Throne Room

By this point, Aderon had learned the layout of the temple rather well had gotten accustomed to the darker architecture of the building rather well. Even though he, in many ways, would be something of an outsider to many of the Dark Jedi, he still made some effort to prevent a rift forming between himself and the other members of the order. The last thing he needed was to attract the ire of someone in power.

Which is why the odd note he had received from the Empress distinctly troubled him. When he had walked into the room, he immediately recognized that the rose was extremely out of place when compared to the other flowers, which all suited the brighter tones of the room nicely. The Fallen Empress was well known for being something of a social recluse, preferring her own company as opposed to the company of others. Thus, if something had drawn her out to out to speak with Aderon, it was clearly something out of the ordinary. Although, then again, she could likely be curious about the man. Doubtless, whispers had circled throughout the order surrounding his past, and it would not be unlike someone as inquisitive as the empress was to look into such whisperings.

The door to the throne room was opened by two sentinels who stood watch over the entrance to the important space, and Aderon stepped inside. A loud slam was heard behind him as the heavy doors were closed, not to be reopened until his meeting was concluded. The room itself was quite dizzying, due to the sheer height and strange architecture that made it up. The spiraling columns placed at somewhat random intervals made the room extremely visually confusing, with only one clearly defined focal point, that being the throne. Walking deeper into the room, his boots against the floor producing a staccato clicking that likely could have alerted anyone in the space of his arrival, he looked about for the woman who had sent him the message. And it did not take long for him to spot the red-haired empress. Next to her stood The Fallen's general, who wore on her back a large set of wings that seemed to not dominate her person, but instead draw attention to her.

Stepping forward, he made the standard gesture of kneeling while bowing his head forward when greeting someone of galactic importance who went by the title of "empress".

"Empress, Lady Eris. Greetings."

Rising from his kneeled position, Aderon took note of what the Empress said. Evidently, she was not used to the courtly rituals that tended to follow positions such as the one she held. Having never met a leader who disregarded such formalities, he was caught somewhat unprepared for the second part of her response. Simply nodding his head an acknowledgment, he made a brief apology to the lady.

"Apologies, Empress."

Accepting her hand, the Count lithely shook her hand. He was, at this point, unsure to what degree the Empress followed courtly procedures and decorum, decided to play it safe with his greeting. Already, this meeting was highly irregular, given that there wasn't a court present, save for Lady Eris, who seemed content to stay back and allow Mariah to do the talking.

Although Mariah may have thought that her intense gaze made Aderon rather uncomfortable, he answered back with his own eyes, also carefully observing her. Her crimson against his blue, the two of them were furiously, yet silently, cross examining each other, as would be expected, given their two respective situations. The Count had spent a lifetime mastering the arts of the political battlefield, and this was no different from that. Mariah, on the other hand, was likely trying to get a read on his character, which was understandable and indeed, the intelligent thing to do.

"No need to apologize, your grace. I admit that I've been rather busy over the past week, getting integrated into the order, so the blame does not lie with you."

Aderon gently nodded his head, affirming her sentiment that a fresh start would be nice. Being far more used to the decorum surrounding these sorts of interactions, he would very much like a chance to regain his footing, having lost his proverbial balance in the conversation. The Count himself was in a similar situation as Mariah, seeing as he was used to dealing with people who were like him, and generally following the many fetters of the courtly procedure. Indeed, he would have to get used to not having that same sort of structure in place if he was to survive long in this faction.

Turning his attention to the question at hand, the young man had to stifle a sigh. He did not particularly like revealing his motivations, as that had seriously cost him, and he did not want to repeat mistakes that had previously served to be his undoing at the hands of an upstart commander. Even so, it was likely that Mariah did not intend to betray him, seeing as it was in her greatest self interest not to do so.

"I seek the truth of the darkness. I have been... deceived by the Jedi for most of my life, and I seek its applications. More specifically, how I can apply it to my... main profession. The Sith would not teach me it without expecting me to serve them exclusively in their own goals, and the Ren are violent fools. I believe your order does not have its own brand of tomfoolery, hence why I seek this knowledge from you."

Aderon smiled a bit at the statement about tomfoolery. So long as the order was disciplined, that was all that mattered. Messing about outside of serious matters was not something Aderon thought should go away. It was true, however, that the sort of horseplay he was referring to in his previous statement was not a present factor in the Dark Jedi. However, this brief expression was short-lived, as it receded back into the Count's typical face, betraying no emotion whatsoever.

