Matt Stanza had been walking along with RhoHolla quietly for some time. Considering what she had said about the distance they still had to travel, he was thankful that she had taken enough care of him that he could handle the journey fairly well by foot. This wasn’t the first time he’d traveled across a Sith World in such a manner, but it had certainly been under much different circumstances.

On Khar Delba, when they had gone after the Nar Kelba, and later when Terrin had brought them back to find Galen. And here, when they had lived in the capital city of Princhatka, before its civilization had been awoken.

Matt wondered if RhoHolla had any idea of the fact that, until not that long ago, her species hadn’t lived for 4,000 years. Considering what she had said…or at least implied…about her station he doubted very much that she had been deemed worthy enough to know anything about it, unless her unknown teacher had said something of it to her.

He frowned at that. It wasn’t fair. If the Sith wanted to come back as the benevolent rulers they once were, they needed treat those of their own better than this. Eventually, they would find out one way or another, unless they were left sequestered on the Sith Worlds forever. And with some things that Matt was at least once aware of that were coming down the spacelanes, that wasn’t a very reasonable idea. They would never be prepared for what was incoming if they didn’t know what time they were in…
He pursed his lips then, turning fractionally to look at her as he continued to move. “I’ve been told your peoples were great rulers of the galaxy once,” he said then. “My comrades and I have been working alongside Lord Aelvedaar and Graysith for some time. When I left from Khar Delba, something had blocked all magicks from being used. I know this is not hte case now...”

Here he trailed a moment, recalling how RhoHolla had been able to shield them from prying eyes and ears as she took him from the dungeons, "...but it's strange that it has taken this long for anyone to come after me. I'm hoping nothing ill has befallen them."

It could be that they themselves had been captured, but only recently escaped. It could have been they had been told a falsehood, and had been sent off on a wild goose chase, only to now return. It could be they had problems with their ship, or had been detained elsewhere, or had decided that finding Matt wasn't the highest on their list of priorities because something of greater import had happened, but whatever that could have been was now addressed...

Or even worse: it could have been that Dark Lord Aelvedaar had changed his mind, and redacted the Writ.

But...

She slid her eyes to the human marching so steadily at her side, noting with a modicum of pride how well he was able to keep up with her pace, slow that it might be by Sith standards. After all, it wasn't that long ago that she had taken him from beneath the very noses of his gaolers, and brought him to safety in the Temple of her God.

"While it seems to you they have been possibly detained on Khar Delba, even though the Writ was decreed," she finally said, deciding that of all possible answers she could give the simplest one was more than likely the best, "The fact is that the Bearers of the Writ were probably sent on their way immediately after they received it."

Suddenly she stopped dead in her tracks, turned to regard Matt more closely.
"You don't realize what happened back there, do you?"

How long had it been since she'd rescued him from within the bowels of the Temple? On the one hand, it seemed like it had been a long time...but on the other...

"It is not just our magick, but it is His. Great S'slaan, to whom we owe our everything and our all.

"For He creates all that is, and the blood in our veins, and the magick in our blood. He is the holder of Life, and of Death and Madness and Despair. But most of all He is the Holder of Time."

Now her head turned Matt's way.

"It has been but a day since I brought you out of the dungeons, and but hours since the Writ of Abeyance was decreed. Enough time for those holding the Writ to travel here from Khar Delba, which I am told is not far away. They may in fact be here even as I speak."

Now she stopped, looking Matt earnestly in the eye.

"I hope and pray to S'slaan that they are here! For only then will our plan work, that being I came upon you and am now bringing you back to your imprisonment...

"Which of course will be to your rescue instead."

“Well here goes nothing,” he said.

Yeah, that's the understatement of the century, pal...

Then he began walking and led them out of the transport and onto a cobblestone walkway, one lined with artfully pruned trees and shrubs. Every so often there would be a greelwood bench. And in spaces where there were no trees or shrubbery, statues stood of what looked to be Sith warriors. These often were adorned with various weaponry or simply had ornate robes, looking quite regal. All were brought to life with various colors, precious gems, and remarkable detail.

Jasyn noted, somewhat ashamedly, that although the artful plantlife wasn't there when he'd been in Prinnchatka in the past, that he really didn't even remember the statues or benches that were most certainly there then.

That's because you were drunk 99% of the time, you idiot, came the mental rejoinder. Just like you'd really like to be right now...

Frowning to himself at this, Jasyn made a mental note to apologize to Terrin, Galen, Matt, and hell, maybe even that Jedi brother of Stargazer's, for being plastered and useless so often--that was, if he ever saw any of them again.

Someday, hopefully. He missed the team. The friendship.

Leaving these thoughts behind, Jasyn forced himself to focus, and realized that the Great Temple of the Warriors was now in sight. As they continued their approach, it grew larger and larger, a grand stepped pyramid, rising at least 250 feet upwards. Knowing that with their approach they were most likely gaining attention, Jasyn glanced to his two peers, pausing a moment...and with a nod steeled himself,clutching the Writ of Abeyance in front of himself as though it were his lifeline, and began walking once more, making his final approach to the steps of the Temple...

...and beginning to walk up them. Jasyn suspected very much that if they did make it all the way to the top where the courtyard was, they wouldn't make it much further before they were intercepted by a Warrior or two...

...or for that matter, more.

"If the bearers of the Writ are any of those people that I think they might be, they will get here as soon as possible."

Pausing then, Matt considered the other portion of what RhoHolla had said, about her only having taken him from the dungeons of the Temple a mere day ago. His grasp on time had clearly been disturbed, either by his injuries, the Temple of S'slaan, or both...

...but the fact that he had come through within only a day's time to such improved health after being beaten and having bones broken was astounding. Granted, he still had bruises and pains here and there....

...but still, this amount of restoration in a day?

Matt shook himself from such curious thoughts as they continued to move onward towards the Temple. His mind shifted to their destination, to the Temple where he and others had lived for some time before the Sith had returned. They'd spent both good days--when they had been reunited together and Galen had found her daughter at last--to dark days where they had all been separated and things had taken a turn for the worst, eventually leading to Terrin's death. Thankfully, again through the magicks and other things at the Sith's disposal, that had been rectified.

And while they had all tried to escape this place, and the Sith, and return to normal life in one way or another, here they all were again. The Fates were probably collectively laughing at them, trying fruitlessly to lead lives of their own choosing, only to end up right back here where they had been once more.

And if Jasyn was one of the ones here once agian, he was probably really wishing he could get a hold of some Sith Brandy. This place always unnerved him so...

Unable to help it, a bemused grin pulled at one corner of Matt's mouth before he quickly let it fade away.

But never mind the doors, or the grand widow's walk that was above them now, no doubt with Sith Warriors keeping an eye on their Temple. For what Jasyn had been anticipating all along was also in fact the case: the Temple door itself was guarded by Warriors.

Cazun might be reevaluating never taking another drop of Sith brandy again after this...

So, approaching both the doors to the Temple and the warriors there, Jasyn then stopped before them, knowing K'kihl and Cazun would do likewise. He stretched out the Writ that he held in his hand then, again stating simply. "I am Jasyn Lancaster of Eagle Enterprises, sent by Dark Lord Aelvedaar from Khar Delba with this Writ of Abeyance to find Matt Stanza and Panthar Dantares."

Then he fell silent and simply waited.

But then, a Writ from a Dark Lord would bolster anyone's courage.

The other, who watched their approach with something of a bit calmer mein, merely extended his clawed hand, and waited. His eyes never left Jasyn's pair. For a heartbeat they stood thus before a waggle of sharp claws prompted the human to deposit the precious Writ in his palm. His fingers closed carefully about it, and he let his pewter eyes drop to the writing Lord Aelvedaar's magicks had scrolled in such elegant script upon it.

It didn't take him long to read. Lifting his gaze from the Writ only to drop it into Jasyn's once again, he nodded once, then turned. Barking an order to his partner to remain where he was, he then made a peculiar motion with his free hand, the action reflected in the blade of the intensely lethal-looking sword he wore at his side, ending with his hand facing the door, palm out and fingers splayed.

The massive double doors oiled open without so much as a squeak to betray the movement.

He did not bother to turn back to the two humans and Verpine. "Follow me," was all he said, and without bothering to see if they followed proceeded to enter into the Great Temple of the Warrior Clan of the Sith.

Down the long Pillared Great Hall he went, his stride long enough that anyone not Sith would be hard pressed not to trot to keep up with him. Passing side corridors leading to soldiers' barracks, he headed straight as a Sith-flung spear until he came to the back wall. There stood yet another set of double doors, massive and dark with age, covered with runes and sigils and jewels.

