The Old Republic

[Tifa Lockhart]

Aele had been a little slower to do anything when told to leave. She wasn't sure what to think, or how to feel. For the first time ever her footing felt shaken. Her confidence in what she was doing uprooted. She wandered aimlessly for a little while, avoiding anyone's attention if she was able. Eventually though, she found herself in the mess, getting herself a small helping of whatever she was handed. She was about to go and sit on her own when she sensed the confident man from her mission sitting at a far table. For a moment she considered leaving him be, but then she changed her mind. She walked straight over to his table, sitting down without a word and then immediately digging into her food.

[Renegade]

Kalen was so concentrated in getting his strength back that, if not for his abilities, he would not have noticed Aele approach. Did she think they were friends now? Normally Kalen would send her off in the rudest way possible, but he could not bring himself to do it, something non-tangible stopped him. There was something strange about this woman, he felt a strange link with her. He had never heard of this sort of thing with Siths. Except for when lovers, offspring or apprentices were concerned, but this woman was none of these things.
He believed in the force has exactly that, a force that designed all things, that was within everything, but he was too stubborn to believe that it had something planned for these two.
He stopped eating long enough to grunt a, "What?"
Just because felt a strange attachment to this woman, it did not mean he had to show it.

[Tifa Lockhart]

Aele didn't immediately offer him any sort of reply, masked face directed out in no particular direction as she took three slow mouthfuls of her meal before setting her fork down.
"I want that dog Tulli's head," she stated simply, only now turning her face towards him, for no other reason than for social-sake. "He parades around declaring others 'weak', but I could crush him without even trying."
Her words were not an empty boast.

[Renegade]

He almost choked on a laugh, and some food, when she stated that she wanted Tulli dead so bluntly. "Think about it. What emotion are you feeling because of him?" Kalen put down his fork and looked at Aele's face, or at least her lips and nose. "Hate, right?" Kalen allowed for his implication to set in.

[Tifa Lockhart]

Aele paused for a moment. Was it hate? Did she really HATE him? Was that all it was? Or was there more to it than that?
"No," she replied, sounding rather surprised by herself. "I hate him... but that's not how I'm feeling."
She pushed her food around on her plate fussily.
"Doesn't it aggravate you that we could deliver him the entire damn galaxy and he'd probably still scoff at us?"

[Renegade]

Kalen shrugged, he didn't care, "That's his job, to make you feel just as you are right now." By now Kalen had finished his food and pushed the plate away from him. "What's your deal anyway, why are you so pissed off?"

[Tifa Lockhart]

Aele looked deeply troubled, chewing back her words uneasily. She barely knew Kalen, this had been their very first mission together. So why did she already feel as if she could trust him, as if he would listen without immediate scorn?
What was with her foolishness today?
"What Nevyn did back there..." she began slowly, "Was the act of a mindless monster. I know you think so too."
He'd said as much upon their arrival after all.
"I find myself wondering if this path we walk leads only to such base things as that." She lowered her voice even more. "I was told they would make us great, not turn us into beasts."
She wanted to be recognised for her talents, her skill. She wanted to prove she was more powerful that a Jedi by defeating them, not by slaughtering them defenceless as he had done.

[Renegade]

"They don't necessarily, which is why he is now dead." He looked at her, not that she could see him doing so. Had never met someone of her species, and she intrigued him. "You just need to make sure you don't fall into that trap"

[Tifa Lockhart]

She fell into contemplative silence again now. What should she do? Leave the conversation as it was or pursue more of her questions? He'd humoured her thus far...
"What did you feel when the Jedi Knight showed up?" she asked slowly. "In the force I mean."

[Renegade]

"I sensed his emotions,"He said. "A mix of frustration and sadness, but a lot of shame and disappointment too. Kalen had wondered about the last two, those emotions seemed out of place, as far as he could tell. Jedi were not to be understood, really. Just killed.

[Tifa Lockhart]

"Mm..." Aele mused absently. Her brows furrowed together over the top of her mask, displaying her confusion better than any other element of her body language did.
"But not directed at her."
She got to her feet then, seemingly concluding their discussion.
"At least not solely at her."
If it had been her in that Padawan's place, her master would never have felt such grief and... Self-loathing at her death. They would have placed the blame solely on her for being weak.
More important to her though, was why she'd noticed... And why it bothered her so much. Kalen was clearly non chalant about it... But she couldn't shake a strange aching misery that sat in the pit of her stomach.

