The Dark Academy on Korriban

Sylvain sat in the mess hall chewing on the protein bar that was just as hard as he remembered it being. He had an eventful day, but was still quite well composed. After having a couple drinks with friends and a brief shower he was looking fresh and amicable to anyone that may have walked into the Mess Hall.

Swingy wiggly swag of the self-confident Twi'Lek would be what catered to his hungry cognition. The woman was dressed in her audacious tape-wear, with the academy jacket thrown over her shoulders. She waved a hand after she threw her lekku to the front, to roll across her chest.

"Aspirant Torsin! Or would it be finally the opportunity to call you Syl? Judging from your previous remarks about me, we've got a few notches closer over the past day."

He smiled and motioned for her to take the seat across from him, "I'm glad you feel that way, sometimes I can come across as manipulative or cool."

He then smiled warmly, "I'd be fine with Syl while it's just the two of us. Should I call you Moyr?"

"If you like the sound of it."

She took the stool next to him, adding a twirl to her taking the seat, and an undulating swing of her lekku.

"Manipulative and cool? I wonder where such opinions are coming from. Perhaps my presence awakens the more pleasant part of you?"

He smiled a charming boyish smile, "That may be entirely possible. I am not beyond the influence of others quite yet I must admit."

He took a spoon-full of paste and smirked at the poor taste, "How did you like the welcome to the Academy? I'm sure your journey in must not have been the easiest."

"I don't think abrasiveness is essential for a Sith Lord. Lord Zash is quite the opposite of that, isn't she?"

She didn't reach for her portion yet, just studied the man with a small, cute smile.

"I wasn't expecting a stroll on an Alderaanian boulevard and I didn't get it."

He chuckled at her comment, "This is no Alderaan, that is for sure."

He then returned to her first question, "Lord Zash indeed is not the brutish-type. I think you may find her to be quite helpful, if you can prove your worth to her. Her soft exterior hides a much more severe interior, but not one that is blinded by foolish prejudices."

"So she's a peach rather than a coconut?"

Moyr smirked, hiding the curved-up corners of her lips with the endings of her lekku.

"Being blinded by foolish prejudices is something really deplorable, isn't it?"

He smiled in return, "Deplorable? Perhaps, though nearsighted is the word I would use in most cases."

He then asked, "You must hate the pampered and selected elite like myself who don't have to deal with the same obstacles as you do."

"Hate is such a powerful emotion to drive action. It's like a resource, fuel. I reserve it for the pursuits that really matter. For entitled, condescending pricks I won't be wasting it."

She smiled, tongue in cheek.

"While you may have some redeeming qualities, Syl. I may take the liberty to see you in a different light than the rest of the bunch."

He nodded gratefully, "Perhaps I should have played the role of the fool, if for no better reason than to be considered weaker than I may be. Though I think I may prefer your special attention over some flimsy advantage."

His boyish charm was evident in his smile. "Where has your path taken you before that transport last night? You mentioned Ryloth, that is quite a distance from here; in more ways than one."

"You are what you are. Who knows, perhaps any ruse I would see through."

She winked, then looked at the pitcher with water, not making a move to pour herself.

"I've been to many worlds since I left Ryloth. Along the Corellian Run, across a good portion of the Outer Rim... Many, many."

Slyvain was raised to be a courteous young man and despite their difference in kind he was more than willing to pour her water for her and slide it in front of her.

"So you've traveled quite a bit then? What type of work took you across the galaxy like that?"

"Independent freight contractor. And by that I mean independent from the Hutts as well."

She said after a grateful nod and a long sip.

"I have a penchant for finding good business opportunities."

Smuggler, then. There's her practical experience.

"Such work would definitely help you get around." He smiled warmly.

"How did you end up on a ship headed for Korriban then? That sounds like an interesting diversion... Certainly not much 'business' available to you here until you finish up."

"Such inquisitiveness, Syl. I bet your ingenuity provides several scenarios how it could have come to pass. It's not that the Empire has no disagreements with independent contractors, is it? All those planets have their legal idiosyncrasies, the good habits in one turn out to be bad ones just one hyperspace jump away. But I have turned around that sad moment of unlike-mindedness into a new path. This is what I usually do."

She drained the glass, letting he lekku slide to her back as she bent.

"Oh my, how thirsty I have been."

He smirked at her response, "I am never one to dissuade someone from seeking to better themselves, and increase their relative utility."

He tilted his head the other direction when she made her comment on thirst and chuckled inwardly. "I would have thought that you'd be used to the dry climate here on Korriban. Unless the thirst you speak of is of a different nature? I could see you having certain other thirsts very much at play in such an environment."

"My ability to weather scarcity does not mean I don't enjoy the abundance. One cannot visit this many worlds without acquiring a few tastes of higher order. I have learnt to be picky."

She raised her tattooed brow and smiled charmingly.

"Is it an invitation for a true dinner in the Cantina tomorrow?"

He smiled coyly, "Perhaps. I tend to be quite cautious with my expenditures; financial and otherwise."

He then took a sip of his own water, "I was referring to your other possible motivations for being here though. Your sensuality is apparent and indeed quite impressive, but it appears to me that is more of a tool for you than something you actually thirst for."

He paused and smiled, "Power, of course I could see you being quite interested in. But what type is the question... and for what ends? You seem to be more motivated by something more than merely power for power's sake."

He spun his finger around the top of his cup, "Money, boys, the Force... merely tools to be used for something more important. Though perhaps I am wrong?"

"Perhaps. Or perhaps I am just shallow. But even the smart Imperial you are can't get all the secrets out of a woman in one fell swoop."

She bit her lip before releasing it.

"Because, unless I don't understand how things work here, we are competitors. Or perhaps you are committed that we aren't?"

He smiled, "We are indeed competitors. But we don't have to be if our motivations align."

He then took a much more relaxed and open posture while sticking a bit of protein bar into his mouth.

"Dinner at the Cantina does sound nice. At the very least it'll give me another 'swoop' to reveal all your secrets." He said with a wink and a laugh.

"And I could ease into my new diet a bit better with a gradual change rather than just going cold turkey."

Then swallowing hard he asked, "So lovely Moyr, I've been quite inquisitive. Is there anything I can answer for you?"

"Aligning motivations sounds rather intimate."

She pursed her lips after she interceded, but then listened to him carefully until he stopped talking.

"I thought you'd never ask."

She chuckled softly, stroking her tattooed lekku.

"What do you want for birthday?"

He chuckled, "My birthday? I haven't thought of it. Despite being a noble there wasn't much extravagance in my home. Most the time I'd only get a lecture."

He sat back, "What can an 'independent freight contractor' get her hands on here in Korriban?"

"Potentially? Sky is the limit."

She twirled her finger along the rim of the empty glass.

"And not even that for long."

"Hmmmm, that's a tough one. One must always be careful with such 'gifts' because they are rarely offered without sacrifice."

He smiled, "May I hold my 'gift' for another time?"