Reflection [Day 3, Early Night]

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

After the party, Jun-Tsu found herself restless. In spite of her day, the shift in time had still not fully settled. She walked the grounds of Lord Orethion's estate, with a listless demeanor. Bereft of direction, grasping at shadows, she wondered if this was truly how those first jen'jedai had felt after leaving the libraries and training halls of the early jedai.

She sighed into the night air and looked up at the sky. For a long moment she just stood silent, hands draped to her sides. Minutes ticked by and she continued to stand in the cold and the dark. She let her mind feel the Force around her. She sought out the dark light that dwell, all around her. She felt the ever-present power of the Dark Side, ever since the Night of Terrors. Where once it might have given her comfort, she now pushed it away.

It was like smoke, or ichor. It clouded the Dark Side to her, not revealed it. She placed her hands into mudra taught by her family. Mystic gestures meant to focus the mind and channel the Dark Side.

Reveal yourself to me. She thought into the ether. Her face remained placid, but her hands grew more claw-like as though seeking to tear into the fabric of reality. REVEAL YOURSELF TO ME!

Force - 3eF (Channel Agony; -2 wounds, +1 Dark Side) - 1 Light Side, 3 Dark

[Lord Jo'ren Rath]

"Been a while."

A large Sith emerged from the shadows and offered a polite nod. It had been a long day for the both of them.

"You wanted to see me Lady Farro?" He sounded almost curious, the message has been unexpected.

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

The sound of another voice caused her focus to fade and her hands dropped as she spun to catch the source of the sound. Noting the massive sith, she collected herself more readily, a placid calm settling over her features.

"Yez, Lord Razh, zhiz v'one iz honored to hawe your ezteemed perzon wizit mein eztate," she offered a curtsying bow befitting the status of someone like Jo'ren. "It pleazez me zhat you accepted mein inwitation."

"Zhere iz much to dizcuzz. I beliewe zhe lazt ve zpoke, ve vere aiding Lord Sawas bind zhe tomb of a mad Zith mazter, no?"

[Lord Jo'ren Rath]

He nodded, enjoying the sound of the unusual heavy accent. "That's right. Koro, the savant. Worth it for the look on Savas' face when we followed his advice."

Stepping closer, Jun-Tsu would be able to see that he had grown even larger since their academy days. He sized her up a moment.

"And where has the force led you since then?"

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"Zo many plazez," she said simply as she allowed her gaze to drift higher, her covered eyes looked at his face in a neutral demeanor. "Zave zhe v'one plaze I zeek zhe mozt."

She folded her hands into her robes, the voluminous fabric swallowing the pale skin in its obsidian curtain. "But it haz giwen me much in return vor mein dewotion."

[Lord Jo'ren Rath]

"Isn't it always the way?" His reply could have been flippent, if not for the softness of the tone.

"Your connection to the force has increased then. Good. That's what I seek next. My physical strength has been magnified since we last met. Not much progress on the spiritual side though."

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

She frowned into her cheek slightly at his admission, "You ztill rely upon zkill in your body und your blade to carry you, ztill," she reached up a hand slowly towards him. The gesture was entirely pointless, but much as she had been when he first approached, such mudra helped focus the mind and channel the Dark Side.

"Ewen in your physical training you channel a touch of zhe dark light of zhe Forze. You may not project it outvard or into zhe true pover zhat it can giwe you, but you ztill hawe it ewer vith you. Und, for now, your ztrength of armz vould ztill cut me down var more zkillvully zhan I could draw all zhe live from you."

[Lord Jo'ren Rath]

Lord Rath nodded. "The force guides me in battle. It shows me the path to things I desire. It responds to my anger."

He looked down at her. "But it gives you a different sort of power."

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"Zhat it doez, und I learn more ov itz vayz az zhe dayz go by." She retracted her hand which licked momentarily with emerald flame, that guttered out quickly.