He opened these in the same manner as he had the prior set, now leading them into a narrower corridor or hallway, but one with vaulted ceiling and ancient, stone walls covered here and there with mosses that seemed to writhe of their own accord, the floor tough slate-like flagstone, torch-bearing sconces lighting the way. They moved along this long corridor for some time before he stopped at yet a third set of double doors. These were not bejeweled, but no less impressive for the weight of the ages their darkly oiled wood carried.

"This is the Great Dining Hall. I shall inform the Major Domo of your arrival, and will be back to take you to him at his leisure.

"Food and drink is at your service. I shall return."

After making certain the three had indeed entered the Dining Hall, he then closed the doors and headed off, Writ of Abeyance clutched firmly in his hand.

He had remained silent.

That silence was maintained, easy enough for the fear which iced his veins to the point where he thought if he tried to so much as even whisper his jaw would crack and fall off of his face, through their second confrontation with Sith Warriors, their lengthy trek through the darkly shadowed and pillared foyer through which they'd been led, and continued to the point where he wondered if he'd ever speak again on this little jaunt when they left the former Hall for the flame-flickered corridor leading from its far end.

But the Dining Hall was an entirely different matter.

His still parched throat and suddenly growling stomach reminded him that he hadn't had anything to eat for some while, and only a small glass of water aboard ship. So he just stood a moment next to Jasyn and K'kihl, letting his sight drink in these friendlier surroundings.

At the wall far to the right of them stood an immense stone fireplace. Tables with comfortable-looking chairs, large though they might be, beckoned to the patronage to come rest, eat, drink and be merry. A huge fire underscored the implication with it's flickering crackle.

He turned away from that, looked ahead. There, against that wall was a gigantic buffet. Serving girls hastened to and fro, taking partially emptied trays and replacing them with heaping ones, and to all appearances seeming to assure that this welcoming table was eternally provisioned for whoever would come in at whatever time to partake of it.

Off to one side of the buffet was a single but massive dark-wooded door, open. Coming from beyond it was laughter and the clink of glasses. From what he could see that interior held just the right amount of soft, dim lighting to make it easier for the clientele within to forget the troubles of the day and just...

Relax.

All in all the Great Dining Hall went a looooong way toward making Cazun remember that he'd thrown his lot in with his new friends because, oh yeah, life was a bit boring and it was time for a little adventure, right?

Right.

He gave Jasyn a nudge.

"Yeah, I've been here before," he answered. Then he turned and looked at the buffet and scanned it, his own stomach rumbling a bit as he took in the sights and smelled the aroma of fresh breads, meats, and other various and sundry deliciousness. And there, at the end of the buffet, Jasyn's eyes fell on the most beautiful thing he was certain he had ever seen: clear bottles filled with the most gorgeous and heady liquor he'd ever tasted in his life.

Brandy, you're a fine girl...

"Let's get some grub," he announced to his comrades then, the grin on his face becoming impossibly more lopsided before he cocked his head towards the inviting buffet, raising and eyebrow before turning to lead the way. Taking a plate, he filled it up fairly liberally as Cazun beside him did much the same. K'kihl, staying with them, might have been getting something, Jasyn wasn't really sure.

Hey, what the Bloody Hell do Verpine eat anyway?

But Jasyn made certain to stop at the bar, getting a goblet of Sith Brandy, practically licking his lips as he poured. He wondered if Cazun would do the same...

...and vowed to himself to not go completely overboard, as much as he would really like to.

Maybe once they finally rescued Matt...

Jasyn collected his plate, the goblet of brandy, and headed to a nice little table along with his peers. He took a bite of food, then another....

...and then reached for the brandy, taking a nice, slow swig.

Ahhhh....

Just beneath the great Dark Lords were their Major Domos, occupying a position one could relate as being a Number One to a Captain, a First Mate aboardship. It was a proud position to hold, and only those Sith coming from the best of bloodlines were even considered as being possible for the role.

This Major Domo, strangely enough, for all his fearful mein was something of a flutter-budget. Being second only to the Great Dark Lord - or his Lady! - he was accustomed to receiving orders to then turn about and, exuding the greatest airs of hauteur that he could, would then proceed to command in turn, to delegate and assign, and in general to simply make said orders so.

Coming up with the order to begin with was something that was not quite his forte, and was displayed by the way he now paced back and forth in front of the waiting guard, fussing a bit with his robes and inspecting his claws and in general acting like the flibberty-gibbet he otherwise managed to keep successfully squelched.

He stopped pacing and turned to the guard.

"Who did you say is seeking audience again? And are you certain the Writ they have with them is genuine?"

The guard merely tilted his head downward. This was a good thing, for he couldn't help but hold contempt for the fussing Sith who occupied the role he himself had worked so long in seeking. True, while it was a rare enough occurrence that both the Dark Lord AND Lady would be off-planet at the same time, as protocol demanded one of them remain behind for the sake of the populace, the fact remained that when this happened the Major Domo was supposed to pick up the reins and move the bantha smoothly along without so much as the tiniest hitch.

This one couldn't pick his own nose...

The guard stiffened further, battling within himself to squelch the disdain that was yearning to break free, and at last managed a reply in a voice that at least approximated normal.

"Yes, my lord. The Writ is genuine, scrolled by Dark Lord Aelvedaar himself.

"What do you decree should be done with the three strangers?"

The Major Domo whirled, robes skirling about him as he began pacing faster this time.

What to do? What to do! What would Dark Lord Roan have done? Lady Graysith? Allow the strangers safe passage afforded by the Writ? Give them whatever assistance said Writ demanded? Was K'eel Doba back on speaking terms with the Sorcerer Clan again? Hadn't they broken away, to declare themselves totally self-governed now?

But the Writ of a Dark Lord was not to be denied. To do so would be to run the risk of outright war between the Clans, and even though the Armorers dwelled now on K'eel Doba there was rumor that many of them weren't quite as... satisfied as they'd been before the Dark Jedi came and they had to flee to safety on the world of the Warriors.

A war between the sister worlds K'eel Doba and Khar Delba was one thing less to be desired; but to harbor even the possibility of having to deal with a civil war at the same time...

Probabilities played tag with possibilities in his head. Possibilities chased after potentialities. Round and round and round they went, making him pace faster and faster until he simply could not stand any of it and brought himself up short.

As much as he didn't like it, he had to make a choice.

He sighed heavily.

..Jasyn got to his feet, looking to Cazun and K'kihl...he hadn't gotten anything, to Jasyn's knowledge.

Sheesh, what does that guy eat?

Jasyn was admittedly feeling a little more at ease with being on the Warrior world and a little less insecure. He was by no means inebriated, however. And when it came to their current circumstances and the presence of Sith brandy...

..that was an accomplishment. So, nodding to his peers, the Writ of Abeyance in his hand, Jasyn Lancaster turned to the Warrior with a respectful nod, following his long-strided steps down several corridors before being brought into a room where they were brought to another Sith, one wearing royal robes...

...and turned away from them, at least for the moment. Jasyn waited patiently until the Major Domo turned at length to them, almost looking a bit unnerved and very un-Warrior-like.

Jasyn pursed his lips a bit.

Hmmmm.

"I am Jasyn Lancaster, of Eagle Enterprises. I was sent with this Writ of Abeyance from Dark Lord Aelvedaar, to find one Matt Stanza and one Panthar Dantares."

Saying nothing other than that, Jasyn held the Writ in his hand out to the Major Domo, and waited.

They were being respectful, he begrudged them that!

"Very well, the Dark Lord commands it, and so shall it be. Come with me."

With that he fluttered off the dias upon which he had been standing, not daring to seat himself on the royal throne sitting upon it after all, and headed toward the doors through which the three had just entered. Hurrying along, he headed past the door to the Great Dining Hall, came to the large and richly appointed double doors through which the guard had led the men, and flung them open. The Writ crinkled in his hand as he gave those doors a push, almost in emphasis of the fact that for once he had an order to delegate, and delegating orders was the thing he did best.

Entering the Grand Foyer, he hastened amidst the pillars, soon coming to the side corridor which led to the barracks of the Warriors. Rather than turn in that direction, he headed in complete opposition to it, now threading through the pillars until upon reaching the side wall he came to another large door, but one much more simple in design.

Not even bothering to knock, he flung it open and stood in its frame, clapping his hands to call forth the Captains and Majors of the Warriors that they would see to the implementation of the Writ themselves. The sheer alacrity of the Warriors would have given a Mandalorian pause; his clap had scarce the time to strike one distant wall and echo back when a good number of burly, weaponed Sith arrayed themselves in front of him, each according to rank.

Now the Major Domo was in his element. Holding himself proudly, he made a great show of straightening out the Writ, and with eyes pompously closed appeared to then read:

"Let all Sith cease and desist in what they are doing, and join together in seeking the whereabouts of the Sith called Panthar Dantares and human Matt Stanza. This decreed by the Dark Lord of Sorcerers, Aelvedaar."

