"Outside In"
By: Elisia Melouet - Jedi Padawan
Kace Mordin - Jedi Master

Location: Dargus' Floating Ship
Date: Selene 11, 3 ABY

***

Kace looked around the room, avoiding looking at Elisia for just a few more seconds now that they were alone. His insides felt like they were going to flutter right out of his throat. Finally, he turned to look at her, she had moved to a window seat. It was very difficult, especially with what she had chosen to wear. His heart was beating out a heavy rhythm on his ribs, and his breathing was coming more difficult than he was used to. The feelings of anxiety were not something he experienced much, not for many years. He recognized them for what they were though. He raised his eyes slightly until they met hers. "I am very sorry, Elisia." His voice sounded strange, choked with emotion. "I didn't mean to push you away like that. I'm just--I'm sorry."

Elisia had felt a strange pressure since Kace had entered the room. It had increased once Dargus had left. She couldn't look at him. She knew she had hidden things from him and broken his trust. It hadn't meant to be a breaking of trust and she had been careful not to lie to him. "No, it was my fault," she said quietly. She did not look at him as she spoke.

"Dargus says that he wants me to continue training you," he said, his voice slowly returning to normal. "The decision isn't Dargus' to make though. If you want to be trained to use the Force, it should be your choice, no one else's." He moved to one of the windows so he could look out. "How are you feeling?"

She was surprised at his last question. "I feel fine. Why?" She wasn't ready to answer his first statements. She didn't know what she wanted. Well, she did, she just wasn't sure she was brave enough to take it.

He smiled as he continued to stare out the window, following the path of a flock of birds. "Because I wanted to know," he said. "Because you left yesterday, and I didn't know whether you were safe or not." He glanced back, a quick look to see that she was still in the same spot. "You should be trained to use your powers." He knew he was changing subjects, but it was necessary. He needed to change subjects. "You deserve to know how to use the gifts you've been given. And, I think you have the wisdom to use them responsibly."

"And if I don't?" she asked softly. She had not moved from her seat by the window. She still sat curled up with her arms around her legs. "Will you kill me?" She had thought a lot about what both men had been telling her.

He shook his head. "No," he said. "I wouldn't kill you. I would try to stop you, try to encourage you to not descend to darkness, but I couldn't kill you. We would probably fight, a long exhausting fight...but I would not be able to kill you."

"Do you think that I would kill you?" she asked quietly. "Do you think that I could kill at all?" Her words were reflective and posed more than to just him.

He turned to look at her. "If the cause was right," he said, "I think you might be able to. I think if the cause was right anyone could. But, I think you would have a difficult time bringing yourself to kill another being."

She thought for a moment. Then she finally looked at him. A strange coldness was in her eyes that had not been there before. "No, I think I could," she said quietly. "I know I will." She got up and walked over to the pile of pillows that she had vacated as he had entered. Pushing one aside, she picked up a piece of paper and handed it to him. It was a scene with Elisia with a saber and what appeared to be an unarmed man. He was falling to the ground. "I trust you. The question is.can you really trust me." Her eyes met his and softened. She had that lost child look again.

He held her gaze for a long moment. He could not help wondering what the drawing meant. The unarmed man could be him. Did she hate him that much now? Did she want to strike him down? He pulled his lightsabers from his belt, threw one of them to the side and held one out to her. "I trust you."

She didn't know how to use it and had no inclination to take it either. "Am I forgiven?" she asked, her eyes filling with tears. His accusation that she would take from Dargus and not him still stung deeply. But for some reason, she did not want him angry with her. She liked it when he smiled at her. But she felt no levity from him now.

"There was never anything to forgive," he said. "You did nothing wrong. I am the one who should ask your forgiveness. I should not have reacted the way I did. I offered to pay your way while you trained with me; I offered to buy the things you wanted. And, if you wanted that necklace as much as your eyes said, I wanted you to have it. But, I didn't want it to come from Dargus. I was afraid his money and power would eventually pull you away from me, that he would find a way to come between us. I wanted to be the one to give you something special, not Dargus. I guess I should not have wanted that. And, for that, I ask your forgiveness."

"Did it ever occur to you that you let him do that anyways?" she asked. It wasn't an accusation, it was just a statement of how she saw things. "Why would you care if anyone else gave me something special and not you?"

Kace turned away to look out the window again. He couldn't answer that question while facing her, he could barely face himself with it. It was a question he had been avoiding. He didn't want to know the answer. But, he already did. He rested his forehead against the heavy glass. "Because..." He took another breath and let it out. Just say it, he told himself. "Because I care for you, and I thought that if someone else gave you everything..." Another breath. Kace straightened himself, but continued staring out the window. "I was just being foolish. I was letting petty emotions control my actions. I just didn't want to lose you."

She didn't understand. "I asked you to train me. How could you lose me? What did you think would happen if someone else gave me things? Did you think my loyalties so easily purchased?" Her words reflected a little of the hurt that the thought caused. Did he think that she could be purchased like some whore in the racta bar? "I realize I am young and I do not know about lots of things. I know that I...am different. But I do know that he that offers the most without asking for anything in return is the one you must watch most carefully."

Kace closed his eyes. He concentrated on his breathing, searching for a way to settle the emotions inside. "I'm sorry," he said. He turned toward her. "I was wrong. To allow my feelings to come into the open was a mistake. I have spent so much time hating, that I am not used to dealing with my other emotions. Again, I'm sorry."

She approached him carefully. "I do not understand what you are apologizing for, nor did you answer my questions." She could feel the swirling emotions emanating from him but they did not make sense to her. "What other emotions have I caused? I know you were angry were me. I know you were disappointed that I hid things from you. But I was going to tell you, I just...I needed to sort out what it was I was telling you."

Kace turned slowly, but when his eyes found hers they were full of caring concern. "I was not angry with you," he said. "And, I wasn't disappointed that you hid the things from me. It's just that..." He took a breath, using the time to sort his thoughts. "I care for you very much. I don't know exactly in what capacity or how much. I haven't had the courage to search my feelings that deeply yet. Things have happened very quickly: meeting you, training you, and caring for you. It's just that I'm...I'm confused. I'm not used to these feelings. I'm not used to any of this. I'm not angry or upset with you. More with myself than anything."

Suddenly a term she had never used before came to mind. "You were jealous?" she asked slowly. She waited for an answer.

He looked at her, and swallowed. "Yes," he said, his voice barely a whisper. "I think I was."

"But you don't need to be jealous. I-- " She blushed. "I mean, I am just a kid. I don't know much about....and Dargus frightens me." She was stumbling over her words.

Suddenly Kace laughed, the smile coming easily to his face. "I know," he said. "I don't know much about dealing with people yet. Sometimes it's very difficult. Sometimes I have trouble dealing with myself. I'm still getting used to this. We're more similar than I first imagined I think."

"I want you to know, I did not come here," she said, changing the subject. She sat back down in the window seat.

He moved to where he was next to her. "I know," he said. "I don't think I have ever felt fear like I have recently. Elisia, if you want me to train you, I will." He took a deep breath. He seemed to be taking a lot of them lately. "You were right earlier. You aren't a sacrifice. And, you're not the key to my salvation or anything. I would like to train you, if you want me to. I want to train you because I like how I feel when I'm teaching you, and when you learn something new. I want to train you because I want to give you what I can teach you. I want to train you because if I don't train you, I probably wouldn't be able to spend much time with you."

"Why didn't you just say that to start with?" she asked. She pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them. "What do we do now?"

"I didn't say it, because it was easier to say that you were my last best hope," he said. "It was easier to make it something like that than admitting that I wanted to train you for other reasons, personal reasons. It's easier to deny what I feel inside, and attach my motivation to the thing I've been searching for. I guess the biggest reason though was that I was afraid. And, where we go? I guess that depends on if you still want me to train you."

"I do!" She also wanted some of what Dargus was offering her. But she wasn't sure she wanted that from Kace. He was trying to redeem himself. She had dark plans for Faust. If Dargus could give her those, she couldn't refuse him. And she wouldn't ask Kace to return to a path he was trying so desperately to leave behind.

Kace smiled a smile filled with great warmth. He crouched down to where he wasn't looking down at her. "Faust is a different story," he said softly. "Faust is no threat to my redemption. And, even if he was, it'd only be a minor setback, just like the rest. I do things the rest can't do. I hurt those who deserve to be hurt. Before I came here, I wiped out an Imperial base. Before that it was a group of pirates. And, something else before that. It all runs together. I no longer kill indiscriminately, but I'm no angel. I walk in the gray. I bring death to those who deserve it, and hope to those who need it."

Her eyes had widened. She had not said anything aloud about Faust and she had forgotten that he could read her thoughts. It was uncomfortable knowing he could read her so easily. She blushed deeply, for that meant he had read her complete thought. "Am I a threat to your redemption?"

Kace shook his head. "No," he said. "I want to be a better person, but not at the expense of turning my back to helping the people I care about. And, for what Faust did, and the pirates, they all deserve to suffer. People that hurt others, the ones that use other people's suffering to improve their own position, deserve punishment. That's what I've been trying to do since I turned from the dark side. They made me this way, and now I'll use it against them. Maybe it's not the best way to find redemption, but it's the way I've chosen for myself. If helping you threatens that, then maybe I don't need it that badly."

She smiled finally. "Okay! I don't want to keep running. I don't want to be a princess. I know nothing about being a princess and it feels strange to be treated as one. So what do we do now? How do we start over?"

He held out a hand to her. "We go home," he said. "And, we see what happens from there."

"You said you had an apartment on station. Is that home? Do you stay here because of the protection against the Empire?" She took his hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet.

He cocked his head to the side and wondered if Dargus had given her that idea. "No," he said. "I'm staying here while my ship is being repaired. It was damaged while I was escaping from a raid on an Imperial base. When I came out of hyperspace, I was close enough to Tae'Karada that I came here for repairs. I also have a friend on the shipyards. She's the one I mentioned to you before. Which is probably just making things even more difficult for me. But, that's my problem and I won't burden you with it." Especially since my feelings for you are the main source of my confusion, he thought.

"Yelara, she's the one, I...er...my friend, she's actually letting me stay in the apartment Dargus gave her. It's a long complex story that I don't know completely, but I've been staying there. That can be home, or my ship. Though, it may be best to see about getting a larger apartment with two bedrooms, or I'll need to clear out the spare cabin on the ship. Home has always just been where I've slept at night. I've never known a home. My earliest memories are of the streets on Corellia."

She nodded. It was her earliest memory as well. "So when we fix your ship, we will just wander?" she said as they walked to the door.

He shrugged. It was an odd gesture to see from him. "Unless you wish to stay here," he said. "I may be your teacher, but you are still a person. I would not feel comfortable making that decision without you. Right now, I don't know if I could leave. I mean, I love Yelara." There, he'd admitted it to himself and Elisia. Of course, admitting his love for Yelara made him feel strange about his feelings for Elisia. It was all so confusing. And, then there was the situation with Kandran. "But, then again, she said she'd take me to her bed if she weren't with Dargus, and I don't see her leaving Dargus because she says she needs him." He sighed. "I'm sorry. You probably don't want to hear any of this. Would you like wander? Or stay in one place for awhile?"

Elisia forced a smile to her face, but she didn't feel like smiling. A strange pain crossed her chest and the center of her left hand seemed to pulsate with a corresponding pain. He could love whom he wished and take to his bed whom he wished. Heck, she didn't want in anyone's bed. Yet, his words made her feel sad. "I will go where you lead until you tell me I am ready to stand alone," she said, her words were almost a whisper, for her other thoughts figured more than her answer.

And, I hope that will be a long time from now, he thought. "Well, we're here until the ship is fixed at least," he said. "And, then we'll see." He was quiet for a long moment, the only sound in the room was the sound of their footsteps. "I was so afraid I was never going to see you again. I don't think I've ever been that scared in my life. And, I was afraid to come in here, to look into your eyes, and to find out that you didn't want to see me again."

