Forum Thread

This twisted cat and mouse game always starts the same
First we're both down to play, then somehow you go astray
We went from nothing to something, liking to loving

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Quote from lys one

The room which held the still stirring body of what was formerly a corpse was pure white, a box of sterile walls in which the only color seemed to be the silver tendrils snaking up the confines of the cell. The color of dehumanization was illuminated by the artificial lights hidden in the ceiling, out of sight of the unfortunate prisoner held inside. Solitary confinement was a tried and tested method among the Grysk, a method of sensory deprivation that inevitably led to feelings of abandonment and solitude. The Grysk and those that they brought into their fold were a cold, impersonal sort, their gazes aloof and empty and wrong. They had not the gaze of people, but of vessels deprived of their souls. 

Alone in his cell with no one but his thoughts to keep him company, Lysander contemplated his revival in silence. The quiet was refreshing, in fact, a welcome break from the screaming in his head. It was as if a massacre was taking place next door, the wails of the ethereal spirits echoing through his head in a terrible anthem. Had Lysander been able to express himself instead of being weighed down by sleep, he was certain he would have cried out. It was the pounding in his head and choking in his throat that he hated most. The sedative the Grysk injected into his veins was very potent, drowning him in unconsciousness less than a second after it was injected. The officers knew what they were doing. It had been some time now since he’d been imprisoned. Even though he felt alert, Lysander’s mind was still groggy, the lingering tendrils of sleep still embedded deep in his mind. Upon waking up, he realized that the Grysk had taken his gear already, as well as his armor. Rather expected, but still unsettling nonetheless. He was alone, now, with no way to defend himself.

Unsettled, the corvid paced the length of his cell, desperately searching for a way out, or at the very least, another object. The walls were perfectly smooth, so climbing up the walls was likely not going to be an option. Nothing stuck out to him, in fact, not even a bench he could hide under. Lysander’s wings, which were already starting to bristle, drooped along his back, unease prickling at his gut. His normally glossy plumage was now coarse and prickly, a sign that he hadn’t gotten to preen in a day or two. Not only did he have little knowledge of why he was here, but he also had little idea on what to expect. The Grysk were a fairy tale, ghost stories that existed solely to whet the tongues of children with the first taste of fear. Most sources labeled them as apocryphal myths, fire-side horrors.

But the Grysk weren't stories, they were real. So, Lysander should've felt prepared right? He should know what to expect if he was their prisoner right? But he didn't. Since he woke up, Lysander had been kept totally alone. Alone. A bitter memory rose to the surface of his mind, the rebels - the people he'd called friends - denouncing his name as a traitor and a villain. Alone. Abandoned. Suddenly, Lysander stood ramrod straight, his senses flooded with apprehension. Someone had just appeared at the end of the corridor, a soldier perhaps, and was heading toward his cell. To talk?

No, they wouldn't be so friendly with him, a prisoner.

His grogginess fading into adrenaline and dread, Lysander tried to reach out with the Force to figure out who this person was. Their motives were similarly mysterious and unreadable, like seeing through a dense morning fog. He pushed further and a sharp pain seared through his head. Lysander staggered backwards, his legs suddenly reduced to jelly as the pain persisted. At last, he was forced to relent, eyes squeezed to slits against the pain. So his abilities were gone too. Clearly, the Grysk had gone to great lengths to ensure his helplessness. By this time, his nervousness and relative discomfort was rapidly giving way to paranoia and fear. Inaction and confined spaces bred these feelings in him, the two states greatly associated with torture and pain.

His options wasted, all the corvid could do was sit on the floor, his wings tucked around him against the chill. His mind was filled with worst case scenarios courtesy of his paranoia, but with nothing at his disposal, all he could do was wait sullenly as the person entered. It was a man, his age, human. Something was familiar about him, a sense of malign intent he couldn't put his finger on. Dressed in all white, with eyes full of malice and curiosity.

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Quote from cado one written by Eli_vanto

Cado strode down the white halls before stopping at the cell door. Finally he threw open the door, entering into the room. He took a moment to look at the shaliz'na, his expression curling up into a "friendly" smile, though it appeared more smug. He pulled a hand through his hair before finally speaking.

"What, you don't remember me, Birdie?" He said with a small chuckle. He shook his head, continuing the small melodramatic act. "You wound me. After everything we've been through, for you to forget me so easily. You look like a mess. How far the mighty alien has fallen, am I right?"

