Blue and Red make Purple

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

((for Vex's charrie Theron))

What a mess it had all been lately. From fighting a former Battle Master to being constantly hit on by a horny zeltron needy for attention, Sihara was just plain tired. The togruta femme wanted nothing more than to just relax here at the temple instead of going tramping about the galaxy looking for ysalamiri. The good news was that she had at least found one small shipment of the creatures and killed them all. The bad news, however, far outweighed the good. What exactly was this bad news? Simple enough: she had found them only a stone's throw from the temple, she had no more leads than some blurry images of what she could only classify as a dark jedi, there was no time to be had for resting, and worst yet....she was getting a 'partner'.

Typically she wouldn't have minded, but she had been feeling rather off these past few weeks, and now this was like adding insult to injury for the young knight. Either the council didn't trust her, or she was supposed to be babysitting...she wasn't sure which would be worse of the two. Striding down the halls of the temple, she headed toward the designated meeting grounds: the gardens. Well, at least she would be in the one place she was most comfortable...that was some small mercy. As her robes flowed out behind her, she turned the corner and walked into the familiar scent of green. Nearly immediately relaxing, the togruta knight took a moment to listen to the sound of running water and the quiet speaking of the other jedi who wandered through.

Finally re-opening her eyes, Sihara glanced around for the other knight she was to meet. She had been informed that he was a Chiss, and Chiss weren't typically difficult to miss since their blue skin stood out like a sore thumb. To be fair, however, she wasn't much better in any place beside Shili, with her rusty skin tone and black and white lekku and montrals. She didn't see him though, so Sihara found herself a perch in the grass at the base of a tree, her legs folded beneath her, her hands resting in a position where she could easily feel the tops of the green sprouts, connecting her further to the force.

It was here that she chose to wait.

[Vex]

It was hard to fathom, but Theron was chomping at the bit. He'd been spending the last few months in what felt like forced purgatory. The Council had called him back, worried for his sake. They thought he was slipping down a treacherous slope...that he was letting his zeal for the hunt get the best of him. The Dark Side, they said, worked in subtle and cunning ways...turning even the best of intentions and twisting them into something dark and malicious. He, of course, found that utterly ludicrous.

Regardless, however, he was honor and duty-bound to abide by their wishes. He'd spent most of his time in solo training, working on his Forms...perfecting his techniques and forcing himself to face harder training regiments. He'd even dialed down the safety...letting the danger of a potentially lethal blaster bolt force him to react more realistically. It still wasn't enough. He wanted to battle...to face off against the pestilent wielders of the Dark Side and dispatch them...give them back to the Force so they might try again and be proper Jedi.

Then he'd heard the scream. Physically, like all the Jedi at the temple, they were far too distant from the prison to possibly have any chance of hearing that cry, but distance meant nothing to the Force. The ripple that it left in the Force crashed against the bulwark beachhead that was the Temple itself. Some Dark Jedi had the hubris to act so openly...almost at the Temple's doorstep? That could not be allowed.

He'd petitioned heavily to be allowed to hunt down this Dark Side dog and bring him to justice...or dispatch him if he proved to be uncooperative in changing his ways. Fortunately for Theron, his arguments were accepted...on one condition.

He had to have a partner. Even now, as he thought about it, he couldn't help but make a face...as though he had swallowed something rotten. It didn't matter though, anyway. He wa about to get back in his element. He'd figure a way to stash his fellow Knight so he wouldn't wind up hurt, then do what he had to do.

As he entered the garden, those bloody red eyes searched around the area. He'd been told that his partner would be a Togruta. He'd met a few in his time...most seemed highly irresponsible and not at all likely to side with him in the chances against him. That long, braided hair hung down past his shoulder...the metal beads he'd worked in jingled slightly. With that dark tattoo across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose, he almost seemed to be brooding. A circuit around found no one that matched as Togruta, save for one.

Might as well get this over with. We have a mission to complete. He closed the distance between them, stopping three paces in front of her. He would incline his head in a bow and then spoke, his tone low and gravely.

"My name is Theron Lykaios. Are you, by chance, Sihara?"

