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.

[ 02-24-2019 06:22 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Matt Stanza ]

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

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.”

Falling silent at that, Matt let his green eyes rest on the Major Domo, awaiting his response, praying to all the gods that what he had stated would in fact be enough.

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

"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.

Instead he let the look in his eyes speak for itself, uncertain if he would in fact receive an explanation at all.

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

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.

[ 02-25-2019 05:09 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by K'kihl ]

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

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.

[ 02-25-2019 07:14 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Jasyn Lancaster ]

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

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.”

[ 02-26-2019 04:11 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Matt Stanza ]

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

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.”

[ 02-26-2019 05:50 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Matt Stanza ]

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

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.

[ 02-28-2019 09:49 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Jasyn Lancaster ]

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

"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.”

Jasyn quieted a moment, scowling a bit. ‘And what about Panthar for that matter?” He paused then, turning marginally to Matt. “He did leave with you. When did you see him last?”

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

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.”

[ 03-02-2019 09:25 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Matt Stanza ]

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

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.

[ 03-02-2019 09:21 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Jasyn Lancaster ]

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

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?"

[ 03-13-2019 01:06 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by K'kihl ]

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

"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.”

[ 03-17-2019 09:08 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Matt Stanza ]

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"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."