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Quote from lys two written by immortes

A topaz colored orb narrowed when Cado entered the cell, posturing himself like the flamboyant soul he had always been. But where this attitude had been previously merely insufferable, the harsh sterility of the cell made the other male’s demeanor eerie. Flamboyant and something more…sinister and discordant like water and oil. The shaliz’na cocked his head left to get a clearer view. The action made his heart clench slightly, a sharp and somber ache coming from memories he couldn’t recall. But naturally he blamed it on Cado, his mind latching onto the present as an anchor. Because there were other memories buried there too, sensations and voices from another time. The flash of a blood saber, the burning blade slashing through his chest in a smooth, well executed stroke, soreness and pain from this fight and so many others like it.

Without missing a beat, the mocking introduction leading to xenophobic innuendos, the word alien making its appearance. Great, so the Grysk hated nonhumans too. He would’ve thought he escaped it. “Oh, you, the person who killed me. Sorry, your name often slips my mind.” Lysander griped, taking advantage of Cados words to throw a jab right back, “Bet you’re surprised to see that I’m actually not dead."

Flame, effulgence and cutting, ripping through his core, the battlefield tilting sideways as hazy tendrils of oblivion reached to claim his form. Lightsabers were effective killing machines, hence was their design. But it was this novel feeling of falling into the void the color of his wings, a sense of the unknown that scared him.

The images were there, and gone in an instant, leaving him slightly bewildered. Blinking, he forced the images away into the alcove's of his mind. But there was only so long Lysander could hover on this topic without seeming too vulnerable. “But since you’re running this show. enough about me. Why don’t you tell me why I’m here. And what the hell these Grysk have done for you.”

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Quote from cado two written by eli_vanto

Cado just laughed at the attempted jab, rather unbothered. It was always more fun when people played along. He strolled further into the room, beginning to circle the shaliz'na. The human very clearly taking advantage of the power he now held.

"Suprised? Not as much as you'd maybe like to think." He said, though he purposefully did not elaborate. He stopped for a moment, catching the small flicker of emotion coming from Lysander. Cado could hardly recall the last time he'd had this much fun. The Grysk weren't exactly the greatest sources of entertainment, such stern beings with little to say outside of their work. Quite similar to most Sith in that manner he supposed.

He just offered another one of his false smiles and finally replied. "Why? Why do I do anything, Birdie? Because it's fun, because I can, because what is anyone gonna do to stop me? And as for why you are here? Well, I guess you'll find out soon enough, yes?"

Cado pivoted, facing Lysander. He approached the corvid, reaching up to pat their head as if he was speaking with a beloved family pet. "Don't worry, it won't be that bad. I think it will be quite exciting personally. Just stay positive, Lys! You're good at that, if I recall correctly?"

"Tell me, what was it like to die? How did it feel? What did you see, what did you think?"

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Quote from lys post three written by immortes

Out of all the responses Lysander expected, a cackling laugh wasn’t one of them. The corvid raised an eyebrow, feathers rippling in a gesture of unsettled calm as the Sith chuckled openly. Cool azure eyes met gold in a mocking display, easily deflecting the verbal blow like it was nothing. The corvid tensed in displeasure, good eye turning to follow the sith as he prowled closer, pride in every step. Cado circled around the restrained avian like a mountain cat, his expression one of greed as he gazed over his possession. Lysander forced down a wince as he was forced to turn his head further in order to keep his captor in view, which was made easier by Cado’s voice. The corvid knew the Sith was just toying with him rather than openly seeking to cause him harm.

Not in the way you may expect. Did that mean Cado had been planning this the entire time? The corvid's pupils shrank slightly. “You knew I was going to be captured then, after my revival.” He muttered, not entirely believing his words.

Suddenly Cado disappeared altogether, Lysander’s good eye widening as the sith stepped into his blind spot and out of view. Given the way he was currently restrained, Lysander found himself in a highly helpless position, and he couldn’t help a small squirm when he heard Cado mocking him again. It wasn’t normally a problem around individuals he was comfortable around, but strangers? No, being on his blind side put him on edge, exposing him to a layer of vulnerability he did not normally exhibit freely among strangers. Cados lighthearted tone was so at odds with the emptiness of the cell. Fun. “Oh, but capturing an individual or a prisoner requires strict calculation and precision. Had you really been here for fun, I wouldn’t be here in this cell. So out with it."