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

((AH! *hiss* that color REALLY hurts my eyes vex >_< ))

The togruta woman sighed slightly as she relaxed into the force, letting it cover her like the warming light of the sun overhead. She allowed it to absorb into her, flow through her, loosening her taught muscles and relieving the stress of the past weeks. It was in this manner that the chiss would find her. She had felt him coming, it was difficult not to...he was like a brooding cloud ready to pour rain on anyone he didn't care to be around. He was headed in her direction. Sighing, she opened her eyes just as he arrived, blinking up at him as he bowed slightly. Returning the gesture, she managed a small smile in return as well.

I am. You must be the one the council sent to be my partner. Have a seat.

She stated, motioning for him to have a seat across from her. There was a bench placed only two feet away and diagonal to her. She had chosen this particular place for just that reason. This way, he could sit and not need to sit on the green earth if he didn't wish. For some reason many jedi seemed opposed to the idea of sitting on the grass here in the gardens. Moving past this thought, she blinked quietly at him, taking in his appearance. Not what one would typically think of as a jedi, but then again, not many saw togruta as being jedi either, yet here she was.

I've come to understand that we are being sent to find the force user who uttered the scream the day before yesterday?

Sihara's golden green eyes bore into his as she asked this question. The feelings emanating from the scream had troubled her greatly, and she'd meditated on it quite a bit, trying to untangle and uncover the feelings and meaning behind the action. An action like that was not taken lightly, even by the dark jedi of the galaxy...it was used only in desperation...and she wondered at the feelings behind it, especially on the day it was uttered. Sihara had come to no conclusions thus far, but she HAD managed to sort out some of the most basic emotions captured in it.

Theron, what are your intentions on this matter?

Wary as ever, the woman gazed at him steadily, trailing long fingers through the cool grass below her idly. One who knew Sihara might have caught the tone in her voice that showed she wasn't particularly keen on this mission for whatever reason, but most would simply over look the subtle nuance. Indeed, Sihara was far from excited to go on this mission. She'd managed to catch glimpses of the happenings at the prison via the HNN reports and had started to formulate her own opinions on the matter based on what she had gleaned from her meditations and ruminations on the matter. Now, facing this chiss...her new partner...Sihara hoped that her impressions of him being only interested in dispatching the dark jedi, rather than finding the truth of the matter, were wrong.

[Vex]

"Actually, you are to be my partner. I have the most experience in hunting down and successfully dispatching Dark Side users. From what I have perused from the files, you lack the...field time...to properly handle this situation on your own...and I'll stand, if you don't mind. I would prefer if we did not linger for too long, lest the trail get too cold."

Yes, it was going to be like that. He clearly didn't like having to be shackled down to someone. He preferred doing things his way. No one could argue with the results. The threat was ended, lives were saved. Honestly, it rankled him more thn a little that, in all their supposed wisdom, the Council thought that he needed someone to chaperone and oversea this investigation. All this woman was going to do is slow him down and prevent him from acting in a manner that would finish things expeditiously.

"The Force User is a Dark Jedi. He goes by the name of 'Vex Praetor'...but that is assumed to be a taken name and not his real identity. He's been implicated or assumed in actions taken against Republic personnel and interests from Coruscant to Nar Shaddaa. This prison break is just the latest and most concrete of his actions. He's usually proven to be far more subtle, but he's been far more reckless as of late."

He shook his head. They always slipped up somewhere...became too drunk with their own delusions of power. Theron enjoyed the opportunity to cut them back down to reality. At her question, his cerulean lips curled up slightly in a lopsided smirk.

"My intentions, Sihara, are to hunt down this Dark Sider, give him an opportunity to surrender, and ultimately dispatch him when he refuses it. They always do. If possible, we'll also put the former Major back into custody so she can finish paying for her traitorous ways."

The man could have been a HNN ad slogan.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

Sighing, she shook her head. Yes, she thought so...he seemed the type to do something like that, but what was there to be gained in tracking down someone mercilessly if there was a good reason behind their actions? That and....she still had this sneaking suspicion that the man was someone she had met....she couldn't say when or where, but...it gnawed at the back of her mind, like a memory waiting to come to the fore, yet just out of reach. The Major....yes...that was another thing. She'd been there for the handling of the Major, overseeing the passing of her from the troops who had caught her to the prison. Sihara sighed at the memory. She had tried to probe the woman's mind, but she was stubborn in allowing access. Only after a drawn out struggle between the two had she gained entrance. The woman had held no signs of being a traitor...the subtle links that led to hate or method. No, she had been rather resigned to her fate, if not slightly comforted by it.

