#khireno

Weekly SWTOR Prompt - Sith Ritual 

Kinda plays into a plot I was running so looooong ago of Khireno’s mind control ability getting a major boost when he found a sweet relic but... maybe that was just because the relic was now in control. 8}

In any case, it was fun to do!

Hoo boy! So, long-story-short, basically as he gained power he just become more of a creeper and weirdo and decided to fixate on @little-sith 's Darth Tesseract - a sith that "served" in the same military unit (Guild) as he did when he was an unclaimed apprentice. She had zero interest in him (which is smart) but by the time he was a Lord he got tired of being rebuffed and decided to just... stalk her.

To go into more detail, she eventually broke away from the military and established her own archeological and historical school within the Empire and he just showed up on her doorstep to be a teacher. She's reasoned that she's stronger than him though, so figured sure ok. As an apprentice, Khireno had an ability of mental suggestion that was used for diplomatic purposes in the military, but as they sorted through the school and gathered more artifacts he found a great piece of jewelry that jacked his power up to 11. He'd moved from suggestion to full-blown mind control. So Khireno slooowly started to take over the school, "suggest" Damry out of a leadership position and consolidate her school into his own power base. This of course left Damry with a curious amount of free time, which he liked to just invade and keep trying to convince her that he would be a great partner in more ways than one. /eyebrow waggle.

Damry's player and I both lost interest in SWTOR around the same time, but eventually, he would have gotten his comeuppance, she would have gotten her school back, and he would be put back on the floor where he belonged.

A fun little doodle that popped into my head earlier, thinking about things and about the old animated Jungle Book.

♕ = bowing down before them 

“You would have been the death of me.” Khireno’s voice was a low and forcefully even tone as he contemplated his surroundings where he stood. The silence stretched on for some time, the soft blindfold wound atop his eyes a concession that they had both agreed to. He was strong willed. Too strong at times and occasionally crossed from suggestion to suggestion when he looked a person in the eye and spoke with too much passion.

Bare feet shifted over the floor, the loose robes gathered in about his torso and wrists. Very white teeth showed in a grimace between black tattooed lips and he ceased the shuffle with some effort. Long, graceful fingers reached out to light on Damry’s knee where she sat; quiet and waiting to hear his decision.

“I thought you were a selfish shrew, bent on destruction. Your plans were foolish, your reasons were traitorous, your efforts too weak.”

“That’s not very flattering. Are you sure this is you making an apology?” Damry propped her chin atop steepled fingers.

Khireno’s hands rose to press against the lower part of his face as he took in a deep breath and stopped to think of what he was saying. What he wanted to get across. “I was wrong. I didn’t understand.”

“And you do now?”

“I’m beginning to. Or rather, I began to some time ago. I may not understand it all, but I do understand some. Can understand more.”

“Are you sure?” Damry wasn’t issuing a challenge, not really. She was offering him a way out before they both came to regret what could happen.

“What in this universe is sure?” He spread his arms out to his sides, sleeves draped like a shroud to touch the ground. They swept forward as moved one bare foot forward and began to fold in on himself, coming to a rest on one knee with hands braced to either side of his forward foot. “Let this be enough.”

Damry held her breath for a moment. Khireno was occasionally rash, but always sincere. She moved fluidly to stand before him, shadow passing over her one-time Apprentice as she did. He shivered. And again when her gloved fingers whispered against his face, slipping beneath the soft length of cloth that covered his eyes. They were still closed after she stripped it away, running it through her fingers.

“It is.”