freedomliveson

You never see it coming[Freedomliveson/The Elvenqueen]

With the number of Jedi in the hall decreasing seemingly by each passing moment, more of the Sith were focusing their efforts on Yerbol and Aria, which was making the young Knight extremely vulnerable to what would come in a matter of moments. He had heard Aria's cry, felt her concern and looked in her direction to find her upper half in the arms of one of the Sith, her body growing limp, her presence growing dimmer.
"NO! ARI, HOLD O-" Two of the Sith exerted a crushing pressure on his limbs, Yerbol's mouth open in a scream of agony as he too felt a burning sensation in his neck, then...then things got so easy and simple. It was getting dark. Time for rest. Finally. Rest. Re-

As both the targets were subdued, a Sith emerged from the Council chambers, blood dripping off of her hands and robe.
"We leave now! Get them to the meeting coordinates! Master Soto and I will meet you there!" Compliant, the taskforce of Sith left through the Temple's main entrance before the blood stained warrior returned to the shouting match that served as the interlude between battles. Bakarn lay on the ground, blood oozing from a wound on his left leg, the other two Masters on the left hand side of the chambers forming a protective barrier around their fallen comrade. Master Soto and her companion stood on the opposite end, the latter casually brushing a stray lock of ebony colored hair away from her face just as Satele had spewed:
"The True Sith have been deceivers from the beginning, Elenda! Please, think about your actions!"
"You're right. Deceit is one of the largest tools one can use to exploit the weaknesses of the enemy, which in your case is complacency."
"Don't forget utter incompetency." The younger Sith piped up, a smirk creasing her features.
"This plan you have...it will tear the entire civilized galaxy apart. Is that what you want? Anarchy? Chaos?"
"Through chaos, there is determination. Through determination, strength." Elenda pointed her silverish red saber at the remaining council members.
"You wouldn't understand. Nor do the imposters who proclaim themselves to be Sith. We will unravel what you have clumsily put together and ensure that true Order is established."
"That will never happen." Satele's eyes narrowed as she leaped across the room, angling a strike towards Soto's neck.

Their sabers clashed, filtering through the chamber doors, interrupting the absolute stillness that dominated the Temple. Nothing moved. Nothing spoke.
___________

Something hard was underneath his head.

He groaned, shifting his head and frowning. Yep, still hard.

Grumbling, his eyes opened to find a beige colored ceiling above him that was very, very high up. When he craned his head to the right, he spotted a small passenger shuttle with its bay door open, two figures(presumably Sith) standing on the threshold discussing some topic Yerbol couldn't quite make out. Further past the ship was the massive exit, it's normal purplish energy barricade lowered completely. They had managed to infiltrate every part of the planet, hadn't they? He cursed inwardly, looking left to find Aria's back to his, although there were no restraints on her. He fiddled his hands, moving them slowly. No restraints either? They must have had supreme confidence in the sedative they had given them or thought they had enough numbers to swarm the duo in case they awoke before being transported to who knows where.

Not wanting to act rashly, the Knight closed his eyes, feeling the ever growing presence of Aria in his mind and tapping into it. He focused for a few moments before he mentally called out to her:

Ari? Can you hear me? Don't move a muscle if you can, just try to speak back to me using this...method.

[Save Me From The Dark] freedomliveson x earlymorninstar

Hi there! Just wanted to let you know that in my latest post, I kinda skipped ahead to where the moving truck/van arrives. Is that cool? Figure that way you can chronicle Alyssa's journey/feelings about moving out before we get to the whole "She's living with an insane psychologist" bit XD

[Save Me From The Dark] freedomliveson x earlymorninstar

The shrug. Why the shrug? Such an innocent gesture, one of release of expectation, but conveys much more than simple apathy or nonchalant behavior. What was she hiding? What could that smooth forehead of hers be hiding? Fully aware that he could stay on this train of thought for a socially unacceptable period of time, he threw his burst of thought into the recesses of his mind and filed it for later. He would decode her patterns of movement soon enough, just as he had done for all the others he had come into contact with.
"Very well, then. Nathan, arrange for Ms.DePiew's belongings to be transported here at once. None of those brutish thugs from that previous company you hired out. People that know how to handle furniture more delicately than scraping it across the bloody marble."
"Of course."
"Good." He nodded to Alyssa, telling her:
"I shall see you in the evening, Ms.DePiew. Please do get settled in. I'll ring for you when I arrive." Mansfield stormed into his office, grabbed a sportscoat hanging on a hook between two bookshelves and hurried down the stairs through the door Alyssa had arrived in. Nathan looked up at her, the beginnings of a smile forming.
"My dear, you'll get used to him. He's a tad...well, eccentric. A good man at heart, but very, very eccentric, almost to the point of insanity." He waited a beat.
"That was a joke. One that fell rather flat, I see." He motioned for her to come downstairs before asking:
"Now would you be so kind as to help me direct the movers? They'll need an address to extract your things. I assume you'll want to go with them, then?"

