Moon and Sun (Dutch)

[Neology]

Novus dropped her bags on the floor, blue eyes casting about to take in the small room. The Jedi shuttle granted it's passengers few luxuries: a narrow bed, a locker, a table and chair. Virtually identical to a Jedi's room at the temple. She sat on the bed, skimming her fingertips over the fabric. The familiarity was strange, almost painful.

'Wouldn't you rather be …'

No. This had made more sense. No scramble to find the Jedi clothes or a ticket. Closer, too – that had been more important at the last. She'd never been so exhausted in her life. It was hard enough to stand, just now, that the idea of driving several more hours was best not dwelt upon. Novus struggled out of her boots and lay down. She was asleep almost before her head hit the pillow.

--

If she dreamed, she did not know it.

Novus woke several hours later, head aching, stomach growling. She rolled out of bed, crossed to the door, and stepped barefoot out into the hall. The refresher was two doors down, no sign of Levin. She slipped inside, locking the door behind her.

A real shower. Now, that was a luxury worth taking back every dark thought she'd ever had about the Order. She stripped out of the black fatigues and stepped into the shower stall, letting the cold water wash over her. Her thoughts wandered in a useless daze as her body carried out this familiar routine.

'What are you doing here? Have you lost your mind?' Here she was, on her way to Coruscant with the most powerful Jedi she had ever met. By choice. Was he very clever or was she very stupid? She was as good as his prisoner. Surely the charade would end soon; duty would require he turn her over to the temple. Would she fight, then? She tried to imagine being locked away in some dank prison for the rest of her life. Having tasted death, she could not say which was worse.

Would Levin visit her there?

'Maybe he wont turn me in ...'

The shower beeped – it was nearing it's automatic cut off. Novus finished rinsing her hair and stepped out, wrapping herself in a towel. She eyed the fatigues dubiously, unwilling to put the filthy things back on. They'd have gone straight in the trash, save that if they were discovered it would be very obvious that they did not belong to Levin. Well. Better to cover his back, for now, although by that line of thinking she really shouldn’t have taken the shower. Frowning, she scooped up the clothes, balling the stiff fabric between her hands.

She lingered in the doorway, extending her senses briefly. The Jedi was still in his room, deeply asleep. Bad dreams. She made it back to her room before the strangeness of that observation occurred to her. 'How do you know that?' Disturbed, she stored the thought away, busying herself with her bags. She dumped them out onto the bed. Arhja Tikaris's wardrobe, such as it was, tended toward the light and flowy, slightly wrinkled in transit. Novus selected wide legged pants in a soft cream and a ruffled blouse in dark blue. She got dressed quickly, then stepped back into the hall.

Levin's room was right next to her's. She stopped, knocked softly on the door, and waited. It was unkind to wake him, perhaps, but the full trip – Alderaan to Coruscant, would take a little less than a day. They needed to talk.

[Dutch]

Levin too had barely stumbled into his room before the last shredded remnants of his Jedi robes were discarded, the Jedi falling onto the bed and into a deep slumber. Flashing images of the horrors they had faced tumbled rapidly in his mind, skin being flayed and tugged at by rakghoul teeth. Novus being torn into from behind, flesh and bone cascading across the floor as a shadowy version of himself feasted on her flesh. His apprentice, watching it all suspended from a ceiling before oozing back into the walls with wordless whispers. Piles and piles of fetid, rotted bodies rolling in a sick wave as it swallowed an entire city. Novus stood outside one of the buildings, knocking surprisingly lightly to be let in.

Waking with a start the Jedi registered that the knocking was actually happening. Levin sat up, eyes scanning the room as he felt his pulse race from the nightmares. A cold sweat had soaked himself to the bone, the bed under him not spared from it. He moved to stand, his sore muscles screaming in protest as he stumbled to his feet. The door wasn't much more than a step away from the bed, Levin still in a haze lurching to press the panel to open it as a hand rested on the door frame. With a quiet shush the door slid open to reveal Novus, cleaned and dressed in clothing he could only assume were from the bags she had taken. His eyes looked her up and down to take in the lovely sight that was the Sith. He blinked once, curious at his own thought. Yet as she stood in civilian clothing, smelling of soaps and conditioners and peering up at him that was the only word that had come to mind.

And then Levin realized that where Novus had come to his door fully dressed and clean, he was still very much in the nude and still musky from the mission. He could feel the blood drain from his face, more out of sheer awkward than any shame. In his time as a Healer he had seen many bare, but only one other had ever really seen him so. Lev cleared his throat lightly, hand reaching to a hook on the wall to pull a cloak from it. With a fluid motion the Jedi donned it, folding the fabric over to cover himself.

"I-uh... sorry." Levin said, avoiding eye contact with Novus as he moved to let her in. As she did he unconsciously let his gaze fall down the cat-like roll of her body. Realizing where his eyes were falling, he quickly averted and turned away from Novus. Levin would turn to look at the chronometer on the wall, showing Galactic Standard Time for every Jedi world as well as a count-down timer to their destination. They still had almost a day until they'd arrive on Coruscant.