Lysander's answer came sooner than expected. Stepping back into view with a jarring abruptness that made the corvid jump in his restraints, the Sith reached out with a gentle touch, fingers caressing the top of Lysander’s hair in a warm caress. The first stroke was enough to elicit an angry hiss. Get off! Instinct flared from a mind too wound tight to comprehend the touch as anything more as a threat.Claws flicked free and dashed a small red nick on Cados hand. “Don’t touch me.” Positivity be damned. “And no, last I checked I was unrelentingly negative.” Always would be, the way his life was going.

The shaliz’na was too tense at first to register the question fully, but when he did, he drew back like an offended cobra. What was death like? Lysander's eye narrowed to a slit, “Why, take these restraints off, and I’ll show you.”

"Did I know?" Cado questioned at Lysander's words, giving yet another small laugh. This whole thing was already more amusing than he had thought it was going to be. "Of course I knew, I mean this whole thing was pretty much my idea. 'Course don't let these aliens figure that out, they wouldn't like that very much and I'd hate for all this to be ruined."

He pulled his hand back, staring at the small cut for a second before looking at Lysander. "I'm trying to be nice you know, there's no need to be so defensive. We were friends, remember?" The former sith watched the rather extreme reaction (in his opinion) to his words. "Hm, no thanks I think I'll pass. Though your attempt at a threat is rather funny, you pick that up from Grahl's later pet?"

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The moment he noticed the cut, Cado drew back and the touching stopped. Good Small ruby droplets were already accumulating on his hand and he felt his stomach twist in satisfaction at the blood. While the corvid was not necessarily bloodthirsty and the cut was rather small, he had to admit the sight was ... darkly gratifying. If he had it his way, he would've gouged his claws down the face of his captors, blood pooling out in a claret tide.

"Hm, no thanks I think I'll pass. Though your attempt at a threat is rather funny, you pick that up from Grahl's later pet?"
Lysander scoffed, becoming increasingly irritated by Cado's irreverent personality. How someone so stuck-up and conceited succeeded in training was beyond him, "One, don't call him that. Calverus isn't anyone's pet and neither am I. Second, No, Calverus is far too rash for a mere threat when you're right in front of him. He would've gone for the kill." He pointed out in a matter-of-fact voice. Lysander’s wariness was beginning to wane into irritation. It was always such a pain to deal with the arrogant and conceited. Cado could act as chipper as he wanted. Lysander knew enough not to be fooled.

He hoped that one day, Cado’s hubris got the better of him.

He hoped that one day, Cado died horribly.

“You want to know what it is like to die?” Lysander said coolly, “The truth is, it doesn’t feel like anything. Your brain literally stops functioning, your heart stops. It’s an ending to all forms of conscious thought and perception. That’s all I can and will tell you. I do hope we’re done here; I intend to take advantage of being alive once more — which entails not being stuck in a white box listening to you prattle your head off.”

Cado rolled his eyes at Lysanders's response. "You're rather rude today, aren't you." He belittled the avian with a tsk. "You really ought to lighten up, stress kills you know." He joked, turning away from Lysander and audibly cackling at his own sense of humor. When he finally looked back at Lysander he pretended to wipe a tear from his eye.

"You are mad at me, though I can hardly imagine why. It's not like it's entirely my fault you are in this situation. Had you not wanted to be at my own mercy you should have considered simply not dying." A twisted smile crossed the man's face as he said this, lifting the scratched hand to brush his hair back and smearing a faint trail of blood across his forehead. As if to set a reminder that despite his annoying and offsetting attitude, Cado found Lysander's pain and torment as far more than humorous. He always enjoyed watching people squirm and grow enraged. He liked pushing their boundaries until they cracked and inevitably displayed their anger. It was nothing but a game to Cado.

He moved closer to the shaliz'na, still wearing the sharp toothed grin on his face. "And let's not forget who helped bring you back from that miserable nothingness we all call death. Surely a little thank you wouldn't hurt, would it, 'Lys'?" He lightly taunted, slightly leaning forward, just out of Lysander's reach.

