Suade greets and takes Naraal into custody while his ship is searched. As Suade toys with the young soon-to-be Sith, he finds that Naraal has a short temper, uncontrolled connection to the Dark Side and the same attitude as most other acolytes. Despite his apparent disappointment, Naraal is eventually capable of earning Suade's reluctant and diluted approval - with a little help.
There it is again, the feeling of unease, He thought while looking at the man, while trying to figure out the situation. Even as he conjured up what little he could of the dark side, what little his body and knowledge could store, he was painfully aware of how bleak his situation was.
A sharp tsk slid from out his mouth, a moment of apprehension had forced him to take a step back. Just what was going on? In a split but blurred moment, everything had become... become chaotic. He had asked to revel in the dark side but was this truly the meaning of those words. And If so, then what had he been doing before? The wild dynamics had not only affected the man but had the room swizzling and soldiers contorted. It had drove him towards doubt and fear rather quickly.
In what seemed like a fraction of time, it all ended. Wide-eyed, and for the first time in months afraid; Naraal found his breathing hard to control, his face gleaming with sweat.
What the hell was that? He brought his hand to his head, the remnants of ache or the faintest of pressures seemingly leaving. Silver eyes shot off towards the guy as he spoke. ... This, was that guy. It had to be. What did he do?
He registered Suade's words and his actions; no matter how small they were. It didn't feel right to be off guard around him, nor did it feel right to ever be at ease on the ship. Bringing himself back to normal, feeding off the ripples that he still felt coming from further in, he numbed himself once again. Finding it easy after a moment.
Now that he knew what this man could do, the dangers that seemed to jump right out of him; Naraal had decided to choose his words carefully, if he could. “My name is Naraal Vrail. I would say its nice to meet you, Suade. But so far, its been a nightmare,” He told the man, a light smirk on his face.
Naraal, was it? Such a name. What culture was it from? What race? What planet? Eh... it doesn't matter. There is no need to focus on such a meager scale when he could tap right into the source, or so was the more immediate thoughts of Suade. He had been passively reading the boy as he toyed with him, as well. He could see that he sent him into a state of panic and disarray, and even invoked raw fear in him. Bleak was in fact a beautiful term for the situation.
"Naraal," Suade said, his words sliding off the tongue as silver as his eyes, "you shall come with me until my master calls. I shall see if he wishes to meet you then; he's a very busy man, you see. I, however, am hardly such." Suade let out a meager chuckle, mostly considering his frivolous lifestyle.
"When he steps off the ship, search it. Catelog it. I want an invetory of every little thing on his ship, and if there are organics, secure them in a cell for me, will you gentlemen?" Suade asked the soldiers surrounding the freighter and Naraal. They stood still and obeyed entirely, regardless of how Naraal would have asked. He simply wanted to put on a show.
"There is no wisedom in hiding things from me, Naraal," Suade said as he took a step back, gesturing the boy to join him. "They will find everything and everyone, but don't worry - they won't be hurt until my master says so, and as I said, he's a very busy man." Suade allowed the grin from before, albeit without the illusions, to creep along his face again as he waited for Naraal.
He reached up and touched the back of his neck out of discomfort. The whole situation seemed unavoidable, incapable of being derailed or maneuvered. It was an insufferable feeling. Dropping his hand back to his side, he gave the inside of ship a considerate thought. He had killed a woman and a Twi'lek in order to get there and now, they were going to be discovered. Maria was still there as well but she didn't nearly matter as much.
I did say if she ended up leaving alive. Its just too bad she isn't. Oh well, just chuck it up to another sacrifice. Not sure if he should have felt bad or not, he sauntered off the ramp and moved to Suade's side.
Making sure to keep a reasonable distance, Naraal nodded at the man's comment. “I understand,” He responded, thinking back to the first word that had slipped from Suade's mouth. The word that had been near the last from his mind. “I have a question though; this... master of yours, is he the origins of the ripples? The ones that's flowing from the ship?” In a act of pure envy, Naraal lowered his head and smiled deviously; his own hunger floating to the surface.
Suade stepped back, following the motions of Naraal, but upon feeling the boy's thirst, his desire for the Dark Side, his desire for the power that Crusade had, well... he could only laugh. And, he did. He laughed heartily, his light tones echoing between the soldiers. Of course everyone wanted power, but it was so purely entertaining to see a youth - to literally feel it actually - be envious of the power of the master. The thirst for power was strong, and the Dark Side was the perfect source for it.
The laughter that fell from Suade this time was one of pure enjoyment and it nearly caught Naraal off guard. He was growing accustomed to the two-tone meanings of all his little actions but this was different. He looked up at the man with a lifted eyebrow, his own lips in a tight line. It had been a few months since he felt the irritation that came with tip-toeing on broken glass.
