She's A Femme Fatale (D4, ME)

[Shaisha Vreysk]

"Losing your temper is a good thing, occassionally," she grinned and took a sip of the martini.

"Drugging a whole party... yeah, it was a foolish thing to do, especially under the guise of bringing Sith and Jedi together to talk. It takes away the individuals' freedom to choose whether or not to participate. Sure, I'm loyal to my Empire - it's my home, my family, my friends, and those I love are all a part of it - but my freedom is is something I value just as high."

"Had that happened at a Sith party, the host would be dead; accused of attempting to kill their guests. We're a paranoid bunch, after all."

[Aphr Ahaya]

"I can't imagine it would go down well at most places, but maybe Jedi drug each other all the time" Aphr shrugged "I'd rather not think on it. Seems a waste of a lovely evening, as well as company I've not enjoyed in a while. It certainly seems like I've been enjoying the company of many I haven't seen in quite a while."

She paused a moment, as if debating something, before speaking again.

"Do you know a Lethan Twi'lek Sith? Often wearing a mask."

[Shaisha Vreysk]

"I know of her, yes. Though I can't really say I know her, even if we were at Korriban at the same time and finished our training at the same time."

Shaisha wondered if Galen had snooped around with the info she passed to him.

"What do you wish to know?"

[Aphr Ahaya]

"So you don't really have an opinion of her? I..kind of wanted to know what you thought or knew of her" Aphr asked, curious "if you are able to say of course."

[Shaisha Vreysk]

Shaisha's white teeth were visible as they nibbled for a moment on her lower lip, before she gestured for a waiter to bring a drink to the other young lady.

"I never got to know her personally, this Moyr Ahaya, but those close to me did." She wet her throat with a sip of her drink... it didn't seem like it was going to be a nice story.

"I have two people who mean the world to me: Syl - my foster brother, and Kris - who could have been a sister I never had. I imagine you can relate a little, with the little family you have gained with the Starcross, no?"

The drink arrived, and Shaisha made sure it was passed to Aphr.

"Syl... well, he was smitten with Moyr. And during our time as aspirants in the Academy, the two got along more and more. Though, in the end, she wasn't satisified with just being together with him; she wanted to chain him to her, and her alone - forcing him to choose either her or his lifelong friends - the ones who had supported him through thick and thin, and were honest enough to tell him when he was being an ass, and would always let him come back to us after a fight."

She smiled wryly. "Luckily, my friend at least refused her ultimatum and broke the chains she tried to impose on him. Perhaps she was merely jealous, or possessive, or just wanted to use him. Still, I don't like people who throw down 'me or them' ultimatums to those they want to be with."

[Aphr Ahaya]

Aphr listened intently, barely managing to thank the man for bringing the drink. Or the woman. Or the droid. Or maybe it floated overself? Either way Aphr didn't notice.

"Oh Moyr..." Aphr looked down at her drink with a sigh was it the pain of being split from family in such a cruel way? She was never that bad...or maybe she was? She never committed to anything in small parts, alwayd in for all or nothing.

The little Twi'lek took a sip of her drink before she spoke again.

"Thank you for telling me. Even if it wasn't the nicest story, I wanted to hear about it, although my reasons were not entirely honest to begin with. You see...she's my sister."

[Shaisha Vreysk]

"She believed, I think, that his connection to me and Kris were his chains, rather than seeing the truth of it. You see, the Force can create bonds between people who are strong within - from parent to child, between siblings, even master and student, or sometimes between friends. For those who can see that life is worth more than just living for yourself, it is a source of strength. After all, passion is our strength, and we draw power from the emotions it stirs within us, whether it is for loved ones or hated enemies."

Shaisha nodded. She had suspected as much since she spoke with Galen, but it was nice to hear it confirmed.

"And what has your sister done for you so far then?"

[Aphr Ahaya]

"I've experienced this bond first hand, through visions I had in dreams of someone who turned out to be my sister" Aphr nodded "I...I think that's what my sister was missing as well. The connection of bonds. I don't know this Syl or Kris, so I cannot comment on that, but if it is like how I feel with the Starcross crew then you are blessed with strong friendships and bonds."

She paused a moment, taking a sip of drink, thinking on the last question.

"She has given me strength to see beyond my own restrictions, and she has...given me my family back" there was a smile at that "I don't need anything more than that. I haven't seen my sister in five years, and seeing her again has meant more to me than any one thing she could have done for me. She hasn't changed too much either" there was a chuckle "still as much of a troublemaker as always. I was always the calmer of the two of us."

She looked up at Shaisha.

"Sometimes, those who mean the most to you do not need to perform any miracle acts. Just being there is enough. I imagine it's the same as for you and those two you are close to, right?"

[Shaisha Vreysk]

"Has she?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I know that the most important people to me would come find me if were pulled apart," Shaisha shrugged a little. "And I would trust them not to misuse my trust."

She picked up the olive in her martini glass. "Is she doing this for you, or for herself? Galen seemed concerned about you, you know..."

[Aphr Ahaya]

"What does she have to gain from me? I'm not of any use when it comes to the Force, she doesn't trust the Hutts enough to use my contacts...she hasn't involved me in anything that wasn't of my own doing."

Aphr sighed.