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(A little rusty but I tried lmao)

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Lysander couldn’t help pressing back in discomfort when Cado reached up to stroke his hair again, smearing blood on his forehead. A harsh scowl pressed his lips downwards when his captor’s touch lingered. It was a feeling that made his skin crawl. Truthfully speaking, it wasn’t like he detested means of physical affection. Lysander was certainly okay with stretching boundaries with people he knew well. But the proximity Cado was in to stroke his hair made the avian too vulnerable for comfort. The Sith’s twisted smile was haunting; the same exact look before he took Lysander’s life. But the avian wasn’t going to gain anything from backing down, especially when Cado was so close. “That’s enough. I don’t kriffin’ care if you brought me back from the dead. Do not touch me.” Lysander growled, his voice darkening. His left eye narrowed into dangerous slits in contrast to Cado’s manic blue ones. “Back up, now, unless you want me to rip your hand open.” Because he would. At least, at this range, Lysander could certainly give Cado more than a mere cut.

‘Be certainly something if Cado had to get stitches for an injury.’ Briefly, the avian fantasized a scenario involving him backing up his words. Fantasized him leaping forward, claws digging in deep to the veins beneath, seeing Cado scared for once. All the anger and helplessness transformed into fiery wrath. Maybe Cado would be angry, or delighted, who knows. The sith was clearly both arrogant and a sadist. Lysander acknowledged these were beneficial traits for a Sith, so he really didn’t begrudge Cado these traits. The sith wasn’t any less of a horrible person either way.

Cado did withdraw, a reluctant step putting him just outside of Lysander’s reach. Unfortunately, it didn’t reduce the intensity with which his gaze bored into the avian. From this angle, Cado looked not just creepy, but ravenous. He looked like he wanted to eat the avian alive, the thought of which made Lysander’s gut curl uncomfortably. At the Sith’s next words, the avian scoffed incredulously. “You want me to thank you for reviving me? Are you serious? You deserve nothing of the sort.”

Lysander could see the door just behind his captor, trying to ignore Cado’s taunting. It would be barely a few paces behind him. “On another note; I can see that you’re bored, and well, that’s on you for choosing to interrogate me. I’m not an entertaining person, and you’re an idiot. But if I were to beat you up, I’d say its fair that I get to leave right?"

He just chuckled at Lys's response. "I am serious, and I think that I do deserve a thank you. I worked hard to bring you back, that's something anyone should be grateful for. Maybe you are just selfish." The man sighed, taking two steps back and pacing around Lysander once again. "You have always had such a prickly personality, I guess that's something not even dying can fix. Shame."

His head tilted ever so slightly to the side as he listened to the avian's offer. Then a smile crossed his face. Yes, this was why Cado appreciated Lys so much, he knew what Cado would find most entertaining. Cado's games never felt so one sided when he played with the alien. "You've captured my interest, bird brain," he returned the insult, "just don't get your hopes up too high. I've always been the better fighter." He waved his hand as Lysander found the restraints holding him loosen and free him. Cado had already readied himself for a fight and left little time for Lys to even stand before he darted forward to grab the avian by his wings.

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Narrowed eyes followed Cado's smooth movements around the cell. The Sith conducted himself like a serpent, sinful and sly. The avian had to admit that it was a far cry from his own stiffer conduct. Lysander had always been a bit straight-backed, even among the other acolytes. Many years of constant scrutiny and paranoia kept him guessing until hiding away in a shell was the only option. Cado knew nothing of what it was like. The avian rolled his eyes when Cado mocked him for his cold nature. Prickly. He deserved it. "Prick. It's not my job to cater to you." He uttered coolly, golden eye glittering as it followed Cado's movements. The avian tried not to wince whenever Cado stepped out of view. Getting used to having one eye was still a work in progress. "Never was. You want to blame someone for being selfish, look at yourself. You can't even look after your own damn brother. Who else do you plan on just using and throwing aside?"

If the avian was aware of Cado's softer, crooning undertones, he didn't show it.

He was vaguely aware of the restraints being removed or of Cado's preening taunts; all his attention was captivated by the Sith literally lunging at him. Fortunately for the avian, the moment that Cado's hands connected with his wings, all of his anger and resentment came boiling to the surface. Letting the Sith grab on, distracted perhaps, Lysander did something he'd been wanting to do since he met Cado in the tombs.

Fast as as viper, his hands wrapped like thorns around the Sith's throat, and squeezed tight. Granted, with Cado's grip on his wings, the avian couldn't exactly move forward by much, but unlike a human, he had six limbs, not four. If the sith thought his captive was helpless, then he was in for a nasty surprise. He sent a hard knee into Cado's gut, aiming to break the Sith's grip on his wings in order to gain further mobility.