____

It had been too rainy lately. Coming from someone who spent most of his time in England, that was a rather condemning statement of the weather that had currently taken up residence in this more remote part of Rochester. Rain assaulted the windshield of his black sedan made by some luxury car company or another that he could care less about(Nathan had bought the car for him). Thankfully he was just now pulling into the detached garage which proudly stood to the right of the main entrance. A covered breezeway would protect any exiting from the garage to the home and a solid ebony colored fence would block any intruders from causing any sort of disturbance. It made him smile at times, the way that the home was designed. It was as if it was purposely set up to thwart any potential outside threats. Security. He valued that.

Of course that security was being broached now, as evidenced by a small moving truck(or van?) that was taking up space at the front entrance. To think that they couldn't have taken care of that during the day! What bloody morons! Alyssa couldn't have THAT much to bring with her, could she? After all, if he were to fire her in the next few days, it would be quite the expense to shift all of her belongings back to her original residence. He grumbled through his teeth as he parked, shutting the garage door with a keyfob before proceeding out onto the breezeway where he saw Nathan with an umbrella pointing at what looked like a suitcase.
"NATHAN! Why on earth are these people still here?!"

Promises left on the sand(megatrash/freedom)

He was woken up by the clicking of boots, his eyes staying closed out of exhaust, but also to ensure that whoever entered the room wasn't aware of his new-found consciousness. He could hear them talking, one of them laughed, said something incoherent before another voice said in warbled tone:
"Ge..he..be..." The consciousness that had once been found was lost again, the comfortable darkness easing him back into a slumber that wouldn't be disturbed until several hours later when his eyes opened much more willingly. His hands traced across his stomach, upper lip curling in embarrassment at his same wardrobe. If they were going to subjugate him to psychologically scarring visions, couldn't they at least give him something a bit more loose to fitfully have nightmares in? A weak chuckle came from his throat as he sat up, gleefully tearing the shirt off of his body and breathing a sigh of relief. He then realized in a sudden flash of surprise that he had probably been without a shirt around Cam the same amount of time with one on. Thankfully she didn't seem to mind his predilection for keeping his upper body free of obstruction, but he did chide himself for the lack of foresight. Again, she didn't seem to care, so thankfully he felt like it wouldn't too much of a bother.

Speaking of Cam, where was she?

He rose from the cot, scanning the room with rising awareness. This was the same room they had been brought to after their "physical evaluations", which meant that there was still a relatively full water jug sitting on top of a locker where they had left it. He planted his now bare feet(?) on the ground and plodded over to the row of lockers, retrieving the jug and drinking in the sweet, sweet nectar of the gods. The water seemed tinged with a sweet aftertaste, a welcome addition to the earthy before AND aftertaste of the water that the miniature purifiers were able to produce. After a large gulp, he returned to his initial quest, which was solved quickly upon finding her limp, unconscious body on a nearby cot directly across the room.
"Cam?" He called out softly as he approached, noting her curled up position, her breath coming in gentle breezes.
"Don't go fetal on me...not yet anyway." He couldn't imagine the kinds of things she had seen, especially after his brief romp in virtual reality. If they had made her relive what had happened in Chesapeake...

No. No they wouldn't do that. They couldn't be THAT cruel.

There were probably other traumas that she had experienced, ones that were equally as cruel of course. He shook his head, running a hand through her hair. She deserved so much better than what she had gone through. All of them did. Maybe, just maybe, she was right. They needed to stay here, even if it's only for a small period of time. For her sake...for his.

Justin's hand ran from her head down to her shoulder, grazing it with his fingertips. Even after all this time, she still managed to look so blasted beautiful. That's a talent he wished he had.

[Save Me From The Dark] freedomliveson x earlymorninstar

"Oh I doubt you'll disappoint, Ms.DePiew. Based on the interactions we've had today, I think you'll do quite splendidly. It is, after all, the only expectation I have. That you perform to your highest abilities." A half smile crossed his lips as he rose.
"Nathan, Ms.DePiew will require the guest quarters prepared. Please do so at once."
"Of course. Will be there anything else?" Mansfield pointed at the gardens that were blooming on the left hand side of the quarter acre that stretched out towards infinity, cherry blossoms and daffodils being the main attractions.
"Tell the bloody landscaping people to do their job for once. I'm tired of looking at such a dreary garden."
"Of course." Mansfield shook his head and offered an apology:
"I wish you could see a proper garden, but this will suffice. Come, I need to take you on the grand tour and I feel as if I will be able to do that rather well."