His not quite rote memorization didn't matter in the slightest. All that was of importance was that the order had been given, and would now spread throughout not only the Temple but the city of Phrinnchatka and into the outlands as well, and would do so very quickly.

The Warrior elite turned en masse to depart and implement this outflow, all except for one. He came up to the Major Domo, bowed his horned head and planted his orange eyes upon the stones of the floor.

"My Lord, it is of my knowledge that one of these personages, the one by the name of Matt Stanza, has been imprisoned in our dungeons, placed there before the Dark Lady left to go offworld," he said simply, falling silent then as he waited to be told what to do.

The Major Domo didn't disappoint him. Fluffing himself up like a preening pigeon, he spoke down his nose to the Warrior.

"Go fetch this one, and if he is injured... see to his wounds. Take him to the Grand Dining Hall; we will all await his arrival with open arms, and revel in that we have found the first one missing in so miraculously short a time!"

With that he waved off the Warrior, and stepped out himself, now fully strutting, the two humans and Verpine being forced to trot themselves as he led them back to the very place they had so recently left.

...and Jasyn's very good friend. As they followed the Major Domo, his stride quite long, the looming success in finding Matt gave wings to Jasyn's feet, allowing him to keep up. The only thing that gave him a good pause however, was that the Warrior had just said something regarding Matt being imprisoned and injuries.

Oh kriffing hell, Matt, ole' buddy, I'm so sorry we haaven't gotten to you sooner.
I sure as Hell hope you haven't been injured in any way...

He frowned then, his step slowing for but a moment before he picked up his pace once more, and they reentered the Dining Hall with the Major Domo's lead. Jasyn couldn't stand not going back to his abandoned brandy, picking up the goblet once more.

Soon now, he'd be sharing one a drink with his long lost commrade, now found...

RhoHalla knew, of course. Every Sith working within the Great Temple of the Warriors knew the way, as did most of the city dwellers in Phrinnchatka. For these Sith were first and foremost the ones to visit the temple with burnt and blood offerings, seeking the aid of their fierce god when the Time of Hunts came upon them. This was their way; the outlanders living in the countryside had less proclivity to hang onto the warrior ways, taking to farming to thus feed the populace of K'eel Doba. In addition this was where the remainder of the Armorer Clan lived, preferring the simple country life in which to build their forges and work their magicks, creating the weapons used by their fiercer brothers.

They had come out of the foothills some time ago, with RhoHalla quickening the pace faster yet. As they moved through the country, covering the ground at a 6 kmh clip, she had taken to use the Art of Subtle Being to cover them, thus preventing any potential wasting of time too precious to do so in being stopped and questioned by the occasional passers-by. She knew that travelling at this rate would get them to Phrinnchatka in the space of 5 hours; with concern flooding her rusty eyes, she broke the companionable silence they had fallen into.

"How are you faring, Matt?" she asked, not one bit breathless, feeling she could increase the pace by at least another 5 kmh to reach what she found to be a brisk walk for herself. However, just because she could speed along, Sith endurance being what it was, she knew it was impossible for the human to endure it, even if he was capable of reaching it to begin with. She did not want to wind him, or risk a relapse due to becoming overly fatigued, but she knew time was of the essence and felt to her very soul that they needed to get to the city as quickly as possible.

She chewed briefly on her lip, thinking. Then went on.

"I do not feel you will be in any dire danger when we reach the Temple, Matt. For you see, you have your friends who are carrying the Writ. In the worst case you will be placed back into the dungeons, but the gaolers will not physically harm you right away. They would prefer you suffer the anticipation of it; I think you will be left alone for at least a couple standard hours, if this should be the case."

She paused again, now swerving slightly as a particularly burly Sith approached them hauling a wagon full of various and sundry paraphernalia. He didn't feel so much of a whisper of their presence as he hastened on past, soon dwindling to a speck in the distance behind them. After moving themselves a little to one side, RhoHalla turned her thoughts to her own predicament, wondering if she should burden Matt with her thoughts, wondering if what she was turning round and round in her head was indeed calm assessment of what in all probability would happen, or merely wishful thinking.

"As for me, well... if your friends are there when we arrive, all should be well. I can keep us hidden until we have climbed the stairs of the Temple and come to the guards at the entrance; in fact, I should find a hidden place to drop the little magick I am employing now, so as not to have us suddenly pop into being in front of people.

"We can then join the general flow of whoever is out and about this..." She cast an eye upward, noting the current position of the sun. "...afternoon, for although it is somewhat early morning now, it will be several hours later when we do finally reach Phrinnchatka."

Now she herself wasted a few precious seconds by stopping their brisk pace, turning to Matt to look him straight in the eye.

"We don't know when your friends will be there. If they arrive before we do, all is well and good. You are protected; you shall protect me.

She hoped.

"If they are not, you will more than likely be imprisoned again, but certainly not for very long. I on the other hand may not fare so well; thus I will announce I was out on an errand for a minor Lord and while doing so found you and overcame you to bring you back to the Major Domo."

So far she knew this story would hold up; there was absolutely no doubt in her mind that if push came to shove and the two of them, she and Matt, had to come to blows she would come up on the winning side. That was a simple fact of Sith physiology being far superior to human's, and Matt of course had no weaponry.

"In this event, I wish I could blacken your eye or bloody you a bit, just to promote the ruse, but I do not wish to do so. I think I could best you and keep you unbroken."

A smile broadened her features, then she continued.

"Do not worry about me if we return in this manner. The means of your escape from the dungeons shall remain a mystery, and I shall do nothing to change that. Even if I were somehow suspected, it is common knowledge that the Major Domo does not have much stomach to issue orders, unless he has been given them to issue to begin with.

"So..." she finished, now turning back to the road ahead, smiling to see more and more dwelling places popping up here and there in the distance. "I do not think there is anything to fear. We only need to get to Phrinnchatka; there you may rest, one way or another, and will soon be in the companionship of your friends.

...but I will be fine," Matt added, hoping to allay any concerns she had. "I look forward to introducing you to my companions," he then said, shifting slightly to cast a green-eyed gaze in RhoHolla's direction. Then, wondering once more if one of those companions that would be potentially waiting for him with said Writ was Jasyn, Matt's lip turned up in a momentary lopsided smile. "I hope you are as fond of Sith brandy as some of my friends are of it."

He paused a moment, recalling how Jasyn took to Sith brandy, often drinking way more than he should.

All right pal, if I get back, and you're one of the ones here or coming here now, I'll keep my trap shut while you drink if and when we get past this!

"And if my friends are not here yet, I think your plan to tell them that you found me and overtook me is the best one; perhaps it is the most logical one regardless of whether they are here or not. After all, I was in the dungeons, and I had been beaten. Since it's really only been a day since you found me, someone may question my apparent health, other than being winded from the trip from the Temple of S'slaan to Prinnchatka."

He quieted, looking at RhoHolla again as they continued to walk, arching an eyebrow. He knew she really didn't want to, but he also knew for them to pull this off it might be necessary. "I think you should do it."

He fell silent then, still keeping up, but managing to continue to cast a meaningful green-eyed gaze in RhoHolla's general direction despite the persistent pace and any fatigue that might be threatening to impede his own progress.

Could she really do this? After all the healing she had helped with, all the prayers and offerings to Sla'an, could she now turn about-face and literally reverse all the good she had done?

She drew in a breath, knowing the answer as surely as she knew her own heart.

She had to get away from this world, this life...

Quickly then so as to take him by some semblance of surprise she struck, the movement as quick and unstoppable as the invisible attack of a dianoga. One clawed hand shot out, grasping him by the throat, digging in and drawing blood as they raked the tender flesh there. Her rusty eyes darkened, taking on the hue of a dying ember as with a small grunt she flung his body around, that hand that had stuck him flashing to a wrist which she twisted, up and behind his back.

She didn't even hear the crack as it broke.

Continuing, she now let a foot flash out, swiping him from his feet to fall on his face with a thud. The sight of puffs of dust flying up from the road for no apparent reason would undoubtedly have brought on incredulous stares from any Sith passing by, but as luck would have it, other than the one who had passed them with his wagon there were none. She smiled the smile of a tuk'ata being Blood-bonded, kicked him once as hard as she could in the ribs, and let forth a growl as the snap of one cracking came to her ears.

She finished the job by rolling him over with her foot, and then lashing down to blacken an eye, making certain to leave a few more fairly deep scratches on the hard plane of his cheek as she did.

Finally, slowly, the sounds of his panting, of his stifled cries and grunts broke through the blood-lust, sliding into her ears and telling her softly to just stop now...