But what could he do? It was even more impossible to undermine this being than it was his old master; and he had been accustomed with using force to get his point across. Naraal touched his shoulder at the thought; Suade had sent the force at him with little indication, a death blow would had been easy for him.
This however, had only slightly derailed his thoughts, he had not forgotten that Suade didn't answered his questions. He just decided not to push it. His arm touched the back of his neck again, the earthen hood keeping him from touching his flesh. “What's so funny?”
Suade only let out a single louder bellow as Naraal asked him such an ironic question. What was so funny? Where was the humor? Some kid wet behind the ears, barely having tasted the true powers of the Dark Side, with a thirst for power so great his proverbial jaw dropped at the flavor he was given a morsel of when he felt Crusade's power. Oh, there was a humor in that. There was humor in it the same way there might be humor in an ant with dreams of upheavnig a mountain.
"Young love," Suade said as he began walking down the hangar, specifically in the direction foyer doors that acted as a checkpoint for those boarding the ship. Before Naraal would even need to ask what the hell that kind of comment meant, Suade would tell him: "the love for power, that is." Suade allowed a brief moment to permeate the air before adding, "that is the nature of the Dark Side, no?"
Another laughter resounded from Suade, only thickening the air of agitation inside of him. His brows furrowed, a sharp breath sliding from his mouth. It was a quick expression that he quickly shrugged off and ignored. No need for other emotions to clutter up his hunger. It was one of the things that gave him purpose, one of the only things.
Naraal believed he understood Suade's word. But he wasn't completely certain. To a experienced veteran, he could see how a rookie's love for war would be invigorating or even humorous. So it must had been the same with the Dark Side too. Apprentices were... refreshing to lords and knights.
Following behind Suade, Naraal let a physical pause pass between them as he thought. He had still been a bit wary of his words around the man. “I think its a bit more than that. Power and,” He thought a bit more before finding the word. “... and freedom I think, is what lures people in. Freedom from reality.” His words were a understanding of what he was feeling, not heavily emotional but not so casual that they were meaningless either.
The air remained silent, no laughter. It wasn't more serious, but it wasn't as jovial. Suade simply didn't find the answer as enteraining as the others. Soon enough, Suade stood in front of a pair of sliding doors, waiting to punch in his access code while waiting for Naraal. He had walked slowly enough to create a physical gap between them that, to Suade, was nothing less than annoying.
"Freedom is an illusion," Suade told him as he stared at him plainly. "We all take part in the dance of death, young one. You may be free to live and die as you wish, but you will never be free of death itself. If you knew of Sith history, you would know that. It is the fate of the most powerful to seek out preservation, to extend life, only to become weak in his search. Yet..."
Suade pondered alloud, speaking almost in poetic verse while he waited for Naraal to near him. "It leaves you with a question. If the Dark Side is passion and rage, a burning fire you could say, does it matter if it burns longer or hotter?" Suaded posed to Naraal.
"Don't pretend you have the answer," Suade quickly added, "no one does."
Naraal wondered; just what was the truth then. If nothing else, Suade's words had proven confusing. And the way he spoke only added to the overall misdirection. Was he just toying with him? Or being serious?
Again he touched his head, the temple of which was aching just a bit; not even the Dark Side could sooth this pain. I'm not sure if I get him at all. But surely he's a fountain of knowledge. Even I can tell that much.
On the other hand, Suade had let his musical question dance in the air, so now Naraal had taken it as a challenge to figure it out. If the Dark Side is a flame... does it matter if burns longer or hotter? The question he posed to himself had been at the forefront, his physical actions, the back. But he had still kept his slow pace behind the man.
The obvious answer is yes. Depending on the size, a flame could engulf everything. Burn anything. Turn the galaxy to ash! So why do I feel like that answer is wrong? Frustrated, he raked his hair with a single hand. His expression was unknowingly angered. I don't like not knowing.
Suade only sighed. He felt the frustration radiating off the boy just as much as he felt his initial fear. He made it plainly obviously. Painly obviously, actually. One didn't even need the Force nor Suade's advanced telepathy to see that Naraal was stuck in a twlight of confusion. These were hardly riddles, even. Not meant to be solved, but meant to open doors. Suade believed already that Naraal wouldn't go far in his field, but nevertheless.
"The answer is in the question," Suade told Naraal. He was at a stop, standing still actually. So still it was as if he was stone. So still, his lips didn't even move. His lips weren't moving, no. At least, not for that first sentence. He bridged his mind to Naraal's to relay that short, simplistic message before smirking, knowing he was teasing the boy with his telepathy.
