She had no idea her mother had blocked her past with the Darker Realms from not only her conscious but unconscious mind. She could never have guessed that the recent block against all paranormal abilities was now not only the bane she had railed against, but boon to her as well:

With the barrier against unthinkable memories now gone, they were allowed freedom to be. To niggle. To whisper. To flower.

To remind her who she was.

Not one lick of this did she reveal as she waited for Shayla to answer her. But a part of her being turned from that which was real, opening itself up with a little rush of viciousness to greet that which had come back to her again.

And overlooking who she was, she let herself dwell upon the what.

Even as her violet-ringed eyes peered steadily into Shayla's, a tiny portion of them focused inward.

"Where have you been?" she more than thought, less than spoke, relishing the shiver of anticipation that rippled through her body at the words.

[ 09-13-2008 12:24 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by ShaRhylla ]

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

“I have been waiting for you,” came the reply. “In our most fondest and deadliest of places, with a heart of blackness and a driving need. But speak not, rend the flesh of space and come to me now.”

"I cannot," she whispered to herself, unaware that her lips had moved slightly as she replied to the darkness which was creeping slowly up to refill her soul.

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

...and then an answer easily flowed into her psyhe, as though it had been with her all along. And perhaps it had been at that.

"The Greater Good is the survival of the Natural Order of Life and Death and all that is."

Though her answer appeared simple and short, it was anything but that...

...at least to Shayla.

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

No.

She was at last truly recognizing herself as being part and parcel of it, through the two simple facts of what she was upon her birth...

And what upon her death.

An overwhelming sensation of selfness popped into place, and strangely enough, although it was truly the beating heart of darkness, in that simple discovery she found her individuality was lost. Gone, long corrupted, devoured, eaten away, to be replaced by that which never dies.

Which, unlike frail flesh, can never die, so long as there is nourishment to feed it.

What inhabited the body of ShaRhylla, or personified itself by it, closed her eyes, chuckling to itself for the great foolie it was perpetrating, and focused inward once more.

"Yes-ss-sss..." she thought back, reaching beyond the necessity of something so mundane as a Portal through the dimensions and into the rest of herself.

"Here is the window by which the truth can be revealed."

With that she opened her eyes again and gave Shayla a studied look.

"Oh, how terribly boring," she whispered, chewing her lip with a delicate bite. For a moment she simply stood there, her brows bunching just the tiniest as she peered more deeply at Shayla, as if into her very soul.

What she saw there seemed to be standing carefully on one foot, the other lifted in preparation of taking a step. But toward what, in what direction? This appeared to be unknown at the moment, especially considering the growing steadiness by which the young woman replied to her.

The corner of ShaRhylla's lip lifted higher, exposing more of her dainty, ivory fang.

"And you find this acceptable?" she asked, letting her eyes go bright and turquoise again, cleared of all hints of any other emotion but simple curiosity.

[ 09-17-2008 04:17 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by ShaRhylla ]

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

It was as if a dark, barely acknowledged memory hung over them, one promising a destiny darker yet, one sliced by electric blade and frighteningly silent intent.

Soon the runner came to the Great Temple itself. Mounting the steps leading up from street level, he bounded up them by threes, coming to the truncated top where a protected doorway awaited him. He nodded to the pair of guards which flanked this door, barking a particular code to them as he approached. They nodded in turn, moving aside, and allowed him entry.

Through the pillared foyer he went, past the comforting side corridor leading to his barracks, and on through yet another set of doors that opened into the temple proper. There he went to the Great Dining Hall, where after a wait of but little time he made contact with the acting Major Domo. That worthy bowed upon hearing the news he carried, bid him partake of small refreshment while he waited, and went on personally to find the Lady ShaRhylla.

He knew where she'd be; he'd allowed one other visitor to rupture the brooding and aloof silence the halfling had maintained since their powers had so mysteriously vanished.

