abluestory-blog

[abluestory-blog]

It was not the first time Azure had a blade to her neck, though this sort of blade was certainly a first. She did not experience fear, she controlled it. She raised her chin proudly, staring him in the eye. There was no point attempting the fear sight again, not with Max upon them. But she would not bow to this mortal, no matter what skills he possessed. He would not take her life, though he spoke of her being too dangerous to live. She had observed him, and he would not kill unless he needed to. And he clearly didn't know that he needed to. 

Her bright eyes flicked over to Max, and she curled her ruby lips into a smile. With near imperceptible speed, she flicked her hand out, a small vial smashing against the floor, causing a bright light and a great deal of smoke. Then she ducked down and away from the lightsaber, and dove through the window, rolling onto her feet on the stone outside and taking off as swiftly as her legs would carry her. 

Qui-Gon moved, using the Force to speed himself up, he was between Azure and Max again, he ignited his lightsaber and held it to the self-proclaimed goddesses neck.  He was done fooling around.  He was not a helpless old man, and though this wasn’t about proving what he all ready knew, it felt good to know that he could still move that quickly.  ”You’re too dangerous to live.  You know that, don’t you?” he asked her in his soft voice.  There was no anger here, only peace.  Only the Force.  He was not an executioner, but she had hurt people, and not just those he cared about.

He pushed his will against hers, bringing it down like a hammer.  ”You will leave Coruscant and never return,” he said in a matter-of-fact way as he brought his mind-tricks to bear.  He was done playing with her.

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Azure's fault was in her focus, or lack thereof. She was concentrated on Max, the daughter of Hades being predictable only in her unpredictability. Qui-Gon on the floor was far from her mind, his purpose served, uncombatant and unmoving. No threat. It was an ongoing problem. Once upon a time, Max was no threat either. As such, Azure wasn't expecting him to move, or the sheer speed that the old man possessed. The chair knocked the wind from her, and knocked her back against the wall. She kicked it to the side, ready to strike at Qui-Gon when her bow was knocked from her hand.

That Qui-Gon had wandered off had not surprised Max, and she hadn’t worried about it too badly until she was asked to look for him. She had managed to get to the cafe not long after he left, and had been informed who he had been seen leaving with. From there, it was a case of tracking Azure’s energy, and the spike that occured when she exerted her power over Qui-Gon. She hadn’t even bothered to open the door, simply kicked it down, one blade drawn, and a large, circular shield on her left arm. 

The sight of Qui-Gon hit her like a wrecking ball, seeing him fall to the floor and simply lie there. She had seen what Azure could do to people. She remembered what it felt like to have your mind invaded like that, what unpleasantness could be dug out by those delicately manicured nails. Azure knew better than to aim her arrow at Qui-Gon. In the space between killing him and reloading, Max would have her head. They were at a stand off. 

“I’m going to take this out of your hide, Allegory.” Max advanced half a step, leaving twelve or so feet and a near catatonic Jedi between them. “You’ve made the wrong choice today.”

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Azure had expected Max, but not this soon. The entire plan wasn't exactly going as it should have, too many variables, too many things unaccounted for. Starting with Qui-Gon's impressive fortitude and ability to withstand her assault. He should have been going up the walls by the time Max had shown up. But the sight of him, on the floor and motionless seemed to have some effect on her. Azure was fleet of foot as Max was, and put Qui-Gon and the chair he had sat upon between them, bow drawn and pulled, an arrow made of energy notched. 

"Good to see you, lover."

Once she was out of his mind, things began to settle immediately.  He gasped in a deep breath and was literally thrown to the floor with the force of her retreat.  He lay there for several moments, breathing.  His eyes were far away as he tried to gather himself back up.  Put the fears back where they belonged…away in little boxes in his mind to be used as lessons, not to overwhelm him.  There were so many.  Some long-forgotten.  Fear of the dark…fear that his mother would forget him…his initial fear of Master Yoda.  It was all there.  Slowly and carefully he began the process of putting all back to rights.

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Azure's satisfaction at the ground she was gaining was nearly palpable. She pressed on, digging for anything and everything. So he wasn't some broken old man. He was still human, and despite his truly impressive shields and rationalizations, she knew there were deeper fears, core ones that ran his and every other human's mind. If only she could get to them. Azure couldn't control the thoughts that swam around, the emotions that he called to his defence, she could only sense and root for fear, and press it all to his eyes and hope for something to stick. She was so engaged in this cruel game, lost track of time so easily for the challenge of it, that she barely had time to register the front door blasting off it's hinges, pulling her tangled web of power back from his mind sharply, and attempting to jump up and back from the assault of a small, dark clad demigod.

The futile effort to stem the tide of her assault left him trembling with pain.  Every fiber of his being hurt.  He watched horrible, unspeakable things pass in front of his eyes.  Tahl, dying in his arms, going on her path alone.  Obi-Wan, dead any number of ways he could have lost him over the years.  Xanatos’ accusing eyes.  That dread that he was not a good Master, and worse than that…not a good man.  All the times he had been unfair, gotten angry, felt irritated….

