"Painkillers... caff... now..."

While he went of to hopefully gather some pain killers and caff I wandered back over to Aaron and Yaoksi.

"I know some basic first aid, until their healers get here I might be able to help Aaron"

It appeared the bleedind in his arm was the worse problem at the moment. I had nothing to help stop it with and could do little with one broken arm. seeing no other choice I took my tail and wrapped it around his arm as close to his shoulder as possible then tightned down on it, hopefully enough to stop the bleeding.

"Well at least you won't bleed to death now."

[ 01-03-2007 06:23 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Cel ]

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Smiling a bit lopsidedly, Aaron looked over to Cel as she remained steadfastly in place. "Thanks," he then said, "I owe you one."

Then he looked to Yaoksi, who had his fair share of injuries as well. "And I owe you one, and then some. We'll get your ship back..." he trailed, cringing a bit, "Or something."

Quieting at that, Aaron then found himself reeling over how carefully the Sith tended to all of them; one to the side comforting Thea, another assisting Yaoksi, yet another couple tending to Thoran.

"At least we got a good reception," he then said, even as a few more Sith with regal robes came in to tend to the wounded. Aaron looked towards the Sith nearest to him. "Thank you."

[ 01-03-2007 08:57 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Aaron Barnes ]

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"Here is more brandy, good Sir; take a care, it is potent for one in such a condition as you," said the young female Sith, her sky-blue eyes still studiously avoiding the horrible and growing wound on Thoran's leg. Still, every so often she would manage the quickest of glances, if only to make certain that his entire leg hadn't yet been eaten away.

"Can I get you something else?" the adolescent Sith asked Thea, concern flooding her golden eyes for the fact that the young human had appeared to withdraw into herself.

Other Sith moved about, bringing fresh water and towels and brandy and food, until at last something like a shadow seemed to pass over them all en masse They all froze, rising to their feet to then stare down respectfully at the stone floor, as the Prime Healer entered the room and approached them.

He took but one look at Thoran's leg, another at Aaron's body-encompassing lacerations, and clapped his hoary, clawed hands.

"Take them to the Royal Healing Chambers; it is the closest, for two of these strangers need the most tender of care."

He then turned slowly round, casting a brief look down upon Cel -- who by this time had unwrapped her tail, albeit grudgingly, from Aaron. Another equally quick glance at Thea, and the choice was made.

"See to the younglings," he ordered, pointing at the young Sith who was trying to interest Thea in the mynock milk.

"Take care of Cel, Thea; I'll be right back."

I don't know if she heard me or not, I really couldn't tell much of anything except what her expression was sending out. And that was a sort of shocked disgruntlement; beside her, the young female Sith seemed harmless enough, smiling at me as she offerred Thea more of the milk.

As I was turning to follow the others I saw Cel pad over and slide into the booth across from Thea, her eyes growing dark but otherwise not appearing to look threatening.

Drawing a guilty breath, for every lick of me was screaming that I was abandoning the kids, I hurried after the departing Sith. For as much as I loved Thea, the cold hard facts were this: we undoubtedly didn't stand a ghost's chance of gaining anything from these people without Thoran's input.

And I was damned if I was just gonna sit there while they took him off to who the hell knew where. Not to mention what I thought of the only other human male around being likewise carted away to parts unknown...

No one stopped me, which was good. I was too tired to fight anyway. So my progress was unimpeded, if a bit hasty, and after a bit of time we entered into a room lined with beds filled with recumbent forms, and through which shadowy figures whispered.

The Royal Healing Chambers...

[ 01-03-2007 10:00 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Yaoksi Joao ]

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If Terrin and Galen and Jasyn and everyone was here, then where were they? Hadn't Thoran asked for them? Strange, he seemed to be doing well getting everything else he asked for...