Arriving at the door to the place where she had sequestered herself, he made so bold as to knock. In for a credit... opening the door, he entered quickly and quietly, letting that door oil closed behind him.

The pair before him jerked their attention to him. He shot a meaningful glance toward Shayla before falling to his face before ShaRhylla. From that humble position he informed her of those who awaited her order, the fact that he so boldly opened up with such information in front of Shayla revealing his belief of her importance in the eyes of the Dark Lady pro temp...

Or perhaps quite the opposite.

"Yes-sss..." she hissed inwardly, her bi-colored eyes remaining clear and curious and pinned upon Shayla's sea-green pair.

"Perhaps there will be gain from hearing what feeble words they spout; there might even be krayt dragon pearls to be found among bantha poodoo.

"I shall attend to them accordingly."

With that she pulled her focus entirely back to the room, and cut the groveling Major Domo with it.

"Bring them," she snapped curtly, watching then as he gained his knees and scrabbled backward from her immediate presence. Coming to the door, he reached a hand behind himself blindly; the not-quite-halfling watched with dark amusement as it flailed about for a moment or two before finally coming in contact with the handle.

Moments later, he scrabbled backward through the slightly opened door, letting it close silently in his wake, prompting ShaRhylla to pin Shayla with the full force of her attention once again.

This time something old blood-dark slithered in the depths of her eyes.

"Well?" she asked abruptly, going back to their original line of conversation as though the Major Domo's interruption hadn't even happened at all. Gliding to the sideboard, she helped herself to another goblet of Sith brandy, once again not bothering to offer Shayla so much as a drop.

[ 09-21-2008 01:08 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by ShaRhylla ]

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

Once out of the city proper he put his long legs into their intended use, galloping away at a speed exceeding that of a tauntaun at full bore, pelting down the path until he came to the outskirts. At that far station, he finally halted, panting out his Mistress's orders to the Captain of the retaining group.

Momentarily lifted brows revealed the Captains surprise at the order he received, for he had been smugly certain that his men were to proceed straight to the dungeons. But his was not to wonder why; snapping to square-shouldered attention he returned to his men, leaping atop his tuk'ata even as he barked out the order to move.

Moments later the group was heading double-time toward the city, the crenallated top of the Great Temple looming in the distance ahead of them, giving each and every Sith fresh impetus to get to it as soon as physically possible.

"Yes," she then replied flatly, finally cocking a brow. "What other choice is there?"

Shayla's eyes locked with ShaRhylla's, and she waited, curiously, for the reply.

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

“We have touched this one,” he sent. “There is fire, and a spirit free yet leadable. You are us in the realm of light, my dear. Give her reason to remember us, and who she is. Give her cause to doubt her own conviction, this greater good. Give her back unto the darkness.”

"More than you can ever dream of," she purred darkly, then taking another sip.

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

The ShaRhylla before her now was not the ShaRhylla who had been there moments before, at least, not exactly. In place of one who had been pleading with the gods of the Sith to return to her powers was now one who seemed certain. And it was almost as if...

"And yet life and death and survival of the fittest is yet the crux of it all," Shayla responded. "All that is seeks to survive, whether this fact is acknowledged or not."

She paused then, her greeny-blue eyes not straying from ShaRhylla's form. She was keenly aware of the implication within her choice to not offer drink. "It would be quite a shame if others find ways to recover the All powers that have been blocked while we remain here."

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

"The All--" she breathed, letting her tongue linger a moment on the lip of her goblet before slowly lowering it. She shrugged again.

"It is of no concern to me who is blocked and who is not, and who may or may not find a means to regain its use."

She knew that whatever had happened more than likely went deeper than most thought, for if the current issue was a mere blockage of All use it would not have affected her as well. This wonderful power was inherent to her, born into her very cells, her being; she did not need to learn the balance others sought to maintain the pitiable touch they had with it. It came to her as naturally as breathing; thus she was quite confidant that when and if it returned to any other user, it would as a matter of course return to her.

