They'll Remember... (Vexmun)

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

(("They'll remember we were here..."))

One month.

A red hand marked the date on her datapad as she sighed, slipped it back into one of her belt pouches and re-checked her appearance in the mirror...

Honey and clover eyes gazed quietly at her reflection. Even after a month she wasn't used to wearing civilian clothing...truthfully, she just wasn't used to being a civilian. It wasn't the easiest of changes, but it was one she had made willingly and with every understanding that it wouldn't be easy...or pleasant.

Having left the Order and the assurance of being able to return to the temple at the end of each mission, the graceful togruta woman had only had entered the galaxy with not much more than the clothes on her back, a small sum of credits the Order had allotted her to start her on her way, the few personal possessions she had...and a profound sense of loneliness.

Orion had found it fitting to meet her at the temple gates...the very same place he'd received her from her mother's arms before she had been killed by the mercenaries who were later killed by the very same girl child they'd left alive for the Order to care for. The turu-grass child was no longer a child, she was a woman now, and...like the father he felt himself to be to the young woman...Orion wasn't about to let her leave without saying his own farewells. It had been all they could do not to cry. Not a word was uttered, not even between their minds...but they hadn't needed to.

The silence said it all.

There were no such things as 'good-byes' when dealing with the force, after all. All there could be was the will of the force itself...if they were going to meet again, they would, if not...well, an end came to all things, good or bad. She'd bowed out of custom and habit, but he'd stopped her and smiled, shaking his head slightly. There was no need to bow any longer, especially not to him. Sihara hadn't even been able to approximate a smile in return as she'd nodded once and turned to leave her home behind...once and for all. Despite this, the (now former) jedi had steeled her resolve, composed herself into a calm and serene countenance, and left the temple grounds with dignity.

She'd told Makiro, on the day they started on that fateful chase of the dark jedi Vex and former major Borgonia, that there always came a day when the young birds must leave the safety of the nest to learn to fly...that it was that it was frightening and sometimes it hurt...but the experience and the feeling of self-worth that followed was worth it...

She'd been frightened...(it was still frightening)

It had most certainly hurt...(it hurt constantly)

...And she hoped every day that it would be worth it...

Please force, help this bird of yours to fly...

Wiping a few tears away from her lashes, Sihara actually checked her appearance this time around. She was nothing flashy really...she'd kept her standard jedi boots and belt and pants, her togruta sash, her headdress...the only thing that had really changed was her jedi tunic. It was now replaced with a simple, and easy to move in, black long sleeve shirt who's loose sleeves were held in place by black leather armor bracers. Over all went a flexible black leather armor vest that fit her form perfectly.

This might leave the question open of: Just what does a former jedi DO for a living? Sihara had chosen to continue her work as a guardian, offering her talents as a bodyguard. The only problem with this was...what to use as a weapon? Certainly she was skilled with the force, but it wasn't the be all and end all of weapons, and with her saber relinquished to the Council...what was she to do? Get a cortosis infused sword until she could afford or negotiate for a beskar sword or create another saber (which was, obviously, preferable). The sword was...fairly easy to get, but also fairly pricey. Now with a weapon and some armor, she was low on funds and in need of a job. Finding one brought a whole new world of problems, but with the Jedi Order as a reference on your application...once she found the right paths to go down to get her name out as a bodyguard, the jobs were lining themselves up.

It was amazing what one could do in a month.

Now, with five out of five jobs successful, and three attempts foiled out of three attempts on the lives of her contractors...Sihara was swiftly gaining a half decent reputation as a body guard. It only helped her that two of the three attempts had ended in the perpetrator being captured alive and handed over to authorities for questioning. A sixth contract was what brought the rare flower now to Fondor. This time around it was a very official Bith man from the Techno Union come to visit his interests...and his son.

His son, it seemed, had a penchant for getting himself into trouble with various law enforcements...especially for slicing.

For some reason Sihara's ears had perked up a bit at that information but she swiftly shook it off, reminding herself that she was no longer a jedi and she most CERTAINLY was no longer involved in THAT search. It had made her wonder though....and now they were here she'd get a chance to poke around as well. Insufferable as her curiosity was, sometimes it was better just to satiate it and be done rather than dwell on it. Orion had learned that the hard way.

