Of Slaves And Psychos (lmr)

[Space Core]

Novux took a step back from his preparations. He had gone out of the temple, far enough that he wouldn't be disturbed by those in the direct vicinity of the imposing structure, but close enough to respond to any summons in a timely manner.

He had outlined a wide circle in the ground, placing a half dozen rocks of various sizes and shapes on its periphery in no particular order. Satisfied with the set-up the Kaleesh male stepped into the centre of the circle, regulating his breathing and closing his eyes, reaching out with the Force to each rock, until he settled on a random one and lifted it above his head, then another, and another, until all six rocks were in the air. He then began a series of increasingly complex exercises, guiding the rocks through a series of increasingly complex movements.

The Kaleesh kept working at it, struggling through several of the later moves, until he finally reached the point he always failed at. The exercise had been tailored specifically for Novux by one of the teachers at the temple. It had been designed to make him fail repeatedly and to frustrate him, until he managed to use a controlled burst of his inner wrath to fuel his power without fully succumbing to the maddening anger. Each level required finer control of his anger, and he wasn't even a quarter of the way through the routine.

It had been a grand total of two of Korriban's days that he had been stuck on this particular step in the exercise, and his patience was running out rapidly. He tried once more, and failed again, a burst of anger forced his hand and the stone was crushed. The Kaleesh allowed himself a split second of satisfaction as the shattered rock's remaining parts fell to the ground, before he smashed his fists into the ground with a loud growl. Failure once more. He could practically hear the teacher laughing at him. The Kaleesh tried to calm himself by slowing his breathing, and imagining multiple ways of killing the teacher slowly and painfully, and eventually succeeded and keeping another meltdown at bay. It had now been four days he'd gone without breaking down. A new record. At least he was succeeding at something.

Novux rose from the seated position he had adopted during the exercise and grabbed his unsheathed lightsabre. He would finish this training sequence with some simple form practise. He shifted to his combat stance, feet wide apart, knees slightly bent, un-ignited sabre at the ready, and flowed into the first moves. His movements were fluid, but deliberately slow and over-exaggerated. But with every sequence of moves he picked up the pace, going faster, and faster, retaining the precision of his earlier movements.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Naraka had gone out for a walk on her own out of a desire to spend some quality time away from the idiotic Initiates, arrogant Knights, and conceited Masters. She did delve into solitude now and then, which would have astonished her family. A Togruta who wandered off alone and shunned company wasn't normal; she was an outcast of some kind, or else a mythical leader.

Kalima Dey had never been a mythical figure, though in terms of legends she could easily be a siren, calling lonely men to their doom. The cause for her reclusiveness was simple: her mind had been destroyed in some ways. All of her social interaction from age nine to her teenage years had been with just one other person, and that person was plucked away by fate, leaving her alone.

A Togruta was never supposed to be alone, was never intended by Gods or Evolution to be in solitude. Yet she had been for long years, and it had poisoned her mind. Her discipline and her restraint had been eroded, and she'd lost her morality. All the lessons she'd learned about courtesy and poise were ripped from her mind, replaced by primal lessons about taking what she wanted whenever she wanted it, about giving in to every whim she had.

Sadly, it appeared that Naraka's transformation was permanent, as even her returns into 'society,' or what passed for it, didn't result in much more than a superficial guise of civilization, thin veneer that covered up her wild nature. Her restraint was now minimal, and she calculated everything in terms of what she could get away with rather than what was right or what was just.

The center of Naraka's world was Naraka. Not the Sith or the Jedi, not the Force, not God, not Justice, not Peace, not Hope, and not equality. No principles of men held her captive, and she existed outside the order of things, an outcast deep within.

What had called her to her present location was the sensation of rage rippling off of someone. Unable to resist the allure of someone's strong emotions, the Togruta woman had meandered towards the source, her bare feet kicking up small clouds of dust with each step. She'd finally arrived a minute or so earlier, and had spent the time watching the source.

He was a Kaleesh. She recognized that much easily, though she'd never actually seen one before. She found his skin unattractive, and his posture odd. While she wasn't a racist, Naraka found that Kaleesh were not on her list of attractive species. Nevertheless, she'd engage him in conversation, and perhaps see if she could use him to her advantage.