The idea that he might himself turn to the dark side and strike down those closest to him out of some misguided and selfish need.  He felt the bile rise in his throat.  He pushed it back.  She could peel at him, but he would resist until whatever end she meant for him. Until his last breath if he had to.

He pictured Obi-Wan’s pleased smile, Tahl’s lovely eyes, the way Cleo looked at him when she thought he wasn’t looking, how hard Max could fight to keep him safe…  It didn’t make the pain go away, but it made it bearable.

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“I did not assume that about you.  I assumed nothing about you.  And that is not why I love.  But you feel free to believe as you please.”  He leaned back and put a finger to his lips.  ”The key is to feel the feeling, but not try to possess.  There is no profit in it for anyone, and that is not love, it is jealousy and that turns swiftly into hatred.  So the trick to making it stay, is that…you don’t.”

“Max is a fierce warrior and a good friend to me,” he said simply.  He had not touched his tea.

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He was good, she would grant him that. Most humans caved within half a minute of her assault. But he was trained, and practised, and nothing she had ever encountered. But it was fun. Azure really got into her stride, peeling back each layer, seeking out the weak spots, the bruises, the scar tissue from fears and terrors, imagined and real, awake and asleep. It was like putting her nails under skin a layer at a time and pulling, revealing more and more, exposing nerves and muscles. The two of them were caught in the stare, unable to move or break away once she set to her task. A snake and it's prey caught in a trance. She poked and prodded at everything remotely usable, brought it to the forefront, dredged up every minute fear, even those put to rest. It was nothing like the effect a raw phobia would have, but it would build, like a cancer.

“I did not assume that about you.  I assumed nothing about you.  And that is not why I love.  But you feel free to believe as you please.”  He leaned back and put a finger to his lips.  ”The key is to feel the feeling, but not try to possess.  There is no profit in it for anyone, and that is not love, it is jealousy and that turns swiftly into hatred.  So the trick to making it stay, is that…you don’t.”

“Max is a fierce warrior and a good friend to me,” he said simply.  He had not touched his tea.

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Azure finished the rest of her tea and set the cup down, turning in her chair so she was facing more toward him. "I'm going to tell you the score here, Master Jinn. I'm working two jobs here. They happily coincide. My first job is to kill you." She gave a tiny shrug, and a smile. "But I can take or leave that one, really. If I had a mind to kill you, I would have probably done it two weeks ago and you never would have known I was in the fourth window on the third floor of a building three hundred feet away. Or any time between, really, I'm not terribly picky." Picky, no, boasting, absolutely. "I don't have to lay a hand on you, though," she paused, and gave him an almost hungry look. "I certainly wouldn't mind doing so."

"My second job is to kill Max, which is a much higher priority. There's no taking or leaving that one. Now, the trick to killing her is to get her mad. She's a very hard person to anger, though. She just get's....mopey." Azure made a face at the thought. "She's out looking for you, and she's going to find you." She gave another smile, her mind already flicking the switches to turn on her power, feeling it uncoil like a snake and rise up behind her eyes. Terror sight, activated the moment she locked eyes with him.

“I did not assume that about you.  I assumed nothing about you.  And that is not why I love.  But you feel free to believe as you please.”  He leaned back and put a finger to his lips.  ”The key is to feel the feeling, but not try to possess.  There is no profit in it for anyone, and that is not love, it is jealousy and that turns swiftly into hatred.  So the trick to making it stay, is that…you don’t.”

“Max is a fierce warrior and a good friend to me,” he said simply.  He had not touched his tea.

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"You assume I do not believe in love because I have not experienced it. I'm afraid the truth is quite the reverse. It is a construct made by the mind out of chemicals and sentiments and desperation." She set to pouring herself another tea, topping up his cup as well. "The mind is a tricky thing. It is a house in which many creatures live. But if love is real, and not a fleeting chemical burst and falsehoods upon falsehoods, how do you make it stay." There was a sardonic twist to her lovely features. 

"And I'll ask that you answer my question." she tilted her head towards him, clearly referencing the one he skipped over.

He did not want to talk about Max.  The past was the past, and even if it wasn’t past…she was his friend and she deserved more than this.

“Fictional?  Why do you say that?  Simply because you can not experience something yourself does not make it fictional.  That is like a female who cannot have children denying that they exist at all.”

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"It's hard to be short on something fictional." She shrugged a shoulder though, tossing her hair back over her shoulder. Azure was more in her element here, with words and sleights, quite unlike other demigods with swords and shields. She fixed her intent gaze completely on Qui-Gon once more, studying him "I know a great many things about Max that would likely make you wish you didn't know her name. But tell me what you think you know." 

“Human kind is a little short on love, honestly,” he answered her, amusement in his eyes.  ”And I’m not sure you do know that, actually.”  He folded his hands, his eyes on her face.

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So far she had been fairly polite. Incredibly polite for someone who had filled grave yards as the lesser of her crimes. But at his answer she rolled her eyes. "Humans." She shook her head and sipped her tea. "Now I know why Max likes you so much."

“I meant what I said. Who do you love.” It wasn’t relevant to her assignment, whatever that may be. If she was going to use the people he liked to get to him, she would have done it already, though she hadn’t lied when she said that they would pay if he failed to be the piece he needed to be. She took another sip of her tea, eyes intent upon him.