Leaving her personal quarters on the Techno Union offical's ship, she strode down the corridors silently, her sword slung across her back uncomfortably. Oh how she longed to have her saber once more. Maybe the Bith could help her find the parts she needed for payment instead of the credits? She had the crystal and that was the most difficult thing to get your hands upon. Reaching his door, she knocked lightly before it swooshed open, her employer appearing there before her.

"Oh, Miss Horula...prompt as usual, I see."

Of course, sir...it wouldn't do to have a tardy bodyguard now would it? All manner of things could happen in any amount of time I were absent.

Are you ready to go?

The man seemed unsure of if he should find her words amusing or not. He decided to see the humor and chuckled slightly.

"Indeed you are right, and yes I am. Let us go and see what those Union minions are up to...and what trouble my son has gotten himself into."

Sihara smiled slightly and nodded once, leading the way to the landing ramp just as she felt the ship settle on the dock.

[Vex]

One month.

How fast it could go when there was nothing keeping him from focusing solely on the task at hand. After having Sihara nearly killed by Vex, things had moved quickly. He'd postponed the hunt long enough to get her back to the temple, along with Makiro. Once that had been accomplished, he'd returned to Corellia to follow what leads were left from the fugitive's time there.

Eventually...the hunt had dead-ended. There simply wasn't enough to go on in Corellia and the Borgonia parents were far less helpful than he'd liked. It had forced him to go back to square one. Returning to Coruscant, he'd focused on Aunna in a different light.

Clearly...the woman was the weak link in Vex's armor. He didn't understand what purpose, what value, the woman held for the Dark Jedi, but whatever it was made him vulnerable. He would use it to beard the krayt dragon.

He focused on the woman and her unscheduled 'release' from prison. Vex had used very sophisticated documentation in order to slip in under the radar as a Jedi. It had included altering information on the Holonet and within government databases. That required a slicer...a very, very good slicer. There was almost no trace of how it had been done.

Almost.

It had taken this whole time trace it back...to follow the minute breadcrumbs. The Republic had given up several of its most promising programmers to the task of following the trail in the ether, but had finally managed to find its origin on Fondor. With that information, he'd borded a shuttle and taken the next ship there. The next phase of the investigation required a more...'hands on' approach.

Address in hand, he'd arrived at the entrance to a high-end apartment complex...the kind that tailored to the rich and self-involved. Entering, he strode past the front desk. The Zeltron there spoke up, "Sir...may I help you? Sir...Sir!" He moved quickly to cut off Theron's path. The Zeltron was in charge of knowing every one of the residents and their company. The Chiss was most definitely...not.

Theron stopped, looking at the man and holding up his hand to stop him. The gesture was a slight wave, meant to be nonthreatening. "Yes you can help me. You want to help me. All I need is access to the top penthouse."

The man blinked...stunned for a minute as the power of the Force Persuasion washed over him. Nodding, he moved back to the front desk. It only took a few moments before he returned with an access card. "Here...I want to help you. All you need is this to access the top pent house."

Theron nodded, giving a small, false smile before turning away. Swiping the card, he entered the hover lift and keyed it for the top floor.

The ride was swift. True to his word, the key opened up the door to the penthouse. The young Bith within stopped, stock still in his seat while two twi'lek women seemed unfazed and continued acting very...intimate.

Quirking a brow, Theron looked past the scene and to the Bith, drawing out his lightsaber hilt and holding it unlit...simply an unspoken promise. "I have questions. You have answers. Shall we trade?"

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

The journey to the Techno Union’s offices on Fondor took little time and was less than exciting. For as far out and as wide as her senses could reach there wasn’t an inkling of danger to her contractor. It was a good thing for her employer, but it made for a dull day for the former jedi. The day before had been fairly active seeing as visiting the orbiting ship yards, and the enclosed spaces they were made of, presented a multitude of potentially dangerous situations. Now, however, there was far less danger…at least…there was less danger for the moment. It was about as much danger as one could find in any well kept and well driven speeder.

The time at the offices proved even MORE dull than the ride over. There were a few who held no small amount of dislike for the bith she accompanied, but upon seeing his escort they swiftly made themselves scarce. Not that it took much more than a sharp look to set them on edge…with most, her presence alone kept them on their toes. She had kept herself withdrawn in the force, silent and calm, a patient shadow that followed her employer into his meeting, around the offices, into his various smaller consultations, and back out into the world at large. Over all, it had been extremely boring, involving a lot of numbers and calculations as well as investments the company should or shouldn’t make…quite a lot of things that the togruta woman cared very little about.