She stopped, tugging on his hand to make him face her. "All my life, I have had to run. When...when I don't know how to handle something, it is my first instinct. I can't help that. Plus, I am not used to anyone wanting me for anything I would want to be wanted for. This is all a little much in a short period of time. To find out you are princess, that you have powers that others have. I feel like my terrible little world just became a terrible big world. The only reason I can talk decent is that one of my protectors taught me so I could pull scams for him. But now, I have so much to learn and now it is for me. I may run again.I can't say I won't because it is all I know how to do." She looked up at his eyes, hoping he would understand.

"Then I will teach you new things to do," he said gently. He took her other hand into his, and squatted down with one knee resting on the floor, the leather pants he wore creaking as he did. He was looking up into her eyes. "I hope to never give you a reason to run again. But, if you do, I'll follow if you want me to. I don't think I'll be able to change that I want to protect and provide for you; I think it's in my nature. I will be your teacher for as long as you need me, but I hope I can also be a friend."

"I would like both," she answered quietly. She felt strange looking down at him. "I guess we should go see if my new friend will actually let us leave."

Kace felt a stab of pain at her words. After everything he'd heard from Yelara and witnessed with his own eyes, he couldn't imagine anyone thinking of Dargus as a friend. I'm probably just a little too sensitive to the whole issue, he thought. "Okay," he said. "And, you can have both." He smiled, and quickly pulled away from examining his feelings again. He wasn't ready.

She smiled. "Then let us beard the lion in his den before he grows hungry and prowls on me." She laughed lightly, for that is how she saw Kandran, as a bored lion playing with its prey.

Kace reached out a hand and the lightsaber resting back on the floor leapt into the air. A meter before it reached his hand, it flared to life. He caught it easily and moved into a defensive stance. "Let him try," he said, with a playfulness surrounded by a cold darkness. He shut down the blade, as he gave Elisia a caring smile, then returned the hilt to his belt.

"Will I get one of those?" she asked curiously as they walked down the corridor. "One of those lightswords?"

Kace smiled. "It is customary," he said. "I have one back on my ship I would like to give you. But, before I do that, what is your favorite color?"

"Dark purple," she said without pausing. "I saw a flower once, it was the deepest purple...almost black. I have never forgotten it." She sighed at the pleasant memory. "Why?"

Kace smiled. "One of my favorite colors," he said. "Unfortunately, the lightsaber I have for you is green. But, I know which crystals we will need to build you a dark purple one." "We can make a purple sword? That is so cool." They had reached the room with Dargus' Faux throne. "I guess it will have to wait," she said, taking a deep breath.

"Not long," he said. "Only a short while. Are you ready?"

She took a deep breath. "Yes, as ready as prey can be," she said, trying to tease.

Kace pushed the door open to where one of Dargus' servant droids waited for them. Now for the tricky part, he thought with a wry smile.

---

"Leaving"
Elisia Melouet - Jedi Padawan
Dargus Kandran - Crimelord, Kandran Syndicate
Kace Mordin - Traveler

Location: Dargus' ship
Date: Selene 11, 3ABY

***

Kace and Elisia emerged from the huge room where Dargus had been holding her. In one hand, he held the drawing, rolled into a tube. In the other, he held Elisia's hand.

A droid took them directly to Dargus. Elisia pulled her hand free as they stepped into the room with Dargus. She couldn't say why she did it, but she suddenly knew that whatever relationship Kace and her ended up having, she didn't want Dargus knowing what it was.

"I have decided to continue my training as you suggested," she said calmly, stepping forward. She didn't feel calm. Whenever she was around him, she felt uneasy, unsettled. Like she was being hunted just with his eyes, it was uncomfortable.

"Oh, delightful news," Dargus said with a beaming smile. "I do wish you the best, and I hope for regular reports of your progress, my Princess. Now, if there's anything at all either of you need, please don't hesitate to contact me."

"Thank you for you hospitality," she said quietly and stepped back to her place with her master. She had truly accepted his role in her life. She was not so sure about Dargus'.

"Oh, it was a pleasure to have you," Dargus said. "I do hope you realize how much I wish to help. Now, I hope to see you again soon."

Kace smiled. "Actually," he said, "I would like to speak with you about just that. During the duration of Elisia's training, I want you to keep your distance. If you see Elisia walking through the shipyards, you either turn the other way or find me and ask me if you can speak with her. You do not approach her without my consent. You do not speak with her without my consent. You will not present her gifts or offer special discounts through the station venders, without talking with me first. Is this clear?"

"It most definitely is not," Dargus snapped. "I have done nothing to be treated in this manner. That is out of the question! You have no regard for me or my feelings! It was your fault she ran away in the first place. I should be the one making demands! You may train her, and let me see her at the same time. I cannot abide by the conditions as you've laid them out."

"I was afraid you were going to say that," he said. Kace glanced at Elisia and frowned. "I fear that my trip here was made in vain. Dargus' influence will too strongly interfere with training you. If he is not willing to accept my conditions, I am afraid I will be unable to train you." As his eyes were focused on her, she was the only one to see the pain there.

Elisia's eyes widened and then flew to Dargus'. "No! I want this training." She moved to Dargus. "I can trust no one else. Is it so much to ask his permission to speak with me? He has good reasons. What if you interfere with a lesson? Please?" Her eyes filled with tears and she all but begged Dargus to relent.

"Very well," Dargus snapped. "I will do it only because the Princess asks it of me. We are in agreement." That he had to beg permission of anyone was an outrage, but one he would endure to tap into the power the girl had.

Kace let nothing show on his face. His heart was pounding and he wanted to pull Elisia into his arms and hug her till she popped. But, his body and features stayed calm. "Thank you," he said, his eyes still on Dargus. "I think we will leave now. We have much to make up for from yesterday."

"Goodbye, Princess," Dargus said with an insincere smile. "Train well, learn all you can, and I hope to see you soon if the warden will allow it." He placed a hand on her shoulder and tried to look less like a wolf as he gazed at her. "I shall see you sooner than you think."

She flinched when he touched her and then relaxed. "Good bye, Dargus, and thank you for everything, including you perceptions," she said quietly. "They have been...educational." She smiled up at him and then turned to Kace for his guidance.

Kace gave her a nod. "Let's get back to the shipyards," he said. They started toward the docking platform, Kace walking with hands clasped behind his back. As he moved near Dargus, he slowed. "Do not defy me, Dargus." And, then he continued.

Dargus' eyes seemed to burn like a pair of furnaces as he stared at Kace. He held his tongue for the sake of Elisia. Were the child not here, the man would be dead in a nanosecond. After a few moments, he was unable to hold his rage in check. "No one threatens me," he shouted. "You have no power over me! You may be a powerful Jedi, Kace Mordin, but Jedi can die just as any other man. Train her well, and never threaten me again...or you will be dead."

Kace held back his smile. Yes, he thought, Jedi can die. So can ysalamiri.

Elisia put a hand on Dargus' arm. "Only I can kill my master. No one else." Her words were said with a strange child-like innocence.

"I'm sure that's very comforting for your master. He really must pull back on the overlord act he's playing. His attitude is definitely not right for a teacher. I'm not even that bad, and I'm the so-called criminal here. He can teach you the ways of the Jedi, but only you can find your destiny."

"I know my path. I will find it. You have shown you truly care. Thank you." She let go of his arm and caught up with Kace.

Kace looked down at Elisia and smiled. "Let's go home," he said.

***

Dargus watched as the shuttle took off toward the skies and smiled to himself. Begging anything of Kace Mordin would be the last thing he'd ever do in his life. His plans were already in motion and the agreement he'd made was a trifling matter. He would see her again, and very soon. And, then, she would be his completely.

---

"Going Home, Part 1"
By: Elisia Melouet - Jedi Padawan
Kace Mordin - Jedi Master

Location: Drogen Shipyards
Date: Selene 11, 3 ABY

***

The speeder set down on the flight deck of the shipyards. Kace and Elisia climbed down to the deck. No one had said a word on the trip back from Dargus' ship. It suited Kace perfectly since they were probably surrounded by listening devices. With an abrupt wave, the pilot closed off the speeder and departed. The former Dark Jedi let no expression cross his face, almost seeming upset and brooding.

Once the craft had cleared the bay, Kace's neutral facade melted away and he was smiling. He looked down to Elisia, his eyes shining with happiness. "You were wonderful back there," he said, restraining himself from hugging her. "I thought for certain he was going to call my bluff, but you were great."

Elisia was stunned. She had believed him. She kicked him in the knee, hard! Which surprised her because she had seen him move, she should have missed him. "You were bluffing, you ass? I thought you were serious. Here I spent the whole trip fretting about it."

Kace looked down at his boot and then back to Elisia. "I'm very sorry about that," he said. "I needed you to react as if you believed it. I needed you to think what I said was true. I would have told you sooner, but I figured Dargus was listening. I hated doing it."

"You need to learn to trust me better," she said with a small pout. She turned and flounced back towards the ship. She was becoming less and less the child he had first found.

Kace hurried after her, which wasn't difficult with his longer stride. "I trust you completely," he said. "I didn't have a chance to say anything before. I would have. Please believe me that I would have. In the future, I promise I won't leave you out of the loop."

"You seem to have a habit of that," she said stopping thoughtfully. "You have never trusted anyone.have you?"

He shook his head. "Not really," he replied. "I haven't had much of a chance to in my life. But, I know I am capable of it. I know my actions probably don't make it seem that way, but I do trust you."

She cocked her head and looked at him very seriously. "You are the first person I have ever trusted," she admitted. "Sometimes things you say about your past remind me of me. It is scary in someways."

Kace smiled. "I know," he said. "We are very similar in a lot of ways. And, different in many too. I think that may be why we seem to get along as we do. You're the first I've ever fully put my trust in. I know I want to trust Yelara, but I don't think she trusts me. But, I do trust you."

Elisia frowned and turned to continue the walk to his ship. She did not like it when he talked about this Yelera. She didn't know why. "What shall we do today, work on your ship? Train?" She changed the subject. She pulled the loose top down a little as it had drifted over one shoulder too much.

Kace raised an eyebrow and quickly followed after Elisia. "Maybe a little of both," he said. "And, unless you really live in the ship, we can also move into the apartment. Right now, it's only set up for one person, but we can get another bed brought in. And, maybe we can see if they have some two bedroom apartments available on the station." As she adjusted the top, he realized he had to focus his eyes on something else, because...because it wasn't nice to stare at her. And, he was trying to be a nice guy now.

"I don't want to live in your girlfriend's apartment," she said trying to say it nicely. It didn't really work. "I can stay on the ship and you can stay with her. I mean, I don't want to be the extra wing."

He cocked his head to the side, confusion growing. "She's not my girlfriend, Elisia," he said. "And, I should be with you. I mean, I am your teacher. We should--" No, he told himself. That's not right. Tell her the truth, trust her like you want to. "I want to be with you. You wouldn't be extra. If you're on the ship, I will be too. And, if we're in an apartment, we'll find something new together. But, I want us together. I mean, as long as you don't mind."

"I am used to living in alleys and deserted buildings. I really don't care where we stay, for it will be better than I have had," she answered honestly. She was glad that he didn't think of Yelera as a girlfriend for some reason.

"I thought you loved her? Doesn't that make her a girlfriend?" she asked wondering about that. She thought the two should go together.

"Well," he said, "not really. Usually, when two people love each other, they can decide that they want to have a relationship. But, sometimes it's not possible. Yelara and I can't have a relationship because she's already in one with Dargus. And, right now, I'm not sure if that's what I want."

"I don't understand. If love is real why would anyone walk away from it? I personally don't believe in love. People just mutually enjoy each other and call it love," she said. "Makes them feel better about doing things they maybe wouldn't normally do."

