2008-05-05 - Lazlo's Trials - Seeking Relics

(OOC note: The powerpose in this scene was with player consent.)
 Corellia's blazing sun has just sunk beneath the horizon and in the sumptuous manor lights have been lit in every window. The main hall is softly illuminated, the rythmic sloshing of waves against sand fills the room in a pleasant way.
In a couch near a wall sits Karin, white-clad and with her black hair tied into a sleek ponytail. The green glow of a datapad illuminating her features. A glass of fruit juice is on a small table nearby, and bits and pieces of art and antiquities from the lady's many expeditions can be seen around the room.
 While some of those employed by the Morrow estate work to prepare the evening meal, others have responded to the attention caused by a visitor from the outside, having just recently approached from the outside on foot. This figure soon emerges in the main hall, clad in his typical green tunic and robes. From the looks of his slightly weathered clothing, this man has taken the road less traveled, so to speak, and navigated the endless razor grass by foot.
Lazlo reaches upwards and draws his hood back with a scarred hand. As he makes himself known, Lazlo offers the seated Karin a deep bow and a soft introduction. "Greetings, Lady Morrow. Thank you for agreeing to see me this evening," he says while coming up from his bow. "I hope I'm not intruding upon any plans of yours."
 Karin's dark eyes lift to the newcomer. With a faint rustle of silk she rises from her seat to greet Lazlo with a smile.
"Good evening, Mr. Dega." The lady's dark alto echoes faintly in the large room, but not enough to obscure the tangible warmth in her voice. "I am always pleased to see a member of the Jedi Order. Please, will you be seated? I will have a servant bring you some bacta, the grasses are sharp this time of year."
She offers an easy wink at the Padawan and lets a lithe hand indicate a plush chair, set near the couch where she was seated. A servant appears with another glass of fruit juice, placing it on the table, with a nod at Lazlo, before he politely disappears. All breathes serenity and yet...
There is no doubt...
Something in the exquisite hall reeks of the Dark Side.
 Lazlo smiles back at Karin for a brief moment; he's still the awkward fellow he always was. Lazlo clears his throat and nods at the offering of bacta. "Thank you," he says quietly. "I had no idea that the grasses could be so, er, difficult to walk through, let alone navigate." As the servant places the juice down, Lazlo offers him a polite nod in return. As the servant heads for the exit, Lazlo follows him with his eyes. After a moment, he clears his throat and takes the offered seat.
"I suspect that you might know why I've come here," he says quietly. "With the Jedi Order being so old and ancient, it comes to no surprise to me that we'd cross paths. You have a unique skill for uncovering old artifacts long forgotten."
 "Actually, no," comes Karin's wry answer. She levels a curious look at the Padawan, gracefully lifting the crystal glass and slinging the golden contents around. A sweet scent of fruit from the juice wafts in the air. "I have no idea why you are here, Mr. Dega. I took the liberty of finding out a few things about you, and it seems that Obi-Wan Kenobi is your Master. Am I right?"
A raven brow arches at Lazlo.
Above the woman's head, placed upon a shelf stylishly embedded the wall, is a statuette. It depictures a handsome man with a strong jaw, chiseled in dark green stone. This is the source of the dark side presence; malevolent and strong.
 Lazlo moves a scarred hand upwards to scratch his chin for a moment. "Yes, Obi-Wan is my Master," he replies softly, almost distracted. His eyes seem to linger upon the statue. From an outsider's perspective, it's almost as though Lazlo is making repeated efforts to look Karin in the eyes, but seemingly finds the statue more imperative. After a moment of this, it just seems like he gives up completely and stares at the statue in question for a long while. Soon enough, though, Lazlo's attention snaps back to Karin.
"Is it possible for me to examine that statue, m'lady?" he asks suddenly, gesturing slightly towards the artifact above Karin's head. "Master Kenobi has sent me to take notice of some of your recent findings."
 Karin's brow crinkles softly at the Padawan. A dark gaze flits from side to side in an attempt to follow the other's ever-shifting look, and finally she turns all the way around to look at the solemn bust.
"You may, of course, have a look at it." The lady sends Lazlo a bemused gaze. "But be careful in your examinations, please. This statuette is four thousand years old, and, more importantly, it was a gift from someone very dear to me."
She kicks off her shoes quite unceremoniously and steps up into the couch, reaching for the green stone. Lithe fingers close around the image of a man's face and soon offers it to the visitor.