She did. Even more slowly her own breathing subsided, her eyes lightened up to their normal brilliant ochre and sense returned to her with the sudden awareness that he was on the ground bleeding, while she stood over him like a warrioress.

A hand flashed to her mouth, regret and remorse filled her eyes. Gulping, she held out a hand to help him gain his feet, relieved to see that once there he didn't so much as sway but stood quietly, cradling his injured wrist in his other hand.

"I'm- I'm sorry, Matt. Truly I am. But this must look believable.

"Oh, Sla'an take me to hell for what I've done. For surely if your friends are there when we reach the Temple I will be imprisoned at their request for trying to kill you!"

Utterly forgotten were her very own words spoken mere moments ago, words agreed to by this man. All she could see was the pain and injury she brought upon his barely healed body.

”No,” he said simply, yet quite meaningfully. “If they are already here, then you found me like this and I told you who I was so you answered the Writ. If not, you found me and overtook me, then realized there was a search out for a human and brought me in. I will have no harm come to you; I am certainly alive only because you found me to begin with.”

Saying nothing more Matt simply looked into RhoHolla’s rusty eyes with his green ones, willing her to trust what he was saying.

Compromising on a sniffle, she merely nodded her thanks, let a sigh of relief escape her and waved a hand to the path.

"Come," she said simply. "We must hasten as quickly as we can. There are kilometers to travel, I would certainly like to make it to the Temple by mid-afternoon."

...at least mostly. They might have walked for a few minutes, maybe a bit longer than that, before it really dawned on him the reason he was able to keep up at all.

RhoHolla had slowed down.

Matt frowned a bit at this as they continued; not for the fact that she was slowing down to meet his needs but for the fact that she had to at all. He made a face to himself at this, having enough self-awareness despite his pain to want to keep at it regardless. Still, he knew he was pulling their pace back, possibly significantly. With a little cock of his head, he did take a moment to wonder which of them was more eager to make it to the Temple...

...him or her. She continued pushing on, but not nearly at the rate she had been, occasionally looking back to assess how he was doing...

...and it was then that Matt realized that she really wanted to help him. He knew deep down she was still feeling badly for what she had to do.

As well as he knew deep down that he really didn't want her to feel that way.

It was then that he reached out a hand to her shoulder, gently pulling her to a stop. He wanted more than anything for her to be able to help him without it coming from a sense of remorse, but rather from what he knew was truly within her; what he had seen in her from the beginning when she had chosen to risk her own self to save him: that she truly just wanted to help him.

He cocked his head a bit at her, arching an eyebrow slightly, letting his green eyes fall into her rusty pair once more. "I am slowing us down," he said simply, his voice gentle. "Perhaps if you give me a little assistance we can keep the pace and still make it to the Temple by mid-afternoon...."

She slowed a fraction, allowing Matt to come up immediately beside her. Realizing, however, that the side he presented to her was the one with the broken rib, she hastened around him, and carefully snugged his body against her left side, his injured rib well away from her. Carefully holding Matt in this position she turned and breathed the Warming Breath on the rest of his body, hoping that this small ministration would loosen his sore muscles and allow him to move more easily. She knew that once overtaxed, she could apply a Cooling Breath as a sort of icing therapy, and by her alternating both he would be able to keep up a somewhat faster pace than his injuries would warrant.

She managed the briefest of smiles, and let her gaze slide sideways into his.

"There," she said simply, now quickening their pace the slightest bit. "If we can keep this up, we should come into the outer part of Phrinnchatka in a couple standard hours. Once close to the Temple we will find a place to hide for a moment, that I can drop the shielding magic I have placed around us.

"We are safely hidden from the sight of others, but we must be careful not to make too much noise as we travel into the city. Remember, there are warriors here, and their eyesight and hearing is exquisite."

“We will be cautious,” he said simply, and unnecessarily. And then, looking sideways at her once more, his brilliant green eyes falling into her rusty pair, he finished with, “And thank you.”

Saying nothing more than that, they continued on their way with RhoHolla taking obvious great care to ensure she was not overtaxing him, continually lending her support. Deep down within, Matt made a promise to indeed make certain RhoHolla understood just how much he appreciated all that she had done and was continuing to do for him, starting with getting her away from what was clearly a life of servanthood and under appreciation...and perhaps that was putting it lightly.

She deserved so much better than that.

As they continued along, he would occasionally look her way with a slight nod or smile, hoping to reinforce in her a sense of value and self-worth not merely based on what she was doing for him, but simply for what was within her, and who she clearly was...

...a friend.

It was as if someone knew...

The tiniest of frowns crossed her features, then her face smoothed.

It is merely... coincidence. Happenstance. Perhaps these are simply the two easiest magical spells to teach from afar; perhaps all others need more personal connection between the student and the teacher.

Satisfied with that she merely smiled, nodding a little to see how Matt was able to keep up the pace once more without seeming to be under any undue duress.

The kilometers vanished behind them, and soon the wilderness around them was supplanted by homes and farms as they drew closer and closer to the city of Phrinnchatka proper. More and more Sith traversed the roadway upon which they trod; she was careful to move them silently off to the side, to give oncoming Sith easy opportunity to pass them by without being the slightest bit aware of their presence. Her estimate of the human male grew in leaps and bounds: he could be as quiet as a hunting tuk'ata when the need arose.

Finally the dusty road segued into cobbled pavement, the simple homes started being replaced by more modernistic buildings, and by poles bearing fire-sconces lit at dusk to light the way for those who had business in Phrinnchatka after dark. Her eyes darted about; finally she found a place meeting her approval. There, off to one side, a little walkway led through a pretty garden full of flowers and shrubs and trees similar to willows, with slender branches hanging down to the ground. She led Matt to the largest of the trees having the longest, trailing branches of greatest density, and once ascertaining that there were no big eyes to see the slight movement of said branches with no apparent means providing said movement, led Matt into their shadowy embrace. There she lifted the concealment spell, and gave the man a once-over with a carefully scrutinizing eye.

"You look terrible," she finally announced, letting her eyes drop to the ground for a moment. Then she peeped up through her lashes at him.

"I hope you can act in a manner reflecting your outward appearance. We do not have far to go now to finally reach the Temple proper, and we must look believable.

"Are you ready?"

...but then he saw the look in her eye and sobered. Taking a deep breath then to collect himself, he winced as a stab of pain shot up his side where there was undoubtedly at least one broken rib. “I don’t think acting in a manner reflecting my outward appearance is going to be of any great difficulty,” he then said, steeling himself, once more cradling the arm with the broken wrist with his other.

RhoHolla simply nodded then turned, motioning him to come along. While she was unaware of it, Matt knew the steps they were about to take very well. And while one of his eyes-probably now good and black- was partially swollen shut, he kept a keen awareness of all that was going on around them as they began to walk down a particular cobblestone path. Again he slowed her down, unable to keep up with her pace. Again she pushed onward, forcing him to stay on the move despite his injuries—as she very well should.

Keeping his wits about himself, ignoring any pain as best as he could, Matt continued onward. The poles around them became more and more frequent as they travelled the path towards the Temple. Although the journey became increasingly taxing for Matt, they at length began to see the towering Temple, and at length approached steps that Matt new rose upward to the apex and courtyard leading to the main Temple.

He took another few deep breaths, forcing himself to ignore the stabs of pain in his side, forcing himself not to think of the long, steep, staircase before them.

Kriffing hell, this was not going to be pleasant...

Pushing that darkening thought aside, Matt began to climb to the best of his abiility, his pain and fatigue be damned.

"I'm afraid that to make this believable I must ask you to endure yet more pain," she apologized under her breath before grabbing him by the arm that was cradling the injured one. With that she began hauling quickly up the stairs, pulling on the arm as she went, wincing to herself to think what he must be feeling but knowing that the act they would soon have to put on for the benefit of the Temple guards would have to be the greatest performance of their lives.

Matt said nothing, more than likely trying to conserve his fading strength, but merely puffed along beside her, sometimes falling back the tiniest bit to then be yanked up to flank her fully once again. His feet moved as quickly as humanly possible, but yet he slid upon occasion, one time crashing down upon a knee. RhoHalla merely yanked him to his feet at that, driving him mercilessly onward.

She knew he didn't need to put on an act at all once they gained the top stair and headed toward the ornate entrance to the Temple proper, where two hulking Sith watched their approach with blatant amusement in their eyes. Whether it was the sight of a serving girl bringing a human in dire straits up to them, or the fact that said serving girl was acting as fierce and uncompromising as would any full-fledged warrior, RhoHalla couldn't determine. But they did allow the pair to approach them without any exceedingly outward attempt to stop them, other than their typical crossing of spears before the door to bar them entry.

RhoHalla didn't give them time to confront them further.