"I don't know," he said. "I have no experience with love. I've never had anyone to love before. It's all really new and confusing. The only reason I can think of for one person to walk away from one love is because they found another that was stronger."

"So you believe in love?" They had reached his ship and she waited for him to open it.

Kace looked down at Elisia, his blue eyes finding hers. It was quite a question. One he'd been asking for a long time. And, as he looked at her, he was fairly certain he knew the answer. "Yes," he said, unable to pull his gaze away. "Yes, I do." There was a long, uncomfortable moment, and then he quickly reached for the control and opened the ship.

She was surprised for some reason. Someone who had given over a large part of his life to what he called the dark side, believed in love? Maybe she should re-evaluate her viewpoints on love. She smiled and wondered what it would be like to be loved by someone. The only love she had ever known was her mother's but it seemed so far off and vague. She entered the ship in front of him. She entered the main cabin and looked around and her eyes widened. "What happened?" she asked breathlessly.

He looked around at the damage he had caused and felt the all-too-familiar flush of embarrassment. "My emotions were a little out of control when you left yesterday. I tried to stop it, but I couldn't. I was upset with myself and afraid I'd never see you again. I guess I overreacted."

She looked around in awe. "You did this with your emotions? It will take hours just to clean up." She picked up a glass off the table.

Kace laughed. "I wasn't thinking about that when it happened," he said. "And, probably between two and a half and three to clean it. You don't have to clean it up though. I made the mess."

"What is the use of having a padawan then?" she teased lightly. She fetched cleaning supplies and began clearing away the mess. "How did you do this?" She wanted to know.

He moved to start clearing away the debris. "I don't really know how it happened," he said. "The closest I can come is a power surge. It was like an explosive wave of pure Force energy. For some reason, it only damaged glass and crystalline objects. It's not something I'd like to try again. I didn't like how I was feeling when it happened." He dumped a pile of glass into one of the waste bins they'd pulled in. "So, you don't want to stay in the apartment?"

"I will abide by your decision," she said carefully. She didn't know what else to answer. She couldn't give him a valid reason for not staying there. "You know what I need to learn and what environment is best."

Kace smiled and moved closer. "That's training space," he said. "This is where we'll be living." He looked around the main cabin and back to Elisia. "How about after we finish cleaning this up, we go look for a place with two big bedrooms and a space we can use for training?"

"Okay," she answered with a smile, and set about cleaning up. She felt at peace for the first time in days.

Kace found himself watching Elisia as they continued the cleaning. One thing he had to say about Dargus was he did give her a great choice in clothes. Though, Elisia was the one who chose the outfit. He took a breath and brought his mind back to cleaning. He smiled when he thought of her smile. She would be a very good student, he told himself.

"Why do you do that?" she asked casually. She saw his befuddled expression. "You focus on me and then your thoughts swirl. Am I doing something wrong?" She dumped a pan of glass into the bin.

"Oh, no," he stammered. "Nothing wrong at all. I don't know why. It's just that--My thoughts swirl?"

"Yes. We could talk when we first went to Kandran's by thoughts. But now, I cannot read you at all. Everything is...noisy," she said with that curious look she had.

"Oh," he said with a nod. "I didn't know they'd be a swirl to you too. I thought it was just me."

"Maybe it is just that I don't have a clue," she said with a nervous laugh. "So why are your thoughts swirling for you?"

Kace could feel that his face was getting very warm. "It's just strange emotional things I'm not used to," he said. "I don't know. Actually, I think I do know, but I don't think I should say anything." He took in a deep breath. "I like your new outfit. You look very nice in it. You're very, uh, very pretty. I just wanted to say that because, well...because you are." He looked around and quickly started picking up more to throw out.

She stopped sweeping up. "Pretty? Me? Okay, now I know you are losing it. What did Dargus do to you?" She looked him up and down, looking for injuries. "Maybe this explosion thing addled your head." Her words were not sarcastic but concerned. She held up a broken piece of reflective material. The distorted image looking back at her was just as she always pictured it. Cleaner and definitely pretty plain looking.

Kace sighed. "I thought that before," he said, turning away so he wasn't looking at her. She wouldn't see him getting tongue-tied and embarrassed if she couldn't see his face. "Before the explosion, and before Dargus. When we were down on the planet, and when you came back with the new clothes the other day. I do. I think you're very pretty." He looked around the cabin. "Look, I think we've got this place pretty clean. Why don't we go out and look for a new apartment?"

He was acting very strangely. There was still a lot of clean up but at least the main floor was cleaned up. She shrugged. "Okay. You lead, I follow." She smiled warmly at him.

Kace led the way down out into the flight deck and then across to the residential section of the station. When Kace informed the office in charge of residential housing on the station that they were interested in looking for a place, a droid was summoned to lead them around. They looked at several of the two bedroom apartments available. Most of them were fairly roomy, and would offer plenty of space to train. It was nice to get out in public where he was forced to think about something other than Elisia, and the confusing thoughts that always surfaced when he thought about her. As they were moving down to the next apartment, he turned to her. "What do you think? Any of them catch your eye?"

"They all look huge," she said with excitement. "I liked the one with the huge bathroom with a real bathtub." She had loved soaking in a bathtub at Kandran's ship. "But aren't they rather steep?" She had never had as much fun as exploring the apartments had been.

Kace smiled. "A little," he said, "but not too much so. And, we'll be comfortable there, and we'll have our own space. I think after too long the ship might get a little cramped. I think they'll all work, and they're all around the same price. I think the one with the bathtub sounds like the best one so far. I imagine you'll like the bathtub after some of the workouts I'm going to be running you through."

She hugged him happily. "You are the best. I can't wait. My own clothes, a place to live and schooling. I feel like a princess." She stepped back, still smiling. "When can we move in?"

Kace smiled, his thoughts seeming to float away from him before quickly snapping back. "This afternoon if you want," he said. "I'll need to swing by the other apartment to grab some of the things I'd stowed there. And, then we can move in. And, maybe go have a nice dinner and talk about your training."

"I would like that, yes," she said. "And you can give me my light thing," she said, eyeing his with a clear desire. She felt so wonderful at the moment. Everything was perfect.

Kace laughed. "Of course," he said. "We can do that when we get back to the ship."

He called the droid back and quickly explained they'd be taking one of the rooms they'd already seen. The droid took his credit chip and quickly processed everything. Then, Kace and Elisia were standing in an empty corridor with the keycodes to their new apartment. He looked down at her as they stood there. "Why don't we swing by the other apartment, I can quickly grab my things, and we can get moving in."

"Okay, Master Kace," she said brightly. "I would be glad to help you. Do you have a lot to move?" she chattered. She practically was skipping beside him. Once again, more the child than the woman.

He watched her as they walked, fascinated by the sheer jubilation, in awe of just how powerful an effect she had on him. "Not much," he said. "I've just got some clothes in the apartment, and a few things to move from the ship. It shouldn't take long at all."

---

"Going Home, Part 2"
By: Elisia Melouet - Jedi Padawan
Kace Mordin - Jedi Master

Location: Drogen Shipyards
Date: Selene 11, 3 ABY

***

She chattered gaily all the way to the apartment he had been using. Her topics were light and varied but intensely curious. It was clear that she had huge gaps in the simplest of subjects and was losing no time in filling them in. She waited as he punched in the code to enter the apartment but the door did not open.

"That's odd," he said. He tried his code again, but still the door remained closed. Kace frowned. He glanced around and found a member of Dargus' goon squad. He motioned the man over. "Why can't I get into my apartment?"

The man gave Kace a hard look, then referred to a datapad. "Looks like the apartment was rented to a Yelara Neerou," he said. "And, all properties were confiscated by order of Dargus Kandran."

Kace frowned. "Why?"

"I cannot divulge that information, sir."

Kace waved a hand in front of the man's face. "You will tell me why the properties were confiscated."

A sudden sleepiness seemed to hit the man, but he nodded happily. "I'll tell you what happened," he said. "Rumor has it that Ms. Neerou really upset Mr. Kandran. I heard she broke up with him, and he took everything he'd given her back."

Kace nodded. "Thanks," he said. "Now, go away."

"Yes, sir," the guard said, and disappeared.

Kace looked at Elisia. "He confiscated one of my favorite shirts."

She giggled. "I will bet his merchants haven't got the word yet. Want another one?" She did not understand the significance to his friend and so was still light hearted.

Kace gave Elisia a warm smile. "No," he said, "I'll just buy another one. Or maybe steal one of Dargus' next time I'm on his ship. I'll need to find Yelara later to make sure everything's alright, but we have things we need to do. I guess it won't be as hard to move everything in."

"Maybe you should find her now. If Dargus is mad at her, she could be in trouble," Elisia said, her face losing some of its youthful glee. "I would not want someone to be in bigger trouble because of me."

Kace looked down at Elisia, and then out toward where Yelara might possibly have been. It was clear he was torn as he looked back at Elisia. "Yeah," he said. "I probably should see if I can track her down. Come with me and I'll give you your first lesson in finding people."

Elisia fell silent. She did not want to go with him to find his love. But he was her master now and she shouldn't deny him. "Okay," she finally said, a little subdued. "But I don't even have my blade."

Kace looked at her for a long moment. He knew he really didn't like the feeling of being pulled in two different directions at once. He'd never known the feeling before, but was definitely getting to know it. Both Yelara and Elisia were pulling at him. But, Elisia was standing next to him, and he hadn't seen Yelara for days. "Let's swing by the ship first then," he said. "I mean, she knows I'd help her if she needed it. If she's not going to come to me, maybe she doesn't want my help. We'll make a quick search, and then get on with things. After that, if she wants my help, she can find me."

Elisia nodded. The fine mood of earlier was now lost and she followed him, lost in her thoughts. Why did it bother her so much for him to go find the woman he loved? This should make her happy for him, yet she felt a strange pang and again her hand hurt in the middle. She rubbed it thoughtfully.

Kace and Elisia returned to the ship. Once they were inside, Kace moved to one of the small storage bins lining the outside wall of the main cabin. He pulled out a small cylinder and smiled as he looked at it. It brought back so many memories, the good memories before the dark times. He glanced down at his own lightsabers and felt a momentary sadness. They were remnants of the dark times. He would have to craft a new pair for himself when he helped Elisia make her first lightsaber. He turned back to his student and smiled. While looking at her, it wasn't hard to let the other feelings go.

He moved close to her. "The Jedi have used the lightsaber for as long as our history is recorded," he said. "It is an elegant weapon and, in the hands of one who knows how to use it, a true piece of beauty."

He reached out and took her hand in his. He turned it over so the palm faced upwards. He set the hilt into her hand and closed her fingers over it. His hand lingered slightly before he withdrew it. "That's the lightsaber I trained with," he said. "And, now you will train with it. Soon, we will begin constructing a new one for you." He looked into her eyes and his heart started thudding against his chest. He finally remembered to breathe, and then smiled at her. "But, from now on, that one is yours. And, you may wear it whenever you wish."

Elisia stepped back and flipped it on. It hummed in her hands as she passed it back and forth. It felt right somehow. "Wouldn't a laser pistol be so much more effective?" She felt a sense of relief; she did not think this was the saber from her picture. "Why did Jedi pick an ancient weapon even if it is beautiful?"

Kace watched her with the blade, his eyes glowing softly as she moved the blade. "Being able to use a lightsaber, especially the way Jedi Knights use them, shows an amazing level of skill. It's also a symbol. When you face someone with a lightsaber, it's much more honorable than hiding behind a cargo container and taking pot shots at him. Also, with that you can deflect blaster shots, cut through the strongest titanium plating, and send a message to anyone who sees you with it." He moved closer to Elisia. "The fit is a good one. I think when I was learning to use that, we were of a similar size. And, your movements are very natural, I think you will pick this up as quick as you were picking up reading."

"I can make the letters now," she said looking up at him. "I practiced all morning at Dargus'." She turned off the saber. She did not have a belt to put it on. "I will leave this here for now." Her voice held regret. "I am much deadlier with my blade."