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"I meant what I said. Who do you love." It wasn't relevant to her assignment, whatever that may be. If she was going to use the people he liked to get to him, she would have done it already, though she hadn't lied when she said that they would pay if he failed to be the piece he needed to be. She took another sip of her tea, eyes intent upon him.

He did as instructed without struggle or argument, sitting on one of the expensive chairs comfortably and folding his hands in his lap.  ”Tea sounds lovely,” he said in reply.  He’d given her no indication that he wasn’t going to go alone with whatever it was she ‘wanted’, all though she was being strangely vague about what that actually was.

Perhaps he was just bait…no, not JUST bait…

Interesting.

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Azure brought over the tea service and set it on the side table between his chair and her own, sitting delicately, crossing one leg over the other and pouring the tea for them before fixing her own with cream and sugar. "While we wait, I have a question." she took a sip from her tea. "You are beloved by a great deal of people. But who do you love?" she seemed genuinely interested, and almost baffled by the idea of love.

He did as instructed without struggle or argument, sitting on one of the expensive chairs comfortably and folding his hands in his lap.  ”Tea sounds lovely,” he said in reply.  He’d given her no indication that he wasn’t going to go alone with whatever it was she ‘wanted’, all though she was being strangely vague about what that actually was.

Perhaps he was just bait…no, not JUST bait…

Interesting.

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"You are of use to me. If things don't go the way I want, it's not you who suffers for it." She was beginning to figure out what this man was about, prodding at the hard bits until she found soft. She guided him off the street and into a building, leading him down three hallways and into a finely furnished apartment. "Please, sit. I'll put on tea." She never turned her back to him, always keeping him in the corner of her eye as she set to making tea.

“Not with that attitude, you don’t.” She looked at him again, a hard, piercing look. Interesting man, certainly been through the ringer. Azure had a mind to simply leave him be and come back when he was a bit stronger. But a used toy was still a toy, and he had some more miles on him. 

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"Not with that attitude, you don't." She looked at him again, a hard, piercing look. Interesting man, certainly been through the ringer. Azure had a mind to simply leave him be and come back when he was a bit stronger. But a used toy was still a toy, and he had some more miles on him. 

“This isn’t a movie, Master Jinn. I’m not some shady villain who reveals her plans at the slightest provocation.” She gave a slight laugh, though, and smiled over at him. “And whatever you are to me, I’m versatile. You can change my mind.” 

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"This isn't a movie, Master Jinn. I'm not some shady villain who reveals her plans at the slightest provocation." She gave a slight laugh, though, and smiled over at him. "And whatever you are to me, I'm versatile. You can change my mind." 

“A challenge?  Is that what you were after?  Or a fight, perhaps?  Tell me, would I have a chance to defeat you in combat?”  The sexual comment was again, ignored.  “It is not laziness that keeps me from doing so.  It is merely that I have spent all my life fighting and I know when to pick my battles.  A tired old man I may be, but not as tired and old as some others.”  His smile grew a little as he looked at her.  “And I’ve had a rather rough month.”

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"You're not high enough up on my list to be a challenge, I'm afraid." She didn't sound the least bit repentant about it. "And I can't say that you'd leave a fight with me with all your pieces." Truthfully, she wasn't sure. She hadn't encountered something like the Force before, and she couldn't say how effective it would be against her. She didn't make a habit of losing, but she would never be too proud to turn tail if she needed to. She hadn't got this far in life being noble. "Oh, I've seen how your month has gone. Stubborn thing. Most people find it an unattractive quality in a man, but it has it's uses." She had led him far from the tea shop, and the temple, heading into a shadier side of of the area.

“A challenge?  Is that what you were after?  Or a fight, perhaps?  Tell me, would I have a chance to defeat you in combat?”  The sexual comment was again, ignored.  “It is not laziness that keeps me from doing so.  It is merely that I have spent all my life fighting and I know when to pick my battles.  A tired old man I may be, but not as tired and old as some others.”  His smile grew a little as he looked at her.  “And I’ve had a rather rough month.”

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"Defeating you might imply that you're fighting. From the adoration you get, I had assumed you might be a challenge. It is beginning to look like you are simply a very tired old man, certainly lovely to look at, but good for little else." Her sense for auras and power was not as keen as some others. She had to go about gauging the abilities of others through observation, and she had learned much about Qui-Gon Jinn in the weeks that she had been on the planet. "You barely stand at all, but I've got a mind to see you lying down." she quirked an eyebrow at him, flashing him a playful smile.

“Perhaps not, But I know those who work hard and do not shrink in the face of hardship, and they are as pure as it is possible to be, perhaps.”  He looked over at her when she pushed at him through the Force, a little smile touching the corner of his mouth.  “You needn’t do that.  I have known all of the things you stand for, sometimes all at the same time.  If it destined for you to defeat me, then you will do so.  I know where I stand.”

He would have to be patient.  If the Force gave him an out, he would take it.  Until then, he was at her whim.  He did not dare send out a distress call to Obi-Wan.  He did not want the young man around this creature.