The tour started off in the living area, where Mansfield opened the french double doors to the outside and allowed Alyssa to take in the quiet serenity that "bombarded" the estate on a daily basis. There were a few neighbors situated on the same piece of property, but each home was arranged to where their acreage was unobstructed by any "eye sores". Withdrawing back inside, he took her to the kitchen just off the east side of the living area, where two elderly women were busy chopping carrots and celery("Yosina and Elizabeth make the best food you'll ever have"). Past the kitchen into the dining room, a long, drawn out wooden table surrounded by high backed chairs dominating the room. Clambering upstairs, Mansfield had pointed out his office quickly before showing her some of the bedrooms on the left side of the home, including one at the end of a long hallway that included a bathroom.
"I see Nathan has already prepared the quarters for you. The man is devilishly fast." He chuckled slightly as he led her back to the landing.
"Ms.DePiew, I must say that you have access to all of the property as you see fit EXCEPT for the right side of the home. I know that is quite a lot of ground for you to not cover, but I insist that part of the home remain as private as possible." Nathan emerged from below and called out:
"A Doctor Roman for you on the phone."
"Of course, I'll get to him as soon as I can."
'Shall I have him leave a message?" Mansfield looked to Alyssa, cautiously eyeing her for a brief moment.
"Yes. Yes, tell him that I'll be at the hospital as soon as my meeting is over." Another apologetic smile crossed his face.
"My profuse apologies for not explaining my profession. I am a psychiatrist at a nearby private hospital that specializes in a number of innovative procedures, some of which I have the pleasure of pioneering. That is to say that I won't see very much of you most days, so feel free to come and go as you see fit after your work is done. Nathan will administer everything to you during the day and I will give you your charge during the evening." He walked to the staircase before pausing.
"I assume that we won't have any problems with abandoning your post without warning? A couple of my former attendants did so and I was most displeased." His knuckles turned white as he gripped the top of the railing, jaw clenching for a millisecond.
"But you don't seem like the type to 'cut and run'." He turned to her.
"Speaking of which, I must take my leave. What questions do you have for me?"

You never see it coming[Freedomliveson/The Elvenqueen]

NO worries, my friend. Last night was our open house at school, so I spent about twelve hours talking/working.

I'm dead today xD

Point is, take your time.

Promises left on the sand(megatrash/freedom)

Cool beans! Will get you a post tomorrow, seeing as there are stacks of paper I need to grade and haven't for far too long xD

[Save Me From The Dark] freedomliveson x earlymorninstar

Hi there!

So I need to grade a BUNCH of stuff...ok for me to post tomorrow?

You never see it coming[Freedomliveson/The Elvenqueen]

Well, I suppose I wanted them to go down swinging...feel free to have them arrested in your post OR you can have Aria go on a rampage, then I can have them arrested. Either way works for me :)

You never see it coming[Freedomliveson/The Elvenqueen]

Yerbol's heart sunk as he heard cries from the hallway, the Force rippling in sync with the chaos. He drew his saber to his right hand before rushing out to the hallway and was greeted by the body of a young apprentice, a neatly cauterized hole in the center of her gut. Up ahead were apprentices and Knights engaged in fighting off what appeared to be fellow members of the Order, but the latter's fighting style was FAR different from the normally conservative approach that was the Jedi hallmark. Their blows were controlled, yes, but aggressive, lightning fast. Parries were made with flourishes and pomp rather than with footwork. Those were the True Sith.

And they were winning.

Shouts of final agony rang through the hallway as two of the formerly sentient Jedi fell to the ground with fatal wounds, their attackers catching sight of Aria and Yerbol, prompting them to set out in a dead sprint. Igniting his saber, Yerbol dodged to his right as one of the True Sith thrust his saber forward, the Knight then slashing diagonally towards the shoulder. The blow was parried and a blur of light nearly connected with Yerbol's neck save for his ducking in the nick of time, allowing Yerbol to deliver a strong blow to the stomach with the blunt end of his hilt. Staggered backwards, he took the opportunity to run the Sith through with his saber, his eyes making contact with the ebbing body of the Sith. Upon close examination, Yerbol realized that he had seen this man before. He had been one of the newer Force sensitives brought in by...well, Soto. The other Sith was the same way, Yerbol throwing aside his own assailant before examining the body of the other that Aria had dispatched.
"Both of them came in with Soto a few years ago along with others that gradually came in. The Order hadn't seen that much growth in a long time from what I understand." His jaw clenched.
"They were here the whole bloody time and we didn't see, the Council didn't see...some protectors they are." Yerbol could feel rage attempting to seethe through his being, making him feel nothing but spite for the Council, for the entire Order. Maybe the True Sith were right in their purge of the galaxy, maybe...

Maybe they didn't have time for a pity party in the middle of anarchy.

He moved forward, planting his back against the edge of a wall and peered down the main corridor that connected the entire dormitory. At the end of the hall were more bodies along with the sounds of battle floating towards them. The Council chambers weren't visible from this angle, but one could assume that most of more intense fighting would be happening there.
"The Masters can hold their own. We can help the younger ones, get them to safety before we try to help the Master..s..." He trailed off, looking to Aria.
"Do we even need to help them?" The Knight shook his head.
"Ignore that question. Let's take this one step at a time." He rounded the corner, leaping over the bodies to find the main foyer engrossed in a mass genocide of Jedi.

The True Sith were eviscerating the Order.

Yerbol's hands shook as he sprinted to the nearest youngling about to have a red-orange blade plunged into her side, slicing the Sith's head cleanly off his neck before motioning to the previous hall.
"Get in your quarters and stay out of sight. We'll be back for you." A brief nod and the girl was off.
"Ari, we need to clear this hall. You up for it?" He shot her a small, teasing smirk.