"You sure?" he asked. "If you want to, you should bring it. I think it would look very nice hanging from your--" No belt, he told himself quickly. "It'll look very nice once we get you a belt." For Kace, the confusion had never been greater. Only a short while ago, he'd learned that Dargus and Yelara were no longer together. Yet, he wasn't as excited as he expected he would be. He knew he still cared for her very much, he knew he still loved her, but it wasn't as simple anymore. Things were much more complex. And, with Yelara and Dargus separated, it seemed to actually make him even more confused. If only he could split himself in two - give one half to Yelara and one half to Elisia.

He quickly turned his attention to the one of the other bins. He pulled out a belt that looked like it would be too large for Elisia. He pulled out one of the laser welders he'd been using to repair the ship and trimmed the belt down to size. He handed it to her. "Your belt for your lightsaber."

She smiled. He was so kind that she wondered how he would ever put her to tasks as difficult as he had mentioned. She belted it on and added the saber. "All I need is a cloak and I will begin to at least look the part," she teased. "We must try to find your friend." It was both question and statement.

Kace looked back at the ramp, and then at Elisia. "Let's go then," he said, and led the way out into the station.

They spent an hour and a half searching the station. Kace used every sense he had, but they weren't able to locate Yelara. He frowned as they returned to the ship to start packing things up to move into the new apartment. "I don't know where she is," he said. "If she needs me for anything, she'll have to find me." Once they were inside the ship, he looked at her. "Now, let's get our things moved over to our new place. And, then we're going to dinner."

Elisia didn't have much to grab. She grabbed the small pack of clothes that Kace had originally given her. She found her dagger and slid it into her boot. She reentered the main cabin and offered to carry some of the items he had gathered.

Kace had gathered three duffels of things to take with him. He handed the lighter one, holding mainly just clothes, to Elisia when she offered to help. He would bring the big stuff later. It could wait.

They set out across the flight deck and found themselves standing outside their new apartment. Kace activated the keypad and the door slid open. He let Elisia enter first, and then followed her inside. It was a very large space and would suit their needs perfectly. It was already furnished, so they only needed their own things. He smiled at Elisia as she looked around, still holding her things. "Which of the bedrooms would you like?"

"I will take the smaller one," she said and set down his bag. She preferred small tight spaces and was having a hard time getting used to moving about in the open so freely. At night, the cabin on the ship had been perfect, but the room of Dargus' felt ominous. She put up her little bag and laid her mother's letter and picture down. It was a way of saying she was home, to take it off her person. It was hard to walk away and leave it in the open. She re-entered the cabin to see what was next.

After dropping his bags, and the one Elisia had carried in his room, Kace returned to the main room to grab the package he'd had delivered. He'd arranged for it while Elisia was packing her meager belongings. As she stepped out of her new bedroom, he moved closer. "I got something for you," he said, a little nervously. "It's just something I thought you might want. You don't have to wear it tonight. It's just for whenever." He looked down at his hands, holding the black and green colored bundle. He held it out for her to take.

Elisia took the package carefully. She opened it up with excitement. She didn't have a clue what it could be. She shook it out and held it up. She stared at it a long long time. Her eyes filled with tears, for she had not seen such a dress since her mother. "Thank you," she whispered, still holding it up and staring at it.

"You're welcome," he whispered back. The silence in the room was almost too much, so Kace decided to fill it. "I wanted to get you something nice, so while you were packing your things up, I took a quick look through one of the catalogs. One of the shops had that one, and I thought you'd like it; so, I had them send it over. The designer is from your home planet. I, uh, hope it's okay. It should be your right size."

"What would I wear it for?" she asked. She had no idea. She couldn't train in it. It was too pretty to work on the ship in. Her tone of voice still held gratitude and awe.

Kace smiled as his face flushed red. "I hadn't thought of that," he said. "I just thought you'd look very nice in it, so I got it. In case there was a time when you would need to wear a dress, or want to. I just thought...well, I don't know. You could always wear it when you're not training or working on the ship, but want to wear a dress. If you wanted, you could wear it tonight; but, I think we'd have to go to a much nicer restaurant. Which I wouldn't mind at all, mind you. If you want to wear it tonight, you can." His heart was beating fast again, and there was an odd pressure in his chest. "If you wanted to, I wouldn't mind seeing you in it."

She looked up at him and slowly smiled. "Okay! I will take a bath and change. We have time?" She was excited. She had never gone to a fancy restaurant let alone dressed up. What would it be like to be a real lady?

Kace nodded. "We have lots of time," he said. He looked down at himself and laughed. "And, I think I'll need to change too. Though, I don't think anything I do to make myself look better will be able to measure up to you." He gave her a playful wink. "I'll see you back out here soon."

Elisia hurried off and quickly bathed. She put on some of the cosmetics she had purchased the first trip shopping and then the dress. Nervous, she stepped out into the main room. She had no idea if she looked stupid; she felt stupid.

Kace went to his room to get ready. He pulled of his clothes, showered quickly, and dressed in a pair of black leather pants, a deep metallic blue shirt that sparkled and reflected the light, and a long coat that extended to his knees. He checked the mirror one last time and realized he couldn't remember a time where he'd taken quite as much care in dressing.

He was waiting in the main room when Elisia stepped out of her bedroom. He looked up when she appeared and felt his heart start racing. "You look beautiful," he said. Everything from the way he looked at her, to the tone of his voice said that he meant what he said.

She blushed and spun around. "Are you sure? I mean, I feel kind of stupid." She looked up at him wanting to believe him and yet afraid to.

"I am very sure," he said with a gentle smile. "I mean...yes, I'm very sure. You look...beautiful."

She smiled; it lit up her eyes. "Then sir, I am ready for dinner." She was always hungry. It seemed a constant state for her. She held out her hand for him to take.

---

"Going Home, Part 3"
By: Elisia Melouet - Jedi Padawan
Kace Mordin - Jedi Master

Location: Drogen Shipyards
Date: Selene 11, 3 ABY

***

Kace took her hand, his heart still beating fast. Together they left the apartment and wound their way toward one of the nicer restaurants on the station. They approached the man at the front. He looked them over with an appraising nod before smiling.

"May I help you, sir?"

Kace gave the man a smile. "Yes," he said. "We'd like a table for two please."

The man checked a datapad, and motioned toward the interior of the establishment. "Right this way, sir."

He sat them at a table near one of the corners. Kace held Elisia's chair for her as she sat, and then he took his own chair.

Kace smiled as the man walked away. He looked over his menu, and quickly selected what he would be having for dinner and then looked up at Elisia. "You can order anything you want," he said. "But, I hear the seafood dishes here are great. One of the chefs actually learned from one of the master chefs on the Mon Calamari homeworld."

She looked at the menu for a really long time. She couldn't decipher any of it. Finally, she forced a smile. "I will let you choose for me. I have no idea what any of it is anyways," she said, not wanting to remind him she couldn't read it.

Kace looked up and smiled. "What kinds of foods do you like then? Or, do you want to be daring tonight?"

"I...I don't know. I mean.I am used to eating mostly what I can find. Occasionally I could wish someone to buy me something, but it was usually their choice. I have never had seafood." She blushed with embarrassment. How did one admit to mostly eating what others considered garbage?

"Then, if you'd like, you can try some tonight. If you don't like it, we'll keep trying things until you find something you like." He leaned across the table and lowered his voice. "You should have seen some of the things I ate when I was growing up. Not exactly gourmet."

She smiled her gratitude. "Can I have wine?" She had watched people in restaurants drink wine. She had never tasted it. "Wine and seafood?"

Kace nodded. "You can," he said. "Though, try not to have too much. But, if you do, that's okay too. I will make sure you get home to your bed safely."

He wasn't treating her like a little girl and this made her heart sing. "I am so glad you decided to approach me. I can't imagine where in the universe I would be now," she said breathlessly.

Kace couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. "I'm glad I did too," he said. "I made a new friend. I can't imagine a time in my life when I've felt like I have the last couple days. I mean, the chance to teach you what I know is thrilling. And, there is something very special in being able to put your trust completely in another. I can't imagine anywhere in the universe where I'd rather be right now."

She was glad the waiter showed up. She didn't know how to answer that. She felt awkward in the dress and hoped it didn't show. She liked that he thought she was pretty and that he trusted her. It felt wonderful to be someplace where someone wanted you just because, not for something evil or twisted.

Kace ordered them each some Calamarai salmon with a special lemon sauce and asked for a bottle of Corellian spiced wine to be brought out. They sat in silence, looking around and occasionally across the table at each other. Finally, the waiter returned with the wine. He poured a splash in Kace's glass. He poured them both full glasses after Kace played the part of the connoisseur and told him the wine was fine.

Kace looked across the table and smiled. He lifted his glass and held it up. "To friendship and beginnings."

She smiled shyly. "Yes, to beginnings." She toasted him and tasted the wine. She swirled it around her mouth and decided she liked it. "You will spoil me," she pointed out softly.

Kace laughed softly. "Maybe a little," he said. "Though, it will make up for some of the more strenuous training. I hope you don't mind."

"I have never been spoiled, why would I mind?" she said with a laugh. She drank some more of the wine and decided she could get used to this life. "I don't mind hard work either though."

"Good," he said. "The work will be hard, but very rewarding. And, after you have worked hard, I will spoil you. And, even on days when the work isn't hard, I will probably still spoil you."

She didn't know what to say. She toyed with the glass in front of her, watching him through her eyelashes. She saw him flush and tried to read him, but still couldn't. She sighed. "Is it normal for a Jedi master to spoil his padawan, or am I a special case?" she finally asked.

Kace looked away for a moment, hoping for the waiter to return. Unfortunately, the man was nowhere in sight. He turned back and smiled. "You're a special case," he said. "Though, padawans are always treated well. I'm just treating you better than most because I have the means to do so."

"Oh!" She sipped some more wine and thought for a moment. "So, tell me about being a Jedi. Before you became dark. What was it like?" She didn't like the silence that kept coming up. She didn't understand why they suddenly felt awkward.

Kace started the story, telling of much of what he and his master did while he was training, and as he neared the point where he would take the trials. As he was talking their food arrived. Between bites, Kace continued the story, filling it with the magic and excitement he remembered from that time. He told her about the times when they stayed to protect those that needed it, and then the times when they were forced to retreat before the Emperor's minions caught up with them. It was an exciting story, and Kace found few places where it needed embellishment. Each time he looked across the table and met Elisia's eyes, he felt his heart beat faster and that now-familiar pressure return to his chest. "A big part of me wishes that I had been stronger when Vader approached me. But, if I hadn't gone through what I did, I probably wouldn't have ended up here. So, another big part of me is glad, or else I would not know you, and would not be training you. It's strange to be grateful for something so dark, but in a way I am."

Elisia said nothing. She sat wide-eyed, listening to the most amazing story she had ever heard. She ate all her dinner and drank two glasses of wine as she listened. When he finally quit speaking, the waiter had already taken away her plate. "I cannot imagine life being so exciting," she said in total awe.

"As long as you're with me," he said, "I can guarantee you'll find your share of excitement. That is, if you want to lead an exciting life like that."

"I will be happy living whatever life you lead me to," she said dreamily, and then turned a furious red. Why had she said that? "Umm I mean, after all, you are the master." She realized that the words didn't make it sound any better and hurriedly drained her glass.

Kace only nodded. He knew he had to be as red as Elisia was. He called the waiter over and handed the man his credit chip. It only took a moment for the man to charge their meal. He looked across the table and finally smiled. "You have two options," he said. "We can find someplace that will sell us something for a dessert, or we can return home and prepare for your training tomorrow."

Elisia felt a little lightheaded and very very happy. "Your choice. I choose going out," she pointed out. "I place myself totally in your hands." For her, it was a huge step to be able to say that to 'anyone'. She giggled lightly at the strange look on his face.

