Whatever softness the young halfling had displayed, whatever openess and honesty and quality approaching something men would call "good" disappeared in a flash.

There was trouble afoot in the temple -- in her temple -- and trouble coming from a non-Sith, no less.

Rising haughtily to her feet, she beckoned to her fiance to accompany her. Then without waiting to see if he actually bothered to respond to that more characteristic imperial command, she swiftly moved to the booth in question.

She came to a stop, her nose lifted so as to more easily stare down it at those arrayed there like entertainers in a wrestling match.

"Who dares disturb the quiet of this place!" she huffed, turning eyes of fire upon each in turn. They lingered upon Shayla and Erik a bit, then settled on Panthar.

"Who are these-- humans?" she sputtered indignantly.

--------------------

He leapt up from the booth upon seeing how serious this conflict was. "True he is no warrior, however, gentlemen, I am."

He crossed the room too a short, but reasonable distance, standing aside his fiance. "Thus far from what I see and hear, you are threatening too kill these men in cold blood, when, as this woman has asked: "what have they done?"

He glanced too ShaRhylla. "Excuse me for a moment, I hope not too undermine you too much."

It was with a peculiar gleam in his eye that he continued. "Put your blades away on punishment of death. You are not assassins or murderers, but warriors of honor. And even the most insulted of warriors should know his place, and that-"

His fingers were upon the blade on the humans throat, pushing it down gently, slowly. "-is not slitting an unarmed mans throat. If you must take quarrel, do it with their own blades drawn. Ifin they have none to draw or will not, well then..."

He chuckled as the blade was finally pushed down. "I'll have to do it for them."

--------------------

The indigo-eyed warrior showed no such leniency. He cut his eyes to Rykounagin, eyeing him up and down, ready to question what right he himself had to intervene, non-Sith that he was. But then the fires of rage in his eyes banked enough for him to take in the tattoos emblazoned upon his exposed arms, one in particular standing out.

He raised his eyes in total shock to see the House of Roan emblazoned there, black, but there.

Although he did not release Panthar, his demeanor altered completely.

"My Lord, this one dares to besmirch the name of the Dark Lady who stands beside you, referring to her as a needleworm, and intimates she is not the Dark Lady of the Warriors, which of course she is."

He let his eyes drop briefly in respect...

...but never loosed his grip on the back of Panthar's head, nor did he drop his blade from where it was nestled against his throat.

"Is that so?" He asked with almost a light but melancholy humor too his tone. His gaze swept too the sith who had insulted his fiance. "I may have too take regard with you later, but I still maintain that if they are too be punished, they do it in a more fair atmosphere."

He glanced too the barmaid who sat, startled too some degree but with eyes betraying that she'd seen this sort of scene a few times before. "Besides, I'm sure our hostess would rather not spend the evening cleaning blood off of the tables and floor. It tends too stick."

He nodded too them both slightly. "You do well in challenging the insults of these dogs-' his eyes shot too Erik and Panthar. "-for it shows that you hold your ruler in regard. But I must insist that your blades be set down."

Though his words were of a fairly serious nature, his tonality was still a pleasant -if firm- voice amongst the anger. "So release their manes before they knot and tangle, have another drink, and excuse these men and their woman too the Dark Lady and my own company. If you would have further words against them, then speak of them when the game is honorable. Please make yourselves seated in the Dark Lady's and my previous booth, and take upon yourselves a drink compliments of the lady and myself."

A general shuffling of seats occured at this point, until all was "in order".

He gestured for the woman too take a seat next too the two men as the sith moved away too take up the new booth. "So tell me gentlemen: What are your names, why insult you my fine company, why are you here, and lastly, tell me why I should not gut you for insulting her."

[ 01-28-2006 12:23 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Rykounagin ]

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“You have a lot of room to talk, there, buddy,” said Panthar. “Since the last time I saw you, you were zooming off with the Finger after Gray took you in as her new inept! What happened, heard she was dead and moved in to woo the new ‘dark lady’?”

--------------------

The barmaid immediately appeared, placing a pair of brimming goblets in front of them before going back to her station to keep a quiet eye on the proceedings.

She had no such compunction regarding her tongue.

"I am not a soft, pale, weakling to be wooed by anyone!" she spat, fires beginning to rise in her eyes.

"I choose my consorts, which should be of no concern of yours. Your concern is providing me--"

She paused, biting her lip as she cut a quick glance to Rykounagin.

"--providing us with an explanation of who you are and how you came to be here, and why it is you have found your way here to Phrinnchatka! For we do not take kindly to strangers here."

[ 01-28-2006 12:39 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by ShaRhylla ]

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She paused a moment, considering before she continued with, "...with the former Dark Lady of the Warriors."

[ 01-28-2006 12:45 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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"Oh-- really," she said, now cutting her look to Rykounagin and giving him a meaningful stare before turning back to Shayla.

"Explain."

--------------------

...or at least you should know it unless something has happened to you."

Pausing at that, Shayla considered that perhaps this indeed was possible. Maybe ShaRhylla really didn't remember anything that had happened to her previous to her tenure in the Darker Realms.