Yes, I know the details. I've been following the situation closely.

Theron, I don't think that is the wisest course of action. There is something going on...something I've not quite put my thumb on yet...that makes this far less simple than going in and taking control of the situation.

You may or may not have been informed of this, but I was the jedi in charge of overseeing the Major's handling when she started her time at the prison. I checked her mind as thoroughly as was mandated...there was no touch of treason on her thoughts. There is a connection we are missing. The wisest choice would be to find that connection.

She sighed slightly and shook her head a little once again.

I would start with the man who Vex allowed to live. He would be quite useful in that arena since he has had direct dealings with the man in question and will be able to describe him to us. We cannot just go into this blindly, as you seem to want to do. Do you really think he would be so stupid as to stay around the scene of the crime? We must learn more about our man before we can track him.

She stated, standing and brushing her robes off lightly. She nodded to a passing master and his padawan. Sighing, she looked down slightly and huffed. Yes, she was jealous in a way...she wanted to be a teacher for the next generation of jedi...but it just wasn't meant to be. If she couldn't protect her first padawan, what made her think she could do so with a new one? She had no reason to be jealous, this fate was of her own choice. Returning her golden green eyes to the crimson of the knight before her, she sighed again. He liked this situation even less than she did.

Look...Theron...I understand that you don't like this situation. I don't like it either. However, if we are to be partners of any kind we must show each other some respect in tone and action and we must work as a team. All I ask is that you accept that request. Things will be much easier for both of us if we do that.

She was, of course, speaking in regard to his first statement and the emotions behind it. The russet colored woman hadn't taken kindly to his tone, yet she had put the matter aside until she had spoken on the business of the matter first.

[Vex]

"She's been consorting with a Dark Jedi. A Jedi, I might add, that has a proven history of cerebral manipulation. This creature is very powerful when it comes to the mental disciplines of the Force, especially controlling minds. Perhaps she did not intend to betray the Republic, but the woman is no doubt his puppet now, with no more free will than a well-trained hound. Victim or villian, she needs to in the hands of the authorities, not a Dark Jedi."

He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Clearly, this woman was going to be one of those bleeding hearts. Shaking his head, he regarded her again.

"Whatever happened with the Major, it is tragic. She was clearly being used by the man and must, somehow still be of value to him. That value cannot be beneficial to the Republic, however. The man is a killer...the wake of dead bodies and destroyed lives attests to that. If you've done your research, then you know what happened on Manaan. You know of the Republic soldiers killed by his hand on Nar Shaddaa while they were trying to RESCUE the Major. There are reports that Vex was spotted interacting with the Major on several occasion, on different planets, prior to this. Yet, she never reported any of this to superiors. That by itself could be considered treason."

As she stood, he reached out with a hand, resting it on her shoulder.

"I know you want to think the best of the Major, we all do...but her actions do not match up and the company she keeps is too big of a threat to ignore. This Vex must be stopped. We will adhere to the Code and give him the chance to come to the Light again, but you must be ready to do what is necessary if he will not."

He did brighten slightly, however, as she suggested meeting with the guard.

"I do agree, our first stop should be the jailer. He may indeed have clues. Seeing the scene might provide even more. I have the utmost respect for you. As we must work together, my feelings coincide with your own, but please accept that I do have more experience in these matters. I need you to trust that my decisions and actions will be just and necessary. Can you do that?"

It was an olive branch, of a sort. At least it was more than she could have likely expected from him.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

Sihara sighed slightly. In all honest, she couldn’t argue with his points, that the major was nothing but a puppet now was indeed one possibility. At least he has a brain in there. Maybe we can come to an agreement after all. she mused, careful to keep her mind to herself. As he continued, she raised one eyebrow slightly for a moment. Yes, she’d looked into the incidents, and things on Manaan didn’t match up there either…that would be another place she wished to look since many of the Major’s former underlings were still posted there, not yet having been reassigned. As he stated that they all wanted to think the best of the young human, Sihara withheld a snicker. She doubted that this man could have cared less, just so long as he got to hunt down his dark jedi.