Too mentally and physically exhausted to ponder upon this thought too long, however, Aaron gave up all thoughts of them for the moment as the Sith carried him into a large room filled with beds and settled him on one. A large Sith--sheesh, they were all large!--wearing yet more regal robes came to his side, muttering incantations in some foreign tongue, making equally as foreign motions with his hands. This continued for quite some time, and Aaron was beginning to feel all nice and warm inside.

He glanced over towards where a suddenly blurry figure that at least appeared to be Yaoksi stood. "You sho- ge- tha- lookt-a-" he muttered drowsily, pointing down towards Yaoksi's leg. Then, "Woner where our friens- are-?"

Dammit if the universe didn't then swim away into velvety silken slumber...

[ 01-03-2007 10:15 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Aaron Barnes ]

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“Demon sting,” he said to the healer through clenched teeth. “Healing magick will stop it, but will not heal it. But got to—unh! Got to stop it now, before I lose my leg... maybe Gray...”

Thoran let his head fall back on the pillow. He clamped his eyes shut and fought through the growing pain.

“Who is here?” he asked, beginning to feel a fever come over him. “Shayla? Galen? Graysith? Phalomir?” Not realizing, his voice grew louder until it boomed in the hall. “Terrin? Salandaar?”

[ 01-03-2007 11:22 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Thoran ]

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Thea looked up at her - it had to be a her by the sound of the voice. Her eyes were the strangest color Thea had seen.

"I... where... who... what... the creature... in... Praxeum... same... how... go home... to Jedi... Cella..." Thea's voice drifted off as she reached for the glass and took a small sip, not really tasting it or seeing what was in front of her. Her mind was flashing back to the day she was kidnapped from the Praxeum. Had it been the same creature on the Devil just now that had taken her then? There was something familiar about it but was it that? All she remembered was being given to the Evil One - and losing the Jedi. She had never seen Jeroc or Logan or Cella after that day. All because of Shayla.

The lady was worried about her, she was trying to help her. Thea took a breath and tried to find her voice again.

"I..." She closed her eyes to refocus and tried again, "I heard someone say 'Shayla'. They didn't mean that Shayla Petrolu was here did they?" Thea looked up in the lady's big eyes, squeezing the glass to keep herself from shaking.

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I grabbed onto the siths wrist very hard and made sure it noticed.

"Yes you can get me something, as you can no doubt see my arm is broken, I'm not sure if its properly set and the shock finally wore off. So right now what you can get me is some painkillers and one of those healers."

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Falling silent at that, Shayla waited to see what else might be said...

...only to have her attentin drawn away by the sound of a booming, bellowing voice yelling something. And although she couldn't make out just what was being yelled, something about the sound was strangely familar.

Her eyes widened. "What was that?" she queried softly then. "I sense something..."

Again she trailed. Or perhaps you sense someone? came the final mental addendum.

[ 01-04-2007 09:46 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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Galen… Phalomir…

“There is someone calling out for people we know,” he said. He pulled the blanket tighter around him and looped it around himself like a toga, throwing the end over his shoulder. He walked to the doorway and pushed it open, and stepped into the hallway.

“Shall we?” he asked the ladies.

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...and then that darkness faded into aloofness. She looked towards ShaRhylla, arching a brow, curiosity mingled with a touch of something else lurking in her eyes.

But then, the sound she had heard had stopped.

Crossing her arms, she didn't move a milimeter. "There is nothing to follow; whomever it is has stopped," she observed...

...stretching out then with other senses and talents in her possession to ascertain just why the voice of the yelling individual seemed familar to her.

One particular individual registered almost immediately, strangely enough. Shayla's look darkened once more. "Thoran is here. And there are others."

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She had barely settled herself upon the throne when a Sith of the higher echelon burst apologetically in upon her, bowing and showing respect as he hastened to the foot ot the dias. From there, his eyes peeled to the stones of the floor, he proceeded to explain succinctly all that was so suddenly occurring in the Temple: the sudden appearance of strangers, some of whom having been taken to the Healing Chambers; and now en route from Ch'arlingua came an unexpected arrival, yet another stranger who presented himself as Sorben Tarnus.