"Well, a Kaleesh on Korriban," She said in an amused tone, her voice sly as a fox. "I take it you're a new Initiate?"

[Space Core]

As the voice rang out Novux whipped around, igniting his lightsaber as he swivelled to face the newcomer. Togruta. Female. Armed. He could feel the power rippling from her, and he knew he would not stand a chance if they were to engage in battle. Mentally berating himself for focusing too much on his training and forgetting to mind his surroundings the Kaleesh realised that the woman was probably a Sith master of some description, unsheathed his lightsaber and bowed slightly. If she decided to attack he'd probably die, whether his weapon was sheathed or not. He'd come to realise that at his level most proper Sith did not require a weapon to kill him.

"Yes," Novux replied simply. "Name is Novux. Have recently completed initial Sith training. I am currently seeking master to further training," he added. "May I be so bold as to ask for your name?"

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

The Kaleesh turned abruptly and activated a lightsaber. Naraka's response to his abrupt action was passive, quite firmly neutral. She simply stood there with her hands near her saber hilts until the man deactivated his blade.

He'd probably figured out that he didn't want to fight an unknown woman who he didn't know, which meant he was a little less stupid than some others she'd met before. He seemed to have a degree of control over his rage.

It was a pity really, because it would have been very amusing if he exploded and tried to use his feeble abilities to lash out. Impotent rage was often delicious, like a fine wine.

However, he didn't, and the Togruta woman folded her arms over her breast, standing with one knee locked and the other bent in the relaxed position of a being who wasn't going anywhere.

He said his name was Novux, and that he was new. Whether 'Novux' was an actual Kaleesh name or not she didn't know, but she completely believed that he was new. Only new Initiates were jumpy enough to activate a lightsaber when someone else showed up.

Whether or not he would last was something that remained to be seen, and she didn't really have any personal stake in this. Naraka had a passing interest only, though admittedly it could grow into something more personal. Not intimacy, or at least not when she was sober, but perhaps some kind of maternal pride, or even something adversarial.

"Naraka," She introduced herself with a slight bow of her head. "Try not to be so jumpy Initiate. You might not last long if some hothead takes that lit saber as a sign you want to fight. Lucky for you, I'm the very model of patience."

That last sentence was paired with a smirk.

[Space Core]

"So it would seem," Novux replied, a faint amused smile of his own, hidden by his mask, twisted his lips. "You honour me with your teachings," he added. He had yet to meet a Sith who was the model of patience. He had begun to assume that short tempers came with the territory. Though he wasn't usually so jumpy, but he had gotten used to sensing people before they arrived, and his focus on his training had temporarily robbed him of that ability. The feeling of vulnerability he derived from his temporary blindness to his surroundings, coupled with the surprise of the unexpected presence had made him act rashly and foolishly. At least that was the logical conclusion.

Truth be told something else about her made him unnecessarily jumpy. It wasn't the power emanating from her, or the feeling that she wouldn't hesitate to rip him to shreds before he could even lift a finger, those things were commonplace on Korriban. It was something else. Something at the back of his mind. An unsettling feeling, like she was a half-forgotten face, or bore some similarities to a half-forgotten face, which was strange seeing as he had never met anyone that looked quite like her. At least to the best of his knowledge he had not. Then again where his memory was concerned the best of his knowledge wasn't much.

"Is there anything you require master Naraka?" well he didn't know if she was a master, but with the Sith it was always wiser to err on the side of flattery.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Naraka wasn't sure if his flattering words were sarcastic or an honest compliment, but she wasn't inclined took too deeply. His words hadn't been dripping with sarcasm, which was a good sign, and she wasn't the type to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Well, at least not when it came to flattery. If he'd been offering her something important for free she might not have been so cavalier about it, but there wasn't really anything to be gained from just refusing to take the nice words.

"Just passing through Initiate," The Togruta woman said, savoring his rank as if to remind him he was inferior, the word rippling with her subtle accent.

However, her negativity was fleeting, and she became polite quickly, still pleased from his flattery.

"However, perhaps there might be something I could do for you. I'm free right now after all, and you look like you might require some special attentions."

The Togruta woman stared off at the horizon and didn't make eye contact until her very last sentence. It was a firm look, probing and penetrating.

"You'd have to make it worth my time though. It would be a real shame if you turned out to be a disappointment."