Kace got up and moved to help her up from her chair. Once she was ready, he lead the way to one of the food vendors selling dessert items.

Elisia clung happily to Kace's hand. She had never felt so relaxed and at ease. For the first time in her life, that she could remember, she felt no fear at all. She felt pretty and wanted. It was a unique feeling and one she would give anything to keep.

Kace ordered a couple pastries wrapped in thin paper from a Rodian vendor. They were flavored with cinnamon and a few other sweet spices. It made the perfect end to a wonderful meal. They walked through the promenade eating the dessert and holding hands. Kace looked down at Elisia's small hand in his and smiled. He wondered what was happening briefly, and quickly put the thought out of his head. He wasn't ready to analyze it yet. He would just enjoy the feeling of being with her and seeing her so happy.

Elisia was feeling more and more strange. It must be the wine, she thought as she nibbled on the pastry. She kept a tight grip on Kace's hand, for fear of falling over. She chatted gaily, not realizing her conversation had become more erratic and switched topics often.

Kace smiled as he watched Elisia. He could sense that she had too much to drink. "You remember what I said about too much wine?"

"Hmmm nope," she said saucily. "But I bet you're gonna remind me," she teased. She clasped his arm around the elbow in a warm manner and glanced up at him through her lashes. Her smile was infectious and her eyes sparkled with mirth.

As he looked down into her eyes, Kace felt himself falling. He quickly focused himself. "Well, not really a reminder," he said with a gentle laugh. "I think you may have had a little too much. But, like I said, that's okay."

"I don't feel like I had too much. I feel...wonderful," she said lightly. She let go of him and spun, watching the dress flare out. She stumbled and when he caught her, she laughed with delight as she looked up at his strange blue eyes. "See...it is perfect," she said softly.

Kace nodded slowly. "It is," he said. He wanted to tell her how beautiful she was, especially when she was so free and happy. He couldn't form the words though. He had to push back quickly from how much she pulled at him, drawing him in. "I am happy that you are feeling wonderful."

They had wandered back to the apartment. Elisia knew something about her bothered Kace. She didn't understand it. He said she was beautiful. He spoiled her as no other had even hinted at without asking for anything in return. Well, except for Dargus, but she wasn't counting him. Yet, he seemed to disapprove somehow. Whenever she was close to him, she felt the swirling thoughts she couldn't decipher and had no experience to understand. She waited against the wall as he punched in their lockout code.

The door slid open and he took Elisia's hand as they went inside. He watched her as they moved into the main room. "We should go to sleep now," he said. "We're going to have a big day tomorrow, and you should be well-rested."

She nodded. She was right. He was upset at her for something. She frowned lightly. "Thank you for a great dinner." Her tone was more subdued and her thoughts fuzzy. "I had a really good time." She turned to head for her room.

Kace caught her hand before she could get far. "What is it?" he asked.

She looked up at him in confusion. "I don't know. You haven't told me," she said with blunt honesty. "I know I keep displeasing you but I don't know why," she said, her words slightly thick. "I can feel you put up barriers," she said trying to explain how she knew.

He quickly shook his head. "No," he said. "You haven't done anything to displease me. Nothing. I am so proud and happy with you. It's nothing at all to do with you. It's me, Elisia. It's just me." He took a breath and pulled her into a hug. "Everything you do pleases me," he said softly. "I'm still not used to all these emotions, and I get really confused." He pulled away so he could look into her eyes. "There's absolutely nothing wrong and everything right." He knew his eyes would speak the truth. "It's just confusing emotions, that I don't want getting in the way. There's nothing wrong."

"You promise?" she whispered up from inside his embrace. She was surprised; she hadn't felt afraid when he hugged her. He was the only person that she had let touch her so closely since...well for a long time. "I couldn't bare it if I made you angry. It was why I ran away, 'cause I thought I had displeased you." She felt safe where she was and gazed up at him in adoration.

Kace smiled. "You've never displeased me," he said. "And, I promise." He wanted to say more, but realized he was caught in her gaze. He tried to look away, but couldn't. He could feel the time passing around them, but he couldn't focus on anything but Elisia. The pull was almost too much. Then his lips touched hers in a gentle kiss.

Elisia felt as if time suddenly slowed down. Her heart thudded loudly as his lips approached hers. When his lips touched, she felt as if someone had suddenly lit her on fire and her lips parted lightly in response. It was pure heaven.

Suddenly she stiffened as stark fear flooded through her. He was kissing her and kissing led to... She shoved him violently backwards. "Good night!" She turned and fled into her room. When the door shut behind her, she leaned against the wall and slowly slid down it. Sheer terror flooded through her and she held herself tightly trying to regain control of her shaking limbs. It was Kace. It was Kace, she kept telling herself to make it all better.

Kace sat for a moment, completely bewildered. He wasn't quite sure what happened, but he knew it ended with him kissing Elisia. He moved to her door and knocked softly. "Elisia," he said. "Are you alright? I don't-- I don't know what came over me there. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you. I didn't mean to-- Are you okay? I--I'm very sorry."

She groaned. Now he was sorry he had kissed her. Why had she run? She didn't have to fear him, she knew that. She forced calm to her voice. "I am fine. Good night, Kace. I want to sleep now!" She sat still rocking on the floor, hoping he would leave her alone. She couldn't tell him, couldn't explain what she wasn't totally sure of herself.

Kace leaned his head against the door for a minute. "Okay," he said. "Good night. I'll see you in the morning." He lingered there for another minute before turning away. He sighed and headed toward his own door. He stopped in the doorway and turned back. It struck him that he'd just shared his first kiss. He looked around and smiled. It was a very nice kiss. Well, up to the part where she ran away. He backed into his room, hoping what had happened didn't make living with and training Elisia any more awkward than it already was.

---

"Tourist Hopping, Part 1"
By: Yelara Neerou - Ship's Mechanic
Dargus Kandran - Crimelord, Kandran Syndicate

Location: Dargus' Ship
Date: Selene 11, 3ABY

***

Yelara strolled aimlessly as she left the flight deck, watching her feet as she floated through the corridors in an almost dreamlike state. She hadn't been thinking straight the whole day but one thing stuck out in her mind like a dagger through her heart: Kallia. Her name, the sound of her voice, the smell of her flesh... Yelara knew she could never get that off her mind.

The thoughts of Kallia were so prominent in her mind, that she found herself unconsciously walking towards Kallia's room. She was ready to walk through the door and embrace her lover, but the stark reality that she had pushed Kallia away surfaced again and Yelara stopped, turned around then walked back down the corridor.

She had nowhere to go. Kace had taken up residence in her own room, one she had offered him and would feel horrible about taking back suddenly. Besides, if she did, judging by what happened earlier on the flight deck, she knew they'd be trying out her bed together. She most certainly could not go back to Kallia's room, not after what she did to her the other night.

She was beginning to realize that she had been completely despicable to Kallia and she had no idea why. It just seemed that any mention of Dargus immediately sent Yelara over the edge. Dargus, Yelara thought dryly, he'd always be willing to let me stay the night.

The thought pulled Yelara to a halt and she changed her direction so that she was now heading to the docking bay. The pilot recognized Yelara immediately, letting down the docking ramp of the shuttle and allowing her in. She knew not why she was going to Dargus, but before she could even panic over the impending flight to his palace, she found herself getting off the shuttle again and heading towards Dargus' office.

The guards at the door greeted her, but she ignored them and stood staring at the door. Yelara didn't know what she was seeking by coming to Dargus tonight; she may have been trying to get back at Kallia for their fight, to try and punish her, or perhaps she was there to prove to herself that Kallia was right about Dargus being an evil brute who only ever hurt her. She then thought that it might be as simple as her wanting someone to hold her and comfort her, as Dargus was always willing to do most enthusiastically, even if it was ungenuine.

Yelara raised her hand, letting it hover in front of the door as Dargus' guards watched her. She closed her eyes, then looked down at her clothes - Kallia's clothes - and began to think how she couldn't wait to get out of them, to slip them off along with the bitter memory of Kallia. Yelara looked back up to the door and took a deep breath as she knocked on it gently.

The door slid open and Dargus stood there. "Yelara," he said, a smile smoothly dropping into place, "how very good to see you. However, it is somewhat of a surprise."

She looked up at Dargus, the surprise in his face apparent. "I had nowhere else to go...no offence," she said as she put her arms around him and pushed her way in. "You're not busy, are you?" she asked in a seductive voice as a coy smile graced her lips.

"Oh, I'm never too busy for you," he said as he let his hands slide over her body. "So, you just decided to drop by for a visit? Is this a full treatment visit, my dear?" He slowly began working at loosening the straps of her top.

Yelara placed her hands over Dargus', pulling them away. "You will have satisfaction, in time. I really did come because I had nowhere to go and....I need some company," she said, a frown forming on her face. "I've been having a rough time lately and surprisingly enough, being with you raises my spirits...somewhat."

"Well, that's good to hear," he said, and pulled her into a close embrace. "Talk to me. Let me set everything right. You're special to me, and therefore, I must help."

Yelara returned Dargus' embrace, resting her head on his chest as she closed her eyes. "I don't know how you can help. I just...I'm beginning to feel suffocated having to spend all day and night on that stupid station." Yelara sighed.

She felt smothered alright, but she was also trying to avoid seeing Kallia...and trying to keep her distance from Kace. More than anything though, she just wanted to see if someone could still stand to be around her, even if it was just Dargus. She felt like the most horrible person in the galaxy right now, and if Dargus could love her, then maybe she was not so hopeless after all.

"The offer to move in with me is still open, Yelara," he said. "I wouldn't mind having you here with me all the time. It'd mean no more flying."

"But I'd still have to go to work every day, Dargus," Yelara replied, looking up at him now. "Unless you move the entire flight deck to your floating ship," she teased with a smile.

"Not an unreasonable request," he said. "Oh, I have a surprise for you. Please, come with me, my dear."

Yelara looked at Dargus curiously, narrowing her eyes at him and smiling. "A surprise, huh? Hmm I don't know if I like the sound of that."

"Don't worry," Dargus said with a grin. "I made a promise, right? Now, I haven't hurt you since then, have I? Trust me, my dear."

"No, you haven't," she confessed. She laced her fingers with Dargus' and let him lead her away. "Is it something I'll like? Not another dead body, I hope," Yelara said sarcastically, although with a note of unease in her voice.

"Definitely not dead," he said. "It was never alive. Now, come this way." He led her down a long corridor to a large double-door made of durasteel. He moved behind her so as to not obstruct the view. He slid his hands over her eyes and smiled. "Now, trust me, you'll love this, my dear."

Trust him? she asked herself. He had no idea how significant the question he had just asked was. Admitting that she trusted him would be a huge cornerstone in their - dare she say - relationship. She placed her hands over Dargus', touching them gently. She no longer felt vulnerable and afraid around Dargus, and almost safe in his presence. But trust? "I...trust you as much as I possibly can, Dargus," she answered genuinely.

"Good," he said. "You won't ever be hurt by me." He reached out and pressed the activation button next to the door and returned his hand to her eyes. Once the door was open, he leaned down to her ear and whispered: "Walk forward."

They entered a large room that encompassed three decks. It had just been completed, and looked magnificent. It was a workshop, intended for the repair and maintenance of everything from droids to starships. "It's all yours," Dargus whispered. "If you move in with me here."

Yelara adjusted her eyes, squinting for a moment as they got used to the light. When she saw the enormous room, her jaw dropped and she let out a quiet gasp. "It's...what is this Dargus? It can't be mine!" She turned around to face Dargus, examining his face, trying to detect any evidence that he was toying with her. "You did this for me?" she asked in disbelief.

"All for you," Dargus said with a smile. "A small token of my love for you. I know you hate flying, so I figured it'd be better for the ships to come to you, while you stay with me. So, what do you think?"