As they made their way along the skylanes, Mr. Y’ril finally turned to the rust colored woman who sat silently across from him as she brooded over the growing agitation in the force. For a long moment he was quiet, as the building his son lived in came into view.

“I apologize…this must all be terribly dull for you. I can’t imagine that listening to a bunch of accounting and financial discussions would be very interesting for you.”

That may, or may not be the case, but either way you needn’t worry, Mr. Y’ril…I find that I’m quite adept at keeping myself entertained in even the most boring situations. I believe it comes from so much time spent in the Temple.

He chuckled at her reply, the subtle joke not lost on him. Her returned smile didn’t reach her eyes, the tremors in the force causing the expression to be falsified, but the man didn’t notice. The small talk that followed was hardly paid attention to by the former knight, her replies simple and straight forward as her mind divided itself. As they reached the landing pads for the apartment complex, Sihara drew her presence in, folding it and wrapping it about herself so she would seem little more than a mildly force sensitive being…a far cry from the jedi she had been. Following the Bith into the complex, she eyed the zeltron man who looked up dazedly from behind his desk.

“May I help you sir?”

“Oh come now Julian…you should know me better than that.”

“My apologies Mr. Y’ril…go right up. Your son has a guest though…”

Sihara’s eyes narrowed slightly as she watched and listened to the exchange, her senses creeping outward. Something felt…off…the zeltron was acting like someone who’d only recently been manipulated with the force. This, compounded with the new information about Mr. Y’ril’s son having a visitor and the tremors in the force had the togruta on edge.

“A guest?”

“Yes sir…”

Can you describe this guest?

The zeltron took a breath as if to describe the person, but stopped, looking puzzled.

“You know, I don’t rightly remember…he seemed to be in a hurry though…wasn’t someone I recognized.”

It was enough for Sihara.

Mr. Y’ril, please show me to your son’s apartment, swiftly. Also, I would like a security guard to accompany us.

The bith blinked at her and nodded once, leading the way to the lift as the zeltron waved over one of the security detail, who soon fell into step behind them. Once inside, Sihara wasted no time in speaking once more, cutting off the barrage of questions she could feel bubbling up in her contractor.

I cannot be certain, but I believe your son is in trouble. The clerk showed some of the signs of force persuasion, and I have been monitoring the force for signs of trouble…signs that I’ve steadily been feeling get stronger. I cannot say if this threat is toward you, or simply your son, but once we reach the area of your son’s apartment, I would like the access card to his room. I will enter first and you will stay just outside of the door with the security officer until I have deemed it safe for you to enter. Do I make myself clear, sir? If there is another force user with your son, I would like you close by, but out of direct attack range…that means you must also stay away from all walls. I don’t wish to see a well placed lightsaber through the wall be the cause of your untimely death.

Thal nodded once, the security officer’s eyes widening slightly before he pulled his blaster from his belt holster. No doubt the man hadn’t expected to be placed in such a situation…ever…yet he found himself in it anyway. As the doors slid open at the top, Thal handed the former jedi the key card and allowed her and the security guard to exit before him.

((I’ll allow you to set the scene she walks into, as well as the time between your arrival there and her arrival there))

[Vex]

The conversation had been short. Theron had gotten the women set up and dressed and put them into the bedroom. They were just a distraction, something that wasn't needed and there was no sense making things any more dramatic than necessary. It was bad enough that seeing them, somehow, threatened to evoke thoughts of that vision that had been inadvertently laid into his own consciousness by Sihara. It wasn't something he needed to be thinking about. If anything, it was a ruse...something concocted by the Dark Jedi to to damage her concentration and cause division amongst them.

He wouldn't be seeing her again at any rate.

Simple Force Cuffs and direct questions worked wonders. The sight of that saber and the apparently unforgiving expression in the Jedi's eyes had been enough to make the junior Y'ril open up and read like a data pad. There were, of course, parts that he couldn't remember...parts of his memories that had been erased..no doubt by Vex. Of course, that only cemented the fact that he was on the right track. It was the man's calling card, after all.