[Space Core]

The kaleesh had to resist the urge to roll his eyes at the renewed mention of his rank. Yes she was his superior. He got that. Did she really have to point it out so often though? But the proposition that followed caught his attention far more. Her? Help him? That was... unusual. As far as Novux could tell Sith Masters rarely helped anyone other than their own apprentices, and even in that case it was in their own personal interest. A Sith offering to help another without expecting payment was strange.

Well actually in a way she did imply that he'd have to work for her help, make it worth her time, leading him to the obvious assumption she would use him as entertainment and that that would be payment enough. That assumption begged another question though. Did he have anything worth her time? Anything he desired that could interest her? Two things immediately came to mind. The return of his memory and the taming of his anger. Out of those two it was fairly obvious which one had a greater chance of interesting a Sith. The Sith fed on powerful emotions, they were drawn to them and relished them, and according to his previous teachers the sheer magnitude of his unleashed anger was intoxicating.

"There is something," he said slowly, a tinge of hesitation colouring his previously blank tone. "This is complicated to explain. Sith usually use emotions to fuel their power, in my case the emotion I can always rely on is anger, and that is the problem. Whenever I attempt to use my inner wrath I run the risk of being overcome by it. My teachers taught me a variety of ways to stop that from happening too often, but this has since dulled my ability to call upon my anger to strengthen my power. If you know of anything that may help me, I would forever be in your debt," it felt strange, to ask someone to help him break down his training. But at this stage he thought it was necessary. If he kept toying around with the rocks he would never reach results without going mad with impatience first. He had to act.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

If Naraka had possessed eyebrows, she might have raised one. A new Initiate looking to control his anger? Most of the fresh meat seemed to think by letting their rage out at every one at the slightest provocation they would somehow prove their worth.

This was a pleasant surprise though, and she didn't feel like this Initiate was an idiot. Perhaps he had some potential.

The real question now was how to deal with his dilemma. He wanted to use his anger, but to control it. Essentially, he was asking her to turn his white hot rage into a cold anger, and that was a considerable challenge, even for her.

Perhaps she could come up with some method. There was, after all, one thing that stayed in her mind.

"All right, I'll see what I can do. Follow me to the Temple."

Naraka turned, and she started to walk, keeping pace with the Kaleesh Initiate so he wouldn't stray too far behind. As she walked, she decided to provide a little lecture on anger.

"Remember that anger is supposed to be under your control, not control you. It can be both an asset and an enemy. It's up to you to use it properly, which is something you can learn with experience."

[Space Core]

Novux followed her, after scattering the dust around his training area with a simple blast of the Force, erasing all physical traces of his training. As they walked the Kaleesh made sure to stay a couple of paces to the left and behind Naraka. As well as being a mark of respect most Masters seemed to enjoy it was so that he wouldn't bump into her if she were to suddenly stop for whatever reason. As she spoke he listened carefully to her words, but found that they were of little use to him, partially because these things had already been taught to him, but also because he'd come to realise that the experience he needed to temper his anger was probably locked away in his lost memories. It was at that moment he realised that she didn't know of his amnesia. For a second he debated whether he should tell her, the least a Sith stranger knew about him the better, anything could be used against him. But on the flip side the potential power he would gain from having a deep pool of anger he could draw on at will was too tempting to ignore.

"I am afraid that experience is not my strong suite," he said as she finished. "I lost all my memories a few weeks after arriving on Korriban and starting my training. Some parts of my past has been explained to me, which is nothing like having the true memories, and the brunt of my life is still hidden from me. I am told that my amnesia may have been caused by my anger. Or at least that the anger truly began manifesting itself shortly after I lost my memories."

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Amnesia? Now that was an interesting little angle.

Naraka considered what it would be like losing all her memories, and she came to one swift conclusion. If she didn't have her memories, it would have made her even less grounded and even more wild. It was the memories of Ashla and Adri that kept her civil. If everything she'd learned had been forgotten...

Well, the Togruta woman probably would sunk into a new role as wild woman, living in some isolated jungle preying off of wild animals and living her own little existence.

So, not bad. But different. What leaned towards bad was losing the memories she considered special.

"Was there some kind of medical reason?" The red-skinned woman asked as she continued walking, her red feet kicking up small clouds of dust that caked to her bare legs. She'd have to wash it off later.

