Out on the School Grounds, Saturday Night

[imofficialthen]

Tahiri stood in a quiet corner of the grounds, near the ruins of the stables, her lightsaber hilt gripped firmly in her left hand.

She'd had enough of Ben's taunting and questions -- as much as there was something faintly endearing about his stubborn, stupid persistence, it irritated her, the way he could get under her skin. The way those

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[hellishlegacy]

And he came, because regardless of dimension, Ben couldn't stop trying to help Tahiri.

"You called?" he asked quietly.

[imofficialthen]

She watched him in the darkness; her expression was implacable, but the sight of him stirred up the frustration and rage as always, and she opened herself to the emotions, using them to draw the Force into her.

"I did," Tahiri said just as quietly, and ignited her lightsaber. The glow of the blade revealed her vampire face, the scars on her forehead grotesquely distorted by the change.

[hellishlegacy]

"Oh, Tahiri," he murmured, feeling his heart break. It didn't mean that his lightsaber wasn't on, though. He was miserable, but he didn't want to die.

[imofficialthen]

"Is that regret I hear in your voice? Oh, Ben." She sounded mocking as she moved smoothly toward him, her lightsaber held out between them. "You really never give up, do you?"

[hellishlegacy]

"Not on you," he said, holding his ground. If she was going to attack, she was going to have to make the first move.

[imofficialthen]

"So stubborn, Ben," Tahiri chided. She closed the distance just enough to bring her lightsaber up within a centimeter of his face, just to see how he'd react. "It's not your best trait."

[hellishlegacy]

A heartbeat away from getting singed, he finally lifted his lightsaber to counter. "Different yous say otherwise," he replied.

[imofficialthen]

He'd been right about one thing, her lightsaber skills had gotten rusty, and when she moved to catch his blade in a bind it wasn't as effective as it could have been -- particularly with the one-handed grip she was using.

"Different mes? When are you ever going to stop hanging on to this delusion that you can redeem me?"

[hellishlegacy]

Ben lashed out with his boot, aiming it at her midsection. He was still trying to hurt her and disengage.

Poor Ben.

"I'm never going to let go of that," he said.

[imofficialthen]

With both Force-enhanced reflexes and vampire speed, Tahiri slashed out at his arm with her lighstaber as she leapt back out of range of the kick.

"Your mistake, then," she answered, and raised a hand to send a bolt of Force lightning toward him.

[hellishlegacy]

Ben's eyes went wide just before he went shooting across the ground.

Dammit, he hated Force lightning. That stuff hurt like a bitch.

[imofficialthen]

"Well, that was a first, wasn't it?" Tahiri hadn't used Force lightning on him before. "Still think I'm playing around?"

[hellishlegacy]

"No," Ben grunted, shifting painfully back to his feet.

She was a Sith. Some part of him wondered if he should even be surprised. "You don't have to do this."

[imofficialthen]

Tahiri rolled her eyes and sent another bolt at him.

"I don't have to do this, it didn't have to be this way, this isn't what he would have wanted for me," she recited mockingly. "I've heard it all from you before. I'm sick of hearing it from you. Don't you ever get tired of this game? Because I am. I'm not playing any more."

[hellishlegacy]

"I'm not either," he said softly, sending a quiet apology toward wherever it was that his Tahiri was now.

And then holding out his lightsaber to absorb the Force lightning and taking a few steps forward.

His entire stance had shifted. This was the assassin now. Play time was over.

[imofficialthen]

"And here I thought you'd never do it." Tahiri's eyes had gone yellow now; she reached out in the Force and yanked some heavy piece of metal that might've once been part of someone's motorcycle in Ben's direction.