"See what I have discovered while following Dark Lord Aelvedaar's Writ of Abeyance!" she declared boldly. Truth be known, she had been more than a little worried about explaining just why she, a mere serving girl, would be outside the Temple itself; the Writ was global, and gave all Sith lenience in turn for their assistance.

She shook Matt's arm, feeling the tremors coursing through it, her only reaction being the clenching of her teeth as she stoically stood their ground before the two guardians of the door.

They shot each other a look, then returned that look to her. Thinking quickly she improvised on their plan a bit.

"This one would not speak his name no matter how hard I tried to obtain it." The guards now took more careful note of Matt's bedraggled condition, of his bruises, the places where RhoHalla had slashed him and which now had re-opened to ooze bright red blood. Beneath that blood his skin was the color of old alabaster.

Their lips lifted a bit in simultaneous grins, exposing great fangs as RhoHalla finished with another outburst.

"I believe this may be the man being sought after by the Great Dark Lord Aelvedaar himself. By rights I demand freedom to take him to the Major Domo for..."

She paused just the tiniest bit.

"Inspection."

The guards knew the rules and regs and protocols. Indeed this was within RhoHalla's rights, serving girl though she might be. After shooting each other simultaneous affirmation, the elder guard turned to the door and raising his hand repeated the mystical runes he had drawn in the very air while earlier on this very day allowed yet another strange group into the Temple proper.

"Follow me," he said even as the doors whispered open, revealing the shadows of the Great Foyer within, lined with their myriad, signature pillars. Saying no more he turned and led the way.

RhoHalla gave Matt's arm a tiny, gentle squeeze and stepped forward, hauling the injured man along like he was yesterday's dirty laundry. The shadows grew even darker around them then, signalling the closing of the only entrance into or exit out of the Great Temple of Warriors of the Sith.

He got there first.

"My lord!" he burst out, pausing only a moment to drop to a quick knee before the Major Domo, who had been sitting there scowling his annoyance over the length of time it was taking for his command to fetch their prisoner to be fulfilled. He had been sitting there, claws tattooing on the arm of the tertiary throne - for indeed, none other than the Dark Lord and Lady be allowed to sit in the Great Throne and the accompanying secondary one - thinking dire thoughts about the fate of the warrior when that worthy suddenly was there.

He slammed clawed hands on the arms of the smaller throne, more of an elegant chair if you will, and shot to his feet.

"Where have you--" he began, only to be interrupted.

"My lord," the panting warrior began again.

"The- the prisoner is gone!. I took the time to direct the most thorough search in hopes of finding him, per your order to our Warrior elite; I beg forgiveness for this abhorrent delay, but a runner sent to inform you found you had not yet returned to this room. Only now has that runner found me, deep in the depths of the Temple, seeking in conjunction with the Warriors every nook and cranny of this Temple, as per your orders."

He stopped the out-pouring of words then, striving to regain and maintain a bit more control over himself.

"My apologies again, m'Lord. But have you any further orders for me? Shall I tell the Warrior Elite to extend the search beyond the Temple property itself?"

He fell silent at last, groveling at the Major Domo's feet even as that worthy remained momentarily silent, debating just what he should do now.

Before long, the Warrior escorted them in to the Receiving Hall. While he was taking in quick short burst of breath, feeling pain from multiple places upon his person and feeling slightly faint, Matt Stanza was still aware enough to take in and access the scene now presented to them:

On the smallest of three thrones sat a royally robed Sith, something of his features seeming distraught. In front of that particular worthy was a warrior, kneeling in submission, clearly waiting for...

...something.

But that was all that Matt really had time to take in as the Sith Warrior leading them headed forward and RhoHolla continued to drag him along, til at length their entourage stopped not far from the Receving Hall’s thrones.

RhoHolla uncerimoniously let go of his arm altogether. Matt fell to his knees and doubled over slightly, taking short, shuddery breaths, trembling with pain he was just managing to keep in check. With effort, he at least regained enough control of himself to look up and towards the throned Sith, waiting to see what would happen next.

In other words, the position of Major Domo was beneath his thoughts, and nothing was put into motion to make certain that said personage would indeed be someone who could actually pick up the reins and continue smoothly on.

It was for the simple fact the this Major Domo did not immediately order he and the reporting warrior sequestered until said order was over-ruled by his own command, that the Warrior of the Gate gained entry into the Receiving Room simply by...

Walking in. Serving girl and obviously beaten human male in tow.

He bowed, holding the position as the Major Domo froze in mid-sentence and shot something of an incredulous look his way. Before him, the kneeling Sith remained kneeling.

"My Lord," the Guardian spoke, keeping his face glued to the highly polished rock-tiled floor, practicing his expression in his own reflection there so it would be properly subservient when he was released from his position.

He didn't have long to wait.

"Rise!" the Major Domo huffed in a somewhat surprised tone of voice, before gathering himself together and putting on his straight face. It was then the former kneeling Sith caught his attention; he dismissed that one with a casual wave, holding his hand while the Guardian held his position as the former Sith bowed and scraped his way out of the Receiving Hall.

"Yes? What do you have here?" he requested of the Guardian, who wanted nothing more than to return to his duty as quickly as he possibly could.

He bowed his horned head once more.

"A palace serving girl, who claims to have found the human in Dark Lord Aelvedaar's Writ of Abeyance," he said smoothly, waving a clawed hand at the kneeling Sith and the human splayed on the floor.

With that he fell silent.

The Major Domo's eyes lit up like all the fire sconces in the city being condensed into two flickering points of light.

"Indeed?" he said simply. Then suddenly full of pompous hauteur, he went on.

"Explain!" he commanded, settling himself more comfortably in the tertiary seat of rule.

A quick, sidelong glance at Matt, however, added further strength to her fading resolve. Firming now, she replied. Her answer came cleanly and for the greater part honestly. There were only two little items omitted from it; said omissions the Major Domo simply did not need to hear.

"My Lord," she began in a small voice, then stopped and swallowed, frowning to herself at the obvious timidity painting it. But then she decided that said timidity was good, that it would help make her words more real. More...

Palatable to the puffed-up Major Domo.

She kept the tone, adhered to it like glue.

"My Lord," she began again. "The Writ of Abeyance became known to me. I took it upon myself to assist in the Hunt, for there is no greater honor a Sith might show than to heed the call of any Great Dark Lord. My work was finished, I left the temple..."

She paused the very slightest, weighing possible scenarios for their plausibility, then went on.

"Being a small person, My Lord, I searched in the small places. I found this one hiding in the gardens near the southern end of the City Square. When I found him I gave him the choice to identify himself or not; he chose...

"Poorly. So I added to his...pain to inform him of his error."

Another breath, and she quickly pressed on.

"Whether indeed he is or is not the one Dark Lord Aevedaar seeks-" Here she paused for reverence' sake "-I could not determine. But in either case he did not belong hiding in our great city, so I brought him here to you.

"My Lord," she finished, then falling silent in shuddery anticipation, knowing the next words falling from the Major Domo's mouth would seal not only Matt's fate but hers as well, one way or the other.

In other words to simply wash his hands of the entire thing, and go on with his insubstantial puffery, strutting about the temple as if he owned it.

The problem was that the Dark Lady would one day return. She would certainly not view his actions in a gentle light if indeed this was the man being sought, protected by the Writ as were those others he'd left in the Great Dining Hall.

He sniffed, now focusing his attention on the fallen man. Leaning forward, he clutched the arms of his chair with his claws, let his horns and brilliant eyes put the fear of S'slaan into him, if he would ever look up!

"Who are you?" he asked then, his voice sharp and growly all at once. "What is your name?

"Can you prove to me who you are?"

He fell silent then, and settled back into his chair once again, the highly buffed leather of the cushion creaking richly as he did so.

“I am Matt Stanza, assistant to Captain Terrin Danner, owner of Eagle Enterprises,” he answered, his voice raspy and somewhat strained. “I came here with one Panthar Dantares; we were sent by the Dark Lord Aelvedaar’s Heir Apparent Aeylmaar to assist the Dark Lady.”

Here he paused, considering. “My Captain holds a Blood Oath with the Dark Lady Graysith; the Dark Lady, Heir Apparent, or Dark Lord of the Sorcerors should be able to verify my identity.”

"You asked him his name, and nothing more?" he asked, and was rewarded by a quick affirmative nod of her head, one though brief was nevertheless so adamant as to set her horn-chimes to jingle.

He sniffed again, then motioned to the Guardian.

"Go to the Dining Hall and seek out the strangers there who have with your consent entered this temple earlier today.

"Bring them here."

The Guardian bowed his head. "M'Lord," he replied in a low tone then turned and left.