Naraka couldn't quite picture amnesia happening for no reason at all, even though she knew nothing of Kaleesh physiology. Maybe he could find some medical attention here to take care of his condition. There was, after all, that Arkanian doctor in the medical wing who seemed eerily knowledgable.

Up ahead, the Temple came into sight as they turned a corner. It loomed large, dark as what it contained. Somber, immovable, and daunting. Naraka wasn't keen on its monolithic structure, and would have settled for something less menacing and more beautiful.

Would it kill them to have a few plants?

[Space Core]

"I was only given a highly superfluous battery of tests, to make sure my mind wasn't permanently damaged. At the end of it, experts said there was no long lasting injury and that I was fit for combat. But other than that the problem wasn't looked into any more deeply," there was a great deal more he wanted to say on that topic. Like how he sometimes pictured slowly ending the life of his previous teachers for making the decisions they had. Slowly and painfully. But he was fairly sure Naraka wouldn't want to hear his whining about unfair treatment and blaming his teachers, and if she did want to hear about it, well he wasn't willing to risk her anger.

The temple finally came into view. The only thing Novux could remember ever knowing. He'd heard complaints that it was designed to intimidate and to scare. On him it had little effect. It was there and it served its purpose. It was a shield from Korriban's harsh elements, a roof over his head and where he could find a meal and knowledge. Lately though the temple had started to feel like a prison, where he was stuck until he managed to get a master. He had to admit that he caught himself staring at pictures of other, more verdant and natural worlds, and finding some joy from imagining himself elsewhere. But he blamed that on his newly acquired feeling of being caged, these other worlds simply represented freedom, and the next step on his quest for power. That was a rationale he could understand.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Naraka decided it wouldn't help to be friendly, for now. It was in her favor to be what other Sith weren't, to set herself apart from the crowd. Different was special, and special was what made for good allies, and lovers like Haust.

Maybe this Kaleesh could be of use to her somehow. She just had to get on his good side and make the right first impression, as that would govern everything. Of course it was possible she might rapidly undo all that good will when she started working with his anger.

"We have an Arkanian in the medical wing, a new arrival named Sobi Q'asdan. A rather prestigious Doctor and Professor from Arkania in fact. If anyone can help, it's her."

Of course...

"That's assuming you want them back. Without them, there's nothing to hold you back and nothing to hold you down."

Granted, you'll never know who or what you are.

That wasn't a trade Naraka would be willing to make. Her likes and dislikes, her passions, they were all too integral to the face she wore every day to be lost. If they were gone, what would she be?

It wasn't necessarily that the answer to that question was bad as it was that it was unknown. It was the absence of knowledge that she couldn't stand.

The Master and Initiate walked into the Temple, and Naraka led him through the winding passages to one of the torture rooms, where her rather unorthodox plan would take place.

[Space Core]

Did he really want those memories back? He'd never stopped to think about that. He had always set down a goal for himself, one to drive himself forwards, to motivate him to batter down any and all opposition. The end result he wanted was power, he craved it, something deep inside him yearned for it, though for what reason he knew not. And that was why he needed his memories. Power was important, but power without a focus, a purpose to channel it into was pointless.

And yet what if those memories contained things that would create so large a divide between what his current amnesiac self wanted and what his old, some would say true, self would have wished? Would it break him apart? But from what he had been told by those who taught him during his first weeks on Korriban his past had been entirely uninteresting. A life devoid of significant hardships and significant ease. But did he believe them? They had their own agenda. A blank slate as he had been would be easy to control. He clenched his fist and grit his teeth at the thought of being manipulated. And that made him realise something. It was possible that the return of his memories, or even parts of his memories would lead to him getting even angrier.

"For now my priority is to control my anger," he replied after a long pause. "If it is possible to do so without regaining my memories yet, that would be ideal. Once the anger in me is controllable, then I will have the resolve required to face who I was," once again he refrained from saying more than was necessary. He needed this woman. He didn't know what she was planning, but if there was a possibility of solving his particular dilemma then he would be a fool to refuse.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

"If that is your choice," Naraka said with a nod, "Then I won't pressure you."