"If the Dark Side is a fire, young one, it does not matter whether you burn slowly, quickly, bright, dull or with the intensity of the sun. It matters only that you burn," Suade said. Even more than that, he became aggressive now. He wasn't just saying 'burn' as a metaphor, he meant it as a term for destruction. He added a quip, even, to prove it, "and, more importantly, what you burn."
Suade was frozen. Solid in fact, so why was his words so clear? Naraal's eyes lifted in realization. Telepathy! Speaking directly to my mind?! So it was possible, and it was exactly what he had believed before. He sighed, but his brows had not furrowed, nor did he frown. Instead a smirk lifted on his face. More and more, he was beginning to believe the Dark Side had indeed orchestrated a deathly course of lessons for him.
A short cackle of sorts resonated in his throat as his understanding connected with Suade's. Burning things would be meaningless if you didn't burn the right things. He had so much to learn and he was beginning to see his lack of knowledge as a downside. His master had cut his lessons short, so it was to be expected, but it would be more than weak to use that as a crutch.
The Dark Side swelled up inside of him, as he lingered on his disappointment, the force pressurized the air around him in a miniature fit; the metal and lights slowly started bending, creaking. “It won't happen again,” He smiled, a direct contrast to the emotions barreling inside.
"You kids," Suade said, "so easy to... mislead." He smirked, the once stone face returning to its diabolic smirk. "I told you, did I not, that the question had no answer?," he asked, obviously rhetoric. "Yet, when I provided you an answer, you immediately took it as true. This proves, Naraal, that you only meant to solve the problem for what it was at face value, and that... that is a great way to waste the Force."
"You will not take one step further, Naraal, until you tell me why I said the question had no answer," Suade told Naraal, pressing an ultimatum on him. It's not as if Naraal needed to go further, but it was the nature of youth to absolutely hate being told they could not do something. "All I can say, is you have already disappointed me..." Suade added.
Silence. The pause of a mixed barrel of emotions tumbling inside was all that he could offer. How am I suppose to answer this? He looked pass the man at the door, his very existence wanting to rebel against Suade's imposed rules. Not a single step forwards huh? His destiny rested but a few yards away, he could feel the ripples resonating from within.
His eyes fell onto Suade, blank and emotionless. If he had any chance of figuring it all out, he would have to calm down. He had been searching for an answer earlier, wanting one to fall into his lap. But that was only because Suade had presented it like a question. There was no other way for him to see it. If it had no answer then why was the man so doggedly pestering him with it.
His hand reached the back of his neck, rubbing it slowly as his impassive expression turned into something akin to inanimate, lifeless. The Dark Side had been put to the good use, he let it wildly flow through him, boiling his blood in a way. “I don't know,” he finally admitted in a growl, his silver eyes dancing dangerously on a line between furious and calm. “You're confusing me, twisting me into some toy. You just said it didn't have an answer but now you're asking me why it doesn't have an answer. I don't know what to tell you, everyone thinks differently so the answer will be different. The question is a matter of opinion. Just like how one uses the Dark Side.”
"You disappoint me still, young one," Suade replied. It was one thing to read his mind or tap into his feelings, but another for Naraal to openly express his ignorance - his weakness. It was distasteful to the Sith Inquisitor. Admittedly, Suade wasn't exactly your standard for taste. "You are blind and ignorant, Naraal. Think, what does it tell your enemies and your mentors if you admit you don't know? If you get so frustrated you can't consider the obvious? It is the Dark Side, sure, to embrace rage, but youngling, you don't have the raw power to back it up."
Suade looked down at Naraal now. This was no illusion, but his persuasion. He was directly attempting to intimidate and degrade Naraal, and he was using the Force to do it. He enjoyed actively playing with the minds of others, and this was no different. "I will tell this: if a question has no answer, it is not a question. It is a statement. So, Naraal," Suade spoke with his now almost assaulting tone, "If I tell you that the flame that is fire that embodies the Dark Side matters not whether it burns hotter or longer, what does that tell you?"
Suade spoke quickly. He had an another sinister emphasis on his words. If they were the edge of blade, they could stab through steel. His sentences were longer than needed, almost redundant, and that was so that he could fit more words in a shorter span to add even more unneeded pressure to the situation. Naraal, at least to Suade, overlooked the obivous. If he was this oblivious to the ways of the Force, Dark or otherwise, he would have hope for mastering it.
Rebellious and yet utterly overshadowed, all he could do was look up with distaste as he fought against submitting. It had been the same with his first master, the flames of disobedience had burned strong in him, and now this moment had seemed to bring them back. However, he knew what pain and torture it would take for his flames to be smothered, and while he disliked the thought of giving in, it would be smarter for him to just submit.
