Nar Shaddaa

Zeno sat at a table in a nice hotel/restaraunt/bar. There was some pleasant classical music being played by a xeno on stage, as he sat with a glass of some hard liquor, neat. He simply sipped, sat back, and relaxed.

After an.... interesting day, Alysele decided to treat herself. She noticed a rather red individual sitting alone at a table, nursing a drink.

She moved closer, and waved. "Mind if I join?" Her tone was neutral. Make friends with Sith. Plan. Go.

He looks over at her, stands, then moves to pull the chair out for her. "Of course."

"Jedi Knight Alysele Cortess." She introduced herself and extended a hand. She was feeling risky today. "Well met. What are you drinking?"

This is what Haydriss wanted me to keep an eye out for maybe? He takes her hand and brings it to his lips for a moment. He was feeling frisky today.

"I am Sith Lord Zeno Deathwright. Charmed to meet you Alysele Cortess. I'm drinking Vasarian brandy from Talus, would you care for some?"

"Well met Lord Deathwright." Wow, try hard much? "I'd certainly give it a try." She sat down, smiling at his kiss of greeting... perhaps a bit too sweetly.

"Seems strange, isn't it? A Jedi knight and a Sith lord just drinking and conversing... but perhaps this is what we are here for."

"Well, I'm just here to relax," he says, as he flags down a waiter to bring a glass for the knight. "And you're here because you asked to join me. Nothing more to it than that really. And now we can relax together."

"So what is the story behind Alysele Cortess?"

"Not much of a story. Born on Alderaan, born with the Force, trained to duel, now here to talk." She shrugged. It was obviously an abbreviated version, but she didn't want to brag just yet. "And you? What's your story, Lord?"

"Zeno is fine. I'm not your lord after all, right?" he says with a smile. "Born on Dromund Kaas to the martriarch of the Deathwright noble house and a Sith Lord. I trained as a fighter pilot in the family's tradition and in saber combat. Went to the Korriban Sith academy less than a year ago where I graduated first in the class and have risen to the rank of Lord relatively quickly."

"Oh? Congratulations then Zeno." She shrugged, her motions delicate. "It seemed the proper thing to do. We are here to end hostilities after all."

Meanwhile her drink has arrived, and she accepted it. "Pilot and warrior? Seems like you are quite versatile. I never tried piloting, to be honest. Don't seem to have the knack for it."

"It runs in the blood," he says with a shrug. "And the sensation agrees with me. The sense of freedom that being in the cockpit provides is amazing. Perhaps not as exhilarating as a challenging fight, but definitely great. But you said you were a duelist?"

"I'll take your word for it." Wow, was that an interesting choice of words to say to a Sith. "Mhm, Makashi trained." She eyed him up and down. "You're trained in combat as well?"

"Ataru for myself," he says with a nod, before brushing his cloak aside to reveal his brand new guard shoto hilt. "I've seen Makashi before though. It's a beautiful and powerful form."

He raises his drink for a moment, and takes a sip, closing his eyes for a few seconds. His mood seemed strange for a Sith Lord, as far as assumptions and stereotypes were concerned.

"Seen Ataru on occasion. Unpredictable, if you're not prepared." She raised her own glass, and took a sip. She stopped making assumptions of Sith after Layne. And Shaisha. And Jo'ren.

"Nice hilt."

"I just completed it earlier today. I'll likely be taking it for a spin later," he says with a smirk. "Right now, I'm taking some time to reflect on the coming challenge. The sound of blaster fire surrounding you, weapons impacting against you, anger, courage, fear and hope, all swirling together in violent cacophony. Taking hold of my destiny, becoming a stronger me, refusing to allow the chaos of the galaxy to drown me out, and potentially going out in a blaze feeling fully alive."

"Oh? Should I be worried?" There was a slight edge to her voice, before nodding. "For me it's similar, though more... isolated. Facing your opponent, one on one. Reading his movements, sending out false tells, anticipating where he will be in the next second and the one after that. Nothing else matters, the galaxy doesn't exist, just the duel."

He shakes his head. "No. I'm not trying to tank the peace talks. I think my superiors would likely punish me severely for that, even if some of them might enjoy watching me do so," he replies with a chuckle.

"I don't understand that about the Jedi. Maybe you can explain it. You shut down your emotions for the most part don't you? Tranquility is part of your code?"

"Well, I am glad to hear that. It would ruin the nice mood we have here." She smiled, then put the glass down. Now that was tricky territory, but armed with recent knowledge, she decided to try and answer.

"Well, we as the Jedi are looking at the larger picture. One life, one feeling is dwarfed next to all life in the galaxy and the Force that flows through it all." Her tone was robotic as she said that.

He smiled coyly at her, and says in a playful tone. "That was too rehearsed. You don't believe that... only a fool would believe that and I refuse to start out assuming you're a fool. No, anyone who lives in this galaxy knows that one life or one feeling, if it's the right place and right time, can affect the lives of thousand, millions or billions. Alderan has tons of noble families. You certainly must understand that the influence the head of a house as just one person can have on the population, sometimes based on feelings."

She put the glass down, and leaned forward, a smile playing on her lips. "Oh? Why do you think I am no fool?"

"Because you seem to have good taste in music, alcohol and company. People that choose those things wisely tend not to be fools," he replies with a smirk. "Don't let such a tasteful and poised woman be stripped of her personality by memorized scripts. Tell me your truth."

"Mhm, flattery won't get you anywhere dear Zeno." She took another sip. "The truth, really? What will happen with the stereotypes you built up in your head? I wouldn't want you to suffer now, would I?" Her tone was teasing.

"Well, I was trying to flatter myself. I figured it would just be polite to flatter you as well."

"But in truth, I don't keep stereotypes. I prefer not to. I want every person I get to know, whether through speaking or fighting, to be a unique and interesting individual. Your truth," he responds, giving a single nod.

Aly smiled. "You are a gentleman."

She took another sip. "My truth? I believe we cling to our codes to make ourselves feel better. That the Force is more complex than we give it credit for. That perhaps... we are afraid of discussion."

"It's true that we don't discuss philosophy across the battle lines and that the force is complex. The philosophers on each side treat it like a pool of liquid and fill our cups when we need to. Then wax poetic about understanding it after pillaging it just the same as everyone else. Others test and prod and try to figure out how they can make use of it, trying to train it like an animal. Me? I let it take over me, seep into my mind and feel it there as it tells me what to do. And at the end of the day it doesn't really matter what you believe when it comes to the force, it's still there and we're still connected to it. And everyone's connection is their own."