Nar Shaddaa

Layne marched up to the doors that'd gave way to the chambers of Darth Xevious, and if possible just barged her way past the guards. If not, she would make it clear to them she would not be denied. There was business to attend to.

Xevious is eating his breakfast with his daughter and looks up calmly and says, “Do you make it a habit to barge into the personal chambers of a Dark Council member?”

"I do when I come bearing a message from the Voice of the Emperor," she said, proceeding in further and not particularly concerned with annoying him.

“A bold claim,” he says as he continues eating.

“What does the Voice have to say this morning, little Sith?”

"You are being watched, Darth Xevious. Magpie is now enemy of the Emperor and his voice."

She produced the crystal the Voice had given her, and placed it down on the table.

"Happy birthday."

Xevious frowns and looks at the crystal long and hard and then says to everyone, “Leave us.” The room clears out, even his daughter who looks concerned but complies.

His look grows pensive as he finally picks up the crystal and says, “Few see the Voice and survive the encounter that are not the Dark Council. How did you come by this?”

"Few are Layne Hoshin," she said, unable to resist capitalizing. "The Voice herself gave this to me within her sanctum."

That brings a slight chuckle, “You have no idea what games you mingle in, Layne. You tangle with the top echelons of power and have now made yourself a target. The Voice has spoke, first time in years. The will of the Emperor is revealed.”

"Everyone always underestimates me," she said. "And I have been a target many times before. That does not concern me. What does concern me is why the Voice found it important enough to inform you that Magpie is only now an enemy. Was it not already known to the Dark Council that Magpie is a traitor?"

“It was considered a minor threat before,” he says dismissively to Layne. “If you know more of this matter do educate me, perhaps we were just not aware of the severity of the threat.”

"The Voice is taking care of one of Magpie's plots," she said. "I assume the fact I was instructed to inform you of Magpie's new status means you should act accordingly."

Or stop conspiring with her, if that's what was going on.

“Well who am I to not comply with the Emperor, you are dismissed. This will be handled with the severity it deserves. Tell Vengean that his new pet dog is a surprising one,” Xevious responds.

"Vengean? You'll forgive me for not departing immediately, but I have not been informed I had a new master."

“Baras is dead, Vengean is his master… you now serve him, surely the great Layne knew how this worked,” Xevious says with a playful grin.

“Or does this mean you are looking for a better quality of Master?”

"Are you implying you would have more to offer me than Vengean?"

“Your talents are wasted on him, obviously,” Xevious responds.

"Instead of assuming it's obvious to me as well, why don't you explain."

“A better question is did you feel fulfilled in your duties to Darth Baras, or were you simply a tool to be used and disposed of. Do you think that will change when you serve the Master of the man who did not appreciate your talents?” Xevious responds.

"And you would be any different? There isn't a Darth alive who doesn't see their apprentices as mere tools."

“I value my tools, I invest in their improvement. I make sure they become the best possible Sith they can be to serve the Empire,” Xevious replies.

“I run a meritocracy, you would be rewarded based on how well you serve.”

Layne searched out through the force, to get a sense of what Xevious's feelings.

"And how many would you extend such an offer to? Am I special? Or are you just hoping to make it easier to keep an eye on me?"

OOC: Sense Force Power check please.

((whoops, I did roll but forgot to put it in the post))

Sense: 1eF 1 Dark Side

There is annoyance but no immediate deception in his thoughts. He does not resist the power having nothing to hide from someone he sees as his lesser.

Xevious says, “I am discriminating with all of my choices.”