Yes, I will do my duty…you needn’t worry about that.

She stated simply before allowing him to continue on. The last part of his speech eased her mind somewhat. At least he would try to work with her instead of against her…to a point. What that point was, she wasn’t certain yet. Also, the fact that they agreed on a starting point brought her a ray of hope through that dark cloud he seemed to bring with him everywhere.

Yes, I do agree that you have more experience in the hunting and killing of dark jedi…yet I have more experience in finding and discerning the truth of matters. If you seek out Master Kieran, I’m sure he would agree.

She stated, thinking back to her battle with the former battle master on Bespin. Even the thought made her back hurt again. Shaking her head, a mild smile played on her face. That would certainly be a story to tell a padawan who refused to learn sense abilities…or any abilities for that matter. Snickering, her smile broadened a bit. Looking back to the chiss, Sihara nodded once.

We should be going then, unless there is something else you wished to speak about? I do believe our young guard will be going on off duty in an hour, so we should hurry.

[Vex]

"Truth becomes self-evident if you follow the clues back to the source. Whatever the Dark Jedi's reasons, they cannot be for good. The sooner he is stopped, the better. As for the Major, she'll have her own battles to fight. She aided in her escape, it certainly does not help any case trying to defend her. We'll simply have to hope she plays things smart once we've tracked them down."

He held out his hand to her, cocking a dark brow as he regarded her. "Let's not waste any time then, Sihara. We have some investigating to do.

He let those crimson eyes look her over as he waited for her response. At least, as far as partners go, she seemed all right. He'd been stuck with worse, which was why he preferred to act solo. She was intelligent, however, and quick witted. He just hoped she kept her wits about her when it mattere.

Of course, the comment about Master Kieran made him reconsider her as well. If she'd trained up against a Master of that caliber, she might be useful indeed.

As far as partners go, you've certainly had less attractive ones...

The thought came unbidden, from left field. He had infiltrated a nest of black market suppliers a while back, using them to trace down the connections of the Dark Jedi they supported. It had been a long and tense period of undercover work with him blending in as a smuggler and pirate. In order to stay in character, he'd opted to play along with some of the less, morally disgusting things. That had included women.

He shook his head, hoping she hadn't picked up on that stray thought. While the Jedi did not specifically have anything against intimate actions, they disapproved of the attachments such experiences could develop. He'd tried very hard to keep that part hidden. It wouldn't do to embarrass himself by having it come to light due to a stray thought.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

Surprised slightly by the fact that he seemed, if possible, more tolerable...or perhaps just less temperamental...Sihara took his hand, stepping over the low wall that surrounded the tree. Nodding to him, she let go of his hand once more before answering him.

Yes...typically...if one can decipher the exact source. What happens, however, when one must work backwards, or from a branch in the road and there is no discernible source only clues of places to look?.....that is where I come in.

She replied with a wink. The togruta felt something flit across her mental barriers, but she'd not lowered them since she'd started talking to him, so the thought was nothing more than a passing feeling, like a tap on the shoulder, and nothing more. Just another bit of information that wasn't relevant to her.

That we do.

She added in reply to his second statement, nodding slightly and smiling. Watching him look her over from the corner of her eye, Sihara wasn't sure if she should feel flattered or uncomfortable. Certainly he wasn't bad looking himself, but really...did he have to look at her like THAT? Pushing those thoughts aside, Sihara headed out of the gardens and into the main part of the temple, the cool shade of the interior a contrast to the bright outer gardens. She didn't even allow her eyes a chance to adjust from the bright light, allowing her montral and those passive tendrils of the force guide her. Only after a moment did she think about the fact that perhaps his eyes DID need time to adjust to the darker interior. Pausing, she would wait until she was sure that he was there beside her before walking once more.

I'm sorry about that...I forget, sometimes, that my montral give me an advantage in low light, or sudden changes in my surroundings.