Cado laughed as Lysander fought back, doubling over but keeping a firm grip on the avian's wing and pulling it towards him. He released one of his wings to pry the hands away from his neck, twisting them to the side. The sadistic Sith grabbed Lysander by his hair, forcing his head back with a smirk before sharpened fangs dug into the skin on Lysander's neck.

The motion was quite familiar to Cado, though he didn't make anything quick or painless. Not by a longshot. Eventually however, he would pull away, laughing almost manically. "Oh that was fun." He said, lifting a hand to his mouth as if to stifle his laughter though he truly made no attempt to stop. "But I'm afraid you lost."

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Nearly tugged off his feet as the Sith pulled him closer, Lysander gritted his teeth to muffle a frustrated shriek. His claws drew in scarlet patterns as the avian slashed at Cado’s arms. His feet scrambled to whatever he could grab on to, a piece of the chair, the floor, anything. The sith was laughing hysterically again, a low, cruel sound that mocked his efforts. His eyes widened in surprise when cold hands locked around his wrists, none too gently pulling them away from Cado’s throat and pinning them against his sides. It was an unusual tactic, meant to prevent combat and movement. But where was the Sith going with this? Had the Grysk’s drug not been in effect, Lysander would’ve slammed Cado into the wall. His gut tightened in anger as he stared at the Sith’s arrogant golden orbs. Cowards. “Hit me back, why don’t you? You wanted to fight, right, so why are y-”

Abruptly, his focus was drawn away from the Grysk when Cado all but shouldered him against the chair, not even bothering to restrain him this time. By now, the avian was actually beginning to get a bit worried, as it seemed that the sith’s intentions were much more sinister than they first appeared. Cado’s hands slid through Lysander’s hair, eliciting another angry snarl at the tingling sensation. Tingling turned to sparks of pain when the sith yanked his head back, forcing the avian to stare directly at the fluorescent lights at the top of the cell with his neck at an uncomfortable angle. Eye burning, Lysander was not even aware of the fact that he couldn’t see the sith anymore. Cado's breathing was hot on his neck, and the avian's skin crawled when he realized just how close the sith really was. Then twin starbursts of agony bloomed as silver fangs dug in with surgical precision.

Spasms and shivers of pain wracked Lysander’s body when Cado bit him. It was as if two needles were embedded deep in his skin, sending rivers of fire from the spot of the bite flowing to his brain, and down his spine. The pain reduced his struggling into desperate thrashing, black wings flapping upwards helplessly. Unfortunately, despite their size, his wings didn’t give him much of an advantage. Up until this point, Lysander had no idea that Cado was vampiric, much less that vampires even existed. Maybe I’m hallucinating. But the pain felt far too real for something chemically induced. Even gritting his teeth and digging his talons into his palms didn’t help.

Just as Lysander thought that he was going to snap, Cado released him. Bloody fangs tore the avian’s skin before retracting. Suddenly acutely dizzy with nothing to hold him up, Lysander’s body fell forward and collapsed to the floor. The avian yelped in pain as his head cracked against the cell floor. Above him, Cado was cackling with unforeseen mania, laughing with triumph, laughing with twisted humor, laughing to wound. Blood still glistened on his fangs. The sound bounced around the cell; listening to it was like driving nails into the avian’s head. All of a sudden, realization hit. If Cado was vampiric, then it was more than likely that the Sith’s bite was not merely meant to draw blood, but also to turn him. Revulsion hit him like a truck, and with his head still spinning, the avian could only draw his attention inwards, taking shallow breaths.

...Oh that was fun...you lost.
A hoarse "Fuck you." was all he had to offer in return.

Cado continued to laugh as Lysander spoke to him with rather vile language. Oh he'd just have to correct that behavior, wouldn't he? "Now now, Lysander. That's no way to speak to me now is it?" He chided, kneeling down besides Lysander. He could hear the avian trying to ask him for something, blood, perhaps. It was something that would help the transformation process, which was most certainly why he would not provide it. He pet Lysander's hair as he shook his head, denying the avian's request. "No, I'm afraid you aren't going to get any blood. I have some, but it's not for rude little fledglings such as yourself." He said with a small laugh.

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short idk what else to do lol

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