Coruscant of all places was where the Sith had suggested, that fact still a tough one for Levin to comprehend. Still as he looked back to Novus, she appeared nothing more than an Arkanian in a nice outfit. His eyes flitted over her face for a second, curious as to how the dark-side hadn't altered her features in any way. Was it possible she had control over it, over it controlling her as he'd seen in so many Sith?

"You look good." Levin stated, blinking once before correcting himself. "Better, that is." A hand moved to rest fingertips lightly against her temple, letting the Force flow from himself into her as he assessed her physical state.

"How do you feel? Any stiffness anywhere?" He asked, checking to see if her revival had caused any adverse effects. After a moment Levin realized it was likely rude to just treat Novus like any other patient, he lowered his hand and looked at the woman almost sheepishly.

[Neology]

Perhaps she had been wrong, for the Jedi didn't keep her waiting. She could hear faint movement on the other side, right before the door slid open with a soft pneumatic hiss. 'Or maybe not.'

“Oh. Excuse me.”

She began to lower her hand, then raised it to her mouth instead, hiding a smile. Her eyes flickered down, a bit of lizard brain curiosity, then back up to meet his eyes. Amusement faded as she watched the color drain from his face. Accident then, not clumsy invitation. Of course. She turned her head away, belated respect for his privacy. The Jedi made a noise in his throat and struggled through an apology. Fabric rustled.

“No, it's alright.” That didn't make any sense – why did she say it? Of course she was fine; it wasn't as if she'd never seen a naked man before. Novus stepped around him and into the room, her eyes studiously avoiding his.

The Jedi's bedroom was identical to her own, save that it smelled more of sweat and male habitation. She took a seat in the only chair, finding her gaze drawn to the rumpled bed. 'I think I was right about the dreams.'

Novus glanced up when he spoke, winged brows lifting in inquiry. A compliment, quickly amended. Fingers brushed her temple, warm against the damp of her hairline. She peered up at him, lips drawn into a slight frown.

“Honestly, I'm okay. Hungry, a little sore, tired maybe. But no worse than I would expect.”

She blew out a short sigh, fingers curling around the chair's armrest, expression turning introspective for a moment. You weren't supposed to lie to your doctor, right? Maybe … No. Guessing that Levin, run ragged through nightmares for days, would have a bad dream? That didn't mean anything, other then that she had eyes and a brain in her head.

“How about you, Levin? You look rough, if you don't mind my saying.”

[Dutch]

"It is normal to feel so after being revived, do not worry. Once you've had something to eat, and another night of rest your body will have reset to normality."

Levin stepped back from Novus, though covered the man still felt exposed in the light fabric of the cloak. His eyes searched the woman's features as she spoke. The Sith did appear to be back in good health, if a bit tired as she said. There was something else to her expression, something Lev couldn't quite put his thumb on until she asked about his own well being. Novus was... concerned. What an odd concept to the Jedi. His comrades almost exclusively never did, knowing what Levin was capable of. Yet here this Sith of all things worried over his well being.

He blinked once as he wrestled with this realization, unsure of how to respond exactly. Levin turned away from Novus, quickly going over his own body with the Force to assess himself. It took him a moment to realize then that it wasn't necessarily his physical self she was worried about, a gaze in the full length mirror next to the door revealing tired eyes and still ashen skin. He moved to the foot of the bed, and turned to slowly sink down to sit upon it. The fingers of his hands wove together as the Jedi stared tiredly at the floor by Novus' bare feet.

"Closing a nexus like the one we faced... leaves its mark." Levin started, eyes trailing up Novus' long legs as she sat before him. The rose over the rest of her form, stopping to meet her gaze. Lev considered how to describe the event to her, unsure if someone like Novus could even begin to comprehend how it felt for someone so attuned to the light to be near such malevolent darkness.

"Nightmares... loss of appetite, exhaustion. Each has been the same." Levin looked back down at the bed under him, a hand moving to smooth the rumpled and damp sheets the best he could. "... They never get easier to handle."

He peered back over to Novus, straightening his posture as he did. It appeared that Novus had not been as effected by the concentrated dark side energies as he was, did this have anything to do with her alignment? Or perhaps what he assumed was after effects from her resurrection was actually the mark of the nexus? So many questions, now that there was a Sith that seemed... approachable. Yet even Levin could tell this was no time to put the woman under a battery of queries. Clearing his throat lightly, he looked back down at himself before looking to the door of his room.

"If you're hungry, the galley is stocked. Even some fresh fruit if you'd like some. I think I should follow your lead, and wash myself."

[Neology]

Normal. Novus breathed a noncommittal 'hmm.' How was one supposed to feel, pulled back from the edge of death? Hungover maybe, but worse. Considering all that had happened, she felt remarkable. Not that dead was hard to improve on.