Aderon quite enjoyed these duels of wordplay, perhaps even more so than those duels of a more physical nature. It was quite evident that the Fallen Empress would much prefer not to be in this meeting, and would ordinarily spend the time off in her chambers. However, it was also clear that she had some objective with this conversation, something she wanted from Aderon. Everything had a purpose, after all.

"Contempt or hostility? Empress, that is a severe misjudgment, let me assure you. I am well acquainted with the miasma known as betrayal, and I shall not bring it upon this order, so long as it does not bring it upon me."

Aderon began to asses the Empress' motives for bringing him here. It was surely not out of her desire for conversation, as she was well known for her lack of such a desire. The glimmer in her eye caught his attention somewhat, as being a typical sign of amusement. However, it did not explain her objectives in this meeting. However, it was quite likely she had some sort of use for him, a use that was currently beyond the scope of consideration. Still, he would have to be coy about it. One wrong move could earn his place on

"I do believe your words are earnest, although we both know time will be the ultimate judge of the truth of that statement..."

A smile from the Count, there and gone in the blink of an eye. However, in its own way, it marked something of a victory in Mariah's mind. True enough, she would have preferred remaining in her chambers, but Eris had a goal for her, a goal she believed to have met with the resolution of that faint expression. At the very least, there was a stark difference between the way this interaction progressed and the other newcomer she had attempted to welcome. Where Aderon much preferred the duels of wordplay, the woman he spoke with had different opinions. At least this time, she kept that fact better buried beneath the surface of this façade. At least up until this point.

"It was not a mark against your intentions, Count Dooku, you misunderstand," she corrected with a faint tilt of her head and attempted, quiet smile. "It is simply a disclosure I believe all should be given as we welcome them into our ranks. Although we are growing quickly, we are still as fragile as a newborn babe. All it takes is one, and that which we've built could come crumbling. I want you to understand that I will personally cut down any who attempts to harm us from the inside, as you are not the only one who, as you put it, is 'well acquainted with the miasma known as betrayal'."

That flicker of a faint smile seemed to brighten, but only by some strange sense of joyous maliciousness that lurked beneath the surface. The mask beginning to peel away, Mariah breathed in deep, turning her gaze away as she pondered Eris, who had remained quiet throughout this encounter. However, Mariah knew that she was here, like a teacher watching over her student. Thus, she would probably remain silent during the rest of this encounter. Exhaling that breath, she returned her focus back upon Aderon with a controlled gentleness in her expression and focus.

"You are as correct as ever that time will be the ultimate judge, but call it a premonition," Mariah continued, attempting a lighthearted jest. "You said it yourself that you haven't much luck with either the Jedi or Sith. You and I are very much alike in that way. I have a feeling you'll find your place here."

Her eyes fixed upon his. There was something he was waiting for, from her. A confirmation for this meeting, for the reason she called him here. Although her original objective was simple enough in nature -- to simply welcome a member without inching closer to bloodshed -- the more she spoke with him, the more complicated an alternative objective became. As he had said, however, time would be the ultimate judge, if this intriguing new thought would even find fruition. She could at least attempt to nudge it in the right direction, though, and see what came of it.

"You come here seeking to discover your own truth, in which I am sure the Dark Jedi can aid you, but tell me Count Dooku... what assets do you believe you possess? Those that might naturally benefit the order during your time here?" Another smile played upon her lips, her eyes narrowing just slightly as if to examine Aderon deeper than the surface of his nature. “Although I have my own beliefs, if there's anything I've learned over the years, it's that you can’t always judge a book by its cover."

"Indeed, if there's one thing I've learned, it's that taking things at face value is an excellent way to get yourself into an... unfavorable situation."

He stopped to consider how to respond for a moment. The veneer of civility she wore was beginning to come off, and he could see the malice that lurked underneath her smile. This was his true skill; breaking down the mask of other people, exposing them for who they truly are. That was the great mystery of speechcraft, and that was what he truly excelled at. As such, he knew he would have to approach the encounter with some degree of finesse, in order to not leave himself vulnerable, or appear to be a sap.

"My skills? Well, a great deal should be obvious to you by now, as you likely have the ability to judge the skills someone has based on a single interaction. He remained motionless, knowing that the slightest movement would give away a sense of discomfort "you could consider me to be something of an... investigator. At the end of the day, getting to the truths of someone's motives is the greatest puzzle in an interaction, after all."

At one point, he had been considered by his compatriots to be just another upstanding noble, and that was where the great deception lay. People who believed themselves in the presence of honest, upstanding characters tended to be far more susceptible to revealing... information. The information which could prove extremely useful to someone who had the resources to act on it.

"The order in this galaxy is built on lies. Lies that you can either be burdened by, or harness to your own endeavour. I choose to do the latter... what about you?"