The Togruta woman opened a door and stepped into one of the Temple's more grisly facilities. It was a torture chamber, though in this high tech age it was more sleek and medical than the wood and iron spikes of eras long since passed.

"Now, you step into the restraining cage here, and I'll secure you inside."

As if sensing apprehensiveness even before it took shape, the Togruta woman laughed and leaned against the cage casually. Her hand waved dismissively, and her tone was if this was as trivial as could be.

"Oh trust me, this isn't a way to cause you any terrible pain. I simply want an easy way to control you when you're fighting to keep your own anger under control. If I didn't..."

Her brown eyes took on a hard edge, and her voice became much colder.

"I'd hate to have to leave you missing an arm or a leg, or leave you dead on the ground."

[Space Core]

"If that is your choice. Then I won't pressure you."

Novux had to admit that her reply surprised him a little. The last time he had been asked for his opinion regarding a matter which affected him personally his answer hadn't even been taken into account. It felt nice to have control over something for once. He couldn't recall any instance in his current set of memories when he'd been allowed to truly make his own decision.

As the door the Togruta was leading him to opened though, his feeling of being in control immediately vanished. He had been ordered to interrogate someone as part of the earliest training he could remember. It had been extremely painful. For the one interrogated.

He barely registered her order to get into the restraint cage, or the explanation of why he should do it that followed. The sentence that followed about risking life ad limb if he disobeyed felt more Sith-like than anything he'd heard her say or see her do in the short time he'd known her. It was a nice change back to routine.

"Whatever this pile of junk can dish can't be worse than the food here," Novux inwardly groaned at his own pathetic attempt at humour. But what could he say? He was about to step into a torture device's restraints, putting himself at the mercy of a complete strange who may or may not have psychotic tendencies. His mind was elsewhere.

With a resigned sigh he walked into the cage and the door shut and locked itself behind him. His fingers began twitching ever so slightly as he began taking slow deep breaths. This was more than mad and foolish, it was idiotic. This decision was the abominable love child of desperation and impatience.

"I know I make this look easy, comfy and homey at the same time, but I'd really be thankful if we could get this over with quickly."

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

The Kaleesh dutifully walked into the torture cage, and Naraka ran her tongue over her sharp fangs. Though she doubted she'd actually draw blood with them in this session, she could still pretend to taste it. And to long for it.

He was putting on a brave face all right, making light of the situation with a joke about the food, and putting on a brave face. He was so overconfident, so heedless of what he was walking into. Like a brash little fool, he was so confident in his ability to endure, as if his weak command of the Force would somehow save him the agonies of torture.

When he was securely inside, Naraka activated the stasis field. Then she set about her first goal, inciting his rage.

"So you're a Kaleesh. An insignificant race from an insignificant planet, hideous and without use. As befits a little worm like yourself, you're full of bluster and full of talk. Idiot. Fool. You don't even know when to be frightened."

The Togruta woman spat through the bars of the cage and landed spittle on him. However that was only a small punctuation, a comma rather than a period in her sentence of actions.

"What makes you think you deserve one shred of attention from any master here? You are cannon fodder, and nothing else. Nothing makes you special."

[Space Core]

Surprised? Not as much as he should have been. She'd been too nice for a Sith. Way too nice. He should have seen it coming. But her original insults were less than effective. Racial slurs had no power over him.

It still annoyed him though, if not the specifics then the very fact that she was actively trying to insult him was insulting. That she'd just wasted his time and tricked him. That bitch had purposefully hunted him down and weaved an entire plot just so she could lock him in there and throw a little tantrum right in front of him? He could feel the anger rising.

This was bad, the risk of hurting himself in this cage if he broke down was fairly high, despite the restraints. But as he tried to push down the rising anger he began to realise what the Sith master was trying to do. She was trying to get him mad, whether her insult were heartfelt or not he couldn't tell, but the purpose of the rant was clear to Novux now. There was no need to hold back

As the spitting began the Kaleesh realised that even if he had tried to hold back he would have failed miserably. By the time Naraka launched into a string of far more effective insults regarding his position as a Sith Novux was already past the point of no return. When her sentence ended he was literally teetering on the edge, one more word, one more movement from her and he was over the edge.

That last shove came in the form of her lips moving upwards, as if in a smirk, as she was forming the first syllable of 'special'. His mind was gone. He had no control over his body. He had only one thought left, one single impulse, and that was to hurt her. A lot. No more cold logic and thought through actions.