[Renegade]

Kalen got up from his seat. "You are depressing me," He started to walk away. "Don't worry so much and get some sleep." With that he followed his own advice and ambled to his room. He would sleep well, there were no other students around next door to him to keep him awake.

[Tifa Lockhart]

Aele went straight to her room with the intention to sleep just as he instructed. Perhaps her confusing thoughts were just a product of her long tiring day, and she would be back to normal after a good rest.

However instead on dropping into a comfortable slumber, she could do nothing but lie awake and dwell. Again and again her heart returned to the misery and pain she had felt from the Jedi.
'What do I care if the Jedi cared about his Padawan?' she snapped at herself as she rolled over yet again to glare at the far wall. 'Caring is his weakness.'
She sighed, confident that she was not fooling herself.
She cared. And she'd never even met either of them.
'Am I weak?'

[Renegade]

A few days later the other teams arrived, that is to say most of the teams. One team, Team Four, dropped out of communication and have been assumed dead. Team Two suffered a sixty percent loss due to the natives, and Team One lost twenty percent of there members, leaving eleven out of nineteen dead, or MIA.
Over the next three months, two more students died, leaving only six left out of the original thirty. From that, only four would be apprenticed.
Kalen stood next to Aele flanked each by two other students in a row. In front of them was Master Tulli, and four Sith Lords - Master Kul among them. Kalen was suddenly reminded about the rule of two. That there could only ever be two at a time, an apprentice and a master. The only way the apprentice could become worthy of the title of master, was the first take the life of his or her master, then take on an apprentice themselves to repeat the cycle. Some of Lords have had more than one apprentice before, Kul for instance, has had five prior to this. Only two of which tried to ascend, the others died doing the sort of thing Kalen and Aele had done several months back, exploring unknown tombs and temples for artefact, just to be devoured by the merciless horrors that guarded them. Lord Farkryn has had four prior, all of which died by his hand, but only one had tried to take this title. He had a temper...
The others were Lord Zash, another Lord known for her power, but also a rival to Lord Kul, as they both took great interest in artefacts, though rumour had it that Zash was after immortality, where as Kul sought ancient weapons of mass destruction. Though the rumour about Zash was only one of many, she usually caused a lot of whispering. She would be taking her apprentice to Korriban.
Lord Chaine was the most interesting of the lot, quiet but always watching, he had five apprentices, all of which attempted ascendency, no one really knew his motives.

Kalen looked them over again, he was nervous, but he knew he would get apprenticed, how could he not? Probably with Lord Kul, considering that he, as he figures it, lead the team that retrieved the cube.
"Jaxen, and Ren," Master Tulli's voice boomed. "Failures! Both of you are to repeat the class."
Jaxen and Ren were dragged away by troopers, yelling profanities.
"Ruen, you are to serve Lord Farkryn, Tulli continued. "Vrim, you are to serve Lord Chaine."
That left Kul and Farkryn.
"Aele, you are to serve Lord Zash," Tulli said "And Kalen, you are to serve Lord Kul."

[Tifa Lockhart]

Aele's attitude had been greatly altered following her experiences during the retrieval of the cube. She was quieter, speaking practically never. She'd only seemed to grow more grim and silent as the other teams - or what was left of them - returned from their failed missions.
So as she stood there, awaiting their judgement to see whether they would progress to being apprentices, her heart thrummed in her chest. Then they announced who she would be assigned to...

Lord Zash...

She drew a deep breath to try and calm herself, turning her attention onto the woman. She was powerful, the energies radiating from around her made the hairs stand up on the back of her neck. Part of her wanted to be thrilled by this powerful aura. With a Master so powerful, she could become just as strong herself, if not moreso, but this is not how she felt at all. She didn't know how she felt.

She took a deep breath, turning her head slightly towards Kalen standing beside her. She gave a silent nod of acknowledgement before moving forward to kneel before her new Master.