Petals of a Black Rose

[Jez Hecate]

:: Jez walked into the bar, her cape flowing behind her. Loose ringlets of brown hair tinged with red crumpled along her shoulders, while her green eyes pierced the room. The huntress was out for the night... May the Goddess have mercy on those who stood in the way. Making her way over to a vacant table nearest the shadows, she sat down, all the while wary of the drunken patrons.

The past is a ghost that haunts you from the moment it exists until the moment you don't.

The voice ran through her head repeatedly, like a sitcom on television that only played the same re-runs over and over. It was annoying, yet proved more than once to be useful.

Jez took one more good look around then smirked. It was quite ironic to see her, Jez Hecate, in a bar. Of course, it would also bring less attention to herself, something she wouldn't mind ... for once. Kicking back in her chair, she watched as a droid came over to take her order. ::

"A glass of Nuts 'n Berries will do."

:: Her voice carried the same tone that one of proper up-bringing in a wealthy family would have. She dismissed the droid with the flick of her hand and looked away, awaiting her order. ::

[Vega Van Derveld]

"What kind of drink is nuts and berries?"

A sneer came from her right, and Jez opened her eyes to find a rather large framed man sitting in the seat by her. He wore blood red clothing, ragged at the edges from fighting. His face was covered by a wide grin that showed the elongated canines; which he bore as a mark of his race. His lips pursed as he spoke once more, his tone more arrogant this time.

"Staring is rude," Vega sneered, "Didn't they teach you that in your upper class up bringing?"

[Jez Hecate]

:: Jez heard a man's voice and looked at her right, seeing him sitting next to her. She slightly tilted her head to the side, studying his features while ignoring the sneers he gave her. The thing that stuck out most about him were his ivory white canines, teeth that only Chyldren of the Night had. They weren't short and delicate like vampyres, but were longer. She grinned slightly, realizing that his race were also myth-related to the Moon Goddess.

'Staring is rude. Didn't they teach you that in your upper class up bringing?'

Her mouth twitched as she frowned at his comment. Why was he being so rude? ::

"Nuts 'n Berries is a mix of two liquors, those being Chambord Liquor and Frangelico Liqueor. It's actually quite good."

:: Jez made it seem like she took no notice of the nasty looks he had given her, wondering if he wanted a fight or not. She certainly hoped not; getting into fights for no apparant or petty reasons wasn't her idea of fun.

... Whispers, chylde, whispers of the Night.. Can't you hear them? Everywhere, they are... Nobody safe anymore, with Them around. Run, Chylde, run into the Darkness, where it shall Embrace ye! Run into the Darkest of Shadows and never turn back! The Light betrays ye and all Hidden Secrets; It burns and blinds ye. The Darkness shall welcome you into Its shadowy folds of Mystery and Death, protecting ye from the Light!

She shook her head, getting rid of the voices, then realized she was still watching the man. ::

"I'm sorry for ... staring, then. I couldn't help but notice your teeth. A lovely pair of canines, they are."

[Vega Van Derveld]

Almost immeadiately he became self consious of them. They were not something he was proud of, yet he found himself flaunting them on occasion. Vega allowed himself another lopsided grin of pride, showing one canine only slight.

"They are a mark of my family and my race ... "

The droid that served in the bar arrived with a JD for Vega, who took the bottle and placed it down on Jez's table, simply assuming he had been invited to do so.

"You'll have to mind my attitude, only I thought you were a Jedi," he laughed under his breath, "... and I can plainly see now that you are not, else you would have already jumped at the chance to try and throw youself into battle with me."

[Jez Hecate]

:: Jez let out a little laugh at his comment. Her? A Jedi? Obviously they must visit this bar often, then, since she was assumed to be one. ::

"Jedis? Please. They bore me with their ridiculous talk of the Light. They know very well that the Seed of Evil continues to grow in every shadow, even amongst themselves. Haven't some Jedi themselves come here to convert?"

:: She smirked slightly then turned to the droid to see if it arrived with her drink. It had, so she delicately picked up the glass then turned back to the man. ::

"Pardon my manners, I've not introduced myself. I'm known by the name Jez."

Dark Aura radiating from that one... Me know the likes of that. Evil spawns from that one, likely little ones, too... Teeth like that can rip Tender Flesh in only a Moment, leaving gaping wounds and Death for the Victim. Must be careful, though. Ask Him if He's like Us, but don't make it apparant. Hurry, before something else comes up!