Her eyes followed Levin as he turned, watching him study his reflection with a shallow pang of regret. His fatigue seemed worse somehow, now that she had called attention to it. She inclined her head as he spoke, listening carefully. His speech was as terse as ever.

She nodded, thoughtful. As far as she could tell his affinity, his talent, was rare to the point being unique. Or very nearly so. She'd always thought of nexuses as something closer to features of the landscape then singular entities to attack and destroy. What he'd described, what he'd done … It was like a single man tearing down a mountain in an afternoon. No wonder he looked tired.

“I hadn't considered the personal cost. I'm sorry.”

He went on. Fresh fruit? Her lips quirked into a surprised smile. A personal indulgence at last. She stood up from the chair, glancing at the chronometer. Twenty hours to go. Not much time, and yet … A lot could still happen; they'd destroyed a nexus in less. She touched his shoulder, awkward reassurance, then let her arm fall back to her side.

“Thanks.” She left the room and turned down the hall. Moments later, she heard the door open and close again, followed by steps in the hall. Levin, headed the other direction. Novus stopped in place, chewing the inside of her lip in frustrated indecision.

'Are you seriously considering this?' 'Yes.' She'd kissed him when she thought they might die. It'd been ... Pretty nice, actually. Not what she'd imagined kissing a Jedi would be like. And this wasn't all that different, really. Her life, at least, might still be in peril.

Novus turned and walked the other way, pausing in front of the refresher door. She tested the handle – unlocked – and let herself in.

“Hey.” This addressed to the shower stall door as she shimmied out of her pants. “I was thinking about yesterday, you know?” The blouse came next, up and over, mussing her half dry hair. “And I know you can't reach that spot on your back.” Okay, maybe not a great joke. “Plus, I've already seen you naked. It'd only be fair.” Lacy underclothes added to the pile. “So. Are you going to invite me in or what?”

[Dutch]

The smile that suddenly lit up Novus' face at the mention of fresh food drew his gaze from the door. His eyes peered up at the woman as she stood, the hand at his shoulder light. They continued to follow her as she stepped to leave, offering a small smile in recognition of her gentle gratitude. The door shut behind her, Levin still staring at the space where she had just stood. He mulled over the situation, part still not believing the fact that here a Darth of the Sith Order was on his shuttle. Travelling to Coruscant, the center of the galactic society. Novus had completely altered his view on the enemy near overnight. Perhaps the ruling caste of the Sith was an entirely different creature that the rank and rabble?

Levin stood before pulling a drawer open with the Force. He chose a simple tunic and trousers in grey linen, loose and comfortable for the flight. Clothes folded over one arm he stepped out of his chamber, glancing to see Novus casually strolling the other direction from the fresher. Though her gait was calm, he could feel the low buzz of her conflicted emotions in the Force. The frequency wasn't unlike his own, matching pitches of anxiety, confusion, disbelief and hushed excitement. Levin blinked and narrowed his gaze as he opened the fresher door, half not believing but not denying the feeling that settled into his gut. The man was more concerned over the fact that he so easily could pick up on the woman's emotions.

He shrugged the cloak off, the Jedi letting it fall to his hand before draping it over the small counter. The grey linens were placed atop the cloak before Levin stepped to enter the shower. The door slid shut behind him, a single light flickered on above as the water began to fall. Skin still crawling from the events on Alderaan, the Jedi flicked a finger over the panel to increase the heat. He sighed and closed his eyes as the steam began to build. Memories from the past fortnight wafted through his mind, how it felt to work alongside Novus. To seal the nexus before immediately following with reviving the woman. The kiss. For 'good luck'.

There is no luck, there is only the Force...

His eyes would slide open as he heard the door click open, Novus' presence suddenly filling the room near him. Levin gazed at the opaque stall door as she spoke, his brow slightly lowered in uncertainty as the woman spoke. Her tone was light, coy and almost playful. Through the Force he could feel what he could only describe as a warmth beginning to grow, blossoming out to press against his presence. He began to look around the stall, entirely unsure if the woman would even fit with him in it as well. Or was she making a joke? Levin's hand moved to pushed the stall door open slightly, sure to not expose himself.

"I do not think both of-"

Levin's words would cut short as he peered out of the ajar door. There Novus stood, bare and glistening from the condensed steam upon her fair skin. Speechless the Jedi took in the sight of the Sith, his heart skipping a beat and pulse quickening. He knew he should avert his gaze, he knew he should fight whatever physical urges billowed up from within. Yet Levin also knew the carnal delights of the flesh, and still wasn't sure if he regretted having tasted them before or not.

Yet perhaps she actually meant she merely wanted to give him a hand with his back? What if he had been standing there openly staring at the soft curves of her body, and Novus had meant absolutely nothing by it? Slowly he slid the rest of the door open, a light flush taking his cheeks as he did so. Head hazy and unaware of any physical reactions to Novus' nudity, Levin shifted awkwardly.