Theron's abilities were rather limited in that arena, so he did not try to prod those areas much. It would only cause more trauma to the man. He was able to get what he needed without doing that. He was just about to uncuff the man and be on his way when he felt a disturbance in the Force. There were others coming...potentially dangerous. He didn't feel much in the way of Force Sensitivity...one had a minor talent...but even that had him pause. From all that he'd learned of Vex, the man had the ability to shroud his aura within the Force. Why the man would be here...he didn't know...but he couldn't chance it being true. He couldn't chance it. Not now. This battle field favored the Dark Jedi too much, if it was his.

Plus he had the man, Y'ril, and the women, to think about. They couldn't be collateral in this. He had to err on the side of caution. Moving to the young Bith, he waved his hand, letting that persuasion wash over the man. "All you remember is a shrouded man....you do not remember what I look like."

He did the same with the women. It was then that he heard the hover lift reach the top floor. He still felt that minor presence in the Force. Moving to the window, he looked out. It would do.

Silver light flashed out for a moment, shearing away that lock before he pushed it open and he slipped out onto the narrow ledge. He trotted quickly, seemingly unconcerned with the long drop below. Pulling the hood of his robes over his head, he threw the Force into fueling his speed and his power as he ran and leapt off the ledge and into the open air. Spanning the expanse between himself and the next building, falling several stories before he reached the ledge on the other side, rolling to absorb the shock, barely losing a bit of momentum as he continued to move along, working to get away.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

By the time she had entered the room, those inside were far from force users. The son, two twi’leks, and an open window with (upon closer inspection) lightsaber marks. Turning toward the young bith, she called his father and the guard in even as she strode over to the son (still bound in cuffs) and began questioning him as to his ‘visitor’. It didn’t help much, as none there seemed to remember who the man was or what he looked like. It didn’t take long for Thal to give the red hued huntress a new directive…find the one who had ‘attacked’ his son.

Nodding once, that reigned in presence radiated outward in a swirl of power that flooded through her once more. In an instant she was out the window and speeding along that ledge as she followed that grey signature. Unhidden as it was, it wasn’t difficult to follow and the ledge posed no problem to the lithe predator that had just lept deftly from one building to the next. She could see the robed figure by now, her senses keeping track of him even as she rolled to keep herself from injury…not that it didn’t cause injury anyway.

The gravel covered top of the building they were on shifted as she stood once more, the stones rippling in a wave out from her to unsettle his footing. In a moment that cortosis infused sword was unsheathed as she sped toward the fleeing force user. No matter who the man was, she would have him.

[Vex]

He felt the presence of that Force User flare out as they drew back the curtain and showed their true power. He had been right to be cautious. Pity, however, that he could not tell whether or not it was Vex. The power that was chasing him definitely had some darker aspects to it...it was no Jedi that followed him. It wasn't the palpable shadow of a dark jedi either, however. He wasn't certain if it was a ruse or not....but he was certain that his own lead on had worked.

They were following him.

He felt the gravel kicking up as the User tried to use power to trip him up, he stumbled forward, throwing his arms forward and letting the Force launch himself up and forward in an arc, a dark shrouded raven taking flight. Twisting around, he was upside down, facing her and lashing out with another shocking wave of Force at her.

He certainly wasn't skittish around heights as he came down, missing the end of the ledge and dropping down, out of sight. Four more stories swept up past him before his feet hit a window ledge and he dropped into a crouch, absorbing the impact and redirecting it as he pushed back, out into the air, latching a hand onto an aerial of the speeder that the Force had let him know was about to fly by.

As it rocked and the driver swayed and swerved in fright and shock, he looked for his opening, another roof passing by beneath him as he let go. Another roll ate up the shock and he was back on his feet, drawing out those two halves of his sabers, leaving them unlit for the moment...

He was waiting.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

Curses…her attempt had only worked enough to allow the man to get away again. She countered that wave of force easily with a condensed on of her own, the displaced air acting as a sword to cut through the wall he’d pushed in her direction. Pressing forward, she sheathed her sword once more. It would be of little use for what she was about to do. Reaching the ledge, she didn’t even hesitate as she dove off, arms splayed out to the sides of her as she balanced and controlled her fall. For the time she was in the air, she was deaf to the echoes her montral brought her, the rush of air allowing next to nothing to be felt.