She decided to find out.

"You were still young then, however. Perhaps you simply do not remember."

--------------------

"And the word relevance was put into the basic language for a reason. As was the word "irrelevance". The point stands that you are here now, and that we presently find ourselves under no obligation to do you as good of treatment as we have thus far."

He picked up a small fruit that had been in a tiny complimentary bowl, and flicked his thumb over it, knowing of the fault in the fruits structure as a neat slice broke away for him too devour in a single bite.

He swollowed and continued: "As it stands, you sir-" he gestured with the fruit towards panthar: "-have insulted the dark lady of the sith, which as you have likely noticed, is not a light thing too do."

Then his gaze went too Shayla. "The key word in your small speech was "Former". This entitles a past tense, and does not explain why you are here- now."

"There is also the matter of who the runt is." he gestured to Erik, who, while not being a runt per se, was still proving less impressive than the woman or the sith.

"For that matter, the arrogance of this sith-" He now gestured to Panthar again: "Continues. You sir, seem not to realize how very deep the hole goes. And I can assure you from personal experience, that climbing out of it is not quite easy, and you have already begun to lose your balance. Do not think that because I saved you, that I will not hesitate to push you in the rest of the way."

He flicked the fruit again, and ate a second slice. "So, why do we cut the counter accusations, pathetic excuses and explanations, and answer the origonal questions at hand?"

--------------------

"While how you got here is of course of concern to me, considering this is a place of the Sith--"

Now she shot a black glance Panthar's way.

"--my primary concern is why you are here now.

"I find it as strange as I find you."

--------------------

...and instead we came to find you here, ruling and to discover your mother's death. How that occurred is, however, a mystery."

--------------------

Those eyes slitted as her talents reached out, seeking, and not finding what she expected to find in his strong and muscular form.

She leaned back, letting the blackness sink away, and smiled prettily at Shayla.

"Indeed, a mystery it is, but as with all mysteries it shall become solved. Should you find anything which would assist us in apprehending the foul beast who slew her, our government would be...

"Most appreciative."

Dipping her head, she turned to her consort.

"I find myself growing fatigued; would you escort me to my chambers? Perhaps this discussion might continue in the morning, in rooms more appropriate to such lines of query."

--------------------

He nodded and took her arm in his as was the old human custom, and smiled too those in the booth. "This matter shall be resolved soon enough. I hope you find yourselves room and board. Good night."

With that, he turned with Rhylla on his arm and they departed from the room. However, once they were safely away from the tavern and well on their way too her chambers, he voiced a question that had sat oddly in his stomach.

"So your mother was killed? I find that odd, since not too long ago you and I discussed your slaying of her for the position of dark lady. That and, as I saw her no more than three days ago alive and well, I'd like to guess the sith don't change their acceptance THAT fast."

They came too her door, and he opened it. "So tell me, what is the truth?"

--------------------

All appeared quiet, calm, undisturbed.

She took Rykounagin by the hand and quickly drew him into her rooms, closing the door quietly with an offhand wave of one hand.

"Of course she is still alive; Rykounagin, I do not trust these humans who walk with us here. I have met them before, long ago it seems--"

She paused a moment, frowning as she strove to remember exactly what she knew of Shayla and Erik, how she knew them. It was almost as if that part of her life had been a mere dream, years and years ago.

She knew deep into her very bones that it had not.

"They lie, they come here with Mother, she is alive, I know it. And as for the Sith--"

Again she paused, this time to release Rykounagin as she stepped out from him. A frown began to grow upon her face as she began to pace about.

"I reached out to him, and sensed... something. I cannot determine what it is, but it is very strange.

"It is as if he is not Sith at all, yet he is..."

She came to a halt and looked directly into Rykounagin's eyes.

"They know you took the Finger, but do they know of--"

She caught her lip between her fangs with the effort of stopping herself in mid-speech. For now the question came to her mind:

Why had Rykounagin taken the Finger from her? Was it an act of petty vengeance, as she had thought? Had he been sent to retreive it, to give to her Father? Or was there another purpose, one much darker?

Had it spoken to him?

She chewed her lip, her eyes blazing now to match the flames in her fireplace. She thought of the Ragorian and the blade, hanging safely in the Dining Hall.

She remembered the Finger, and the words it had spoken to her.

"Rykounagin, they know of the Finger," she repeated, then hurried on before she could change her mind.

"Did it speak to you? If so, what did it say?

"And could it ever have spoken to them?"

--------------------

You can speak of whatever things you like, with your mother present as well.

Jerking from this thought, Shayla eyed Erik, then Panthar, and quickly spoke up. "Let's get out of here. I have something I need to say...

...and circumstances considered, I'd like to tell you both."

Getting out of the booth at that, Shayla motioned for both Erik and Panthar to follow her, quickly departing the lounge, sensing the two behind her. Winding through the appropriate corridors they returned to her and Erik's suites...

...and she turned and waited for the other two to enter before closing the doors behind them.

"In the night, I have had a dream, a vision," she opened with, first looking to Erik. "I don't know exactly from where it comes or what it means...