That aside, Theron, I'm assuming we're needing to find our own transport, yes?

Not that I would expect otherwise, but best to cover bases, no?

This thought was mainly to herself, but she didn't particularly care to try and shield it from him as they walked either.

[Vex]

Theron followed along with her. As they stepped into the relative dimness of the temple itself, he did indeed slow down his steps so as to give his eyes the time to adjust. The Force helped matters, but he could only nod his head at her appraisal about those montrail. They certainly did give her an advantage in situations like that. Indeed, he could respect that ability, especially from a combat perspective. It never hurt to have eyes in the back of your head...or in the dark.

Of course, the part of him, the facade that he'd built around himself during his time as that fringe lurker, still rose up. He'd not managed to fully exorcise it yet. When trying to blend into the local population, he'd found it helpful to condition himself to think in parallel terms to them. It helped him to know them better and therefore figure out what their actions and reactions would be. Even with the dim light that his eyes were adjusting to, that "side" to him, if you will, couldn't help but appreciate the fact that there were certain...advantages...to falling a couple paces behind her. He shook his head as common sense took over and he mentally chided himself without thinking. Get a hold on yourself, Theron. You aren't playing the part of the criminal anymore. The last thing you should be thinking about is how your new partner's curves look in her robes. Sithspawn...head in the game!

At her question, he could only shake his head and shrug a bit.

"While I can keep a transport from crashing, it's never been my strong suit. Unless you have a means of transportation, we'll have to get one of the shuttles to bring us to the prison complex."

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

((I'll let Makiro stay out of this thread, but once we're finally off to chase....ourselves *rofl*....I'mma go ahead and bring him in ^_^....and YES, the minor pun WAS intended, though only as an afterthought.....oh dear God, I nearly lost this WHOLE post....))

As she'd paused, she caught a hint of one of his thoughts seeping through her mental filters. That stray and, seemingly, unshielded thought of his caught her off guard. Mildly vexed, the woman raised one eyebrow, the only sign of this motion being the shift in the top of the graceful, and almost artistic, white marking that curved from nearly the middle of her forehead around one side of her face to her mid-cheek...the symmetrical pattern remaining motionless along the other side of her face. Finally both markings beginnings lowered together as her brows knit together. Huffing at him slightly as he drew up along side of her, she decided to ignore the thought...after all, thoughts were meant to be private, and no harm had come of it, especially since he had been putting his more....male....thoughts in their place, rather than encouraging them.

Despite Theron's thought irking her, Sihara had blushed slightly, hidden....thankfully....by the rusty skin tone she sported. His reply to her question made her sigh slightly before nodding as she pushed that mildly uncomfortable knowledge that he was "thinking about his partner's curves" from her mind. Well, it seemed that they did, indeed, need to get a shuttle to the prison.

It seems then, and this is unfortunate, that we'll not only have to take a transport to the prison, but use public transports to get to wherever our next destination is....my own ship was....well, I left the Temple with a ship of my own, and returned from the mission on public transport and with Master Kieran.

Again she let out a light chuckle at the memory as they walked along. At the time, the situation had been the last thing she would be able to laugh at, or even snicker or chuckle at, but looking back now...it was interesting how things had worked themselves out.

Do you need anything before we leave?

She doubted it, so she didn't even slow when the halls for the temple's quarters came up to the side of them.

[Vex]

"No. I wouldn't have come to find you unless I was already prepared to depart. The only thing I need or want is to start this hunt and track down these two before Praetor has a chance to wreak any more chaos amongst innocent people. As long as you are ready, we can go and consign ourselves to the hell of public transportation now."

Reminding himself of the mission, of the fact that he was back on the hunt, ferreting out agents of the Dark Side, helped to dampen down the other stray thoughts that, unknown to him, she'd picked up on. He also managed to miss out on her physical reaction to that.

Given her tone, he decided it best to remain diplomatically quiet about her admission to the fact that she'd returned without the transport she'd left with. That was, perhaps, a conversation for another time. It sounded like it would be an interesting story, especially considering the Master Kieran was involved.

He gestured for her to continue to take the lead. "Age and Beauty before Skill, Knight Sihara. I'll trust you to be more diplomatic in obtaining our travel to the prison..."