"As for finding me...I don't intend to make excuses for her, but we were both taken from our world and in different directions. I'm happy to have found her again, as I believed it would be impossible to find her."

[Shaisha Vreysk]

"There is much to be gained by having a Force sensitive with little experience or knowledge to direct as one sees fit," she smirked slightly. "While you've worked for my master, you don't know that much about the Sith, correct no?"

[Aphr Ahaya]

"I know very little about the sith, except for the ones I've met" Aphr nodded, although she looked thoughtful, trying to think if Moyr had tried to direct her in any way.

Other than away, I don't think she has...

[Shaisha Vreysk]

Shaisha considered Aphr carefully. Perhaps Moyr had more sentimentality to her than her original impression...

"Just consider it a word of warning, dear. A person can change much in just a year, and Sith training changes us all in one way or another. Be wary of both Jedi and Sith... even me."

[Aphr Ahaya]

"I will" Aphr said after a few moments, looking back to Shaisha. "I have seen the worst of the Jedi, and perhaps some of the worst of the Sith. I'll have to consider my own future carefully, as much of it as I can consider in my position. Which I think will change a lot in the coming days. I know Xero doesn't like or trust the Force, which will make things more complicated in the future" she sighed gently.

[Shaisha Vreysk]

"Are you looking to joining either of the Orders then, since you say you need to consider your future carefully?" she asked with some interest. "I was told he was not much of a believer in the Force, though... I think your crew would miss you if you were to leave them to become a Sith or Jedi."

[Aphr Ahaya]

"After today, I'm certainly not considering the Jedi order" Aphr shrugged "other than that, it depends entirely on Xero. I don't have much option in my future unless I can convince him to free me. As much freedom as I already have, leaving the planet to join either Order is not going to be allowed."

She sighed gently.

"I would miss them as well though."

[Shaisha Vreysk]

"There are always options, Aphr. Just because you have this power doesn't mean you have to join either - becoming a Jedi or Sith means you'll be thrown into this war, you know." Shaisha suggested.

"What do you want the most out of this?"

[Aphr Ahaya]

"Honestly? Freedom to make my own choices" Aphr said without hesitation "and it seems that regardless of where we stand, we're getting dragged into this war."

[Shaisha Vreysk]

"It is inevitable," Shaisha agreed with a nod. "Freedom to make your own choices... that is a rather plain way of speaking about it. As a Sith, should you pass your trials and continue to succeed, you could have the power to do much that you would want - but it is a dangerous path, with many consequences behind the choices you make. The Force will free you, but that does not mean it will not be dangerous."

"And that is why Peace Is a Lie. The natural state of the galaxy is chaos and conflict."

The Sith gave a shrug. "Do you feel more free after having discovered this talent of yours?"

[Aphr Ahaya]

"I know it's quite plain and obvious, however being able to see and maybe be part of a world where I can make my own decisions, stand on my own rules..." she sighed "it seems petty and simple. I wouldn't have even thought that it was possible before all of this. I won't say that it's not overwhelming a little though; I never imagined that my sister would be able to use the Force, let alone me, and she was always the stronger out of the two of us."

There was a small frown as she thought more on it, before nodding.

"I'm not more free for discovering this, but it is through this that I can see freedom existing in my life. It won't be easy, in fact I expect it to be extremely difficult, but I want to see where it goes."

[Shaisha Vreysk]

Shaisha nodded as she listened to the younger woman's thoughts.

"As long as you pursue your own rules - don't let others decide who you are. And if you find yourself taking on more than you can handle, well... my master would be upset if something were to happen to some of his favorite traders, so feel free to call on me." She offered with the usual polite friendliness she had always showed to the Starcross crew.

[Aphr Ahaya]

"My own vision, my own rules" Aphr nodded with a grin "that is my plan. I know it'll be small steps, so I'll be careful."

She paused, before adding "can you tell me more about your master? I don't know much about him."

[Shaisha Vreysk]

"Sure," she finished her drink.

"He's one of the oldest and longest-sitting members on the Dark Council. If you were to ask most of his peers or other Sith, they'd say he's a pretentious fop with too much time and resources on his hands."

"Personally, I find him to be a breath of fresh air in the otherwise stale room that is the Dark Council. He understands the the Empire must change and adapt to move forward, which means greater acceptance of other species than just sith and humans. As a leader, he is concerned for the well-being of those who answer to him, and he awards loyalty generously. As a master, he is always pushing for me and my fellow Apprentices to be better and to push ourselves to the limits."

[Aphr Ahaya]

Aphr remained quiet, sipping her drink as she listened. The man sounded so different to Zhorrid, so much nicer...not that it was difficult to be nicer than her.

"He sounds like a good master" Aphr said with a nod "and a good leader. You could have almost described Xero with a lot of that" there was a chuckle

[Shaisha Vreysk]

The remark made make her chuckle with a sincere warmth. "When you put it like that, I suppose he is many ways a doting father to his apprentices. Though, of course, he is a Dark Lord of the Council, so it would be unwise to underestimate him or cross him. Many Sith Lords have gone up against him, believing they can defeat what they think is a weak fop, but he has defeated challengers in both might and cunning."

"But yes, I think he is a good master. The Empire could benefit from more like him. Well... not too many like him."