"You... may enter..." He rumbled before taking a step back to make room. Levin watched in fixated fascination as he waited to see what Novus would do next.

[Neology]

Novus leaned one hip against the counter, waiting, struggling to squash out a traitorous flutter of fear. Rejection was an awful thought just now, one that she wish she'd considered before stripping out of her clothes. The attraction was mutual, she was certain of that. Whether or not Levin would act on it, well, that was different. The Jedi forbiddance on intimacy, on attachment, had always been difficult for her to understand. It seemed to her a cheap way to sever responsibility for one's emotions.

'Oh, never mind that, kid. It's just the darkside, and it's in your blood and bones, in the wires in your head ...' That thought, cynical reminder of growing up within the Order, faded abruptly as the stall door slid open, framing Levin's face. He started to speak, but the words seemed to get away from him. Novus smiled; that was the reaction she'd been hoping for.

'When did you get so easy to read, Lev?' She had tried so hard to get under his skin on Vendaxa, to no apparent success. Now she could feel his regard, palpable in the air. Caution, guilt, a tentative sort of lust … Thus invited, she crossed the tiled floor, slipping into the stall with him.

Levin was right – the shower stall proved to be very close quarters. Old training came to mind unbidden, where to strike with a blade to kill in a breath, to kill in a minute … All quite useless, here. She blinked rapidly, opting to kiss him instead, pressing him against the stall's back wall. She took her time, fingers curling in his dark hair. He could hardly be surprised, this time.

“I lied. I don't actually want to help you wash your back.” She murmured into his shoulder before kissing there, too, sharp canines lightly abrading the skin. Her fingers trailed down his back. At length, she sank to her knees.

“Tell me that you want me to do this.”

[Dutch]

She entered, and before Levin knew it her lips were upon his. Hands found Novu's waist as she pressed him against the wall, slowly they slid to her hips to squeeze as they kissed. Novus parted, her lusty voice confirming Levin's suspicions. The feeling of her teeth dragging over his shoulder caused a light shudder to take the Jedi. He swallowed the lump in his throat as the Sith sank lower, eyes unable to tear away from hers as she moved. His thoughts raced through his mind, equal parts stacking desire and questioning doubts. Yet in the back of his mind Levin already knew that he wanted this. He wanted her.

"I... do."

With two words the Jedi could feel his reservations crumble. At first Levin tried not to enjoy the woman's actions, but as his head grew hazier the man stopped fighting. It wasn't long before Novus was off her knees and cradled in his arms. Carried from the fresher to her room and laid out on the bed, his mind was hazy with desire.

By the end of it Levin couldn't tell what was sweat and what was moisture from the shower, the damp sheets of her bed cool against the warmth that radiated off his body. The woman was light and warm on his skin, half atop and half curled against his body. One arm draped around Novus' shoulders, a single finger idle rose and fell along the curve of her back. With an almost blank stare Levin stared up at the ceiling above. While his body coursed with endorphin and oxytocin, his mind wrested with what had just happened. Levin had literally slept with the enemy of his Order.

Yet hadn't that been his curiosity with Novus all along? That the woman was among the highest echelons of the Sith Order, yet was entirely unlike any Sith he had encountered before. She had many opportunities to try to kill him, and not once had she condemned him for being Jedi. Yet Novus did make him question every thought he had about Jedi and Sith. Made him question whether they truly were meant to be the eternal enemies the galaxy had painted them. Perhaps they were really just two sides of the universal coin, meant to balance one another out. As his gaze finally fell to peer down at the pale woman, Levin suddenly realized something. He lightly cleared his throat and shifted slightly to look at her better.

"I don't even know your true name."

[Neology]

Novus voiced an inquiring 'hmm?' and propped herself up on one elbow. Her other hand pushed a few stray strands of hair behind her ear, then lowered to rest on the Jedi's chest. Tension seemed to build there, an imagined flutter beneath her fingertips.

“Well, everyone calls me Darth, so that must be it.” She smiled. He did not. 'Just as well, maybe.' Yesterday's monstrous apparition came briefly to mind. Novus shivered and nestled in closer.

“Alright, maybe that wasn't so funny. Sorry. I figured you'd have done your homework, after Vendaxa.” Apparently not, if he had to ask. There couldn't be very many Arkanian offshoot Jedi gone missing at the right time. A bit of research seemed the natural step two, though perhaps not for Levin. “My name is Lidah. Lidah Faine.” It felt strange, shaping those familiar syllables, giving them breath, hearing them aloud again. Few among the Sith knew her birth name, and they, of course, never addressed her by it.

“I'm not proud of how I got here. I was a Jedi, but … If a Jedi is a weapon, there was a flaw in my steel. My last mission went very badly. When the ultimatum came - join the fledgling Sith or die – well, you know which I picked. I was afraid.” Slim justification of an old wound. She watched Levin's face as she spoke, bracing for the disappointment she expected to find there. “That's the short version, anyway. It's not much of a story.” Oversimplified, as well, but she could not give him names. Dalliance became treason, somewhere further along that line.