Unphased by the drop, she twisted enough to land in the back seat of a speeder as it turned the corner between the two buildings. As the driver shouted and his wife screamed, Sihara excused herself with a mild apology and catapulted herself onto the same roof as her prey. With little regard for the cooling systems of the building, she wrapped her mind around them, wrenching them from their places and with another thought, she had them “dismantled”…bits and pieces of them shooting off in the direction of the man running from her. No doubt the various pieces of them would prove to be fair to decent projectiles.

Her lekku flicked slightly even as they streamed behind her like black and white banners. Golden eyes noted the twin sabers that appeared in his hands and immediately she had her sword unsheathed. As she caught up to him, the woman spun, lekku swirling about her form as she brought her elbow to bear. Hopefully she wouldn’t have to use the follow up strike with her sword, but….if those sabers came up fast enough she would need it for protection.

[Vex]

You could use the Force and push. He could easily have done that to counter the wall of shrapnel that she was throwing at him. It would pit will and power against each other to see who was the stronger. He might win, he might lose. It was all epic...but a waste of time and power.

So he pulled.

He took the power she sent towards him with those projectiles and pulled it toward him, shunting and redirecting it around him. He was the rock in the stream, the power and the danger eddying around him, but never touching him.

As the bodyguard came on, he brought his sabers up, but hadn't lit them yet. The power pulled into him and he pushed back, feet backpedaling swiftly with help of the Force. As he came back, those projectiles came forward. He'd kept control of them, shunting them around him and curving them around until now, as she attacked, they were in position and shooting forward now to assault her.

It was just a distraction, however...something to slow her a bit...to pace her as he needed. As soon as the projectiles came forward, he stopped pushing the Force into them. Inertia took them forward quickly, but that was it. He poured his power into the space beneath her feet, lifting his hands and pulling up, thrusting a column of Force-fueled wind up from beneath her to try and throw her up and launch her into the air.

If he'd been paying more attention to her features intstead of her attack patterns and weaponry...he might have been surprised. For him, he kept his face shrouded in that hood, out of sight.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

Even as he turned her own actions against her, Sihara paid little more attention than to sense the danger coming at her again. Of course she could have countered like any regular jedi might have, pushing the shrapnel away, or redirecting it, but that would take far too long for her tastes. Instead, she chose to rise above the danger…for now. With the force aided vault she had started, and the wind that he brought up around her, the woman smirked slightly, allowing his power to work for her instead of against her. It didn’t take much to allow that wind to turn her vault into an Ataru-esque somersault in the air so that she landed behind him in a crouch, one leg shooting out to kick his feet from under him.

Her bet wasn’t on that move, though…he was proving to be far more cunning than that. Obviously well trained…perhaps even jedi trained. In the blink of an eye she was up again, moving to stay behind him if she could. With a slight hiss of air as she twisted around to kick against his back, she moved as soon as she could, appearing before him once more as she bore her fangs menacingly.

Why were you after my contractor’s son? What did you want of him, sir?

Her voice was dark in her displeasure at having such a thing happen, the command in her voice not unusual, though the light trill that threatened to work its way into her words was…a recently reacquired trait from speaking togruti while on Shili. The accent showed itself further the more emotion was put into her words, it had happened most when she’d first visited the planet at 24, and now that she had returned to the planet, so had the accent returned to her voice…albeit minimally.

[Vex]

Crimson gaze followed her as she rode that air up and over him, sensing her landing. With the Force guiding him, he hopped up, over that sweeping foot, flipping around to try and get back to facing her. She was quick though, keeping him on the defensive as he twisted to avoid the next kick before she came around to face him from the front. He flipped the sabers up and out to attack her, pulling the blows at the last second, extinguishing the blades as he pulled his hands in close to his chest.

He heard her demanding words and the foreign sound of her voice...strangly familiar and yet exotic...but all he could do was smirk in the shadow of his cloak.

Telekinesis slammed into her from behind, pushing her forward as he kicked up, one heel slamming down on her thigh while the second came up as he launched himself back in a flip, the foot arcing up to try and catch her under the chin. His feet bounded across the ground and he spun, twisting as he held his arms in close, whispering over the ledge and dropping down from sight again. This time, however, his hand lashed out, the saber igniting as he flipped it into a backhanded grip, slamming it into the wall, slowing his descent. Stabbing the other along the side of the wall, he moved laterally.

