting any of you at risk, but that is what I have done. Not for my own sake, but for you."

"And if the target were to have a speeder accident tomorrow and the issue resolve itself? Where would I stand in importance to you?" He asked.

"Then you would still be my stupid brother Syl, who is clever but sometimes not half as clever as he thinks he is."

"Yet still the smartest of the three of us?" He said with a faint smirk.

"I hope what you are saying is true... We'll have to let out actions speak for our intent going forward I assume; since you seem to have tired of listening to the thoughts in my heart." He said with perhaps a bit more vulnerability than he had been speaking with before.

"Where does your path lead from here dear sister?"

"Don't flatter yourself too much," she chuckled quietly, some of the old humor coming back.

"It's not that I'm tired of them, Syl, but they seem more like excuses and reasons you have made your mind up about to protect yourself. I should know, considering that's what I've done myself over the years." Shaisha leaned against the wall. "It helps... for a while... but it hurts more in the end."

He shook his head slightly, "I would suggest that thinking critically about my own actions as well as others may hurt in the short-term, but the realization that individuals tend to act base on internal priorities that they might not be aware of themselves grants understanding and insight that allows one to truly walk past the pain. Once you know what you are doing and why you are doing it, you are able to control those emotions to better adjust to the needs of the moment. My failure to think self-reflexively and adjust effectively with Kristal is what caused my downfall. On that same note: to you I am still the ass, and you played no role in my suffering... I would suggest that following objectively the implications of your actions will help you have a better grasp of what you are doing and why. Having the same critical approach to oneself as they do to others is one of the few true forms of justice in this galaxy. Relieving myself, or others for their responsibility is unjust. It is something that is a part of me, and I cant cast it aside so easily. Perhaps it would be of some use to you in the things that you have been searching for inside yourself."

He shrugged, "But I am lecturing again... as I am sure by the look on your face you are not pleased with... So I'll shut up."

She sighed.

"And where does this twi'lek of yours fit into your newfound wisdom? By your own words and logic so far, she seems to have been the catalyst in your weakness, the snowball that started the avalanche that caused this downfall of yours."

He let out a sigh, "She's been a salve to help heal the wounds I've endured over the past month... She is important to me and has been faithful to me in ways I could not have expected... It grieves me to consider doing her damage, for she has been nothing but good to me... and on top of that she is of interest to Baras so I can't cast her aside for more reasons than just my own aversions."