"Things are looking good" I answer as I finish landing the vessel in an appropriately camouflaged area.

"We're very close to them, now, so we can set out whenever you're... ready." I mumble out at the end, turning to see her in a new set of black robes and appreciating the sight.

She wears black... Very well.

Noticing myself staring again, I look back at the consoles and start the lock sequence.

"Look at and learn this. I will show you the unlock sequence when we return. Are you ready to lead the way, now?"

The upper deck was nice. Wolfe had a very nice ship, and he seemed quite at home here. Perhaps that was why he'd been so ready to offer the blindfold option.

When he turned to look at me he stared for a moment longer than he should have, then looked away. Was he disappointed I'd changed into something more modest? Or had that been appreciation in his eyes? If so, I couldn't imagine why; my outfit wasn't revealing or eye catching. Feeling a bit self conscious I focused my attention on the task at hand.

I came to stand behind him and watched the sequence, committing it to memory.

"Certainly," I said, in answer to his question, leading the way back downstrairs and out the airlock. Then my mind went to what was ahead. Tampering with people's memories was not an easy thing. I would need to avoid changing too much. Only one of them had seen my face, luckily. The simplest thing was to persuade them that Wolfe had broken himself out. That he'd used mind tricks to make them open the door and free him.

Of course I had no idea if Wolfe had such an ability--it was quick possible he did not. I got the impression he had joined the Dark Side after the fall of the Jedi. However the poachers surely did not know that.

"I'll need to be relatively close... too much distance makes it harder. I'll try from outside the ship... if not I might need to get onboard. But it shouldn't be necessary."

Pulling my cloak over my head and keeping my eyes open for predators, I approached the ship yet again, until I was close enough to place my hand on the hull. I closed my eyes and searched for their presence within the ship.

From earlier I knew the grew to be six. And I detected six aura's. I wasn't able to pick up the surface thoughts of the boss--he clearly was a bit sharper than the rest. However the other five were easy enough to read.

My "friend" from earlier was not a happy camper. His boss had chewed him out for letting the Sith go. I focused, trying to dig deeper. I needed to know if they'd already contacted anyone.
"You idiot! You know how big of a pay day that Sith was going to be?"
"But boss the Empire wouldn't like us attacking one of theirs.."
"Fool! It was one of his kind that hired us to do the job! What do you think is going to happen to us if they find out we had him and LET HIM GO??"

Ah, excellent. They hadn't contacted anyone. I wondered if I should tell Wolfe about his enemy amung the Sith, but decided now was not the time.

"They haven't contacted anyone," I told him quietly. "This will take a little time, please keep an eye on the woods."

Now to do some tweaking. I replaced his memory of me with the memory of being tempted to open the door and give Wolfe the keys. It seemed to take, but it had been harder than I'd hoped. I was out of practice!

I sensed out the next one. Since he had not seen the events, it was easy enough to alter his memory of what his colleague had said happened. But it was not quick work--changing people's memories after the fact was never quick work. You had to find the memory itself, change it, and then change thoughts and memories that drew from it.

When I was done with the second I took a moment's break. Four more. I left the boss for last. The work was slow, and did not come as easily as I would have liked. By the end of the process I felt utterly drained. Damn. I needed to train more.

"It's done. We can go, now." I said, immediately disliking how weak and breathy my voice sounded, and how I'd obviously started leaning more heavily on the hand I'd placed on the ship earlier. I willed myself to stand tall and look composed. It worked[4,1], but as I turned and started to walk back towards Wolfe's ship I managed to stumble on a branch in the dark. My tiredness showed, because I failed to catch my balance and fell forward [2].

Aayla, though you ultimately succeeded and your mastery of your skills increased, your fumbling caused you to lose confidence! The next time you try and use Affect Mind/Force Persuasion you will have a disadvantage AND you'll have a disadvantage on all rolls for the next hour.

Back on the ship, I make my way up the lift and to the pilot's seat.

"Aayla, this is the unlock sequence. Easy to understand both once you've seen both, eh? My touch there."

Remembering all the blood and gore from the octopi...

"I'll get us en route. I'm off for my own shower. All this fur takes quite a lot of care to clean... if you get bored while I'm in there, feel free to join me." I add slyly with a wink, enjoying the look of surprise on the poor girl's face.

I hope that wasn't too much, I know how those Jedi feel about... feeling... I contemplate to myself, starting the shower up.

Let's wait and see, then.

I watched over his shoulder as he showed me the sequence.