Yelara's face was gleaming as her mouth curled up into a huge smile. "Of course I like it!" she responded. She leapt into Dargus' arms and wrapped her legs around his waist as she kissed him all over.

"Yes," Dargus said with a laugh, "that is the universal sign of appreciation."

Yelara continued kissing Dargus, her lips covering every single patch of his face and neck. As she was doing so, the momentary euphoria she had experienced upon seeing the workshop began to die down. She had to think over her decision very carefully. If she accepted, she would have to live with Dargus, meaning she would lose even the little amount of freedom she had left. If she refused, she might enrage Dargus, making him worse than he had been before. He would certainly become suspicious if she refused, wondering why she couldn't accept, and would no doubt jump to the conclusion that she was keeping a beau at the shipyards.

She stopped her bombardment of kisses and looked into Dargus' eyes. "I can't accept...not yet. I need time to think," she answered solemnly. "You're not mad, are you?"

"No," Dargus lied. "I'm not mad at all. But, take your time. It's important that you don't rush this. But, if you do take it, there's a lot still to be done in here. I just wanted to prove to you that I'm doing everything I can for you, to make you happy."

Yelara swore she could see disappointment in Dargus' face, which almost made her change her mind, but she knew she couldn't rush into this. She may have been overanalyzing the situation, but she no longer trusted her ability to detect whether she was being lied to or not, especially with Dargus, so she had to tread carefully. "I'm sorry, Dargus, but this is so sudden. I really need to think. Don't be upset," she said, playfully pouting her lips as she caressed his cheek.

"It was only because I missed you," Dargus said. "And, I haven't been with you for five days!"

Yelara squeezed her legs tighter around Dargus' waist, pulling herself in closer to his body. "I can't even imagine what you'd have built for me if I hadn't seen you for a whole month!"

"That would have been far too long," Dargus said. "You do realize you'd still get paid if you were working here, right?"

"I know that, but I like working on the flight deck. I like..." Yelara sighed as she slid down Dargus' body, planting her feet on the ground. "I don't know if I can accept this. Not yet, Dargus." Yelara turned away, afraid to see the expression on Dargus' face.

"Well, it'll still be here when you decide," Dargus said. "But you will continue to come see me, won't you? I wouldn't want to have to fire you, or make an administrative decision to transfer you here. Mrs. Anoran wouldn't mind, I'm sure. I don't know if she even notices the repair and docking bays exist." He grinned. "But, I'm just teasing you." He pulled her close and kissed her.

Yelara pulled away, smiling up at Dargus as she answered coyly, "Don't worry. Whenever I come over to play with you, I'll pop in here and maybe even repair one of your ships, free of charge. Hmm?" She wrapped her arms around his neck. and standing on her toes, she brought her face near his.

"Well, if you're going to be here for a short time," Dargus answered with a grin, "you might as well spend it all with me. However, if you play around with this stuff, you may like it too much, and then you're all mine again. And, we'll have all our time together."

"But then the same thing would happen, wouldn't it?" Yelara added. "I'd just feel smothered again and have to escape." She sighed as she lay her head on his chest and scanned the workshop. "Why don't you ever take me out in public, Dargus?" she mused. "I mean, do you not want to be seen with someone like me, someone unrefined and rough around the edges?"

"First off, people try to kill me when I go out in public. And, second, we can't have sex in public. Well, we can, but the high prince doesn't appreciate that. So, where would you like to go?"

"I dunno," she said wistfully, as she continued to stare at all the machines and equipment lying around the workshop, practically calling out to her. "Somewhere other than the ship or the shipyards. I mean, what fun is it living on Tae'Karada if you can't even explore the planet? You're going to end up a hermit, Dargus Kandran," she teased.

"I can't be a hermit if I have you here with me," Dargus said. "So, we go down to the planet and run around like regular tourists." He grinned a wolfish grin. "And, then we come back here and have sex like ephradian rabbits."

"Do you mean it?" she shot back with a smile, once again facing him. "We can go down to the surface? Look at the sites? Me and you?" Yelara wrapped her arms around Dargus' waist, her eyes gleaming. "If you're joking, I swear, I will..."

"No joke," Dargus said quickly. "We'll take some precautions, but of course we'll go. If I get to see you smiling like this more often, then definitely yes. Now, get dressed. I'll get you something, and then we can go."

Yelara squealed with delight as she wrapped her arms tighter around Dargus' waist, squeezing so tightly she saw him wince. "This is exactly what I need to take my mind off things, Dargus. Thank you!"

"My delightful pleasure," he said with a bow. "However it will cost. How much pleasure and ecstasy can you provide in a single night?" He slid his hands down her pants and gripped her rear firmly. Oh, he'd love to pretend to be one of those rabbits right now...

"I'll be so excited after our little date, that you might not be able to handle me, Dargus. You're in for a treat tonight," she said with a wink. She took Dargus' hands from down her pants and began leading him away. "Come on. Let's take a look at what you have for me to wear."

"I bought a few dresses for you," he said. "They're in the other closet in my bedroom."

"Hmm, I know your tastes, Dargus. I assume the dress will barely cover the essentials," she said playfully. As they reached the room, she sat down on his bed, a dangerous move considering he had been waiting to get her in it for five days. "Since you're doing me a favour tonight, I might as well humour you. Show me."

Dargus pressed a button on his belt, and a droid exited one of the side rooms hauling a rack of clothing. He stepped forward, and pulled a white dress from the display and held it out for Yelara. "An equadi," he said. "One of the most beautiful gowns ever made. And, this one would be breathtaking on you."

Yelara laughed uncontrollably as she caught sight of the skimpy, see-through dress the droid had brought out. It was just as bad as the one she thought Dargus would have chosen for her. "I am not wearing that in public, Dargus. I mean, if you want me to wear it for you tonight, I will, but there is no way I am getting into that now." Yelara leaned back on the bed, resting on her elbows as she stared at Dargus. "Anything else?"

"All of the women on the planet will be wearing this. Very well, if you don't like it then you can choose something else. But, if you want my opinion, it's this one. Sure to keep me hard all night long."

Yelara bit her tongue to keep a laugh from escaping as she stood up from the bed and approached Dargus. "Do you mean to tell me that all the women wear one of those? Well even if that is the case, Dargus, you should know by now that I am not like other women, therefore I think I should wear a dress that would make me stand out from the others. Don't you?" she asked. She grabbed the dress from Dargus and began examining it. She placed it over her face like a veil and looked at Dargus through it with a smile.

"All women wear clothing like this," Dargus said. "Karadan culture is not modest about their bodies. The female form is worshiped, and among them on the planet below, you would be a goddess. When you get a bunch of women together on the planet, it is truly a sight to behold. Truly beautiful."

Yelara gave a sarcastic laugh as she threw the dress on the bed and stood with her arms akimbo. "I can see how strongly you feel about this Dargus, I really do, but I won't wear it. You know how stubborn I can be. Now tell that droid of yours to bring out something else," Yelara demanded.

Dargus signaled for the droid to do so. "Choose whichever you like, but please do me a favour and show at least some skin. I'm dying here."

---

"Tourist Hopping, Part 2"
By: Yelara Neerou - Ship's Mechanic
Dargus Kandran - Crimelord, Kandran Syndicate

Location: Arcadia
Date: Selene 11, 3ABY

***

Yelara smiled as she approached the racks of clothing, running her fingers along the dresses, all of them just as revealing as the equadi. She ran her hand over a red dress, one similar to the dress Gin Toran made her wear the night he almost killed her. Yelara shuddered and pulled away quickly. "On second thought, Dargus, you pick the dress," she said, her voice shaky as she stepped away from the rack. "You know more about fashion than I do."

"You didn't like what I picked out for you," Dargus said with a smile. Finally he shrugged. "How about this one? It's not as revealing." He picked out a white dress made of Corellian silk and a lace that came from one of the outer moons in the Coruscant system. It would cover her bosom, but left her abdomen and back open. The skirt was partially translucent, moreso toward the hem than up around the crotch. "Wear this without any undergarments, and it has my vote."

Yelara turned around, taking a look at the dress, which was surprisingly modest compared to the others. "I could wear that," she answered, feeling the fabric with her fingers. She looked up at Dargus with a smile as she slowly undid her leather vest and threw it to the ground. Her pants soon followed and she was now standing there, naked from head to toe. "Would you like to dress me, Dargus?" she asked, gazing at him lustfully.

"I will try to restrain myself," Dargus said with a smile. "But, I'll see what I can manage."

He took the dress from the rack and turned to her. He brushed his hands gently over her bare skin and smiled. He let his thumbs brush over her nipples, and then moved them to her arms, easing them upwards. "Good," he whispered. He brought the dress up, and let it fall down over her body. It was as if a cloud had come down to wrap itself around Yelara's body. "Spectacular."

"Well, I don't know if white is my colour. I'm not exactly pure and innocent, Dargus." She ran her hands all along the dress, running them along her waist, then her stomach and brushing her breasts as she fell in love with the soft, airy fabric. She felt somewhat self-conscious about her nipples being visible through the dress, but at least they were covered. "It's lovely," she admitted as she smoothed out the dress. "I'm surprised you were able to behave yourself while putting it on. Bravo, Dargus," she teased.

He gave her a mock bow and then held out a hand to gesture toward the door. "We should go or I think all my restraint will crumble. Our day awaits us."

Yelara walked with Dargus, her arm placed across his back as she smiled. She was beginning to think that maybe he meant what he said about her. Maybe she truly did mean something to him. After all, he had most likely never done anything like this with one of his concubines. She was still testing the waters, however, and it would take a little more time before she truly understood the scope of his feelings for her. "We're not flying down, I hope?" Yelara asked, gripping Dargus tightly at even the thought of flying.

"It's the only way to get us from here to down there," Dargus said. "It's the only way, my dear."

"I know," she said, frowning slightly. "I was just hoping you could magically transport us down there. You're Dargus Kandran; you can do anything you want."

"Everything else," Dargus said with a mock pout. He held out a hand to help her into the air speeder. "We'll use the airspeeder instead of the shuttle. It's not as fast, but it's like riding in a landspeeder."

Yelara swallowed hard and gripped Dargus tightly. Her knees were shaking and her teeth were chattering as she sat down, looking around the speeder. "Please don't blindfold me, Dargus. It only makes it worse," she pleaded, staring into his eyes.

"As long as you don't have a contract put out on my head," he said with a smile. There was a slight bump as the speeder lifted up off the deck and launched out into the Karadan atomosphere, heading toward Arcadia. "So, would you say that you can be my girlfriend now?"

Yelara hugged Dargus close to her, looking into his eyes and smiling gently. "I'm not sure. I mean, right now, I feel almost comfortable with you, but for how long, I wonder." Yelara rested her head against Dargus' chest as it heaved up and down rhythmically with every breath. It was almost soothing. "Will we be there soon?" she asked. She placed her legs across his lap, feeling protected in his arms.

"Just another twenty minutes," Dargus said. "We'll get there faster if you can defeat your fear of flying."

"I know, but at least we get to be alone together for a while." She nuzzled her face into his neck, kissing it gently with her warm lips. "Hold me tighter, Dargus," she whispered, her arms pulling tighter around him.

He did, holding her close to his chest. With a smile, he slid a hand under the hem of her dress and up between her legs. "There," he said, "that'll keep your mind off flying, won't it?"

Yelara closed her eyes and moaned quietly as Dargus stimulated her and certainly took her mind off the flight. She arched her back, digging her nails into his arms as she spread her legs wider to give Dargus more room to work. "I knew you couldn't hold out for long," she said breathlessly.

"You know me too well," Dargus said, and then lost himself in the pleasure he was giving to her. Her cries were beautiful.

***

It was eighteen minutes later when the speeder went into its landing cycle. "We're here," Dargus whispered.

Yelara barely noticed that they had flown for so long; she was too preoccupied with the pleasure Dargus had been eliciting in her. She looked around, smiling at the fact that they were finally on land and clung to Dargus as she hopped out. "So, this is Tae'Karada," she commented, looking around and instantly noticing the scantily clad women. "I'm surprised you don't come down here more often," she said with a grimace.