Lets see how quick she could react to that.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

As expected, he avoided her attacks. The movement, however, gave her hints of blue skin covering those hands. Blue skin…she’d only ever seen blue skin like that twice in her life. A familiar tightness wrung her heart at the thought and she was caught from behind by that wave of telekinesis, making her stagger forward into an awkward roll that brought her just into range of his kicks. Just as she got up, groaning, the first managed to hit her hip, rather than her thigh and she buckled down once more, narrowly avoiding the kick to the jaw, but that boot managed a nice blow to her montral. In pain and now 'deaf' to the vibrations around her, Sihara pushed herself up once more and watched him flip over the side of the building once more. Darting over, she was up onto the ledge, ready to dive after him, frustrated at how things were turning out, but…something wasn’t right…he was still too close. Looking down, she hissed a chuckle at what she saw. Well this was certainly an interesting predicament….

With a mild shrug, she lept off.

Twisting in the air, she felt the shock of her boots hitting the trunk of a passing speeder echo up her legs before she spring-boarded off of it once more. The motion was faster than normal eyes could keep up with, but Sihara didn’t need her eyes at all to see where this man was, even as she launched herself at his back aiming to catch hold of him from behind. It was risky…very risky…he might not be strong enough to hold them both, he might move before she got to him, she might (force forbid) misjudge and fall short or just miss him…hopefully, if anything didn’t work out, it would be that he moved…at least then she might be able to catch hold of something and keep herself from a rather messy end…after all, with a saber she would have had far more options that she had without.

[Vex]

When he didn't feel the presence of her come by and drop away, he looked up, seeing her peering over the edge moments before she jumped off. The gambit hadn't worked as he had intended. He felt his toes reach a small ledge, barely more than a few centimeters out. Resting more of his weight on it, he twisted one of the sabers, widening that hole slightly before killing it. As it cooled, he followed her progress as she fell down, contacting with the speeder and used it to shift her momentum.

He slid the emitter into the cooling hole, hooking it in to brace himself better and twisting his hand back in to a standard grip before extinguishing the other and stowing it. At this point, he could feel her hurtling toward him. With the handhold of his saber, he twisted around, pressing his heels against the wall as he faced her now. The distance was closing rapidly...but the world seemed to slow.

The world clarified around him, becoming brilliant, each color and edge perfectly defined and brilliant. For the first time he looked at her...at the face of the adversary coming towards him, not at the body language of an adversary. He saw her face, saw her...and it clicked. Recognition flashed through him...along with something else as he viscerally remembered that vision that had been shunted from her during her moment of weakness. That vision that had been given to her from the Dark Jedi.

By this point, she was to him and his own free hand reached out, sliding past her side as she closed in on him, that arm wrapping around her waist as he braced himself at the last moment and pinned her against him. He took the shock, trying to hold them both there. It wasn't comfortable as he was slammed back...but he'd been expecting it. One heel slipped off, but he hooked it inside around the inside of her knee and calf, pulling her closer against the wall to keep her from unbalancing them both.

Holding her that close, his face was mere inches from hers. Even with the hood, it was impossible not to see his features now. Familiar, angular face, blood-red eyes, that dark band tattooed across his face. His mouth was a grimace of pain aganst the impact, but it curled up and he chuckled darkly, his breath warm as it washed against her face. The memory of that vision was only heightened now as he kept her pinned there against him for their safety.

"Fancy seeing you again, Sihara..."

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

She’d not seen him create that hand hold, not felt him turn, all she knew was that he hadn’t moved thus far, and by the time her eyes had readjusted and caught hold of him, she was debating the intelligence of this action. He’d indeed turned and now he would be able to fight her off. In an instant she felt him…recognize?...her and she bore her fangs at him even as she collided with him, slamming them both against the wall. Who was he that he recognized her?! She felt that arm wrap about her waist and instinct had one arm wrapped itself over his shoulder, pinning her to him, followed by the slip of that boot and she caught hold of the edge of his hand hold where there was some little bit of space. It helped hold her there and balance them further as his leg hooked around her and her toes found that ledge as well.

A low hiss escaped through her clenched jaw and those sharp incisors. Certainly his body had taken the brunt of the impact, but she was still in some pain and her little daredevil stunt just now hadn’t helped. Why, though? Why was he now keeping her from falling when only moments before he’d been struggling against her? How did he know her? Only then did she finally take the time to look into the shadows of that hood, just as he spoke, his breath tickling along her skin. Surprise etched its way across her features as she finally recognized him in return.

