Hangar Bay

"That makes two of us."

Mariah made no movement or revealed any twinge of emotion, even as Gavin approached her. If there was anything that should have caught her off-guard, it was packing away his over-confidence with the rest of things. His tones brought the crimson-haired woman to raise an eyebrow at the man, but it was the only action that disrupted the otherwise calm nature she exuded. Perhaps it was from the busy events of the past several days dissolving her usual sharpness. Maybe it was the relief that he was finally getting off of this rock. No matter the case, though, she still remained unmoving from her place, blocking Gavin from boarding just yet.

"So you're planning on ignoring all of my points regarding the future of your students then. I can't say I'm surprised by your hard-headed attitude, but it isn't too late to change your mind."

There was no softness nor pleading in the Empress' voice. Rather, she spoke with generalized disinterest, as though convincing someone to choose something trivial, like caf over tea. She had already given her blessing over this decision, easing the wary eyes of his colleagues at the Temple. It didn't change the fact that even Mariah held a grudge at the idea of one the Dark Jedi residing under the Sith's rule, though. Nonetheless, she carried herself with a new level of control and poise that was unseen behind closed doors.

"One word and I can have a ship ready within the hour to head to Iridonia to gather those students who wish to join you here for the remainder of their training."

Although Gavin's calm demeanor broke to reveal that overzealous smile, Mariah's lips also twitched upwards into the faintest expression to match. She could see that he was holding back for one unknown reason or another. His expression shifted back to his unusual seriousness, but all the more reason for the crimson-haired woman to speak up.

"Impulse? No," she corrected cooly, tilting her chin upwards in her own display of confidence. "All possible paths brought me to where I stand now. However, now, I stand at a crossroads."

The crimson-haired woman kept her explanation short and cryptic as her dark smile also faded. Even as Gavin's dismissal to her offer rang true, she had already accepted his answer before he said it aloud. As she had pointed out moments ago, he was hard-headed. Mariah expected nothing less from the man who stood before her. Like an unmovable object, though, Mariah remained at the base of his ship's ramp and blocked his entryway to board.

"Very well, then. Understand that I meant it when I said I'll be expecting regular updates to their progress. My eyes are on you, Phoenix, and on them."

It was then that Mariah offered something of an explanation to her earlier words. Moving her hands from behind her back, she revealed the hilt of his two sabers in each. She didn't present them to Gavin yet, though, but instead, she flourished them as though to use them as bargaining chips for some unspoken request. Mariah tilted her head slightly, curiously, with the intensity of her gaze locking upon his piercing blue.

"While your choice may be firm with your students, you still stand at a crossroads as well."

Mariah offered nothing more than a faint nod of her head when Gavin agreed to keep her updated on the students' statuses. For the Dark Jedi Order, it remained the highest prerogative for the Fallen Empress. Students, no matter how few, were a necessity to keep the Order strong. They were the new generation of Dark Jedi to rise up and train another new generation. However, when it came to Mariah Shadows as an individual, stripped of her title and rank, the idea of new students carried a deeply rooted, hidden meaning. That much would not be discussed today, though. There was a far more important topic to cover in this short amount of time.

"Don't misunderstand me, Phoenix. We stand at different crossroads. At this present point in time, mine is none of your concern."

Mariah spoke fluidly, the usual edge in her voice dulled, and carefully offered over both Blockade and Deepstrike. However, the crimson-haired woman kept her grasp tight. If Gavin attempted to pry them away from her, it wouldn't be without a fight. She was willing to part with them only if he was proved to be patient enough to wait until she was ready to relinquish them. He had given them to her under exceptional circumstances, after all, and with a precise understanding of their importance. He would never leave them behind.

"She told you of the Guardians, didn't she?"

Mariah seemingly held her own against Gavin's nature at first, but the mention of those people created a sudden gravity to overwhelm the crimson-haired woman in an eerie and unnatural display from her usual sharp wit and fiery words. It was a pressing matter to her, though, and she was silently appreciative that Gavin carried himself to match. She was still prepared for Gavin to make a switch at any moment, though, to take advantage of this unusual moment, and why she still held tightly onto his sabers as though they were her own.

Mariah knew at this point that there was just something about her that Gavin seemed to find amusing. It was anyone's guess to what. She had managed to sink deep under many others' skins, rousing them to draw their blades against her. She had provoked Jedi to lash out in their emotions, proving the insignificance of their training. However, Gavin seemed wholly unperturbed by her. With his chuckle and offhand comment, Mariah prepared for him to try another one of his stunts, but as his eyes fell to his sabers, the severity of the topic seemed to dawn on him, drawing him back mentally to where she needed him to be.

"Then it wasn't just a dream," Mariah murmured to herself, "but the actual events. I can't say that I'm surprised, but I'll admit that I was hopeful that it was all just another one of her ruses."