The Major Domo merely returned his gaze to the pair before him and remained silent. There was, after all, more than one way to skin a sandcat; no better way to verify the identity of this man than by the very people who had come seeking him.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The Guardian wasted no time. Indeed, the end of his shift was fast approaching; he wanted nothing more than to reach it, go off duty, and relax with a nice goblet of Sith brandy. Thus it did not take him long to come to the Great Dining Hall, through which doors he burst as if the temple itself was collapsing around his ears.

His brilliant eyes spotted the little group immediately, and he hastened to their side.

"The Major Domo seeks further audience with you," he said succinctly, knowing it was not his to elaborate any further than that. He merely waited impatiently as the three cast each other looks of trepidation and quickly got to their feet.

Saying nothing further the immense Sith turned on his heel and departed, leading them at a rather rapid pace back to the Receiving Hall, where the Major Domo awaited their arrival.

Jasyn managed, however. In but a short length of time they were lead back into the Receiving Hall where they had first spoken with the Major Domo.

But the Major Domo wasn’t what caught Jasyn’s eye.

For in front of that particular worthy, and beside a rosy-eyed Sith female, bells in her horns, was the kneeling and disheveled form of one Matt Stanza. There were scratches all over his person; the Sith robes he wore were torn and bloodied in places. He had one eye that was black and swollen shut, and the way he was breathing suggested to Jasyn that he was in considerable pain.

Sith Major Domo and Warriors be damned, Jasyn couldn’t contain himself. ”Matt?!?” he said in alarm, his eyes growing wide, anger rising in their depths as they began to flick back and forth, from the Major Domo to the Sith female.

What the Bloody Kriffing Hell happened to him?!?!?

It was only with a sheer dent of effort that the question didn’t burst from Jasyn’s lips. Likewise it took every ounce of restraint within him to not go barreling past the hulking Sith Warrior before him to rush to his wounded friend’s side, possibly gaining them all a trip to the Temple dungeons below instead of the reunion Jasyn was hoping for so dearly.

Was recognized.

Her word was verified. But more importantly, his word was verified.

Knowing it was not her place to so much as flinch, she remainded kneeling, her face downward.

But she simply could not refrain from shooting Matt a sidelong glance of one eye.

So while his compatriots came huffing into the place they had been led from not too long ago, he had been busy casting a curious eye about him self. Those eyes missed nothing; it was one of the things that made his species such great engineers. So he noticed the other two, larger thrones, he noticed the throbbing of a vein in the Major Domo's head, he noticed how the Sith seemed to be a bit more excited than he had been earlier, judging by how fast his chest rose and fell as he breathed.

He likewise noticed the condition Matt was in, and that the man was laying on the floor in apparent dire straits. Apparent nothing, he was in dire straits.

He also noticed the female Sith... winking at him, and relaxed immeasurably upon seeing that.

"Our friend Matt Stanza, injured is he. By your hands, in dungeons of this Temple was it?"

He asked his question in all innocence, not wanting to start any sort of quarrel with these fearsome people. But he knew Matt's identity needed further verification, and attention needed to be drawn to his condition, that something might be done to alleviate his pain and suffering.

His simple query addressed both issues rather nicely, he thought. And was diplomatic to boot, something that really had never been his forte.

Dammitall, how does he do that?!?

Without thinking another nanosecond of this, or of anything other than Matt’s injuries, Jasyn moved to his commrade’s side, kneeling then to cautiously steady Matt on his knees by placing one hand on each of his shoulders.

“Awww, kriffing hell, Matt, I’m sorry it’s taken so long,” he said simply then, feeling horribly. Somewhere in their near vicinity, the Sith female that was nearby and still kneeling, practically prostrate on the ground, shifted ever the slightest. Jasyn cut his brown eyes at her for the briefest of moments, then back to Matt...

..and read something in his buddy’s one good eye, something that only a good friend would have even caught. Jasyn arched one brow, miniscuely, curious. Then, noting that Matt was favoring one side over the other, he wrapped a careful arm around his friend on the right side to only then carefully help him to his feet.

Though careful Jasyn was—amazingly careful, considering his usual gruffness—Jasyn could feel the tremors of pain coursing through Matt, who was still straining to stay on his feet even with support. Jasyn looked to the Major Domo, for once careful not to look overly demanding or even accusatory for the sake of his friend, who most certainly needed medical attention.

Not to mention the fact that, for the most part, the Warrior Clan genuinely felt that telling falsehoods was quite simply beneath them, and something to which only a Sith without a lick of honor would resort.

He rose to his feet grandly, raised the Writ still in his possession and pulled it taut. Making quite a spectacle of smoothing out minute wrinkles before finally reading it again, he finally lowered the paper and rolled it up before deigning to speak.

"Let it be known that the One by the name of Matt Stuh- Anza has been found by the prowess of the Warrior Clan. Word shall be sent to the Dark Lord on Khar Delba; meanwhile our warriors will continue to search for the missing companion to this... human."

He paused a moment before tucking the Writ into his robes.

"This shall be retained by us until the second missing person is either found, or deemed not to be on our world at all. At that time it will be formally signed and returned to Khar Delba by one of our runners. The Dark Lord there will be pleased with how quickly we have found this one-" Here he waved a clawed hand in Matt's general direction, then puffed out his chest even more grandly than he had fiddled about with the Writ. "-and will soon be even more so when our continued search proves fruitful."

Now he focused on the Guardian, raised a hand imperiously and pointed directly at his hulking chest.

"Find the Commander of the Elite, and send him to me here. Then take these people back to our Great Dining Hall; there is food and drink and divans upon which they may rest until they depart from K'eel Doba with their companion. Unless, that is, they would choose to remain here as we continue to search?

"Oh, and send the Royal Healer to tend to the... distress of our ex-prisoner, to whom we extend our sincerest apologies."

The latter words left his lips somewhat grudgingly. As if not wanting to let them hang about in the air for any great length of time, he quickly directed a pointed look Jasyn's way and made one final command, now directing a pointed finger directly at the serving girl, who still knelt humbly before him.

"All may leave but this one; she shall remain here while it is determined exactly what rewards are due as... compensation for her actions."

He then reseated himself, adjusting his robes rather fussily as he did so. Before him the Guardian merely bowed, turned, and hastened off, leaving the little party in his wake.

A promise he intended with every fiber of his being to keep.

Even as Matt felt Jasyn prepare to get them moving, he stayed rock still-an impressive feat, considering his injuries. Jasyn turned a questioning and concerned look in his friend’s direction, opening his mouth to say something...

...then simply shut it as he clearly read something within Matt’s eye. He froze mid motion, but didn’t move from Matt’s side.

“Please, Mi’Lord,” Matt then said, addressing the once more seated Major Domo. “Although she was unaware of it when she found me, this Lady quite literally saved my life.” He paused for a moment, then continued on. “I was in the service of the Heir Apparent Aeylmaar when I came here, and my location was requested at the behest of the Dark Lord of the Sorcerors, Lord Aelvedaar. I feel the Dark Lord and Heir Apparent would like to express their thanks to this one who found me....

...as would I, by having her join my friends as we depart, Mi’Lord.”

He remained quiet a full standard minute, letting time drag out his appearance of being a god, one who held the life and death of others in the palms of his hands. Then he slumped.

He wasn't even a good substitute, and the last thing he wanted was for Dark Lord Aelvedaar to become displeased with him for how he would further handle this affair. It stood to good reason that he wasn't going to be happy when he found out Matt had been imprisoned, let alone tortured; he blinked and took his hand from in front of his face to clutch the arm of his chair again.

Leaning forward, he spat six little words.

"Girl. You may depart with them."

Now seeing the Guardian returning with the sub-Commander of his Warrior Elite, he motioned that he take the little group and return to the Great Dining Hall as ordered previously. The Guardian bowed his horned head, letting his pewter eyes lower in respect before then attending to the others, gathering them up in a group and leading them from the room.

Behind him the Major Domo turned to the waiting sub-Commander, and ordered he send his men everywhere, seeking out the one called Panthar Dantares, first commanding him to ascertain if that one hadn't been placed in the dungeons along with his companion, Matt.

The two had come to K'eel Doba together, after all.

Sitting back, he watched while the soldier saluted, click-whirled, and departed to attend to his duty. Then he sighed, stepped off of the small dias upon which his seat was sitting, and going to a bell-pull requested a big goblet of Sith brandy from the responding serving girl.

He pondered her lithe frame as she left to fetch his drink, let his lip curl in a small grin as her becoming hind end most assuredly was not struck by the door as she left. His smile faded a moment, and he returned to his seat.

There were plenty of serving girls about the Temple; surely he would not be faulted by the Dark Lady for allowing one to depart at the behest of the very human male they had been seeking.

She had been the one to find him, after all.