Novus lay her head back down on his shoulder, silent for several moments. Anxiety built in the back of her mind, quite unwelcome just now. She closed her eyes, breathed in the warm scent of his skin.

“What happens next? Do we just …” 'Go our separate ways?' That was the best possible outcome, surely.

[Dutch]

At first Levin stared at the Sith with an almost blank expression. Lips pressed into a line he blinked once at the woman who smiled up at him. Levin shifted lightly as Novus pressed closer to him, still not entirely used to someone being so intimately close to him. He exhaled shortly at her words about researching her, internally kicking himself for not just doing that instead of meditating on her for hours. As she revealed her name, the one she was born with not the title.

Lidah...

He tilted his head lightly as the Sith went on, to his surprise sharing her origins. Though his expression gave nothing away, Levin could feel his heart sink at the thought. There were rumors around the Temple that many Sith were forced to join this way. It was strange to him that even though Lidah had not been willing, now she carried the rank of Darth and that wasn't something ever just given. It was something earned. What had Lidah done? How far had she truly fallen? As she lay her head gently upon his shoulder, it was difficult for him to imagine her as the darksider he knew she was.

“What happens next? Do we just …”

Levin pondered on this himself. The Order forbade him from any attachments, even more so he was sure considering what Lidah was. Despite this the Jedi were also taught to listen to the Force. After all it was the Force that continued to push Levin and Lidah together, it had brought him to Vendaxa to witness her awakening. It had pulled her to Alderaan just in time to save his life. It had kept them together so he could save hers.

"I will have to report the events on Alderaan to my peers." Levin stated, his gaze now shifted to stare back up at the ceiling. He would try to keep what had happened on the way back to Coruscant secret though. The Jedi did not like the thought of what Vreem Took or the others would have to say, so unless it became relevant Levin would stay quiet about sleeping with her. He could only hope that in their bond his apprentice wouldn't become suspicious. Yet Levin knew Kanika was very sharp, and one not easily fooled.

"We may go our separate ways Lidah..." Levin started, choosing to peer down at her again. "But I do not think we will stay separated for long."

[Neology]

Peers. Meaning the Jedi Council, or whatever hierarchy the Blades served; she was not exactly current on intraorder politics. Either way, the chain of command didn't go much higher. Of course, she'd known that from the start. It was just … Easy to forget, at this close range.

'You are in bed with a member of the Jedi High Council.' How absurd was that? And yet, she possessed a similar rank among the Sith, and an oft untended seat within the inner sanctum. 'If nothing else, at least we are equal in our absurdity.'

“Yeah, I know. Might be better to keep me out of it, if you can.” Or better yet, tell them that she'd died – it was true, after all. She didn't think Levin would go for that, unfortunately, and it wouldn't solve the problem of awkward questions besides.

A shiver passed through her at the Jedi's next words. The phrasing of her thoughts, brought to life by the cadence of his voice. Her body tensed, thoughts spiraling to a handful of conclusions. Levin was in her head, somehow. In addition, he was being impossibly subtle about it, as her senses could detect no such intrusion. Frowning, Novus slipped from his grasp without a word and stood, retrieving and pulling on a loose shirt, oversized to the point of shapelessness on her lithe frame.

She always did think better on her feet.

A sufficiently powerful telepath could perhaps … No, she refused to believe Levin's talents stretched that far, that he could browse through her mind undetected. Besides, if he could, well … He'd have shown some sign of it before now. She'd had some rather unladylike thoughts about him on Vendaxa. And in that office. And so, that left stranger things.

Then there was the nightmare to take into account.

'Shared thoughts, shared emotion, ...'

Her knowledge of bizarre Force phenomenon was not quite as exhaustive as she'd like, but one option came to mind. Of course, it was much more common between Jedi and their padawans. She crossed to the small table, were her belt was draped, selected a small knife that she knew to be both clean and very sharp.

“I think you're right, Levin.”

'... Shared pain.'

Novus gripped the blade by the hilt and and drew it swiftly across the palm of her left hand. Pale blue eyes studied the welling of blood, then focused searchingly on the Jedi.

[Dutch]

Levin watched Lidah's face, her porcelain features giving little away. Yet in the Force the Jedi could feel the subtle ripples of tension that wafted off the Sith. He shifted to sit at the edge of the bed, both hands rested at his sides as he watched Lidah. Eyes touched with concern watched as she pulled the shirt over to cover herself, curious to what had suddenly caused her to stir after seemingly content a moment ago. Was it stating that he would report to the Council? Surely she wasn't convinced that he would hide her involvement in the sealing of that nexus.