She refrained from letting Shayla in on this little tidbit, however, and merely let her demeanor soften a shade.

"This natural state of being that you speak of, why--" She paused, thinking back to what small teachings she had gleaned from her mother when she was first brought here to the Great Temple of Warriors.

"Why, that is but one part of a greater whole. Greater things than you can dream of are... available to those brave enough, and determined enough, to embrace their source in its entirety."

She smiled again, letting the tips of her fangs peep slyly upon the fullness of her lips.

[ 10-08-2008 11:33 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by ShaRhylla ]

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

The double wooden doors leading into the Grand Foyer flew open beneath his touch; the vast chamber then echoed with the sounds of their marching feet as without stopping for a moment they continued on. Through the next set of doors, down the ensuing corridor, then down another, and yet another. Up and down stairways they marched, the group now jostling along shoulder to shoulder, hemmed in by the tight confines of the stone walls on either side of them. In the middle of the mass of Sith, Matt and Panthar were just as scrunched, mashed smack dab against the muscular flesh of their captors. In this uncomfortable manner they were force-marched into the very bowels of the temple, until at last the Captain flung up a fisted hand, bringing them to a halt.

He barked a few words; immediately all but his most trusted warriors then performed a rather impeded salute before turning in situ and heading back the way they had come from. The remainder boxed in their prisoners yet more tightly, and all proceeded even deeper into the belly of the Great Temple of the Warriors.

At length they came upon a door, somewhat non-prepossesing for its size, but gilt with precious metals, stones and fancy wooded inlays. Strange sigils bloomed amidst the otherwise blatant splendor of the doorway, sigils somehow dark and deep and foreboding.

The Captain barked to his men, who shoved Panthar and Matt rudely to their knees before gaining their own. Strong hands reached out to grasp the mens' necks, forcing their faces down toward the cold stones at their feet. When the Captain was assured that his men and their captives were arrayed in a properly humble disposition, he knocked upon the door.

ShaRhylla slitted her eyes, sent a brief spurt of thought into her other self--

This one is dallying about, playing games, is not deigning to speak with me. Perhaps you can offer a suggestion as how best I can persuade her into continuing the conversation...

--before flaring her nostrils with a dainty sniff.

"I have state affairs to attend to," she announced in her most haughty manner. "You-- I am finished with you now, at least for the moment."

Dismissing Shayla then, she went to the door and flung it open, much to the surprise of the kneeling warriors.

"Bring them in," she sniffed as she then whirled about and went back into her chambers. Chambers which weren't private ones per se, but ones, deeply hidden as they were, which best suited her for those times when she wished to...

Keep things private.

A dark smile coming nowhere near lightening her countenance, she settled herself gracefully upon a tapestried divan, and waited to see what the warriors had brought.

[ 10-21-2008 11:35 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by ShaRhylla ]

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

...and a portion of herself that perhaps she wasn't even aware of at that moment snorted in utter disgust.

She would not be used. Not again, not by anyone or anything, regardless of what it at least appeared was being offered. If the deal sounds to sweet, after all...

...it probably is.

She was about to say as much to ShaRhylla's departing back when the Sith gaurds entered, pulling along with them two captives, ones that Shayla immediately recognized as they were uncerimoniously herded into the chambers. Shayla's eyes slitted, and she quietly took a few steps closer to where they were being brought, trying not to bring to much attention to herself just yet...

...and very interested as to how this interaction would proceed.

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

He raised his cloudy eyes to the figure seated across the room from him and Matt. He blinked and tried to focus, then felt a strangely familiar sensation that emanated from that unfocused vision before him. It was definitely a female, dressed in fine robes. She was reclining gracefully upon a divan, and Panthar’s mind filled in the unfocused corners and saw what it wanted to see. In an instant, the blurred image became the form of Jharmeen.

“Dark Lady!” he exclaimed. “Oh, how I happy I am to see you! I had feared the worse when I heard of the current crisis, and came here with Matt as soon as we could to offer whatever aid we can.”

