#but he was so unsubtle and upfront about the blatant manipulation that Corrain is just like. at least you tell the damn truth

[sunderedazem]

What is Corrain’s relationship like with Kira and Scourge?

AHAHAHAHAHA okay this is a FANTASTIC question but about half of it is pretty dark, lmao (not Kira she's perfect <3)

So, Kira and Corrain. Prior to a certain Fortress Incident, they're fast friends - the only people closer to him than she is are his crechemasters (who end up murdered by Sith on Alderaan) and Orgus. She helps him cope with the grief of losing Orgus so suddenly and so soon after the creche he grew up in was destroyed, and in return he supports her and believes in her even against the Council. I wouldn't say they're inseparable, and they're definitively not romantic, but the platonic bond there is extremely strong

Part of this is because Corrain is four years younger than Kira despite being promoted to Knight earlier, and while he has more Jedi Experience, Kira has more real life outside the Order experience. So they both end up learning a lot from each other while she's his Padawan - though he's insecure about teaching her at first, he grows far more comfortable with the situation once they realize they're teaching each other more than anything.

After the Fortress, however - Corrain pushes everyone away, both out of misdirected anger and self-loathing, and the crushing guilt he feels regarding his time as the Emperor's personal weapon. Kira isn't exempt from this closing-off by any means, but she is one of the people that keeps trying to needle through his walls and get him to start healing. The pressure is necessary, for sure, but it hurts their relationship for a long time afterward while he's being treated for the trauma he'd undergone. Ultimately he's able to apologize for being so guarded and defensive, and heal the rift in their relationship, but that's after the KOTXX arcs once Kira and Scourge arrive to talk with the Alliance regarding Tenebrae's escape into the ether (again).

Now...as for Scourge.

Corrain's relationship with him is EXTREMELY convoluted and entirely an unhealthy onesided dependency throughout most of the "Chapter Three" events. Corrain is blatantly aware that Scourge is and was manipulating him (Scourge isn't trying to be subtle about it) and yet he's so incredibly destroyed by what happened to him on board the Fortress that he lets it happen - even embraces it, to some extent. And Scourge takes blatant advantage of this - of Corrain's bitter, angry, mistrustful state and just keeps influencing him, keeps trying to pull him to the Dark side. A lot of really fucked-up torture, both psychological and physical, happens to Corrain on board the Fortress, and Scourge orchestrates a lot of it in order to frame himself as "the reasonable one" who's at least honest about wanting to use Corrain for his own ends.

However, at some point Scourge starts to understand that Corrain will never completely Fall, not while he's sane - and more to the point, he starts to understand that Corrain is stronger when he's not falling to pieces due to unresolved trauma. This comes to a head when Corrain finally faces off against Vitiate, nearly killing himself in his single-minded drive for vengeance and freedom. Scourge is the one that finds him as the Dark Temple is collapsing and Vitiate's ghostly presence is retreating - and after Corrain spends a week in the kolto baths and even longer in the critical care medbays, he decides that an unstable Darkside Corrain is actually more dangerous and less effective than a stable, Lightside one.

It's only after this semi-death of Vitiate's and the ensuing Jedi Therapy Corrain puts himself through that their relationship starts to transition from one of Handler and Weapon to one that's a lot more equal. Scourge starts to begrudgingly acknowledge and even approve of Corrain having agency over himself - and Corrain stops looking to Scourge for correction and direction. They stay odd Sith Confidants - Scourge is the one person Corrain can trust not to care when he's feeling violent, and Corrain is the one person Scourge trusts to at least listen when he's trying to plan.

By the time of KOTXX they're...not quite friends? But there's a mutual respect there, and an understanding that between them there's a space where the dark side is allowed to and does exist - Scourge has seen and contributed to Corrain hitting his lowest lows, but he also kept Corrain from breaking entirely on the Fortress and...well. There's a lot of resentment and gratitude and admiration all in one.

There's another layer to their relationship as well - but it's a darkfic layer, and I don't think I'll directly put it in "Crescent Moon Rising" so it'll just stay in my head, lmao