Her eyes darkened, but whether with foreboding or deep anticipation or perhaps at the influx of something other, something quite alien, none could say. She rose to her feet then, barking orders in a cool and commanding voice.

"See to the well-being of the... strangers, but keep them at all times under watchful eye. And now let the General approach, for I feel he has much to say."

Regaining her throne, she leaned gracefully forward, stopping the departing Sith with but a single word. She pinned his eyes with hers, then continued.

"As you depart make certain to place guards outside these doors. No one, and I do mean no one is to gain entry into this Grand Receiving Hall, save for the General.

"Upon pain of death... to you and whoever might enter. Do I make myself understood?"

Before her the Sith merely bowed, then departed, carefully closing both sets of doors in his wake. Cocking her head a bit to one side she concentrated, and at length caught the squeak of leather and clank of armor as that closed door was settled under guard.

Smiling darkly to herself, she settled more comfortably and waited for Tarnus to arrive from Ch'arlingua.

[ 01-04-2007 10:56 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Graysith ]

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“Yes,” he said. “It did sound like Thoran. “While I did not have the opportunity to see him fulfill his promise, I have evidence that he did in fact. I shall therefore not kill him, but I do have questions for him.”

Phalomir turned back to Shayla, a slight grin on his face.

“And he did call for me,” he said. “And if he is visiting, a likely place to begin looking is the Grand Receiving Hall. However, since his voice was heard here, I would surmise that he is closer than that. The only place of consequence near here is the other room of the Royal Healing Hall.”

Phalomir turned and walked down the hall.

“And I think we should begin there!” he called back. He walked to the next door and turned to see if the ladies were following. “This could be important!”

He continue on and came to the door of the secondary Royal Healing chamber. He walked inside and stopped, seeing Thoran on a bed with a horrible wound on his leg. To either side was an unfamiliar human, also being attended to.

“Thoran?!” he called out, walking to the bed.

[ 01-04-2007 10:52 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Phalomir ]

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“Oh, finally!” he said. “Someone who can make something happen.”

He turned his head to look at the huge Sith who had finally come to the bedside.

“Nice toga,” he added.

Phalomir gave Thoran a quizzical look, which prompted him to continue.

“It’s a long story, but let’s just say for now that I met up with some old friends of Terrin and Galen and Shayla, and offered to bring them here. Didn’t want to meet up with the big ships out there, so we came through the Darker Realms. Got stung. Ouch.”

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"This is but a flesh wound!" she observed, crossing her arms and lifting her chin, although something deep inside her began to chuckle, remembering other such wounds, other times...

"Any proper Sith would disregard so minute an injury," she added then snapped her mouth shut, raising her chin impossibly higher.

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“Thoran,” he said. “You can tell me of your adventures later, yes. I want to thank you for following through with your promise to restore Jharmeen, but there are question I shall have for you when you recover. I do not know how to treat a demon sting, but I can place a protection upon the wound to prevent it from spreading further, as it appears to be doing.”

Phalomir held his hand over the wound and sent a series of energy blasts into the space around it, forming a layer of protective magick that settled down into the wound. The spreading instantly stopped, but Phalomir felt a backlash of darkness strike back through him. He narrowed his eyes and sent a more powerful blast though, and felt a satisfying crunch of power as whatever tried to strike at him was obliterated into nothing.

He let his hand fall, sudden realizing his legs were wobbly. He steadied himself on the bed, and staggered backwards. His other hand went to the nearest object, which happened to be ShaRhylla’s shoulder. He found his balance and withdrew his hand.

“My apologies,” he said. “I must still be feeling the effects of the Master’s attack.”

Phalomir looked at ShaRhylla, then his eyes moved to Shayla, who was walking into the room.

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For a moment she stared down her nose at him. Then she extended a daintily clawed finger and jabbed it viciously into one of his more severe wounds.

"Wake up," she hissed, casting a brief glance toward Shayla before returning them, now slitted, to Aaron again.