He grinned. "Oh, I wouldn't say that..."

Yelara laughed and punched Dargus jokingly in the arm. "So that's where you go when I'm not entertaining you." Yelara laced her fingers around Dargus', looking up at him and smiling like a school girl. "What do you have planned for me tonight? Something special I hope."

"Always something special," Dargus said with a smile. "How about a bite to eat first though?"

Yelara nodded enthusiastically before she rested her head against Dargus' shoulder. They walked along with her dress swaying gently in the wind. "You're paying, I hope," Yelara said sarcastically.

"Unless you found a secret spot to store a credit chip in that outfit, yes I am. We'll go to one of the nicest restaurants here, then do some shopping, and just see what there is to be seen here."

"And you're not afraid of being recognized? I mean, the impression I get from you, I'd think all the women on Tae'Karada know you," Yelara said slyly.

"I'm not afraid of being recognized," he said with a wicked gleam in his eye. "But, I'll be keeping my identity secret."

He led her to an ornately furnished and decorated building. The dining room was large, extravagent and everything one would expect of the capital city where High Prince Dane Valreth ruled.

When the maitre'd led them to their seats, Dargus smiled at the man. "I'll have my usual, and whatever the lady desires."

Yelara glanced over the menu, not recognizing a single dish on it. She looked up at Dargus and then at the maitre'd who seemed to be getting impatient with her. She closed her menu, slowly and sat up straight as she cleared her throat. "I'll have what the gentleman is having," she said haughtily.

"Thank you, Siad," Dargus said. "And, your best wine." He turned once the man had gone to regard Yelara. "You look absolutely stunning," he said. "And, I can honestly say that I'm with the most beautiful woman in the city at this very moment."

Yelara smiled bashfully as she leaned forward and caressed his cheek with her hand. "You don't know what it means to me to know that you would risk your life to make me happy. Thank you."

"I would do anything to make you happy," he said. "With that smile and...everything. Of course. See? I told you I could play nice."

"So you say. As you know, I have issues with trusting people, Dargus." Yelara sat back in her chair, placing her napkin on her lap and taking a sip of water. "What did we order anyway?"

"Kimanish wild fruit," he said. "They have this creme sauce that is amazing. I could eat here for every meal, and never get tired of the food." He smiled as he watched her for a moment. "We're alike, you and I. It's amazing how much we have in common. I don't easily trust either."

"You and I? Something in common? I find it hard to believe, Dargus." Yelara suddenly burst out laughing as she took sip of water, causing it to spill from her mouth. "Oh, do you remember the first night we met?" she asked, still laughing hysterically. "You were awful to me."

Dargus' face twisted into a mask of sorrowful remorse. "I deeply apologize for that. I lost my temper. But tonight will make up for all the wrongs I have done you."

"I'm sorry I mentioned it, Dargus. You seemed to have enjoyed yourself that night, despite my own lack of enthusiasm, so I just thought..." Yelara looked down and sighed, ashamed at having laughed. "I'm sorry," she said quietly, no longer able to hold his gaze.

"I enjoyed making love to you, Yelara," he said. "You're have beautiful gifts. Even though you didn't want to, you were still good. I'm trying to make up for that now though. I didn't intend to ever hurt you. I only wanted to love you, to provide for you. Can you ever forgive me for that?"

Yelara looked up at Dargus, the sound of his voice and the look in his eyes displaying true regret for his actions. Yelara swore she would never forgive him for that night, but sitting there, watching as he pleaded for her forgiveness put knots in her stomach. "I...I forgive you. I mean, I didn't exactly make things easy for you that night." She ran her fingers through his hair, and gave a comforting smile. "The wound healed and the night is forgotten. Alright?"

"Thank you," Dargus said, relief washing over his face as he brought her hands to him and kissed her open palms. There was an awkward silence that the sudden arrival of the food filled. He was grateful for that.

The plates were filled with large chunks of fruit in a variety of colours. Small pitchers were filled with a bluish creme that was intended to be poured over the fruit. Dargus didn't wait and quickly dug in. "Oh, delicious," he said around a large bite of the fruit.

Yelara laughed as Dargus indulged in the food before him. The waiter had barely set it down before he attacked the fruit and swallowed it down almost whole. Yelara sampled hers and smiled wickedly at Dargus. "It's almost better than sex," she said, glancing up at him. "Wouldn't you say?"

"Sacrilege," Dargus cried out. "Nothing in this universe, absolutely nothing, is better than sex. Especially when that sex is with you."

Yelara took another bite, smiling seductively as she slipped off her shoe under the table, and began running her foot up and down Dargus' leg sensually. "Well, tonight we'll solidify that claim. What do you say?"

"I say yes," Dargus said with a seductive smile. "If we weren't ten blocks from the royal palace, I'd lay you out on this table and take you here and now with all these people watching."

Yelara smiled as she pressed her cheek against Dargus' and whispered back into his ear, "I know it's hard, but I'm just trying to make it harder for you." Yelara grabbed Dargus' face with her hands and kissed him hard and passionately. "If you don't have anything else planned for this evening, I'm sure you can tip the maitre'd to clear out the place and we can get started," she said breathlessly.

"I don't want to develop a bad reputation here," he said. "But I know a place that's much better than here. But, it too is a surprise."

Yelara gave an exasperated sigh as she settled back in her chair and straightened her dress. "I like surprises, but it better be worth it," she warned as she swallowed down her glass of wine in one shot.

"Trust me," Dargus said with a smile.

With the meal finished and paid for, Dargus led the way down toward a large open-air market. There were people everywhere, and every vendor had something interesting and enticing to sell.

Yelara tugged at Dargus' arm, pulling him in every direction and trying to take in everything at once. She had never seen a place so alive with excitement as this and she wanted to experience it all.

"Come on! You're not that old, Dargus, so move those legs. We've got a lot to see." Yelara barely stopped at any of the booths, immediately making her way towards the lively sounds of music coming from the far end of the plaza. She stopped suddenly with her eyes wide and her mouth agape as she saw the most beautiful necklace in one of the booths. It sparkled like sunlight reflecting on water, beckoning to her. She held the necklace in her hands, weighing it and letting it mold to the curves of her palm. "It's breathtaking, isn't it?" she whispered.

"It is indeed," Dargus said. He nodded to the man behind the counter, who returned the nod. Dargus smiled. "And, now it is yours." The vendor handed him the velvety case it came in, which Dargus passed to Yelara.

Yelara looked at Dargus in astonishment, gripping the case in her hand. "You didn't have to do this Dargus. I was only admiring it."

"And, now you can admire it all the time," Dargus said. "If you admire it, you desire it, and I want to give you everything you desire. And, if any amount of credits will buy it, it's yours." He took her into his arms then and kissed her deeply and passionately.

Yelara almost let the case slip from her hands as she surrendered to Dargus' kiss. He always did know how to get her to bow down. As their lips drew away, she smiled at him and looked back at the case with the necklace. "Now where would I wear this? The flight deck isn't exactly the most appropriate place to don a necklace like this."

"Wear it in the bath if you'd like. It's yours, and you can where it anywhere and anytime you'd like. So, what's next? I've still got a lot of money left." He leaned close, and rained feather-light kisses onto her neck and ear. "I love you, Yelara."

"You're gonna spoil me, Dargus," Yelara answered. She giggled and she pulled her ear away. "Now how about we just follow the music and see where it takes us."

He took her hand and led the way toward the bandstand where the music was coming from. "I am trying to spoil you, you know? It's what a guy like me does for a girl like you."

Yelara locked her violet eyes onto Dargus' and smiled sweetly. "I know, but don't spend it all at once. Save some for when my tastes get a little more extravagant," she joked.

The music was now resounding in Yelara's ears, a beautiful, haunting tune such as she had never heard before. She looked away from Dargus, her eyes catching a man playing an instrument passionately. His fingers flew across it and caressed the strings as if he were running his hands along a woman's body. "Can we stay and watch?" she asked, her eyes still focused on the musician.

"For as long as you'd like," Dargus said. "And, anything you desire is yours. Anything to make you happy."

---

"Tourist Hopping, Part 3"
By: Yelara Neerou - Ship's Mechanic
Dargus Kandran - Crimelord, Kandran Syndicate

Location: Arcadia
Date: Selene 11, 3ABY

***

Yelara held Dargus' hand, smiling back at him as she lead him down towards where a crowd had gathered around the musician. They were all seated in front of him and completely absorbed in his music. Yelara took one of the empty seats and tugged on Dargus' arm as encouragement to sit.

Dargus sat at her insistence, though his attention was fully on the way her body moved in that dress.

Yelara wrapped her arm around Dargus' and rested her head upon his shoulder as they sat, watching the musician. She began to think how she could get used to moments like this with Dargus. It was beginning to seem almost natural, them being together like this, doing the things normal couples were supposed to do.

"So, what is this surprise you were telling me about?" she whispered, still staring at the musician.

"You'll find out soon enough," he said with a smile. "And, I can assure you the surprises will go on through the evening."

Yelara smiled wanly and rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm sure you'll enjoy the evening immensely," she said smugly as she ran her hand up and down his thigh.

"Oh, and I'm quite certain you'll enjoy yourself too," he said. "I can't imagine that you'd have any reason to call me a selfish lover."

"I'm already enjoying myself," she answered back gently as she nuzzled her lips to his neck and began kissing it.

The musician had finished his first tune and began a slower, romantic piece, which coincided perfectly with the setting of the sun. The blue sky changed to soft hues of violet and orange, and the air was sweet with the smell of freshly blossomed flowers. Yelara wrapped her arms around Dargus and began kissing the hollow of his neck; she could feel his heart accelerating and his body shiver gently as her lips caressed the sensitive spot. "Dance with me, Dargus," Yelara said, her voice soft and her eyes expressing a longing.

"I would be happy to." They both rose, then he slipped one hand into hers and placed the other lightly on her hip. They moved well together, but that was never a question. They glided easily to the music, lost to the world except for each other. His eyes never left hers. "You are the most beautiful woman I've ever laid my eyes on," he whispered, and then moved his lips to caress hers.

"So you keep saying," she replied as she pressed her body closer to his and let his kisses travel freely along her neck and face. Their bodies rubbed together as their hips swayed in unison, causing Yelara to become more aroused by Dargus than she had ever been. Her body trembled as she felt one strong hand placed gently on her lower back, and the other clasped around her own hand. "You're a fine dancer, Dargus. Not that I would know. I don't dance very much," she commented, her voice airy and sensual. "I'm not the kind of girl who gets asked to dance. Usually, the questions I get asked lean more towards the 'Wanna get a room, baby?' type."

"It doesn't have to be like that anymore," Dargus said. "You just keep smiling like that, and you'll not have to worry about me."

Yelara looked up at Dargus, smiling at him just as he asked. She pressed her cheek to Dargus' and began nibbling on his earlobe, then whispered in his ear. "Let's get out of here," was all she said as she slowly brought her hand down from Dargus' waist and began massaging his groin. "Unless you don't mind doing it in front of all these people," she added, her breath warm against his ear.

"I'll get the airspeeder here now." He signalled it through his wrist-comlink. The wait, only a minute, seemed to last forever, but soon the airspeeder was setting down just outside of the bazaar. Dargus helped Yelara in first, and then got in himself. He quickly enabled the privacy mode so the driver wouldn't be able to witness what happened in the back. With a lustful grin, he defly relieved Yelara of her dress. A button on a panel in the side sent a rumble through the back, and the seats converted into a large bed. He gazed at Yelara and smiled.