…Therrron?...

The surprise had brought that short trill into her voice, and thus his name, as golden eyes widened slightly. It was…an oddly surreal moment for the togruta, ‘deaf’ as she was to the vibrations around her she was far more acutely aware of everything else…from the warmth of his breath, to the way they were pressed so closely together. It was rather intimate…or it would have been had there not been a rather LARGE drop below their precarious perch. For a moment that vision came back to her as she gazed at him, and she could feel the same thing running through his mind; the emotions were quite…similar…from both of them.

Well this is certainly a surprise and a half…I didn’t believe I would ever see you again.

The surprise had drained from her, for the most part, and now she simply held onto him for those few moments, gazing into those familiar red eyes intently before shifting her own gaze away in an attempt to remain focused on priorities…such as getting off of this ledge...and not allowing her focus to stray to other...less helpful...thoughts.

[Vex]

"Neither did I...but after that little vision, I suppose I should have guessed that you couldn't help but 'chase after me'..." He flashed a rare grin, the expression seeming even more brilliant and white because of the dark cerulean hue of his features. He teased her...feeling that both of their thoughts had gone towards the same thing. Shaking his head a bit, he leaned in, his cheek near hers, the breath warmer near her jaw and throat. "I don't remember you having the accent before, Sihara. One month of freedom and you've already gone feral...I think it's rather fetching."

They had two options for getting off of this wall. They could cut through a portion of the wall and enter the building...but he was certain tat they weren't going to like any further property damage at that level. Other than that...they could drop. He was weighing both options as he looked past her and over her shoulder at the drop below.

"You do know that it's generally a bad idea to launch yourself at someone like that, don't you? If I'd had a mind to kill you, all I would have needed was to reignite the second half of my saber and let you run yourself upon it...and without it...it leaves us at this point...not exactly a positive position, I think you'd agree."

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

Sihara couldn’t help but blush at his reply, the white markings on her face tinting a mild pink. That grin had her flustered and bristling slightly as she ignored the fact that it made him look rather…handsome. Of course she’d noticed that they’d both seemed to remember the vision, but he didn’t need to poke fun at her for it! The former jedi nearly stopped breathing as he spoke again, her grip on that created hand-hold tightening slightly.

…Feral!...Chase after…now see here Theron, I wasn’t cha…oh don’t lecture me on good or bad ideas. You think this was my first choice to go following you around without a lightsaber of my own, and leaping off of speeders and ending up in this…*cough*…rather compromising…position? I think not! Positive or otherwise you’re the one who broke into my contractor’s son’s apartment! Then RAN! I know very well that that wasn’t a ‘good idea’ but it was the only idea I had to be able to actually attempt at catching you, and if I’d let you get away who knows if I’d get paid or not?

She huffed slightly at him and calmed herself again, looking up and to the sides.

That might not seem like anything to you, but considering I can get some of the parts I need for a new lightsaber from this man…well, it matters a great deal to me. Now…how do you propose we get out of this situation, because…as oddly intriguing as this is…I’d much rather be getting back and getting home.

[Vex]

"Your employer's son is the slicer that managed to allow Vex to get into the prison and release Major Borgonia. I needed to know what he knew...even things that he didn't know he could remember. Nothing was damaged, no one was hurt. Sending you after me only puts him in danger. Your Bith is more impulsive than proves prudent for someone that is worried about their own life." He grinned again...her words were something of an amusement to him.

He leaned in closer, just to give her more of a torment and taunt about that image. "And why, exactly, would you think that this compromising position is intriguing? I didn't think that you'd give up the Temple's mandates so quickly. Certainly, the clothing is effective, but not terribly different from the Temple's. The accent...but perhaps that was just you trying to control every aspect of your life. It would certainly fit..." He chuckled. "Guess that means you've been lingering on that vision a lot. As for getting out of this position..."

He was quiet for a minute, contemplating the predicament and allowing her time to respond before he unhooked that saber, pushing away from their wall and letting his weight break her grip on the wall as they fell forward and down.