He began to strain against the stasis field, which replied by sending shocks through his body. After several more attempts failed, he decided to change tactic. He began to slam massive bursts of Force energy into the restraints hoping to shatter them, then cast lightning hoping to short circuit them, all to no avail, harming himself more than the cage.

Most of his energy had been burnt out, he was panting and blood from his wrists was coating his hands, he had also suffered several burns across his body from the shocks inflicted by the stasis every time he forced against it too hard. But the pain didn't matter right now, he could barely register it. His mind had only one directive. Harm the red chick. He was still struggling against the stasis field, but he was out of energy. His anger was bleeding out.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Naraka fell silent as the captive Kaleesh raged inside the torture cage. He kept shocking himself in his efforts to extricate himself.

The Togruta woman folded her arms and watched him carefully, silent once more. She hadn't really meant any of what she said. Or, more accurately, she'd only half-meant it. She had no animosity towards him, just a sort of passing interest in feasting on his impotent rage.

He writhed as he tried to get out and harm her, and she waited to see him calm himself.

As amusing as his efforts were, Naraka found them trifling. If he'd been free and coming to tear her apart, she might have found some adventure in it. However, captive prey wasn't quite so delicious when her intentions were for improving it.

When the Kaleesh calmed down, she would work to make him furious again, and then repeat the process every time he calmed down. Eventually he would find some degree of control over his temper, even if only because the constant pain would force him to capitulate.

It wasn't fast, and it wasn't comfortable, but she couldn't think of a better way to address his problem.

[Space Core]

Novux finally sagged, slipping out of consciousness for a few seconds. His breathing was ragged, and the pain was making its presence known. For a few seconds he remained still, his breathing eventually evened out, and suddenly his eyes flew open. For a second they were hazy and unfocused. He made a move to get up, but the shackles got in his way. He turned to look at them, a frown of confusion creased his brow behind his mask.

"What in the name of the gods..." the Kaleesh swivelled his head, looking around, taking in his surroundings. His vision was still hazy and he was having trouble taking in details, but it seemed obvious to him he was a prisoner of some sort. The pain he felt implied that he'd either been tortured or recently brought back from a battle. The battle! Arshala!? He furiously looked around, and noticed a red silhouette, he squinted, trying to gain some focus, and soon enough he could see well enough that he was sure the individual was a Togruta female, of roughly the same size as his lover. But he'd seen her die, hadn't he? She had said that the Force could work in mysterious ways but he didn't believe it could bring people back form the dead. Or could it?

"Arshala? Is that you? I can't see clearly," the Kaleesh groaned in frustration and pain, partially at his hazy sight and partially at the fact he could barely move. "Where am I? Why am I being restrained?"

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

"Well this is interesting," Naraka said aloud with an odd expression on her face.

She was simultaneously surprised, confused, and amused. With anyone else, she might have assumed this was a trick or a ploy, however she could read this raw initiate like a book. The Togruta woman knew full and well that he was honestly having some kind of change.

He lacked awareness of his surroundings, lacked knowledge of who she was, and seemed to have some new identity. He referred to her as Arshala, which she was peripherally aware was another Togruta name, a regional variant of Ashla. Her own master's name.

Her options were straight forward. Either she could tell him the truth, or she could play along and see where it took her. Of course the latter path was fraught with peril. Unless he was sorely confused, he could probably tell her voice apart from this other woman's, and when his eyesight became better he could easily see the difference.

Of course, despite what ideologues would vehemently insist upon across the galaxy, there was always an option in the middle.

"No, it's her friend Rana. You're in a safe place now. And you're restrained..."

Naraka delved into his mind, focusing in on this Arshala, and quickly finding the concept of lovers. Rather a disgusting couple they must have made. But perhaps she could use this to her own advantage, even lacking full knowledge.

A little pain would be delicious, and he was such easy pickings...

"Because you killed her in a rage."

Truthfully, she had no idea what had happened to this woman, but arranging her imaginary death would be valuable. In the first place, she'd get to soak up his grief and pain like a sponge, and in the second place it neatly severed a tie to his past.

And a little dose of self-loathing could be a useful tool to hold over someone.