His gaze would narrow as she stepped to where her discarded belt lay, a small blade suddenly at hand. Levin felt no pang of fear, she had had many different opportunities to attack or try to kill him. She did not give off any predatory or murderous vibes, only confused curiosity. Even so he rose to his feet, watching her every move.

“I think you're right, Levin.”

Before Levin could stop, the blade flashed in her hands. Red marred alabaster skin, and the Jedi could feel an itching sensation in his own left palm. With a pair of blinks he gazed down at the hand palm-upwards, jaw setting as his eyes found hers already looking for his. He blinked again. Then the realization began to truly sink in. Levin hadn't noticed at first, so used to feeling others in the Force so clearly. It dawned that this was what had been tugging at the mind of Lidah. A bond actually made sense when he thought about it. The Force continually bringing them together, the shared horrors, the intimacy involved with reviving another. The intimacy of what they had just done.

"... I felt your pain, Lidah."

Unsure of what to do with himself, Levin chose to do what he did best. He stepped to stand across from the Sith, a hand moved to gently take her slim wrist between a couple fingers to lift her palm up a bit. Levin let the Force flow through him as it channeled into his free hand, a soft white glow revealing his aura around it. Hovering just above her bleeding hand, Lev let his aura press against Lidah. The cut would weave back together, flesh mending as if the blade had never passed through it.

"This could get complicated." He stated, his gaze now moving back up to meet hers.

[Neology]

“Yeah.” She murmured softly, watching the Jedi carefully. Her eyes traced his line of thought in the subtle movement of his face. The set of his jaw, partially masked beneath several days beard stubble. Tension in the brow.

Levin crossed over from the bed, silver-green eyes dipping to examine her palm. Novus let him take hold of her wrist, his fingers warm and very gentle despite the minor and self-inflicted nature of her injury. The Force built around him, rising from the same deep well of power she'd felt him tap to heal his own wounds. Her eyes flickered closed, bracing beneath a traitorous flutter of fear – it felt wrong to let a Jedi use his power on her unopposed. Or vulnerable, perhaps, was a closer word for it, not that she'd ever admit it.

The cut began to close, a sort of itchy tight feeling that grew and subsumed the pain. She opened her eyes again, only to find that there was little to see. The wound was gone, leaving behind only a long carmine smear. No trace of a scar. Whether their bond played any part in the ease of it, she couldn't say. Novus took her palm back, burying it in the hem of her shirt. The other dropped the knife on the nightstand.

She nodded once, acknowledging Levin's talent for understatement with a slight smile. Her thoughts were already turning the problem over, steering down familiar paths. 'How could this hurt me?' 'How could I use this?'

“It seems that way. I wont panic if you don't.” Another bad joke, though unintentional this time. She shrugged apologetically, then leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. “I think I will check out the galley, afterall.” Novus stepped around him and back out into the hall, leaving the Jedi to his own devices.

It was a short walk; she was familiar with the shuttle's design. The galley had a more-or-less central location and a dismal selection. Military grade RediMeals, in packaging branded with Republic insignia but otherwise indistinguishable from their Imperial counterparts. Bottled drinking water. The fruit Levin had promised, starting to smell a touch overripe but not yet bad. Novus selected one of each and took a seat at the table.

The Force bond presented a very unique problem, one with which she had very little practical experience. She knew they were powerful, more so if the people involved were, and she knew they could be deadly. Not precisely something she wanted to test. Everything else would have to be discovered or researched along the way.

And if anyone should find out … She considered worst-case scenarios in her mind, chewing the bland food dutifully. The Jedi would not be happy with Levin, surely, but they needed him for this war. They might convince him that he was mistaken, and then use that bond to track her down, force her into some dank prison. If the Sith found out ... That line of thought worked to it's natural end rather abruptly. A gun to her head was a gun to his, and easier to place.

[Dutch]

Levin had just been about to comment on the fact that there was no need to panic, that being bonded with him could only increase her life span when Lidah pressed her lips to his cheek and moved around him. Instead he just nodded in acknowledgement, and watched the Sith as she walked away. He inhaled slowly once she left, eyes looking to the mess of sheets upon Lidah's bed. A mixture of guilt and curiosity roiled through his mind, not entirely sure which avenue of thought to pursue. The gentle scent of Lidah that filled the room didn't help. He exhaled slowly with a mental shrug, and moved to leave her room.

His head turned as he exited to watch Lidah enter the galley. She didn't look back at him, the prospect of a meal clearly more on her mind. Levin turned to walk to the fresher, eyes following the trail of water that had lead from bathroom to Lidah's room. It had all happened so fast, a heated blur of needy lips and exploring hands. The ration-timer on the shower had long switched the water off, and his grey clothing with lightsaber atop still lay folded on the sink.

With a flick of his wrist Levin pressed the buttons to start the shower again, eager to rinse himself of earlier activities. For a time he just stood there in the flowing water, eyes closed as Levin meditated lightly. It was best he kept his mind as neutral as possible, let the Force flow and guide his thoughts. To his pleasure, it seemed the Force too wanted gentle tranquility for the Jedi. No nightmarish visions, no foreboding darkness to creep through the back of his mind. Only sweet serenity.