His arm cinched around her waist tighter, keeping her close to him as they dove. Twisting them around, they landed on the hover transport he'd felt coming. Knees bending, he absorbed the impact. It forced them apart and he rolled away, closer to the edge of the transport before splaying across, hooking fingers into a plate edge and finding himself dangling, watching a mess of hover traffic criss-crossing below.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

Sihara eyed him quietly as he spoke. So…the son of her current employer was the one to get Vex into the jail? Well this was a small galaxy after all, and it seemed the force had its mind made up that she was supposed to have dealings with Theron and still somehow be entangled in all of this mess with Vex and Aunna. It was a frustrating thought, to be sure. His teasing of her certainly didn’t help her any and she ignored the question. Mandates or not, that vision certainly did have her questioning more and more of her life and making changes to it.

Well, at least now I know why you’re here. As for the accent, I’d gained some of it on my first sojourn to Shili, my return has only thickened it…and it didn’t help that you startled me.

She could feel his thoughts drifting toward how they might get out of this situation. It was then that she felt him push away from the wall. The rush of wind had her eyes narrowed as they turned and finally hit the flat surface of the transport. She’d used the force to cushion her own fall, keeping her far more steady even as her legs coiled beneath her as they absorbed the rest of the impact and she slid a bit along the metal as she strove to regain her footing. Theron, however, lost grip on her and rolled, barely managing to grip the metal as he dangled off the edge of it. Tossing one lekku over her shoulder, she molded the force around him, the air particles beneath him, spiraling them upward as she moved closer to help push him back up onto the top of the transport. Finally reaching him, she grabbed hold of one of his arms and pulled.

No dieing for you today, Theron…up you get.

[Vex]

He dangled down, eyes peering over the expanse below. He wasn't terribly alarmed by the predicament. He'd been in worse and, if it did happen, he had to admit that he wouldn't terribly care, besides hating the fact that so much was left unfinished. When he felt her using the Force to assist him before she gripped his hand and drew him up, he helped, pulling himself over the lip and then up onto his feet.

No, it wasn't his time to die yet. The hood had dropped back, that dark mane flowing around his shoulders and framing those dark cerulean features. Crimson eyes took her in again before he nodded his head to her , a silent offer of thanks fo her assistance.

"Hadn't planned on dying today...but I know how fragile you are and wanted to make sure that I took most of the force. It skewed my preparations a bit."

They were, fortunately, on the top of a transport that was headed back in the direction of the penthouse. Fortuitous luck...perhaps. He didn't believe in such things. "It's good seeing you again, Sihara. You look as though you are doing well for yourself....adapting nicely to this new life."

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

Fragile?!

That was about the extent of what she could complain about at the moment. She certainly didn’t see herself as fragile…yes, she had some sensitive points, but that didn’t make her fragile. A few trilled words in togruti and she shook her head a bit. It was…oddly difficult…to ignore the way he looked as the wind whipped around the two of them, his hair flailing about him like some black fire as those red eyes glinted in the sunlight, flaming to life like bloody rubies before dulling slightly once more. Taking a knee she settled herself in for the short ride as she tossed one lekku back over her shoulder to keep it from annoying her further.

It’s a pleasant surprise seeing you as well. Yes, I am…adapting…though it isn’t exactly easy.

The black of her armor vest and shirt contrasted the red of her skin, the white and black striping of her montral and lekku standing out against it and the backdrop of cityscape. Golden eyes turned toward their destination, face tilting slightly in the same direction before she muttered quietly to herself.

I can’t wait to get back to Shili…

[Vex]

"Change never is easy...but we can do naught but follow the path that the Force lays out for us, no?" It was rather...amusing...for him to be quoting like a master within the temple. It was certainly not something to be expectd from him and he couldn't help but smirk slightly as he knelt there next to her while they waited for the ride to end. Those blood-red eyes flickered over her, taking in the way she looked, the contrast of the dark garb against the brilliant hues of her flesh. Certainly, the drab colors of the robes hadn't done her justice. He...belatedly realized that he hadn't been guarding his thoughts around her...again.

Shaking his head, he mentally brushed it off, perhaps she missed it. He felt somewhat bad...having kicked her as he had and no doubt done some sharp pain to her. He remembered the scar he'd tweaked in the Temple...and how sensitive those lekku and montral were. Reaching out, he'd let deep blue fingers barely brush against one of those sensitized appendages, moving slowly over it as he allowed the Force to flow through him and into her, to calm and soothe the irritated flesh.

"Why so quick to go back to Shili?"

He quirked a brow at her, curious about the response and what she said.