Panther wanted to say more, but was not sure if he should continue until Jharmeen had informed the guards that he and Matt were not wanted criminals. But for good measure, he thought it wise to make sure the guards knew that he was trusted individual to the Dark Lady.

“I had hoped you would be here, and, as always, pledge to help you and defend you from those who would do you harm.”

Like that nasty witch ShaRhylla,, thought Panther. But hey, if Jharmeen is here, then they must have dealt with ShaRhylla already. Oh, Phalomir would most likely be here as well. We have a lot to talk about and need to get underway.

“These guards seem to think we are someone else, however, and intercepted us on our way to the city. If you please, Dark Lady, could you straighten them out and allow us to serve you?”

[ 10-26-2008 02:16 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Panthar Dantares ]

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

And that was yet more of itself. Perhaps not yet accepted, not recognized for the power it could bring, for the self-satisfaction that was so terribly inherent in its being...

But there, nevertheless.

For in the otherness that was the Elseness, on a hidden Sith world called Korri'sian, when it had departed from the body of this man it had left a tendril of itself lurking behind.

How... lovely.

Eerie bi-colored eyes flicked to the hovering Shayla, a dark tendril whispered from her being as it sought to confirm what indeed it already knew.

That part of itself, so carefully planted within the body of this one, as well as in that of the one the yammering prisoner thought she actually was, had been completely eradicated.

Anger welled, burning in flash-fire intensity, back-drafting throughout her being until it was all she could do to keep her seat, to remain laying in gracefully sanguine deception upon her divan, to keep from ordering the instant execution of these frail pieces of flesh.

But, as being mere flesh, they could die but once. She herself knew better, knew the agonizing addiction of death in repetitive application... and so she refrained, narrowed her focus down to the simple reality before her and, turning back from the still-silent Shayla spoke to the misdirected man before her.

"Yess-ss-ss..." she purred as she settled herself more comfortable, indulging in another sip of brandy as with that motion she quite simply but ever-so-clearly displayed the wonders of hedonism that she and she alone would be absolutely more than willing to provide.

"This is acceptable, my friend."

A sly smile revealed gleaming, saliva-slicked fangs before they were hidden once more by the rim of her goblet. Let the others wonder in shock why she had appeared to comply so quickly and without any reason other than the man appeared to think she was her mother. That little tidbit bothered her not.

What was of importance was the fact that she/it/they still lurked in the depths of this man's being, and that was something that could indeed prove to be extremely useful.

[ 10-26-2008 08:59 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by ShaRhylla ]

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

"We also come here seeking your Mother and Lord Phalomir, who should have arrived some time before us," he said simply, quieting then.

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

Only acquiesed to and welcomed, before simply being experienced.

Eternity danced a fraction longer in that dark look, before her eyes flickered back to normal. She shrugged.

"They're not here," she said offhandedly, giving a little sniff.

"I don't know where they went, or if they're even going to bother coming back. Until they do--"

She leaned forward, letting her tongue grace the fullness of her bottom lip.

"I'm in charge," she whispered.

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

"He's lying," she said flatly, pointing in Matt's direction. "They know where your Mother and Phalomir are."

Falling silent for a moment, she then turned, her eyes falling coolly into the pain-filled ones of Panthar. "And he would do anything for the latter."

She paused for a final second. "Anything."

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

Perhaps... she thought toward her other part, that oily selfness which existed in the unguessable dimension that was termed Darker Realms, alerting it to pay attention even as she then turned her own back to Matt and Panthar, her features now appearing as nothing more than an utterly expressionless mask.

"What did you want to tell them?" she asked coolly, before falling into an electric and extremely dangerous silence.

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

Drawing from these mental images into the moment, Shayla pinned Panthar with a steady and unreadable look. "Why do you trust him when it was you who was first used by him?" she queried softly, curiosly.

For a long moment her gaze remained unflinching.

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