Finally finished Levin switched off the shower to exit. He methodically dried himself off before pulling his clothes on. They were somewhat loose, and very comfortable. Made to make meditation even easier in flight, they were not quite travel wear and not quite robes. Exiting the fresher, his bare feet would splash lightly in any water left by their trail. Levin moved into the galley, and offered Lidah a small half-smile. The Jedi pulled a Ithorian apple with the Force to his hand, and moved to sit across from the Sith. With legs crossed and his free hand channeling the Force to peel the apple with telekinesis, Lev eyed the small pile of fruit Lidah had collected.

"... My apprentice picked these from a garden in the Jedi Temple before I left. Something familiar to help with the disorientation caused by space flight. Clever girl."

[Neology]

Novus finished her meal and pushed away from the table, leaning over to drop the empty tray into the trash. Her thoughts continued to wander, shifting along the same route. What would this bond do to her job? She handled some of Imperial Intelligence's most sensitive information when she wasn't traveling in the core. How much might Levin glean, and at what distance? If it shared pain, why not other sensory information? Sight and sound could be quite problematic, if the bond could be made to work like that.

Loathsome idea - the master spy spied upon. Though it had a certain amount of charm, reversed. Maybe not worth the tradeoff, however.

She dug through a drawer, coming up with a small fruit knife. Deft fingers used the tool to cut the fruit into neat, bite-sized sections. Habit, that; she was so used to checking her food for tampering that she didn't wholly register the action. She focused her senses on Levin, briefly, and got back only the calm of meditation.

Novus waited. She knew she was supposed to be feeling something. Smug satisfaction. Dismay. Perhaps an errant twinge of what-have-you-done-young-lady, voiced in her mind by Master Delwhi, as all disappointments were.

Those feelings failed to surface. Security concerns aside, she felt good. Awake. Tuned in, though that could mean as little as the food doing it's job.

Levin rounded the corner, neat and clean in a comfortable looking set of gray ship knits. Novus returned his smile, resisting a sudden urge to take him back to her room and muss him up again. She wanted to. Instead, she contented herself with watching him slide into the seat across from her and listening to him speak.

“I didn't know that you had a padawan.” Or that he found space travel uncomfortable. Or much of anything at all, really. Only that he was a Jedi that sometimes didn't act much like a Jedi. She watched the coiled trail of apple peel fall to the table. “That's very thoughtful of her. I uhm … Don't teach, really.”

[Dutch]

Levin watched as the apple spun slowly above his palm. The peel piled beneath his hand in a perfect coil, bright green skin making him think of a coiled serpent. Once peeled he focused on the fruit further, mentally tracing lines in the juicy flesh. With a spread of his fingers the edible parts of the apple separated from the core before they floated down to rest before the Jedi. Lev sat the core atop the coiled skin, and smiled softly as Novus mentioned his apprentice.

"This is my first learner." Levin started before taking a bite out of a piece of his apple. He chewed it thoughtfully a moment before turning his gaze to Lidah. "She is a kind child, patient and clever. Yet profoundly naive."

His eyes would fall from the Sith's, fixed on his apple as his fingers grabbed another piece. The Jedi didn't want to give too much information to Novus, at least not yet. Levin himself was confident in handling the Darth, but he knew that his Padawan had yet to face any Sith. Let alone one such as the Sith that sat across the table from him. He looked back to the hoary woman, catching her bright blue eyes with his.

"Teaching has been... more natural than I assumed it would be." The Jedi would say before popping another piece of apple into his mouth. Only after he chewed and swallowed did he continue. "I try to emulate my own mentor as much as possible. Who was a very involved teather. Yet I often find the more hands-off I am with my Padawan, the faster she learns. I have no doubt that one day she will make a fine Jedi."

As he watched Lidah while speaking, it dawned on him that the woman that sat before him could very well be his Padawan one day. The Sith had said she was once Jedi, forced to turn on threat of death. What if his apprentice would face a similar situation? Would the Jedi he was crafting be doomed to suffer Novus' fate? What should have been a guardian of the Light forced to serve the Darkness? Realizing he had likely been silent entirely too long, he cleared his throat lightly.

"You... were trained by a Sith then? After you were taken?" The Jedi hastily shoved the last piece of apple into his mouth after asking, wondering if he had just asked a foolish query.

[Neology]

Novus nodded, letting his words paint a picture of his padawan in her mind. A young woman somewhere in her late teens, dutifully packing fruit away for her teacher's urgent trip to Alderaan. The girl would be pretty in some blandly innocent fashion, for in stories beauty so often went hand in hand with good. Finally, she must be talented beyond words, to earn such high praise from someone as habitually terse as Levin.