"Who in all of S'slan's Circles are you?"

A snarl curling her lips, she jabbed him again, purposely going for a nerve which lay close to the surface of his skin.

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Still, he vaguelyi heard someone inquire who he was.

"Aaron...Barnes..." he whispered quietly, never opening his eyes...

...and slipping right back into the sleep which the Healers had placed him in.

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Slitting her eyes, she stepped up to his bedside where ShaRhylla was yet glaring down upon him. "He's Terrin Danner's business partner," she growled. "But for what reason he is here..."

She paused a moment, whirling and glaring at Thoran, "I do not know nor understand."

Her eyes then shot to the nearby auburn-haired man with green eyes she'd never seen in her life. "Andyou? Just who the hell are you, and why are you here?" Shayla asked, pinning him with her greeny-blue eyes.

[ 01-06-2007 12:18 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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This, however, she at the moment deemed a mere waste of energies and abilities; again that bit of logic, so newly hatched within her, whispered deeply into her psyche.

Do not let these people know all you can do.

So she sniffed down her nose and turned away from the sleeping Aaron.

"He seems a totally weak and useless sort, wouldn't you say?" she declared as she came up beside Shayla, now to pin her eerie bi-colored eyes on Yaoksi.

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For what the hell was I supposed to do? Under normal circumstances, being confronted by two such beauties would send me into full-flash mode, so to speak.

But now...

A beaming smile, one large enough to show them not only every tooth in my head but my tonsils as well I'm sure, planted itself across my features. I shot out a hand, concentrating for all I was worth to keep it from shaking.

"Joao's the name, Captain Yaoksi Joao!" I said brightly, glancing from one to the other to spread that smile around.

"I'm with Lord Thoran here; we're all friends here, aren't we--?"

I let that statement trail into the dust, daring now to cut a glance to our resident and at the moment apparently totally useless Sith lord, wondering why in blazes he wasn't leaping to the defense of both Aaron and myself.

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She straightened, glared at Cel with her eyes a-flame before managing to bring herself back into a more concerned frame of mind. But one that was now filled with genuine surprise.

"Painkillers?" she queried, shifting further away from Cel.

"Healers? For so mere an injury as a broken arm?"

She shook her head, caught the eye of an elder and clearly frowning Sith, then went on.

"If you insist, being a guest among us, of course we shall do our utmost to secure your full comfort and ease."

With that she rose and departed, going to the elder Sith to explain matters. That worthy in turn cut a brief, if somewhat astonished glance toward Cell; then with a somewhere imperious gesture she sent the younger Sith off on her errand.

The elder Sith now approached the pair.

"Is there anything else we might offer whilst the girl fetches a Healer; she stated your desire for a material called caff. This is something with which I am unfamiliar; if you desired it to alleviate your pain--"

A brief smirk flitted across her face.

“Oh,” he said. “Yeah, I almost forgot! This is Captain Yaoksi and Aaron Barnes, but I thought that Shayla would know them. Guess not, eh?”

He leaned forward and lowered his voice a hair.

“He’s been calling me ‘lord’ for some reason, I’ve been humoring him.”

He then leaned back and continued.

“So, I was to going to hook them up with Galen and Terrin and folks, where are they?”

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I turned my head to face the new sith.

"Caff, is a drink composed of a mild stimulant, after many years of consuming it I have a slight dependency on it. And no thanks on the brandy, with my luck lately it helps everyone but ryns."

"I don't know if your healers know anything about ryns all I need them to do I make sure the bone is properly set and cast. We where in a hurry when I broke it."

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Then she returned a somewhat muted, but still dark, gaze back to Yaoksi. "Your friend here is no lord at all; he is a pretender..."

Then, the darkness returning in her eyes, she looked back to Thoran. "In more than one way."

That gaze shifted one final time to Phalomir, the darkness not leaving the depths of her greeny-blue eyes, but instead growing impossibly deeper. "He did not keep his promise."

[ 01-06-2007 10:33 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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