"So, was this your big surprise, Dargus? Very romantic," Yelara said sarcastically as she began undoing Dargus' tunic. "Well, I must say, I've never done it in an airspeeder before, but it is much more interesting than some of the other places I've had sex in." Yelara pulled off Dargus' tunic and pushed him onto the portable bed. She stood over him and stared blankly down into his eyes. She kept thinking about how she could so easily make love with Kallia, break her heart, then come running to Dargus and share herself with him. I'm a cold-hearted monster, just like him, she thought to herself, still looking down at Dargus.

"We deserve each other, you and I," she said, her voice bitter and full of resentment. She sat down upon his waist, straddling him with her long legs. "Do what you do best, Dargus," Yelara prompted as she closed her eyes and surrendered to Dargus' will.

"I thought you wanted this," Dargus snapped. "Look, if you don't want it, we don't have to. It's just that you seemed like you were on fire, and needed my special magic to put it out." He searched her eyes and found nothing. "What's wrong? Why this sudden change?"

Yelara looked away from Dargus, trying to hide the look on her face, but unable to hide how cold she had suddenly become towards him. "It isn't you, Dargus. I know that's a cliché, but it really isn't you. I was aroused by you, by the romantic setting, the music, your gentleness..." Yelara sighed ruefully as she lay down upon Dargus, resting her head on his chest. "I've just recently discovered that I am a cold, malevolent person who can completely destroy another, yet I'm here laughing, and enjoying myself while they're wallowing in sorrow." Yelara's sadness finally took hold and she let a tear escape her eye. She watched as it ran down Dargus' chest and wondered, for a moment, who that tear was meant for: Kallia, or herself.

Dargus sighed. "There are times when you just have to let the past go," Dargus said. Especially when I'm hard as a durasteel pipe and you decide to go cold. "You just have to learn from the past, and make the best to not do that again. I have faith in your abilities, my dear."

Yelara laughed at the irony of Dargus Kandran preaching to her about faith and being a better person. He was a ruthless crimelord who would kill if you looked at him the wrong way, and do so without regret or remorse. He knew nothing of what she was feeling right now and even though his words seemed genuine enough, they were of no comfort to her.

"And what of you, Dargus? Are you trying to be a better person too?" She looked up at him, a smug smile on her face. "Have you ever resolved yourself to, say, kill only twelve instead of thirty men each day, or to sleep with only five instead of ten of your concubines in one night?" Yelara asked, her voice thick with sarcasm. Her smile faded into a grim frown and her eyes grew dark. "You know nothing about loss, Dargus, and even less about sacrifice. I gave up everything for you, yet you've given up nothing for me. You seem so keen on tossing around the word 'love', yet the only thing I feel now is resentment towards you for everything I've lost to be with you right now."

Yelara sighed in disgust, disgusted at herself for even lying there, naked with Dargus, and disgusted with him for having this control over her, the power to make her hurt the one person she truly cared for in this whole galaxy. Yelara suddenly felt so enraged by how powerless she was, and how easily Dargus could manipulate her. She wanted to take back that power. She wanted so much to be able to dominate Dargus as he had her, and knew only one way to accomplish that.

A fire grew in Yelara's eyes, lighting them up. A mischievous smile spread across her face as she sat upright atop of Dargus and squeezed his waist tightly with her legs. She felt his body jerk and saw him wince as she ran her nails down his chest, leaving long red streaks as she tore up his flesh and spots of blood seeped out. She wanted to hurt him, make him feel pain and hunger for her. She wanted him to beg and put her in control this time. "Do you want me, Dargus?" she asked, her eyes still ablaze and a feral grin on her face.

"Always," he said. So, she wanted it this way. He liked his sex wild anyway. He raked his fingers over her chest, drawing blood as she had for him. Droplets trickled down the creamy flesh, and dripped off her hardened nipples. "You want it rough tonight, don't you?"

Yelara took in a sharp breath and winced as she felt her chest burning with pain. She grabbed Dargus' wrists tightly and pinned his arms down on the bed. "I'm not playing, Dargus," she said between clenched teeth as she began rubbing against him, her hips thrusting aggressively and almost violently. "I hate you, Kandran," she spat. "I hate that I need you..." she added, in between almost primal grunts and cries. "I hate that you control me like a puppet!" Yelara wanted to hurt Dargus, hurt him like he had made her hurt Kallia. "Damn you, Dargus!" she screamed as she brought her head to his chest and bit down hard on one of his nipples.

Dargus cried out, and it seemed to ignite his desires even more. "Well, this is indeed a welcome change," he said. The contrast of action to what she felt seemed to heighten the moment for him. I could get used to this.

Yelara dug her nails into Dargus' wrists as she continued to sway her hips and press against him. "Enjoy this Dargus, because it's the last time," she said abruptly as she saw the smile on his face. "I can't be with you anymore." If that didn't wipe the smug grin away, she didn't know what would.

Dargus surged upward, overpowering her hold on him. He rolled them both over and slammed himself deep inside her. "This is most definitely not the last time," he rasped. "You need me! You need me and you fucking know it!"

"Oh, so the true Dargus finally decides to make an appearance," Yelara answered, her voice strained from Dargus bearing his weight down upon her. "I knew she was right..." Yelara cut herself off quickly, not wanting to give away that she knew Kallia. "All those sweet words you said to me...lies!" Yelara tried to pull her arms free from Dargus' tight grip, but he was a strong man, and even stronger when he was angry. "Get off me, Dargus! Get off!" she cried out, no longer wanting to play this game of domination, one she had begun, but was losing miserably at.

Dargus stopped. "What is wrong with you, Yelara? I only hurt you because you hurt me first. You're the one who broke our agreement." He pulled out of her and rolled to the side. Had she completely snapped?

Yelara quickly scrambled off the bed and stood with her back to Dargus. She rubbed her wrists soothingly, which still showed the indentations from Dargus' fingers. She was somewhat surprised he had ceased and pulled away, something she was certain she wouldn't see very often. "Our agreement, Dargus?" Yelara began, her back still to him. "Is this whole relationship just one big business venture to you?" She turned around, still rubbing her wrists and glaring at him. "Is everything to be defined and stipulated in some sort of contract? For example, you refusing to allow me to see other men. I don't remember signing my name to that one, Dargus!" Yelara looked down at her chest and pressed her hand against the cuts. The blood that had been dripping down it was beginning to dry, but it still stung with pain.

"You've gone mad," Dargus said. "What happened? You just snapped. You should rest for a bit." He handed her a blanket and then grabbed a cloth and wet it from the bar. He moved before her and began to administer to her wounds. What the hell had happened?

"I haven't snapped," Yelara said coolly as she looked down at Dargus' hand moving across her chest and cleansing her wounds. "And I don't wanna rest. I'm not tired." Yelara stepped away from Dargus and wound the blanket tightly over her shoulders, covering her chest. "I don't know why I'm so mad at you," Yelara said, her temper finally calming. "I think I'm more angry at myself, and find it easier to take out my aggressions on you."

Yelara moved past Dargus to sit down on the bed and wrapped her arms tightly around her trembling body. "Thank you for stopping," she said quietly, her eyes still looking down at the floor. "You could have raped me if you wanted to, but you didn't. Thank you."

"It's not wise to rape those you love," he said. "I want to make love to you, but it's not as fun if you're fighting me. I don't understand what's going on, what happened since we got into the speeder. I didn't want to hurt you, Yelara, but you hurt me. I'm sorry about that."

Yelara gave a reluctant smile and shifted closer to Dargus. "And I'm sorry about those," she answered, bringing her head to his chest and lightly kissing the scratches she had placed there. "But you deserved it," she added with a sly grin on her face as she glanced up at him.

"Why would I ever deserve this? All I did was take you out on a nice date!"

"I'm the one who suggested the date, Dargus. You seemed indifferent about the whole idea." Yelara sat up straight and began looking around for her dress. "I meant what I said about this being the last time," she said curtly as she strode from the bed and picked up her dress from the floor. She turned around to face Dargus, then slipped the dress over her head and pulled the straps onto her shoulders. "We are too volatile together, Dargus. Now, that may lead to some very intense sex, but it also leads to us beating each other up, as you can see," she said, motioning her eyes to the scratches on his chest.

Dargus growled under his breath. "That wasn't the last time," he snapped. "You asked me to stop, and I did. We didn't finish! And, if you mean what you said, and this is the last time, then you will lose everything. All of it, Yelara. The apartment, clothes, job. You won't even be able to get a job carrying a tech's toolkit! I don't want to do that, but you're forcing me. I love you, but you're forcing. I love you, Yelara. This doesn't have to be the last. We can make it work."

Yelara stared at Dargus, her eyes showing the spite that was building up in her. Yelara didn't care about the apartment or the clothes. She hadn't even spent a night in her apartment, nor did she lay a finger on the clothes he had provided for her. But the money and the job...she needed both to help her fellow rebels in their fight. Without them, she would have nothing to contribute.

She suddenly hated Dargus more than she had that first night, when he put a hole in her arm with his blaster. Yelara tried to remain calm and keep her face expressionless, but the rage within her erupted and she flew at Dargus, her fingers gnarled ready to claw at him like a feral cat, but instead, she stopped short and clenched her fists tightly. "Damn you, Dargus! I knew you would eventually use that to manipulate me. You bastard!"

"You've been trying to lead me around by my cock! You're leaving me, yet I'm a bastard. I've loved you! And, this is my reward. I haven't hurt you, I've given you everything. And, this is it!? I've given you real love, and you throw it back in my face. I give you the choice, Yelara: true, real love with me or a life as a creditless nothing."

"Real love?!" Yelara cried out in disbelief. "Real love is unconditional, with no strings attached Dargus. Your love comes with a price. I've seen that price, the one Parven Raliek paid, the one I paid when Gin Toran held a knife at my throat. Frankly, Dargus," Yelara spat, saying his name almost tauntingly, "your love is too costly for me."

Yelara rushed away from Dargus but stopped at the doorway, breathing deeply as she attempted to retain some dignity and composure. "So this is how it is to be?" she whispered, her voice dejected. "You are to take everything from me, leave me destitute, just to teach me a lesson? You're a cruel man, Dargus Kandran."

"I'm taking my lessons from you," Dargus rasped. He picked up his comlink and brought it up to speak. He stared at her, long and hard. "You're really going to force me to do this?"

Yelara watched as Dargus' finger hovered above the button on the comm link. She knew that he would do it; the look in his eyes convinced her of that. He didn't care what happened to her, he only cared whether she gave herself to him to satisfy his desire. To her, he was only after her body and paid her well in return for it. If he truly loved her, he wouldn't be so quick to give her up over a petty fight and he wouldn't threaten to ruin her either. It wasn't love he felt for her...it was possession.

Yelara continued to stare tight-lipped at Dargus as she waited for him to make a move. He didn't even blink. Yelara walked quickly into the other room then returned to the bedroom carrying the necklace Dargus had bought earlier in the evening. "I never wanted your money and your presents to begin with, Dargus," Yelara answered finally as she threw the necklace at him. "I never wanted you."

Dargus Kandran's eyes blazed. He flicked open the channel and placed his call. In the two minutes it'd taken to make it, the speeder had set down on the shipyards. When she stepped out of the speeder, she would have no job, no home, and not a credit to her name. "You are no longer my woman, which means you have no business in my speeeder. Out!"

"Screw you, Dargus!" Yelara screamed as she spat at his feet and stalked toward the exit, yelling obscenities along the way. It was over. It was finally over. She was free of Dargus, free of being treated like his puppet, but a part of her still wanted to run back into the speeder and grovel at his feet, begging for forgiveness. She had abandoned any hope of seeking vengeance against the Empire and any hope of letting her parents' memory lay to rest.

She tread on angrily, away from the speeder, never looking back. She'd given up everything and was now free to be with Kallia or Kace or whoever else she chose to be with. A grimace spread across her face as realized the grim irony of the situation. She could finally be with Kallia, freely and with nothing weighing her down, but she had pushed her away and now it was too late. She truly had nowhere to go now, and no one to go to. Yelara, for the first time in her life, was truly alone.

---