Ziost - Crown of the Sith Empire

With the night being dark, but not especially stormy, Malveaux House bordered on the not-uninviting. Which meant it was still a little bit uninviting. Dark and creaky, it seemed to loom ominously, casting a long shadow, arches and spires giving that shadow an irregular shape. In the absence of wind, there was an almost uncanny silence, the sounds of civilization seeming far away.

The entry gate opened up into a small stone courtyard, bare of any plant, the cold stone giving it almost a sepulchral feel. It would be a short walk up to the front door, made of heavy dark metal, with a knocker of the same material. Exposure to the elements had caused it to rust, leaving angry red streaks like open wounds.

On the other hand, there was a porch light on. Dim as it was, in comparison to the rest, it seemed almost cheery.

Xyll had just come from a pretty grueling fight out in the icy wastes. But if said fight had caused her any serious injuries or grief, she wasn't showing it in any obvious sort of way. It might've been smarter, in any case, to cancel this appointment to talk to one of her master's other apprentices, but she'd made the arrangements and cancelling now would be improper.

So she showed up, fully armored in her battle-robes, lightsaber at her side, and used the door's antiquated knocker.

The place certainly had ambiance, she couldn't deny that.

It was only a moment before the heavy door swung open, creaking noticeably.

Lucinia was visible almost instantly, walking towards the entrance, a smile just touching her red lips. One hand was just falling back to her side, an explanation for the door. She wore a black evening dress, modest but fashionable, a dark shawl over her shoulders. The room was dim, a fire from a hearth only just visible at the back of the room, setting shadows dancing.

"Lord Nyx. So good to see you again." Lucinia said. The smile quickly turned into a frown as she recognized the battle robes, though, her eyes narrowing.

"Lucinia," she said, smiling. She noticed the frown of course, but chose to ignore it. It was more entertaining that way.

"Might I impose on you to invite me into your very... unique... domicile? I love the architecture."

Slowly Lucinia nodded, gesturing inside. "Please come in." She said, still keeping an eye on her guest. Well, if she was here for a fight, she would be ready.

"Do you?" Lucinia laughed softly. "Perhaps familiarity breeds contempt. I find it absolutely dreadful." Still alert, she led the way inside. The entryway opened up into a large parlour, ancient cushioned furniture carefully arranged. The focal point was a hearth, a fire burning a deep red inside it.

Still alert, Lucinia walked over to a credenza. "Would you care for any refreshment? Wine or tea, perhaps? I have a very good red."

"There were a lot of places like this back home," she said as she followed Lucinia in, "though they tried to let in more light."

Xyll looked around, noting the decor as they moved further in. "A red wine would be agreeable."

"Yes." Lucinia said, sighing softly. "I'm not sure what it is, but I swear, it's dark no matter what one does."

As she poured a dark red wine into two crystal glasses, Lucinia glanced at Xyll, one eyebrow going up. "You must have lived in a very curious neighborhood. The Malveauxs keep a property like this on most Imperial worlds, though. Perhaps you've seen another, at least from the outside?"

She handed one glass to Xyll, before politely taking a sip first herself.

She chuckled as she took the glass, "I'm not from around here. But old styles of pre-technological architecture can be found on many worlds, and they enjoy cycles of popularity."

"Indeed." Lucinia said, one eyebrow going up. "And remind me, where are you from?" She took a long, slow sip of her wine.

"Oh," she said with a smile, "Wouldn't it be more fun for you to guess? I know my accent gives me away."

The eyebrow remained up. "How intriguing." Lucinia said, smiling coldly. She was silent and still, studying Xyll.

"Your accent is very distinctly from the core." She said, her green eyes narrowing. "But it is an unusual one. My guess would be Coruscant, highest nobility. But it is strange that you would retain the accent if you'd lived here for some time. You could be a recent Jedi, I suppose, but that seems entirely unlikely."

She paused, frowning.

She chuckled again. Practically giggled, more like it.

"Coruscant is not the core, dear."

Lucinia frowned. "I'm not sure what you mean. One can't get much more coreward than Coruscant, and certainly nothing as populous. Tython?" Lucinia grimaced. It was an absurd idea really.

"The Core is just a name. It flatters the Coruscanti so to think of themselves that way, but in truth there's the Core, and then there's the Deep Core. Of course, it's true, there's nothing quite as populous as Coruscant. But there are worlds that come close. As for Tython... well, I couldn't possible from a world that was only re-discovered, what, a year ago?"

Lucinia rolled her eyes, just a little. "Well, I can hardly say that you come from the black hole." She waved a hand impatiently. "Frankly, any world besides Coruscant would be highly unexpected. The Deep Core is a strange place, as you no doubt know."

"Please," she waved a hand dismissively. "Empress Teta can hardly be so obscure. It *is* a city world much like Coruscant after all, settled by one of the first generation ships our species sent out."

Lucinia shook her head. "Obscure, no. But nevertheless unusual." One eyebrow went up. "How is it that you found your way to Korriban?"

"Republic life never quite agreed with me, you could say. And where would a force sensitive attuned to the dark side, and a strong dislike of the jedi, go, if not Korriban?"

She took a sip of the wine, letting its taste linger for a bit.

"It's rather poetic too, now that I think about it. The deep core is quite the beacon of light. Literally speaking. The stars are so packed together there that they often actually collide with another. And I traded it for the Stygia Caldera, a section of the Outer Rim obscured from the rest of the galaxy, thus a place where far fewer stars are sighted."

"Hmmm." Lucinia agreed, smiling just a little. "There is a certain symmetry there. Perhaps there is a significance to that. Perhaps not." She shrugged, one shoulder rising and falling. The ways of the Force were rather mysterious.

After a moment, she looked at Xyll. "Would you like to see the rest of the house?" Her lips quirked. "I hope you don't mind stairs. We have rather a lot of them."

"Sure," Xyll said, and lifted herself up from her seat... which was accompanied by a sharp intake of breath and a momentary pained expression. She was still sore from the fight, it seemed.