...but then someone came to his other side to help steady him. In thus a manner Matt let them lead him out of the Receiving Hall, leaving them then to no doubt await the Royal Healer. In not too great a length of time Matt was lead to a cozy little divian and deposited there. Matt took in a few short, shuddery breaths, closing his eyes a moment. He was fairly certain he heard Jasyn say something about Sith brandy...

Figures!

....and looked up at his comrade, who was then looking awkwardly at RhoHolla, then back to Matt, arching an eyebrow. She stood there looking down, shyly....

...and something of Matt returned with a vengeance.

“I’ll explain later,” was all Matt offered him, now realizing that K’khil and someone else was in their company as well. “And thank you all.”

He paused then, looking to RhoHolla, whose face was turned slightly downward. Something deeply rooted within him ached to see that look. So, reaching out then, he placed his good hand atop hers, casting a meaningful look into her rosy eyes.

His next words to her were soft, and perhaps somewhat raspy. But the depth of feeling in them was a palpable thing. ”You bow to no one. Not any longer. Not ever again.”

He wondered to himself if that was a good thing or not as he stretched his long legs to the limit of their walking pace, hurrying back to the Great Receiving Hall as quickly as he could in order not to aggrieve the easily annoyed Major Domo. That worthy was in the process of emptying his goblet, to then hold it out to a lithesome serving girl when he came into the room, there to head straightaway to the tertiary throne to kneel before the pro temp, lady-dalliance be damned.

"My Lord," he said, daring to utter the words aloud before being given lenience to do so. When no oath or epitaph followed said words he heartened, and continued.

"Records show that Panthar Dantares has never been held in our dungeons. I can find nothing which would give evidence or even the slightest clue as to why his companion was detained and why he simply vanished." He paused a moment, then dared to add, "Unless it was at the whim of the Lady ShaRhylla, who was holding rule at the time of their arrival. Perhaps she... did something with him."

He fell silent with that, allowing his horned head to fall to the tiled floor beneath him, where he held his kneel in silence.

The Major Domo's hand, caught in mid-reach to chuck the serving girl underneath her pretty chin, now slammed forcefully upon the arm of his seat. He leaned forward, his celery eyes heating to a flaming chartreuse. Then, true to form, he slumped, allowing himself the luxury of a greatly exaggerated, aggrieved sort of sigh as he did so.

That hand now raised to wave about laconically.

"Very well," he began. "Go to your men, bring them this command: by use of squad and tuk'ata, of all magicks held by our clan, and by coercion if need be, all are to spread out from the Temple proper in search. Look everywhere within Phrinnchatka, let the word spread to all villages and small cities, search in all the small places! By command our entire populace is to remain in their homes, or in whatever place they stand when this order reaches them; send forth the Royal census takers, so every single nose may be physically accounted for.

"But in two days hence, I command the knowledge be brought to me, of where this Panthar Dantares is located, whether found on K'eel Doba or lost to the vagaries commanding those unknown places beyond our world."

Or to the vagaries of the Dark Lady Pro Temp...

Jasyn arched an eyebrow again, wondering just what had gone on. Matt had already stated, however, he would explain later. That little statement, along with the fact that Jasyn knew Matt had a way with judging a person’s true character, put him at ease enough to let it go for the time being. Still, everyone was standing around a bit awkwardly, no one quite seeming to know what to say to who and how...

...and only then did Jasyn realize with a start that while Matt was aware of who K’khil was, that he’d never laid eyes on Cazun in his life. Matt clearly thought it was important to get the serving girl out of her current situation, too, meaning she was coming along with them when they finally departed this rock.

Where had that Sith pilot gone? And the Royal Healer, hopefully that personage would be here in short order, cause try as he might, Matt looked like Hell...

Jasyn scowled a moment at the thought, then looked over to the serving girl once more, then back towards Cazun and K’khil. Everyone was clearly waiting for someone to say something, and Matt who would normally be the one to start introductions clearly wasn’t up for it....

Jasyn turned to the serving girl. “Uhhhh....hi there. Name’s Jasyn Lancaster, employee of Eagle Enterprises” he began with.

And Sith brandy aficionado.... snorted a shoulder devil with a little laugh.

“This here is my buddy Cazun Farr, who joined us from Bespin,” he continued. Waving then in the Verpine’s direction, “This is our engineer and friend K’khil.”

He paused then, turning a bit to Cazun. “Cazun, this is my long time buddy Matt...

....and fellow sabaac expert,” he added with a grin.

Finally turning to RhoHalla then. “I’’m glad to meet you, and that you found my friend and brought him back here to the Temple,” he then said, trying to bridge a gap. “You are....?” he ended with in question.

"I am RhoHalla," she began simply, then bit off her next words as the whisper of cloth against cloth floated into her ears, a shushing sound which heralded the coming of another of the inhabitants of the Great Temple. She turned her head slightly to observe the approach of the Royal Healer, who said nothing to the group but made a bee-line to the man on the divan.

RhoHalla backed away a bit to give the Healer room to work. She said nothing more but stood quietly watching him at his craft, as the Sith began applying soothing ointments and making magickal runes in the air above Matt's battered body.

She smiled slightly at the words he uttered even as he worked.

"I can repair this one to the extent that he will be able to travel without further harm coming to him. It is, however, my recommendation that he be brought to our sister world of Khar Delba, which is home to not only those of our Sorcerer clan, but also to our greatest healers. They have the equipment necessary to heal these types of injuries we simply do not here on K'eel Doba, for we are warriors and receive wounds afflicted against our bodies with pride, seeing them as being trophies won in battle."

With that he finished, bowed slightly to the group, but before leaving could not refrain from pausing the merest fraction of a moment to shoot a disdainful look directly into RhoHalla's rusty eyes. That glare clearly showed what he thought of her: that she was somehow a traitor to their clan for leaving them.

Indeed, word traveled fast on K'eel Doba, whatever that word might be.

But when that particular worthy turned to go, and made the face he did at RhoHalla, it was only by sheer dent of effort that Jasyn didn’t outright scowl at him in a most unappreciative fashion. Instead he only made a bit of a face once the Healer departed the room entirely.

These kriffing Warrior types....

Jasyn turned back just in time to see Matt raise a warning finger, with a little cock of his head. The corner of Jasyn’s lip turned upward.

Just like old times!

“So, not that I’m trying to rush things, but I’d really like to get out of here soon,” he commented. “Anybody seen that Sith pilot of ours? He did say he’d be in the Dining Hall.”

Pausing at that, Jasyn pursed his lips, thinking of something else. “And dammit, I forgot Terrin’s message about Galen being stranded out somewhere in a damaged ship. We were gonna ask the Major Domo to communicate this back to Khar Delba...

....but I don’t know if I want to push my luck asking that guy for any more help. Still, I’m not sure what Galen’s circumstances are, and I’ve heard nothing else from Terrin, which could either be a good thing or a really bad one.”

He cocked his head slightly, casting a sidelong glance to RhoHalla, having clearly read the look the Healer had sent her way before he’d left. He let his gaze rest on her a moment, as if to reassure her that this was not how any of the present company felt about her leaving with them. Then he turned it Jasyn.

“The last time I saw Panthar Dantares he was acting rather strangely, in a way that was most certainly not in his character. He was speaking with the then Dark Lady ShaRhyllla....

...one thing lead to another....

...and before I knew it I was sent off to the dungeons.”

He paused, shaking his head. “I’m not really sure Panthar is here at all anymore.”

He paused then, taking a few more deep breaths to steady himself, starting to feel a touch drowsy. “And what’s this about Galen?”

He paused while Jasyn quickly filled him in on a message he’d received from Terrin, detailing that Galen had flown off on her own to Dagobah in a Mandalorian ship but somewhere along the lines the ship had fallen inoperable and she was lost. Matt frowned at this, truthfully worried.

“I agree with your assessment; our best possibility of helping her would be to go back to Khar Delba to Dark Lord Aelvedaar. Or to find Graysith, Phalomir, or Stargazer...”

Matt trailed, and Jasyn shrugged and shook his head, indicating they had no idea where any of them were. Matt pursed his lips thoughtfully. “Sounds like something is afoot, and that we should be going,” he then said. “I hope the Sith pilot that brought you here isn’t too difficult to find.”

Most of their reliable allies on Khar Delba were MIA. Galen was stuck out somewhere in dire straits. Panthar and Stargazer were mucking around with ShaRhylla and now both of those two seemed to be missing as well. And with Galen lost and her ship damaged, the Boss was most definitely going to be occupied as well, legitimately so.

Jasyn scowled, suddenly really wanting a drink. He arched an eyebrow at Matt, then stated as much. “Kriffing Hell, I need a drink,” he said then. “And you really look like you could use one too,” he then added.