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

Sihara nodded slightly to his reply, those montral dipping slightly. She flicked a lekku as a twi'lek padawan passed silently, noting the most minute of replies to her greeting. In the process it seemed she was going to run directly into one of the bronzium statues lining the marble halls as her eyes followed the padawan's movements to catch the reply. She didn't, however, even so much as brush against the statue, her form twisting easily, almost gracefully, to the side to avoid it even as she caught the reply. Only then did her eyes return to their previous forward position, one hand moving upward to stroke along one of those black and white 'horns' to stop the excessive vibrating that the temple created within them, if only for a moment of relief.

Hmm, age eh? I highly doubt that I'm much older than yourself Theron, and I wouldn't say that "beauty" could ever describe me. As for skill...we shall see about that as well.

Ending her walk at the lifts, she waited for him to enter before depressing the button that would take them to the level of the main hall. The cavernous room only made her montral vibrate more with the rush of life that passed through the area. Sighing, she maneuvered her way easily through the jedi milling about the area, those useful extensions of her person allowing her to sense movements and spaces that the force didn't always unveil until it was nearly too late. In this way, she navigated them through the throng easily, catching hold of Theron's wrist once as she felt, and sensed, a motion that would set off a ripple effect in the jedi around that would push the two apart for longer than they had time for. No sooner had she managed to stop the motion momentarily than she let go of his wrist again, leading the way out of the temple's large doors and down the steps to where the public transports were.

[Vex]

"The Order thinks highly of humility, Knight Horula. They would be pleased to know how you view your physical appearance."

He followed her along to the lift and then through the main hall. He'd tense noticeably and flinched, the reaction palpable even in the Force, but he maintained his self control until they were in another corridor leading down to the transports. Then he grabbed her own to turn her back toward him before pushing her against the wall. The gestures were quick, but not violent or even unusually rough. One minute they were walking, the next she was to the wall with one hand holding her wrist while the other rested its palm against the wall, locked out. As that hand came to press on the wall, it brushed against one of those sensitive montral. His face was very close to hers and he spoke lowly, calmly...even as his aura in the Force was vibrating darkly with the strength of his emotion.

"Don't do that next time, Sihara. Not without warning me..." He let her go then, simply as that, to continue on toward their destination.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

Taken by surprise by his actions, Sihara was spun around and forced against the wall, her back twinging painfully for a moment. Flinching away from the hand that brushed against her montral and hissing lightly, those sharper-than-normal (for a human anyway, but not for her race) canines glinted dangerously as the touch reverberated through her mind. Golden green eyes narrowed slightly as she felt the reverberations of his emotions wash against her. That montral still thrummed from his movements, a nearly painful "echo" coursing through her mind with it and making her flinch slightly until she brought her free hand up and held the dratted thing to still it. Her eyes closed with a sigh of relief just before he started speaking. Honey and clover eyes opened again as he warned her, let her go, and started walking again.

Standing up from the wall, she resisted the temptation to strike back at him for his actions, to throw her will against his and see who might win, but instead she simply took a calming breath and let go. Walking along behind him, it didn't take long for her to catch up. He may have been taller than herself but even so, his strides weren't long enough to take him out of range of her so swiftly.

Though I am sorry for my actions, and did not mean to elicit such a negative reaction from you, Knight Lykaios, I would appreciate it if you refrained from using such actions against me again. You managed to not only gain my attention as you wished, but give me a splitting headache and stir up a rather painful old injury.

Though it may not have appeared so on the outside, it was certainly true that she was in a decent amount of pain. She brought her hand up again to hold steady the offending montral, which still vibrated slightly and was now far more sensitive than the other to even her own motions, as the ends of her front two lekku twitched slightly with her irritation. Her mind was focused, however, on her back which...after the initial shock of the solid hit against the wall...had started twinging again as the muscles around that old vibro blade injury spasmed. Slowly she was able to start soothing the irritated muscles and the pain became more bearable.