Taking a step back, he fumed on the inside at the man's obvious -and formidable- strength. It was, more than he could had believed existed in him but it was clearly there. He turned his face back to the man, all traces of his anger seemingly hidden behind the mask acceptance. “That it doesn't matter. That is what you're telling me,” He muttered, the vision in front of him completely and utterly discouraging.
He couldn't understand why, that through the daunting force in front of him that he refused to rip his eyes from him, but it was impossible. His silver eyes were stuck on the man's crimson, and his anger was still tumbling inside of him. Still festering; he wished that it would simply vanish but his added disgrace had only strengthen it.
"You certainly would make no Jedi," Suade said. Sith or not, the tone he said it in was a direct insult. He wouldn't even explain what he meant, either. Just used phrase in a moment of spite. "I won't hold your hand to guide you through the Dark Side," Suade told him, after just a brief moment, "and I will have no sympathy for your weakeness." Suade stared at him for just a moment, never wavering in his daunting presence.
"You understand this is weakness, don't you?" Suaded said, only ever making his overbearing pressure worse. "I gave you a greater hand of help than I even would a child, and you stand before me a frustrated and ignorant little welp." Suade could only stare at this point. The boy had to have been led here for a reason, but it obviously wasn't his raw power. If the Force brought him here, it had to have its reason. Suade, however, was not one to make things easy.
Inhaling deeply, then exhaling as if to calm himself, although its actual purpose was far more complex. Just as the Jedi Mind Trick required the user to implant ideas that its target originally desired, he was imlpanting subliminal messages into Naraal. Breathe. In, out, deep, slow. Be in control. It was only a biref moment, but it was almost an eternity of influence. "I will say it, one more time... The Dark Side is passion, and if that passion is a burning, raging pyre... does it matter more if the flame burns hotter or longer?"
At first Suade's words had only brought even more anger to him. Tipping him in a direction that was similar to primordial rage and fear than anything else, which in a sense was nothing but insanity. However, before long a sudden urge to calm himself had swept over him. Before he knew it, his breaths were easing up, his chest heaving not erratically, but more regularly.
It was a unwanted feeling; the course of the Dark Side receding from his veins, slowly pulling back into the deep ripples. Control came pretty quickly after that, leaving him in a rather contemplative state. While he felt rather proud of the amount of the Dark Side that had swelled inside of him, being calm had brought an astounding amount of clarity towards Suade's own frustrations... disappointments.
Another breath left him, this one more prominent as he looked at his hand and on a deeper scale, envisioned the dark side coursing through him. He realized that while it resided him in stronger than it ever had before, that he was foolish in its practices. It was more than just a tool to be picked up and used, however, the true purpose of it still escaped him. So he moved on to the answer that had been fogged by his rage.
“Hotter,” he answered disappointed, his face becoming impassive as he realized the obvious. Being showed up, thrown to the ground, and having his teeth knocked out his mouth would have felt better than this. His earthen robes closed around his body in a attempt to shield himself. Maybe things had always been what they were at face value.
Maybe my mom really did just sell me out for greed?
Inside the folds of his cloak, his fist balled tightly as he soaked up the Dark Side even more. His lesson had nearly escaped him but he held onto with a slim grasp, preferring the numbness more than he did the pain.
Suade chuckled once more. The kid didn't get it. He just plain didn't. The thing about the Dark Side, however, was that you didn't have to. Especially if you answered the way he did. Suade chuckled into a laugh, and it was just as heart as his first one. It was quick to die as a meager cackle all before Suade shook his head, smirking as if he had just cheated death.
"No, not really, Naraal, but if you tell yourself that enough, over and over, you'll make it true, and that's all that matters," Suade explained, with a still-obvious tone of disappointment, but an even more obvious tone of approval. The answer would work. If one blindly believed his raw power was enough, so be it. If that was the path Naraal desired, then he was one of thousands of potential Sith that would follow it. The path just wasn't a fruitful one, and the Sith that followed it tend to live far shorter than the clever ones that learned otherwise.
Suade turned around, as if completely disregaridng all the rage and frustration of Naraal. Even if Naraal attacked, with saber or force, Suade would know and make him regret it. Whether Naraal knew that or not was a different question, but still irrelevant. Not a second passed that Suade wasn't watching, listening more so to Naraal. Never let your guard down,, one of the first rules you learned while in the inner circle.
A few beeps later, and the doors opened into the Hask. The halls Suade was to soon lead Naraal down might change his life forever. Or, maybe even end it. Suade was an Inquisitor, not a seer.
