A good fight deserves a drink [D3, LA]

[Sylvain Torsin]

He shook his head, "All Sith are not to be trusted, that much is true... but Baras is intrinsically different. The way the Dark Side is relayed is for masters to reciprocate loyalty from their apprentices with greater power and control. They see their apprentices as the ones who will ultimately surpass them and obtain greater power. Baras is not one who will ever allow you the opportunity to defeat him. Devotion to him leads only to death or enslavement. Blind devotion to this man is the absolute worst possible course of action... it will give you nothing as a return for your investment of time and energy."

He paused, "You may think that I look down on you... but I truly don't. You see in me a manipulator and deceitful prick like our master, but that is never who I have been. I know you to be a deeply distrustful individual, one who has plenty of reason to be guarded against others... and that is why I have never sought to gain that trust. But the choice may arise sometime soon where you have to choose between blind devotion to Baras, and a belief in yourself to find a better way forward... and if you cannot trust me... then I can only hope that you will trust in yourself over Baras. You don't need him..."

[Layne Hoshin]

"I don't," she said, as if it had been obvious to her all along. "I have never had devotion to anyone. Least of all Baras. But all of this just brings me back to what I was saying. He's too powerful, and you, me, all your friends, we're too weak. What do you think you're going to accomplish, striking now? He'll see you coming a parsec away. And for what? A naieve dream of helping an empire that neither wants your help, nor deserves it"

[Sylvain Torsin]

"There are those who are not weak... those with the strength to destroy him. Not me, or anyone in our class... but others. I have not decided to align with them or not... but removing Baras will only do good things for so many..."

He paused, "And on our opinion of the Empire... you know I will disagree. You have your force wounds, and I have the Empire. We both are willing to step outside the self-destructive tendencies of the Dark Side for something beyond ourselves if need be. The injustices that exist in the Empire do so because people do nothing to stop them... or those who are in power encourage others to do them. The only thing that is not 'deserved' is the suffering of those people on the whims of madmen... and any effort to ease that suffering, and create order and stability for those citizens is something I find great merit in. Even if it is only one person that is benefited, that is far superior to none."

[Layne Hoshin]

"You're talking about Magpie," she said, focusing on that instead of all the philosophical crap about the empire. That conversation wasn't going anywhere.

"You're overestimating her."

[Sylvain Torsin]

"You have insight on the topic?" He asked.

[Layne Hoshin]

She shrugged. "She is a capable fighter. But arrogant and overconfident in her abilities."

[Sylvain Torsin]

"You tested these abilities in some way? Or is this merely your assumption?" He asked.

[Layne Hoshin]

She shrugged. "I've encountered her before. There's a lot a warrior can tell from another's stance, you know. She's well equipped too. Haven't seen armor like hers before. But if she didn't overestimate herself, one of us would be dead now. Could be me. Could be her. Either way, she's playing a hand weaker than she probably thinks it is."

[Sylvain Torsin]

"So it's your assumption based off of perhaps one time you saw her. I see." Sylvain replied.

"Baras made it apparent that she is a major threat to his plans... and to him. So I will side with his evaluation given his many years of experience with her. I assure you... you'd be dead if she had deemed it necessary. Do not let your bravado cloud your judgement. You fear Baras too greatly... he has robbed you of your spine."

[Layne Hoshin]

"Oh shut the fuck up," she growled. "You don't even know how to hold a lightsaber. I've held my own against a Jedi master, and fought alongside Baras. I know how to gauge the worth of a superior opponent. Magpie is stronger than me, but not so much so that her victory would be assured. And she's certainly not on his level."

[Sylvain Torsin]

"If it were simply skills with a lightsaber that was being tested, then your appraisal would be potentially on spot. But Baras is not the type that is brought down easily through individual combat... He is not invincible, despite the aura that he projects. Either way I will add your assessment to my own calculations." He replied.

"I do not assume to ask you to assist... there's no reason why you should. There may not be enough reason for me to offer what I can either. It may be best just to let things happen and see the results... You lose nothing from Magpie killing herself and gain nothing from being there."

[Layne Hoshin]

"You assume I don't lose something by letting you or magpie win though. You think I'm afraid of him. I'm not. One day, I will defeat him. Myself. Only way to grow."

[Sylvain Torsin]

"That is a lie of the Sith. There are many ways to grow Layne... more than one can count." Sylvain replied.

[Layne Hoshin]

"No!"

She was getting agitated now. Maybe the alcohol made things worse. Or maybe there was an internal struggle going on between dark and light. Or maybe she was giving up Mr.Boobu's Variety Show to listen to this and it was making her cranky. Regardless, a fist slammed its way into the nearest hard surface.

"You don't know shit, Sylvain. You've never had to struggle a day in your life. Not like people at the bottom. Not like me. I kill what keeps me down. What hurts me. I kill it, and then I get stronger. It proves something. It's not a fucking group activity!"

She gripped the side of her head. "And you're not some fucking Jedi who'se going to save the day. You're not the good guy here. Magpie's not the good guy. Baras is not the good guy. None of us are. And you sure as shit aren't going to save the empire from itself. It's all just shit. It'd be better to just burn it all to the ground and start over. Kill magpie. Kill Baras. Then every other motherfucker that stands in the way."

I fucking hate feeling like this.

Such were the ramblings of an intoxicated 16 year old who wanted to be stronger than anyone and everyone.

[Sylvain Torsin]

Sylvain shakes his head, "And where does that get you? It drives everyone and everything away... it makes you independent, perhaps tougher... perhaps a bit stronger... but ultimately you lose out on the millions of other kinds of power available to you. No matter how strong you become... and army of strong individuals will outclass you every time. And eventually, all that rage and all that hatred will only burn you out and consume you from the inside."

Sylvain looks at the younger woman carefully, "I am no Jedi. I am not attached to the ideals of the Light or the Dark. I only look at results. If you wish to walk down the path that leads to your destruction and isolation, that is your choice. You need to stop acting like a victim... reacting only to what others impose on you, and seek to find a way to live your own life. Not as a slave to some stupid ideology, nor as a pawn in someone else's hands. But genuinely find out what you want out of this existence... and then, if you then find that it is still this emotional teenage desire to destroy everything and make everyone pay for how shitty your life was... then we know we'll be on very different sides of the fence."

[Layne Hoshin]

She glared at him so hard. Because that was how she dealt.

And glared some more.

Before glaring just a little more.

There may have been some leg twitching going on.

"So? What are you going to do? Here. Now. On Nar Shaddaa?"

[Sylvain Torsin]

"Here? You know what Baras has tasked me with." He looked confused.

[Layne Hoshin]

She stared at him with a similarly confused look for a moment, before it then dissipated into something approaching disinterest.

"I see. So right now you're just all talk. Like me."

[Sylvain Torsin]

"Things are in motion. Baras' timing is no coincidence... for either side. That is all I know." Sylvain replied.

[Layne Hoshin]

"Whatever. It's a shitshow on both sides."

[Sylvain Torsin]

"Best not get soiled yourself then."

[Layne Hoshin]

"I'm just saying. I don't like this magpie. She's definitely no better than Baras. Better the devil you know, or something like that."

[Sylvain Torsin]

"You know Baras?" He smiled, "I had a conversation with his sworn enemy today... apparently he knows Baras much better than I do."

[Layne Hoshin]

"The fuck are you talking about?"

[Sylvain Torsin]

"A Jedi named Nomen Karr is here for the talks. He started to tell me of Baras' youth... called him a friend and told me to ask about an old friend of Baras'."