Chances were, however, that he wouldn't believe that she was in any real pain. Her movements were still fluid and brisk, her face showed no contortions that would denote the pain, only her eyes really showed it as they hardened, unfocusing every so often as she would spend more concentration on a tensing and inflaming muscle than on watching where she was going. That was another clue to her pain, she was far less receptive to the space and movements around her, only barely missing running into someone, or something, as she felt it at the last moment and moved to avoid collision.

[Vex]

Physically, no, she wasn't really showing much that was notable, but there was so much more than that which he could perceive. Even without her species natural abilities, Jedi were not known for being clumsy, not with all the training and the perception that their connections gave them to the world around them.

His hand moved as he settled into a walk along side her. He didn't really touch her, but the presence of it would be enough to guide her while she focused on relaxing those muscles around that injury.

Her presence in the Force, however, spoke volumes through the pain and discord that radiated out like a discordant note in the air. Despite his own, sometimes abrasive personality as of late, his intention hadn't been for harm and therefore, he felt humbled and guilty about that outcome.

His ability to heal through the Force was marginal, but he felt he could at least manage to go and offer some numbing, some soothing for the hurt that he had caused.

"Then I need to apologize as well...it was not my intent either. Touching me, at the moment, is simply not advisable. I'm still dealing with some reconciliation from a mission taken previously...one that required me to assume an identity and act in ways contrary to our training. It's proven...more difficult...than I expected, to shed all parts of that persona."

He didnt know what she had caught from his thoughts, but that would probably help explain a few things for her...but it didn't excuse him. That was a battle he was still working through himself.

At last, they entered the hangar where public transports could be obtained.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

It didn't take someone as well trained as she in sensory aspects of the force to notice his hand hovering near to her arm, ready to guide her should she lose too much of her focus to easing her back. Even in her narrowed perception of the world around her because of what she was doing, Sihara could feel the tinges of guilt that radiated from him every now and again. It was also around the time that she noticed these shifts in his emotions that she also felt a dulling of the pain, it wasn't much, and it was generalized, but it was enough. The togruta closed her eyes for a moment and let out a soft sigh of mild relief. As he'd spoken, she'd managed to turn her eyes toward the cerulean man and give a slight (and strained) smile. His apology and half explanation (further thrown into light by the thought that had seeped into her mind earlier) gave her a better handle on what little anger and resentment there was still lingering about her mind.

It's alright Theron. We both made mistakes in our actions and reactions. It's bound to happen simply because we don't know each other well enough yet. I'm sure other mistakes will be made along the way, but again, mistakes happen. All we can do is try to learn from them and from each other.

As they stepped into the hanger, she groaned inwardly and tentatively let go of the offending montral. Just as she thought...thrumming fast a hummingbird's wings about as steadily as a broken metronome, and about as comfortable as slamming her head into a wall every five seconds. Doing her best to ignore this irritation, she led the way to one of the smaller transports, the bothan driver coming around the side from talking to a fellow driver just as they arrived. Bowing, Sihara was immensely glad that she'd had this injury long enough to have had practice in suppressing the grimace of pain that came with the motion. As if things weren't irritating enough, she'd just gotten her back to the point where it could start relaxing on its own when she had to bow, the muscles tensing and spasming once again in a long ripple of fire and sharp claws. Straightening once again she allowed a deceptively serene smile cross her features for a moment.

"Can I help ya Miss? Sir?"

Yes, actually, we're looking for a transport to take us to the maximum security prison.

The rust colored woman had taken the time to carefully arrange the tone and temper of her voice before she spoke. It wouldn't to do be biting the poor man's head off because she was in pain...or to even show that pain through her voice.

"I can do that right enough. It'd be near to 15 credits though"

Sihara gave a mild shrug, causing her back to set fire again.

I have enough credits, but we need to be leaving in a hurry so if you wouldn't mind.

She gestured to the cab, and he nodded with a wink at her, unlocked and opened the passenger doors and climbed into the cab himself. Sihara gave a heavy sigh and stepped up into the transport, settling herself in one of the four seats and closing her eyes, her mind immediately going to work on her back.