"Iv only it vaz enough," she made a faint derisive noise as she turned away and began to walk the gardens. "V'one vonderz iv it vill ewer be enough to ztand againzt zhe ztorm zhat it comming."

[Lord Jo'ren Rath]

"Storm? Is this what you wanted to talk about?" He walked along beside her. "Does this involve Zash?"

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"Clewer, clewer, Lord Razh," there was a languid pauze az she stared up at the moon.

"It vould zeem you know a great deal of zhe truzh. Zhen again I vould hawe expected no lezz from v'one zo lauded at zhe Academy, zhoze many yearz ago."

[Lord Jo'ren Rath]

"I know plenty about Zash. I've got ideas about what to do about her. But she's powerful and I don't know what her game is here." He paced alongside Jun-Tsu, looking at the gardens.

"I was planning to speak to Jug'tih when she arrives. See if there's any new information. Sounds like you've got some though."

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"Qvite, but virzt, if I may azk," she paused just a moment to collect her thoughts. "Back at zhe Academy zhere vaz alvayz rumor zhat zhe had come acrozz a vay of conzuming zhe live of anozher vor immortality. It vaz ewen zaid zhe killed a ztudent to do it. It any of zhat true? Or vere zhoze juzt idle dormitory ztoriez to be laughed at in youzh?"

[Lord Jo'ren Rath]

"All true." He clenched his fist. "Gerry - our classmate Gerald Hin - didn't die a hero, Zash ripped his soul out."

The old anger began to boil.

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

Jun-Tsu swoon silently as she felt the pureblood's rage. It was a sensation she had not felt in so long. "I-I remember, Gerald Hin," she replied regaining her composure.

"An unvortunate lozz. But....," she chose her words carefully in the cool night air, "hiz deazh may not hawe been a true vazte. Know you how zhe came by zhiz pover? I azk, because....it may be a greater zhreat to zhe Dark Zide zhan you may underztand."

[Lord Jo'ren Rath]

The memory of what he had learned didn't do much to calm his anger.

"Some ritual in a temple on Korriban. Deathwright was there, only too fucking happy to help. Moyr and Baesal too." Both of his fists were clenched now. "It was those two who told me about it. But Layne the Magpie confirmed it. She said the ritual had made a wound in the force."

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

Jun-Tsu jerked at the word, then did her best to cover her sudden interest. Though she knew it wasn't much good. "A vound, yez, I hawe been ztudying zuch zhingz. I v'once zaught zuch pover meinzelf....until I learned."

"Ve are creaturez of zhe Dark Zide, but ve are ztill part of zhe Forze. Zhe truzh iz zhat vhile, deazh, destruction, entropy are ourz, ve zerwe zhe greater Forze. Ve oppoze light, but ewer zhere must be a candle und a zhadow. But deztroying zhe ezzence of v'one rendz zhe Forze. It harmz zhoze of uz who draw upon zhe Forze. Und Lord Zazh iz but a dilettante of zhiz art. Imagine an entire planet, itz zurface ztripped of zhe Forze. Zhat haz alvready happened, und vorze iz coming."

[Lord Jo'ren Rath]

Jo'ren looked down at her, his rage rising.

"What?! Zash did that, and she's a fucking beginner?!"

He seethed, and then something clicked. A wave of fear joined the anger.

"There's only one being I can imagine with that sort of power."

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"Und you are clewer enough zhat I need not zay it aloud." She nodded. "I muzt learn zhe truzh of zhiz pover. Vind itz zourze. Perhapz I muzt go to zhiz temple on Korriban und zee vhere zhiz deed vaz done in miniature meinzelf. Only zhen can I hope to vind iv zhere iz a vay to combat it."

[Lord Jo'ren Rath]

The fear and the rage condensed into pure hate. The temperature started to drop. Slowly his jaw unclenched.

"Which planet? How did you find it? Who else knows?" He paced, the coldness leaching out of him.

"Bellious, Moyr. She knows where the temple is. Jug'tih was looking into Zash. Maybe she knows something."