The dark side presence seems, oddly perhaps, to come from the center of the statue.
 Lazlo nods to Karin. "I'll be careful," he says softly as he reaches his hands outwards to receive the statuette. After a moment's consideration, Lazlo frowns at the artifact. He seems to grow somewhat uncomfortable, as though he's holding something he knows he shouldn't. Lazlo eventually extends his arms and places the statuette on the table. In doing so, he seems to exhale -- a sigh of relief, perhaps.
"Who gave this to you?" he solemnly asks, keeping his eyes fixated on the statuette staring back at him.
 Karin seats herself in the couch again, slipping the silk shoes back on her feet while watching Lazlo examine the statuette.
"Is it important who gave it to me?" The woman's voice is amused, and so are her eyes, but there is slow reluctance in the drawl of her words.
"You do not seem to like it," the lady then states. "I cannot blame you. I, myself, have found the bust's gaze rather intent and staring. It is like a painting, you know? You can feel the eyes follow you around the room. It is a very rare thing to accomplish it in a statuette, which is part of what makes it unique."
 "Just curious," he replies softly, still staring at the carved face on the table. "Curious about who would give such a gift."
He sighs softly and looks back up at Karin. "There is something else that makes this unique," he says eventually, as though each word is harder than the last.
 "Someone who knows me very well, I will wager." Karin's voice is warm, and at Lazlo's latter word her gaze lights with interest. She leans against the armrest of the sofa, peering closely at the green statuette that the Padawan placed on the table. "Something else that makes it unique, you say... what is it?"
 "Well," he says softly. "It bears certain qualities that might draw the attention of the Jedi Order." After a moment's pause, Lazlo looks from the statue back to Karin. "Or perhaps the attention of...other...sorts of people." His eyes study Karin for a moment before looking around the room he is a guest in. Lazlo's attention snaps back to Karin.
"Forgive me," he says, looking briefly at his boots. "I don't know what your understanding is of the Force, m'lady, but this statuette is strong with It." Lazlo does not seem pleased with this.
 The lady's dark eyes narrow thoughtfully at Lazlo. When the Padawan looks around the room her own gaze follows suit, attentively. For a moment the distant sloshing of the waves is the only sound to fill the large hall.
"I know /of/ the Force." Karin's alto is gentle, and she speaks in low tones. "I have more than one friend amongst the Jedi, and I would be a fool if I never picked up on at least a few of the things that concern the order."
 Lazlo nods back to Karin. "Very well," he says softly, glancing down at the statuette once more. His brown eyes seem weathered, as though the entire situation is exhausting for him to be in. Even still, Lazlo reaches his hands outwards -- perhaps reluctantly -- and places them upon the statuette's face. Without much of a warning, he closes his eyes. "I might just like a moment with it," he says very quietly.
With his eyes closed and his attentions focused, Lazlo reaches out with his feelings, wondering what they might tell him...
 Karin nods at the Padawan's words, and shows the presence of mind to remain quite while the other closes his eyes.
There is an object within the statue, the carved stone only being the container for what rests inside. Dark side energy is woven into this very item, but...
... but it is sealed inside with a locking mechanism. The mechanism is nowhere to be found on the outside of the statue.
 "There's something inside," he says softly. Lazlo's eyes open and focus eventually as his senses return to him. He looks down at the statue he's touching and begins to trace its exterior with his fingertips. "Something trapped inside this stone statuette. Something akin to the Dark Side of the Force. I suspect this is why Master Kenobi has sent me here."
Lazlo's gaze rises to look upon Karin with sympathetic eyes.
 Karin's brow furrows. She looks at the statue with a dark expression.
"Yes, I suspect so. It was very wise of your Master to send you here. Is it possible to get it out, you think? I would rather prefer if the statuette was not ruined or harmed."
 "I'm not sure," he says softly, looking at the statue for a moment before returning his gaze to Karin. "It's locked inside. There's some kind of locking mechanism keeping it there."
Ordinarily, it might seem enough for a man to hold a statue and know so much about it, but Lazlo doesn't seem pleased with himself. He almost seems embarrassed.
 Karin looks thoughtfully at Lazlo for a while. Then her gaze turns to the statuette in the Padawan's hands.
"I suppose..." She nods reluctantly, ponytail draping over one shoulder. "If there is no other way, and you deem it is important to get it out, then you can cut it open."