Mariah offered a half-shrug of her shoulder, her eyes narrowing as she peered into the blue orbs that found her crimson. With as much confirmed, though, it truly meant that they both had one of the weightiest decisions they could make. Gavin may not have realized just how severe it was, though, so now, Mariah hoped to keep it that way by playing with their future and shifting the outcome.

"If she mentioned as much to you, then you have a duty to yourself, Phoenix. Take your weapons, head back to Iridonia, and wipe your memory of that day, as you offered. Focus on your students and their training, return to Ambria with them, and continue moving into the future you wish to carve for yourself, with no recollection of that day. Do I make myself clear?"

Mariah was neither harsh nor demanding in her tones, despite the words she carefully chose. Instead, her voice seemed almost monotonous and rehearsed to remain calm within the storm of the situation. The crimson-haired woman lowered her gaze from his to look down upon the weapons in her hands and, nudging them towards him, silently requested that he take them and do as instructed.

When Gavin refused to accept his weapons from her, Mariah sighed as a snarling rumble caught within her throat. Any average person should have taken her up on her offer. Some things in the galaxy were better off concealed, especially when each strand, unraveled by knowledge, reconnected itself into an unwanted, fixed future. Mariah was unwilling to reveal more than what was already discussed, though, and desired to keep her explanations as cryptic as possible. They were both better off that way, or so the crimson-haired woman had deemed from the start of this fiasco several days ago.

However, as easy as it would have been to simply command him to follow her command, something was holding back her tongue. It wasn't by her will, but the will of another--the law of many. Such codes could be bent, though, and Mariah wasn't the type to succumb to circumstance and accept a future she didn't agree with. If she had, she would have been dead long ago.

"You told her that you would protect me, but I don't need your protection, Phoenix," Mariah murmured, harshness engulfing her tones like a sudden inferno that she quickly reined back. "Even if you want to continue down that path of your misguided nobility, fine. You don't need your memories of what transpired to continue down that path, though."

Again, Mariah motioned towards the hilts in her hands before lifting her gaze to pierce back into his. Although it was clearer to see conflicting thoughts swarmed her mind, she still held herself with the same composure and dignity expected from her as the Empress, even if she wasn't speaking to him as the Empress, but as a daughter of Shadows.

"I'm not a helpless damsel in distress who needs a knight in shining armor, Phoenix, nor do I have any desire to have one. The sooner that both of you accept this, the better, so again, I'm requesting that you do as I instructed and let go of whatever promise you made. It's forgivable to forsake a duty when the agreement was made with hidden agendas and without full disclosure. She preyed upon you, and you took the bait. Unless you mean to tell me that this means nothing and that your loyalties lie closer to a dead woman you've never met than to yourself."

Mariah narrowed her eyes slightly as she quietly challenged the man before her. If she could simply force his hand and issue the command, the severity of the situation would never need to come to light later. Her hands may have been tied, but she could still convince him to break free from his bindings before he traveled too far down this road.

On the one hand, Mariah could keep her poise, knowing that Gavin indeed tucked away that cocky confidence he typically showed. At least, it revealed that he could tell that there was something weighty on the crimson-haired woman's shoulders, and he dared not make it worse. On the other hand, Mariah couldn't stand the gentle confidence and certainty that Gavin exuded. He knew absolutely nothing and still held firm with his decision, despite her urgency for him to choose a different path. It was a frustrating ordeal. Further explaining matters to him would solely continue to guide him down the road she attempted to stray him from.

Gavin made a move to squeeze by her to embark, to which Mariah stood absolutely still. She neither moved to block him from boarding nor crumbled in defeat by his actions. It took a beat, though, before she finally lowered her hands, Blockade and Deepstrike now resting on either side of her. Her head tilted to follow him, but her body remained unwavering as though her feet were chained to the ground. As she had mentioned, she was at a crossroads, but it seemed as though Gavin was going to make this difficult decision for her prematurely. Mariah wasn't the type to go down without a battle, though.

"But you have agreed to something," she corrected firmly, although with a quiet voice. Her eyes narrowing upon Gavin, Mariah continued with a hushed fury from the severity of the situation, "Your actions speak for you, and keeping the knowledge of things that shouldn't be known seals your fate. You are playing into her desires by claiming ignorance."

Mariah wouldn't bother addressing his desire to watch out for her, for only the Force knew why, or his reflective speech about those who have passed on and honoring their hopes. Aria had left details out, leaving Gavin to believe that either of them had a choice in this matter. Their decisions were forged by their actions, and Gavin was already far down the path he denied agreeing to walk.