The Jedi paused for a beat, then continued on. She found distraction in watching his hands, admiring the fine lines of bone and muscle. Very nice hands, really, if unpracticed. No matter – she could show him what to do. Seventeen hours until Coruscant … Green eyes sought to meet her's, and she glanced up, brushing aside a vague feeling of motion, recalling what he'd been saying.

A fine Jedi someday. Of course.

“I see.” Novus murmured softly, unwilling to pursue that line of conversation. Participation would invite comparison – another teacher had wished the best for her, once. Her mouth went dry at the thought of delivering some sort of cautionary advice. Useless drivel, for the most part. No amount of warning would have changed her course.

“You make a good case for it. Teaching, I mean.” There had always been hopeful initiates, though few had the skills or background to be of any real use to her. She had turned them all away regardless, dubious of the Sith system. Withhold information or else come to terms with training your direct replacement … Yeah, no.

“Yes, something like that.” Her brows rose, watching him eat the last slice of apple. “There was a holocron hidden away on Subterrel. Gone or destroyed by now, I'm sure, but years ago it gave up some of it's knowledge in exchange for hands.” Novus turned her hands palms up, long fingers splayed. Already she was nearing the end of what she could tell him. “I was brought there for a time. I would not have called it training then, but adversity fosters growth in a crude sort of fashion.” A brief pause. She reached one arm across the table's cool surface, lacing her fingers through his. “And here we are. The mystery of the Sith. A fine Jedi.” She shrugged her shoulders, a crooked smile turning up the corner of her mouth. “I'm not entirely sure what to make of it.”

[Dutch]

Levin swallowed his last bite of apple at Lidah's mention of Subterel. He listened in fascination as she gave him what he guessed was the short version of her story. A Sith Holocron had taught her? Lev supposed that wasn't any different than a Padawan using a Temple holocron for furthering their education. Yet by the Sith's tone and subtle shift of emotions in the Force, he sensed it was no gentle parting of knowledge. There wasn't much the Sith did gentle after all. Levin could feel his cheeks warm with a blush as his subconscious reminded him of some very gentle things Novus had done earlier. To his surprise her fingers laced with his, the Jedi blinking once as he mind returned to the present.

“And here we are. The mystery of the Sith. A fine Jedi... I'm not entirely sure what to make of it.”

"Here we are..." Levin echoed, his eyes dipping lower to look at Novus' pale hand. Like any who had studied the lightsaber, trademark callouses in familiar places slightly roughened otherwise soft skin. Even in Lidah's hands her Arkanian heritage was clear, her features a little too symmetrical and her very structure a little too perfect. The irony of Lidah being a perfectly engineered Sith and him being a complete mongrel Jedi wasn't lost, most in the galaxy would assume their heritage swapped. Levin brought his other hand up to rest gently on top of hers, a thumb running over the line of her knuckles.

For a while Levin didn't know quite what to say after that. Novus was indeed still a mystery to him, and he assumed she would remain so for some time yet. After all, there was less known about this Sith Order than any other in galactic history. It didn't seem she was in any place to shine much light on the subject at a given time. Yet when she called him a 'fine Jedi' Lev could feel his heart drop. Though his expression gave little away, a low roiling shame still filled his gut at what had occurred in the past twenty-four hours. The Jedi didn't necessarily frown on physical interactions, only when some form of attachment was formed through them. As his eyes looked at Novus' hand in his and felt the way her presence melded easily with his, it was all too obvious that had happened. He looked back to her face, and offered a small smile.

"I... will trust in the Force." He would cup his hand over hers once more. "As should you, Lidah."

[Neology]

Silence. Not uncomfortable, strictly speaking, but she did wish he'd say something, if only so she didn't feel she had to. Part of her wanted to ask him questions in return for his, a whisper in her mind that promised a use for any scrap of information. She'd begun to deny that whisper more and more, the projected result of such use increasingly blurry. Lines of thought that might have someday become calculated acts of war against the Jedi Order died at inception, corrupted with the guilt of personal betrayal. Untenable. She'd have to learn to work around that.

Novus watched the Jedi's hand close over her own, his thumb playing along the ridge of her knuckles. A uniquely pleasant gesture, unfamiliar and surprisingly intimate.

It was getting easier to tell which emotions came from within and which from without, now that she knew to look. An undercurrent of shame, too fresh to be her's. Levin's unease did not make it to his face, was only voiced in the slight hesitation between words. She squeezed his hand.

'Trying to convince me? Or yourself? You can't have it both ways ...'

“I already do. More or less.” Novus stood, stepping around behind his chair, trailing her hand up the length of his arm. “I don't know why, and I don't know what we're meant to do, but this is not coincidence and this is not luck. It might be months, maybe years before we see each other again, Lev.” She kissed his neck, exploring the tactile sensation of warm skin and cool, shower damp hair. When she spoke again, it was to his ear, her voice soft and breathy.

“Come back to bed with me?” She did not wait for an answer, heading back down the hall. A few minutes later, he followed.