 Lazlo furrows his brow slightly. His gaze lingers upon Karin for a moment before moving downwards to study the statue. He seems pretty intent on discovering the locking mechanism, but he likely won't find it with his eyes. "I wouldn't want to destroy your statue, m'lady," he says quietly, but it doesn't sound like he wouldn't do it immediately if allowed.
Still, Lazlo furrows his brow and closes his eyes once more. There may be alternatives to busting the statue apart. He reaches outwards again, trying his absolute best to tune out the sounds of the ocean, the taste of the air, and even the feeling of the statue on his fingers...
 The dark side obscures plenty of the statue's insides, but with time... and concentration... 
There.
A soft push, given at the bottom of the statue, but given inside as well, might just set the machinery into motion and open the container.
 His eyes open slowly. "Yes," he says softly. "The Dark Side is strong with this statuette, Lady Morrow. It's thick. Opaque, perhaps." Lazlo looks down at the statue on the table and brings it to his lap, turning it over. "I don't expect whoever crafted this meant for anyone to open it but someone trained in the Force."
With his hands, Lazlo begins to apply pressure to the bottom of the statuette's base. While it might not be clear to Karin, he also begins to extend his influence inside the statue as well, calling upon the Force to do so.
 "And it has been on my shelf all this time," comments Karin with a look of disgust. She looks to the statue with interest as Lazlo works with it, and her eyes widen with delight at the audible sound of a click. A series of clicking follows, and the statuette falls open - neatly divided into two halves when the Padawan manages to open the internal lock.
Inside it is a metallic cylinder, gleaming dully in the candlelight.
 At the sound of the click, heard by his ears and felt by his fingers, Lazlo smiles slightly at his good fortune. His merriment is soon extinguished, though, as he takes notice of the object concealed within the statue. He stares downwards at the cylinder now resting in his lap. "Oh," he says softly to no one in particular. Lazlo removes the object from the statue's womb and raises it to the light to better inspect its particulars.
 When Lazlo touches the metallic cylinder...
Like the seething fire of a sun, you are struck down. A power so mighty grips your hand that it refuses to be released. You feel the burn of ten thousand souls written into the power at your fingertips, and receive a vision: a grey, barren planet, destroyed by the toils of light and dark, enveloped by nothingness and the bare necessities for life. In this place a fire consumes an ancient cave, an old battleground which has no Master, no past, and no future.
An old voice, like the darkness in an unknown realm, bellows in the deep: Come to Orgo XI. Come to me... Padawan.
 Lazlo's features suddenly seize, clenched tightly by the ancient message taking hold of him. His teeth are exposed, his jaw clenched, and his muscles spasm slightly. It's simply good fortune that he hasn't upset the statuette in his lap onto the floor. Lazlo soon opens his eyes, wearily, and gasps as he returns to the present. His chest expands and contracts rapidly as he searches for breath. After a long while, he manages to return to Karin, though still with some accelerated breathing.
"May...May I hang on to this?" he asks Karin suddenly, indicating to the metallic cylinder that just took him on a journey.
 When the Padawan opens his eyes he finds the lady standing by his side, a light hand resting on his shoulder. Karin's dark eyes regard Lazlo with concern.
"Are you alright? You looked like you were going to be sick, there, for a moment. Perhaps some of those grasses were poisonous." She turns a look at the metal cylinder "Yes, you can have it if you want, and if you think it is important to you. It is yours."
 Lazlo shudders slightly. "I'm okay. Just a little startled, that's all," he says softly. "The Dark Side can be a powerful thing, m'lady." Lazlo looks down at the cylinder. "Oh, this most certainly doesn't belong to me. But I'll keep it safe," he says with a nod. Lazlo moves the cylinder and slips it into a pouch at his belt. He doesn't dare clip it where his old one used to hang.
Lazlo clears his throat and stands slowly. "I should be going. I've taken too much of your time, I feel," he says with a nod.
 "It is always a pleasure to see a visitor from the Jedi Order." Karin's head inclines politely at Lazlo. "You are ever welcome in my home. I will ask my Sander to take you to a spaceport of your choice in his airspeeder. And," she quirks a smile at Lazlo. "Stay safe. Give my warmest regards to your Master Obi-Wan as well."
And with that the lady Morrow turns to see the visitor to the entrance.
Category:May 2008 RP Logs