"The night is a wonderful thing, is it not?"

[Vega Van Derveld]

A serpent like smile crossed Vega's lips.

"Jez... Sith Lord Vega Van-Derveld, pleasure to meet you."

Well, of course it wasn't a pleasure, but the suffix seemed the right thing to tag onto the end. The smile remained as he rose his drink from a lengthy sip, all the while probing Jez's mind via the force.

"A wonderful thing? But of course. What better a time of day then when darkness reigns."

[Jez Hecate]

:: Jez nodded in respect towards Vega when he introduced himself. She listened carefully to his answer to her question, then leaned back in her chair, satisfied. ::

"Well, Lord Vega, I must say that I agree with you."

:: She allowed herself to smile crookedly while remaining silent. She was about to say something when suddenly a chill ran up her spine. Her whole body stiffened as her senses became alert. Jez felt odd, as if somebody was searching and stripping her of her identity. She knew this feeling was familiar, but ...

HE'S TRYING TO PROBE YOUR MIND!!!

A half-strangled yell emitted from Jez while her hands covered her ears. She wasn't expecting the Voice to be so loud, or so sudden. She closed her eyes momentarily, letting herself relax while the enraged Voice rambled on pointlessly.

Why is he doing this!? No Respect nowdays... I remember when our Race would be recognized immediately and treated decently...

She sighed and talked silently to the Voice, soothing it. Hush, Voice, if he wishes to find something of value, I think We're obliged. The Voice remained silent for awhile, then Jez heard an evil laugh within her mind, and smiled. The Voice had caught on. Underneath her cape was a concealed satch, which she took out. Emptying its contents onto the table, several apples rolled out. She glanced briefly at Vega, then returned her attention to the apples. In a low voice, she spoke what would sound like a childish rhyme. ::

"One apple, two apples, three apples, four,
In the blink of an eye, give me some more!
Four apples, five apples, now I have six;
I'm watching carefully! None of your tricks!"

:: It appeared like six apples were on the table now. She looked up slyly at Vega. ::

"Tell me, how many apples do you see?"

[Vega Van Derveld]

He watched her set up the little trick and listened to the childs song, staring down at the table top as he did so. There were apparently six apples on the table.

"Six."

He knew he'd be wrong, but then again it would probably amuse Jez greatly to think she'd outwitted him, so why not let the girl have a little satisfaction. Plus, he had to admit, he could honestly say he only saw six.

[Jez Hecate]

"There are only three, M'Lord."

:: Jez smiled slightly, knowing that he supposed that this "trick" amused her. However, she was slightly disappointed. He didn't have the magickal arts about him. Such a shame. ::

"Illusions disappear for me
And appear as you should be."

:: The illusion faded away, and only three apples remained on the table. She scooped them back into the satch and put it down beneath the table. ::

[Vega Van Derveld]

He leant back in his seat and folded his arms tightly over his chest, his head tilting back slightly.

"Clever, quite clever."

As he watched her take the apples away he pondered to himself just what she was testing him for, and for that matter what her motivations were for not simply being neutral, but for embracing the darkness.

"Tell me... what is your occupation in life, your job?"

[Jez Hecate]

"My occupation?"

:: Jez blinked and bit her lower lip slightly. She wasn't expecting him to ask her that.

Better tell him the Truth, Chylde.

She sighed and smiled slightly, hoping to give off a cheery air. ::

"Why, Good Sir, I am but a member of the Bloodstone Sisters, a small unknown group of witches."

[Vega Van Derveld]

"Witchesssss..."

The corners of his mouth turned upwards almost totally vertically - an eerie smile. He had once heard of a Sith witch, but she'd long since departed from the Empire's ranks, and in all honesty he knew very little of her policies and ways.

"I can't say I've ever heard of that faction... perhaps you could tell me a little about them?"

[Jez Hecate]

"Each witch is different in her believes and practices. As for me, well, I use mere illusions and tricks I've learned while being taught the Arts of the Moon..."

:: That was all Jez could say to him. It would probably take an eternity trying to explain all the different beliefs, and to tell the truth, not even she knew all of them. ::

[Vega Van Derveld]

"Ah.. and what is your drive, your motivation? Just to further your knowledge in the arts that you learn?"

[Jez Hecate]

"My motivation is to learn more, and maybe perhaps be given the title I seek for."