Despite the still somewhat swollen one, Matt somehow managed to roll his eyes at Jasyn at that. Even so, he didn’t argue when Jaysn then looked around at the others with a little shrug before tilting his head towards the buffet as if to invite them along to join him.

Which of course, he absolutely was.

Still concerned about Matt’s overall appearance and health, however, Jasyn made short work of then heading to the buffet, getting a couple of goblets of the blessedly greeny-gold liquor, and returning to then hand one to Matt before taking a drink himself. He idly wondered if he could make it back to the Sith ship with a bottle or two of the stuff...

..then he remembered something. “Hey, I think I remember our pilot saying something about the brandy here,” he then stated in seeming non sequietur. “Maybe he’s more close by than we think.”

Or, at least you hope so, snorted a shoulder being.

Jasyn did his best to try to ignore that, beginning to look around, hoping he or one of his initial traveling companions would find the pilot soon. After all, the one thing Jasyn hated more than bad booze was waiting around.

He had been standing somewhat aloof as Matt and Jasyn greeted each other, food and drinks were procured, and introductions generally were made regarding the newcomer in their midst. Beside him Cazun stood in equal silence, save for a nod toward the young female Sith, whom he personally deemed to be rather attractive in a peculiar sort of way but not nearly to the extent as the lady-in-distress-cum-Lady Royale he had assisted on Bespin seemingly eons ago.

Now Cazun seemed to fidget a bit before apparently deciding to fill his stomach again. Nodding to all, he just headed off to the groaning sideboard, there to fill a platter and grab a goblet. The Verpine, however, remained where he was, simply letting more time pass in which he scrutinized the Great Dining Hall with an even more discerning eye.

"No difference, in here is there."

He spoke the words softly at first, almost as if to himself. However the timbre of his voice grew louder as he continued, not so loud as that any passing Sith might prick up their ears, but loud enough to make certain that what he had to say would be clearly heard by the rest of their party.

"No new Sith, none depart," he said somewhat tersely. "Status quo remains.

"Strange is this, is this not?"

"It is not so strange," she said softly, her horn chimes jingling even more softly still.

"This has happened before, when there was another our people were seeking. More than likely an order to remain standing has been given, so census-takers can take account of all people on our planet, to then compare with our records."

She peeped an eye upward, straight into Jasyn's somehow disbelieving pair. For certainly it would be an utter impossibility to account for the entire populace of a planet...

Wouldn't it?

Her smile broadened just the slightest.

"We keep very good records. However, what this means is that we must remain here until census is taken and reported. Plus we really have not been given entire leave to depart K'eel Doba.

“Look pal,” Matt said, cutting off his friend’s string of explicatives. “We need to wait this out and let the Sith do what they feel is needed,” Matt said reasonably. Jasyn just scowled further, taking a drink from his goblet. “Terrin worked too hard to set up alliances here for us to just go blowing them. Not to mention they are trying to find a friend of ours....

....one who I’m afraid could be in dire trouble. Panthar was most certainly not acting like the Panthar we all know and love the last I saw him. If the Sith don’t find him here...

...which would not surprise me....

...we should look into his location ourselves. It’s the right thing to do, Jas.”

Here Matt paused, looking at Jasyn. His brown eyes were still reflecting feelings that were less than pleased, but his scowl was fading. After all, one of Jasyn’s better traits was his loyalty to friends, and Matt knew Panther fell into that category.

“Oh, alright,” Jasyn said at last. “But bloody hell, when this is all said and done, we’ve really gotta get our own ship somehow. This waiting around for the Sith to cart us back and forth is for the banthas....

...and the way Stargazer and Kartan and even Terrin and Galen have gone back and forth between the Sith worlds, there has to be one of those ships around somewhere.”

Jasyn fell silent, taking another drink. Matt pursed his lips thoughtfully. “We’ll see,” he then said simply, not entirely disagreeing with his buddy. “And besides, when we get back to Khar Delba, we need to get in touch with Aaron and Terrin and see what’s going on with them...”

Matt trailed, frowning a bit, worried at something Jasyn had said earlier. “....and what they might know regarding who of our party is where.”

"Hey," he interjected, brandishing his goblet of brandy in attempt to draw attention to himself. He succeeded; all others stopped speaking and cast steady looks his way. Except for Jasyn, who yet appeared to be scowling into his own goblet.

"Um, I might not be exactly up to snuff on all this stuff," he began, now waving his goblet around a bit. "But it seems to me that, one-" He raised a hand, ticking off a finger. "If your friends have been going here and there between these worlds, unless they're still hanging around here somewhere it stands to reason that their ships aren't around here any longer. And two-" He ticked a second finger.

"If you've got friends on this Kerdeeba, or whatever it's called where we were, and since they do have all this good healing and magic and stuff, and since that writ thingy came from their Big Head Honcho guy, well...

"I think we should all just chill a bit, relax, let them do the work, while we figure out what we're supposed to be doing. I mean, that Royal Lady who dragged us there did so for some reason, right? We haven't seen her since.

"I wouldn't go off half-cocked; she may have some kind of plans for us, and I for one wouldn't want to cross her the wrong way."

Jasyn trailed, waggling his brows and nodding towards the buffet. Sith brandy was practically calling his name, beckoning that he take a load off and enjoy.

Brandy, you’re a fine girl...

He took a long, almost loving drink from the remainder of that brandy in his goblet, emptying it. He started to head to the buffet for a refill...

...then paused, something of what Cazun had just stated registering. “And regarding a ship, there is a possibility one may be around. People here don’t always come and go in the...”

Here he paused, trying to figure out how to explain what he was about to say. “....traditional manner, especially not the Dark Lords, Graysith, or even Stargazer. And aside from being an Adept to Graysith, Stargazer is a pilot and has had one ship or another at various points. She might have left one of them behind on Khar Delba.”

He trailed for a moment, then continued before anyone argued what he might be implying. “Not that I’m saying we should up and leave with everything that might be going on, especially with people suddenly disappearing left and right. It’s more in the for what it’s worth department that, should the time come when we might need to move on our own, there could be a ship out there somewhere we can use.”

He looked to each of the others earnestly, then nodded once more to the buffet. “In the meantime, it’s time for a refill. After all, if we have to wait around...”

Here he trialed, a lopsided grin a la Han Solo spreading on his face. On the divan, Matt rolled his green eyes. “Okay fine. But take it a little easy there. Remember we still don’t know exactly what may come next, and we aren’t on Khar Delba with Dark Lords and a Lady that we have alliances with,” he said simply. “But since I know exactly what you’re thinking....”

Matt paused, raising an empty goblet towards his friend. “While you’re over there, do you mind?”

Jasyn took the goblet, his grin growing impossibly larger. “You got it,” he then said, practically floating over to the buffet for refills then.

Behind him, Matt shook his head, rolling his eyes once more. He’d never been more thankful to be around his happy drinking buddy than now, after being imprisoned for such a long period of time, not knowing then if it would ever end. Recalling this then, he turned to RhoHalla, who had for the most part kept her eyes lowered, almost as if in deference to the rest of them.

...and Matt had to take the undesirable action of stopping Jasyn after his third drought of Sith brandy, out of concern that he might get out of hand in drunkenness. Matt had to admit to himself, though, that taking that role of Jasyn’s external conscious was quite rewarding- a far cry from being chained and tortured in the depths of the temple. Without thinking, Matt cringed at the thought, causing a pain to shoot up his side. He then winced at that.

“You know, you look like poodoo,” Jasyn said somewhat softly in his direction. Matt looked over at his friend, his one still-swollen eye blurring the image somewhat.

“Well thanks for the opinion, pal,” Matt responded in kind. “But I’ll be fine.”

Jasyn scowled, looking down at his empty brandy goblet, then looked back up. Matt knew the look in his friend’s eye, and it was one that all but screamed genuine concern. Jaysn’s next words confirmed as much. “You’ll be bettter after a nice float in a bacta tank,” he said simply.

Matt sighed a bit at that. “Give it time...and give them time,” he said, not moving other than to look from his friend’s brown eyes, his meaning abundantly clear.

“I know, I know,” Jasyn responded. “I just hope that’s soon. Cause if Panthar went off with her...”

He trailed, his look darkening, his memories of what ShaRhylla had done to Terrin still pretty damn fresh, considering the amount of time that had passed. And what she had done had lead to his death...

“I know,” Matt responded, clearly understanding his friend’s concerns. “Soon, hopefully.”

Matt trailed then, looking towards RhoHalla, who for the most part had remained very quiet. He hoped in time she would become more comfortable with the group, and more confident in herself. “What do you think?” He asked her, not necessarily because he expected her to have an answer, but more to assure her of his true value on her opinion.