"If you choose to continue on this idiotic quest to protect me and look out for me, then you agree to walk that path she has set for you. If you choose to walk with the knowledge of the relic's existence, the Guardians, a glimpse into our culture, and other secrets of my People, then you agree to walk that path she has set for you. A Guardian isn't a menial title derived from a simple contract of 'yes' or 'no.' It is a bond chosen to be strung together by an Ancestor and formed through the loyalty to my people, reciprocated by our unconditional trust. If you have as much a distaste for it as I, do us both a favor and do as I asked, or board your ship knowing full well the path you've set us both down. I cannot defy the will of my Ancestors, but you are forger of your own future."

Although she kept her voice hushed to avoid another overhearing her, she was hardly fond of talking about such things aloud as it was. This would be the last that Mariah would say of these people and their connections to her own. She made that point clear by lowering her gaze from him to keep her gaze forward, her crimson stare burning into the doorway into the Temple. Faintly, though, she moved her hands behind her back, displaying his weapons for him to take before boarding as her silent 'farewell.'

Even as Gavin turned to face her directly, Mariah would not move to meet him and maintained her eye contact, hardened as ever, towards the Temple's entrance. However, the more he spoke, the more that faint expressions revealed themselves on the crimson-haired woman's face. The familiar narrowing of her eyes, as though piercing daggers through the air, displayed her buried rage and frustration. The stiffness of her arms and tightened muscles exposed in her neck exhibited her growing tentativeness and tension. He had called them rules without grasping that it wasn't 'rules' that guided them, but their culture. At least he held an agreement that each action held its consequence. His actions over the days here led him to face the consequences, now intertwined with her culture.

Gavin's answer and his solution did little to ease Mariah's concerns, but as she had vowed, she wouldn't speak another word about these matters. He wished to place a bet on the time spent away, hoping he would strike the jackpot to buy them time. If that was a strategy he wanted to deploy, then such was his decision. Hers was already a variable ripped from her fingers, something she honored while biting her tongue.

Although Mariah had vowed to remain silent, there was the faint dip of her chin in what could only be assumed as a nod. Two years. Two whole years where this would be lurking in the back of her memory. As much as she loathed it, it was the lesser of the only two evils presented, seeing as Gavin would rather fight to become the very thing he clearly despised. At the end of this monstrous period, it would never be her decision--only her request, as it was today. If Gavin remained as idiotically headstrong as he was now, then there was little she could do.

A beat resounded silently before the crimson-haired woman made any kind of distinguishing movement. She closed her eyes and lowered her head, making peace with his decision. He was at a crossroads, something she had brought to his attention, and this was the choice he made.

"Take your weapons and go," she issued, the fire in her tones diminished to glowing embers.

As far as Mariah was concerned, she would do all she could to uphold those particular details to his conditions. In the two years' time, she would refuse his help nor seek it out in any regard. When it came to the relics, she was confident she could perform the next step effortlessly on her own. The only relations the two would need would be the updates on his students. That would be their only contact. Nothing more. Nothing less. In two years, everything could return to the typical, dull drone while she lurked in the shadows.

Mariah stood there unwavering, even as she felt Gavin's gaze move back and forth from her, to his weapons, then back to her. His answer was less than ideal to her, indicated by a slight scowl that managed to sneak through the cracks of her resolve and disrupt the certainty she had forcibly made peace with. Already, this situation was spiraling, and Gavin's words that she should hold onto them made them feel as though she held onto the blades themselves. For all of Gavin's words, his actions continued to lead her to the conclusion that he wanted to honor Aria's request to the fullest. He wouldn't allow Mariah to rid her mind of the encounter, for every time she laid eyes upon the two hilts, she would be forced to remember what he did for her and thus for her People.

However, it brought to light a particular memory that stirred her. Although Mariah kept her eyes closed and her chin tilted downwards, her brow furrowed as she took in a deep breath to calm the rising uncertainty that swiftly guided her towards wrath more times than not. As she remained otherwise unmoving, besides the rising and fall of her chest with her every breath, the crimson-haired woman finally spoke up, her voice forcibly calm but with accusatory tones laced within.

"You stated you would never leave them behind," she uttered as monotonously as she could manage. "Then that was just a ruse to gain my trust."

Trust--with the word, Mariah's eyes flashed open. Although her fiery gaze blazed into the hangar bay floor at first, she was unable to hold her stare there for long. With a breath, she lifted her gaze to him, her eyes burning with the buried disgust she locked away. She would need to keep them locked away, else risk striking him down where he stood. Although she had accepted his words and actions that day with a grain of salt, Mariah refused to let such a fatal lie slip through the cracks without notice, without some sense of repercussions or answers--not when he wanted to leave here with any knowledge of the things Mariah held close to the chest.

"I assure you," she uttered with a joyless laugh, "your apparent solution will hang over my head until the day you return, Phoenix. I don't need to also be reminded of your unwanted and falsified chivalry, paved through your lies and deceit."