[Vex]

Theron didn't really understand exactly why the man would almost seem like he was trying to discourage them with the price of the fare. The larger the fare, the more profit for the man. Besides, it wasn't as though he had to worry about them stiffing him on payment. If a Jedi was using public transportation, then they had official funding of the Council and, therefore, the funds with which to do their duty. As far as he had ever known, there wasn't a limit or cap on the amount that a Jedi could draw from that fund. It was there to be used and no Jedi was ever likely to draw more than was necessary in the pursuit of their mission.

They were, in essence, a monastic order of sorts. Personal profit wasn't really part of the equation and, therefore, the greed that could be associated with it was also absent. He slipped into the cab afte her, settling himself across from her. He'd notice the discordant reverberations coming from her and that montral, watching her as she focused on trying to quell the pain in her back.

"Let me help..." Leaning forward, he'd wait a second to allow her to register his words and give a signal if she was disagreeable. He had asked her to provide him with such courtesy...he couldn't very well not extend thesame to her.

Assuming she didn't protest, he'd reach out, letting the Force pool in his palm, so to speak. He would lift it and let it hover over that quivering organ, letting calm and soothing relaxation radiate out from his palm to it. He would work to quell its agitation, eventually letting his fingertips brush against it in a whisper-light motion to replace that pain and distress with pleasure and reassurance.

There had been certain, enlightening, factors to the recent mission. He had learned this from a Twi'lek that had been there, one that occasionally suffered from similar sensory overloads. He had found that providing that balm through the Force and coupling it with a very light touch upon her lekku had provided noticeable relief. He hoped that it would work similarly in her case.

Meanwhile, their cab pulled away from the taxi pool, rapidly gaining speed as the driver tried to conform with their need for haste and get them to the prison quickly.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

So absorbed was she, that Sihara almost missed Theron's words. Golden-green eyes opened to look at him for a moment, curiously, before she gave a slight nod of assent. Despite herself, she watched him curiously as he seemed to be concentrating, and after a moment, she felt the force gathering around his hand. Another twinge from her back reminded her of what she SHOULD be doing instead of watching the chiss' actions. Her eyes slid closed once again as she drew in on the force, wrapping it around her mind like a warm blanket before filtering that warmth through her and into the muscles of her back to sooth them once again. The damage, the trauma from the vibrations of the blade, and her refusal of the kolto to treat the injury past the minimum had been a foolish one on her part...she had learned that the hard way over the years since Kain's death...but she lived with it anyway...just as she had intended to. As a reminder of her failure.

Slowly the pain eased in her back as the warmth swept in and relaxed the agitated tissues. Soon enough they seemed appeased and she was able to notice the violent thrumming in her montral ease down to its typical steady buzzing, then down to nothing for one blessed moment before she felt those fingers of his brush gently along the horn-like appendage, setting it to humming more peacefully than it had in a long time. Honey and clover eyes blinked at him for a moment before she smiled gratefully, her features softening slightly with the expression.

Thank you Theron...that helped a lot.

For a moment her mind wrapped around just how good looking this azure toned man was and she felt her heart skip a beat before she chided herself and dampened her emotions further. Thankfully for Sihara, the air taxi slowed to a stop outside the prison. Gathering her legs beneath her once more, she made her way from the transport and instructed the driver to wait for them. Readjusting her robes, Sihara blinked at the bright sun and started walking toward the front of the prison as soon as Theron was out of the cab as well.

[Vex]

He simply inclined his head at her appreciation and nodded. It was the least he could do, after all, for being the cause of her pain in the first place. Pleased that he'd done something good, something helpful, he was then able to watch the city-scape fly by as they descended down toward the prison that the wayward traitor and her dark accomplice. It was only moments before they had disembarked and began to walk toward the entrance.

It didn't take long for them to get a meeting with the prison director. He was pleasant, if bland, but there was an edge to him, something that made him seem quite competent at his profession. Given the class of criminal that he was in charge of, one had to be. He was quite accomodating, insofar as allowing them time to speak with the guard that had survived, as well as promising copies of the surveillance video taken during the incident.

It wouldn't be long before they were in a room. It was like the rooms in the crime holovids. A table with them on one side and the guard on the other. There was a large, polarized window that acted like a mirror on their side but could be seen through from the control room on the other side.

Leaning back, Theron inclined his head in her direction. He'd let her start the interrogation.