...other than it leads me to believe the Master is free of the shield...

...and that someone here--a female who is of great value to the Sith, apparently--is or is going to be in great danger."

--------------------

He was quiet for a moment, thinking of how he would answer this, as it was, in his experience, a sensitive subject.

"The Finger of R'lous speaks too everyone." He swollowed.

"It manipulates, lies, and keeps too its own adgendas. The first time I took it, it told me too say I stole it under Aelvedaars command, though it was truely under Ragorians. When I... well, appropriated it from you for your father, as soon as it was in my hands, it spoke of how glad it was that I should possess it."

He shook his head, smirking at the floor now. "It's adgenda isn't known, but what I know is that it is a "S'slans Puzzle." (a reference too an ancient fabled box, in which after was opened, would steal the soul from the one who opened it)

"If it were my choice, I would cast it into the sun and leave no chance for it to manipulate our actions further. No matter what promises -true or false- it may give of power or skill, are not worth the cost of inevitable betrayal."

--------------------

Whether these people had done so was a mystery to her. What was not was the fact that it had spoken to Rykounagin as it had her. Perhaps even now it was speaking sweet nothings into the ears of her father.

She nodded slowly.

"Yes," she finally replied. "It does not seem to care to whom it speaks, only that those to whom it speaks listen to it. Perhaps you are right in your assessment of it."

With that she moved away, returning once more to stand before the immense stone fireplace that graced the entirety of one wall of the chamber. The flames flickered and danced, the wood crackling and popping with released energies, the heat produce reaching out to sear her face.

She closed her eyes and leaned into it, relishing the feel of it, hot and close to being painful, on her face. Her own tresses flowed back from her face and down her back in mimickry of the fire.

It mattered not, did it, to whom the Finger had spoken? All that mattered was that it was in the possession of her dearly loved Father.

"I do not believe we need to conduct so drastic a measure as tossing the Finger into a sun, Rykounagin," she said, her eyes still closed, every sense she owned trained upon him.

"It is far removed from any other; I feel it is safe enough. But I am still concerned not only that these humans know of it, but that they are here on K'eel Doba."

Whirling, she pinned Rykounagin with a look.

"Perhaps you should go to Father and seek his advice in the matter, unless, of course, you have an idea as to what you think we should do."

--------------------

He smiled faintly, the look odd for the seriousness of the discussion. "I have a plan, worry not. But I shall not burden your sleep with it just yet. Tomorrow purhaps."

With a nod, he took a step down the passageway. "The finger, for now, is irrelevant, so we should not worry of it. For now we should both sleep. So rest well this eve, and tomorrow we shall continue in our course."

He turned towards her again and inclined his head. "Goodnight Lady ShaRhylla."

With that, he stole down the passageway in search of a chamber to board himself in for the night.

--------------------

Catching her lower lip between her fangs she hurried to her wardrobe where she quickly disrobed. Garbing herself in luxurious green spider-silk, she went to her bed and crawled beneath the covers. One casual wave of a hand damped the fire, lowering it to a deep rosy hue.

The other lights in her chambers winked off, as did the lights coming in through her opened balcony as the city of Phrinnchatka finally put itself to bed as well.

Feeling oddly at peace, ShaRhylla closed her eyes and gave herself over to slumber.

[ 01-30-2006 12:26 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by ShaRhylla ]

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He found a small chamber about three levels down that was vacant, he warded the door and wearily collapsed on the small cot within.

But as he did so, he was comming to realize a few things. The first was that he had a strange lingering feeling of... conspiracy... and something entirely different... could it be, affection?

Rykounagin honestly did not know what was going to happen, or the next time he was going to "wake up" like this. But somehow, he knew that it had too happen, and if he liked it or not, it would.

--------------------

Shayla’s words reached him through a haze, and he looked at her in confusion.

“You had a dream?” he asked. “You dragged me all the way here to tell me you had a dream?”

He stopped, holding his hands out in front of him.

“All right,” he said. “Look, I’m sorry, I am just a little upset about that pair of low-life scum sucking pee-sniffing rabble that we just had the misfortune to run into. And I don’t mean those warriors. I just want to grab that boy and -- ARGH!”

Panthar turned and started to drive his fist towards the wall. Wide eyed, he managed to stop it before it connected, instead pushing it downward with his good hand. The momentum swung him back to face Shayla.

“OK,” he said, slightly calmer. “You had a dream, or vision, or something. What makes you believe it’s real? I’m not doubting you, I’m just – I don’t know, we’ve been dealing with all sorts of magic and force hoo-ha and I’m really starting to yearn for a good old fashioned blaster about now.”

--------------------

“Idiot boy follows plan from Roan,” it whispered to itself. “Idiot boy too idiot to know. Placing magicks on door, he does, but we’s has magicks of us own. Tonight we’s watching, tonight we’s telling. In tomorrow, all hell's breaking loose.”

The imp waved its hand, rending a gap in space and time. It released its hold on the ceiling and disappeared into the swallowing darkness.

--------------------

...and the Master shows his face with us unprepared?"

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