"I'll get us en route. I'm off for my own shower. All this fur takes quite a lot of care to clean... if you get bored while I'm in there, feel free to join me," he said with a smile and a wink. Caught off-guard I couldn't reply. Instead when he went back to getting the ship en route I watched him work. It seemed wise to know how to pilot the ship. Just in case. But then he was off to his shower. I said nothing when he left, but I found myself watching him go. I tried not to notice the width of his shoulders, or the strength of his arms. Or wonder how warm and comfortable he might be to sleep beside...

No, Aayla. Focus. He was your enemy less than 24 hours ago, remember?

And there was the code. Not that the code forbade... enjoyment. Master had originally taught me Master Odan-Urr's version of the code, but soon decided I was not suited for it. I had been older than most when I became a padwan and had carried too many emotions and bad habbits with me to truly be able to go through life with the detachment most Jedi did. So master had taught me the original version of the code. "If you cannot cast aside your chaotic emotions, Aayla'Ven, you must overcome them. Listen and remember these words: Emotion, yet peace. Passion, yet Serenity..."

So I was allowed my emotions, as long as I mastered them and did not let them master me. Or such was my interpretation. Master had allowed it. I'd had too much potential to throw away. I shook my head, casting off old memories. I should rest.

I headed downstairs. The sound of running water--louder than it should be--caught my attention. As I passed the door to the shower "cell", I realized Wolfe had left the door open. So his invitation had been a serious one. In the back of my mind I knew I should continue to my room and meditate, but was having trouble persuading my feet to move in the right direction. I was consumed by curiosity. Did the code not say "Ignorance, yet knowledge"? I knew very little about Togorians, a bit of "scientific" observation couldn't hurt. Besides, the noise from the shower might distract me from my meditation. I should really close the door.

I silently moved closer to the open door and once there, looked inside.

OOC: Long story short Aayla watches for a bit (for "research") and ends up helping Wolfe watch his back. Things get a little heated, she decides to go, Wolfe tries to persuade her to stay by offering to help her dry off. Some posts have been moved to a private forum.

"The first thing that comes to mind? You telling me to do it. Ordering me to dry you. You could tell me to use my hands, where to put them, what to do with them," he began. His hands? Wolfe hadn't actually touched me at all since we'd met. I had no idea what his hands felt like. They were probably as strong as the rest of him....

"Or you could have me struggle awkwardly with a towel without the use of my hands. Considering my height, I think I could do it with just my mouth holding it..." he continued.

The thought of him struggling to hold a towel was pretty amusing... I wonder... catching myself wondering if his tongue was like a normal cats I chased the thought away. I wasn't going to tell him to lick me dry. That was... definitely a bad idea.

And then suddenly his voice was closer, a pleasant but predatorial sound in his voice. "I could disobey your orders and grab a hold of you here and now, and please you in ways that you might not imagine possible..."

The sound of the gentle threats and promises of pleasure mixed with the edge in his voice sent an unchecked a shiver down my back. The tiniest whimper escaped my throat. Suddenly rocked by the deeper urges I had not acknowledged, my thoughts fell into disarray and I felt winded, instinctively grabbing the doorframe for support. He was still talking, so I forced myself to focus on that sound and keep my shaking breaths even.

"...then you might punish me any way you deem fit for my transgression. But if I did that, I feel like I'd be missing... a rare opportunity for cooperation between us."

I need to step away from this, I realized, finally realizing I was in over my head. I had taken for granted--no, assumed--that Wolfe enjoyed taking orders because he was submissive by nature. That I would tease him and walk away if I wanted to without repercussion. I had not thought that if pushed he might give chase--or that I might want him to. I was foolishly playing a game against a player far more experienced than I. And losing.

"I..." I stopped myself just before I said 'I want you to hand me my robes'. I had no confidence he'd obey. Why grab my robes when he could grab me? The very thought of those powerful arms wrapping around me...

"I'm going to meditate," I forced out, perhaps a bit too quickly, and hurriedly stepped into the sobering cold of the world beyond the shower cell. I turned and hit the command to shut the door, not looking to see Wolfe's expression.

Had I been holding my breath? Is that why I felt so winded? The air was cooling the water on my skin and I shivered. I'd left my robes behind, taking with me only a towel.

I would go back to my room, I would meditate, and I would come back for my things later when Wolfe was gone, I decided. I took the towel and wrapped it around me, forcing myself to calmly walk across the ready room. As I got to my door, I realized I'd also left my sabre and the control for Wolfe's shock collar.

Nicely done, Aayla, I reprimanded myself. If Wolfe was secretly planning to turn against me, I'd given him the perfect opportunity. Though I wasn't really concerned that was the case, it was the principle of the thing. I considered going back for them, but decided against it. Instead I opened the door to my room and stepped inside, letting out a small sigh.