Quinn sat at her desk as she glossed over the lesson plans that she had decided to change from what the Professor she was covering had given her. The woman was too easy on the students, especially the seniors. Scoffing, the Echani leaned back in her chair and stared at the ceiling. Her mind often drifted at moments like this; today, she had a sinking feeling about something. It was a feeling that had plagued her for a few weeks now, and it was only worse at night beside Kirie.
At first, Quinn assumed it was the woman's night terrors being redirected by the Force calm she constantly had about the room. Yet that didn't make sense when she thought more about it. Often, Quinn remained awake, letting Kirie curl into her for comfort as they slept. It was a nightly ritual that she looked forward to at the end of her day. Still, the unease she felt worried her.
Extra precautions were implemented, but Quinn didn't want her lover to feel caged like a bird. It was the last thing she ever wanted Kirie to experience again, to feel trapped without an escape. The precautions were eased back as quickly as they were put into place. Quinn trusted Kirie; the woman had put Kaila on her rear end the one time they had sparred. Remembering this, she sighed - almost relieved. Kirie could care for herself, and Quinn wondered if she could convince the woman to spar her.
A gentle blush danced against the Echani's nose and cheeks as she wondered what it would be like to spar the Weikian. She had been the only one out of all her partners she didn't spar with first - but that made Kirie special. She didn't need to prove anything to Quinn; she just needed to be her, and that was enough.
An alarm from her communication device broke the Princess's daydreams, and she groaned as she turned it off. Seeing the time and realizing that she hadn't heard from Kirie since breakfast instantly made her worry. She quickly typed a message, mostly to let the woman know that she was teaching an extra class today and that dinner would be picked up on the way home.
<Dearest Kirie, I miss you, I hope you're doing alright. I'm going to assume you've become lost in your reading again - you're adorable, and I love you. I'll be late today; I'm teaching an extra class. I'll bring home your favorite for dinner and pick out a holofilm I want to camp out in the living room. xoxo Quinn.>
Looking over the message, she checked her punctuation and grammar to ensure that it was pristine. She pressed send and then shoved the device into her pocket. Unknown to the Princess, the message was never sent as she nearly ran down the hallway to her classroom.
Her worst nightmare was about to unfold.
The class finished without event, and Quinn packed her things. She had chosen to walk home this evening, especially since the apartment she shared with Kirie was nearby, along with the restaurant Kirie seemed to enjoy. Quinn locked up her office, and as she shut the door to the building, she paused. Something pulled at the back of her mind, twisting her stomach into something she hadn't felt in a lifetime.
Her hands shook as she held the handle to the academy tightly until her knuckles turned white. It was difficult to breathe, but the feeling passed eventually. Quinn rested her hand against her forehead for a moment as her eyes closed. She collected herself while trying to figure out what had just happened.
Quinn wasn't the one who usually found herself receiving visions through the Force. Yet ever since she had flow walked with Kirie on Weik, it was as if she opened up a gateway that had been dormant.
Gently exhaling, the Princess continued to lock up and moved towards the restaurant. She wondered if whatever was reaching out to her struggled and caused pain because of her defenses that protected others from the Phobis Device. Once the week finished and the woman had some leisure time, she would investigate. She could flow walk again with Kirie, which would be a potential lesson with the Force and quality time.
Time continued as Quinn retrieved the takeout from the restaurant. Excited steps echoed as she drew closer to the luxury apartments. As much as she worried, Quinn was confident that nothing could happen, not on Jutrand—not under the watchful eye of the Emperor…especially to anyone or anything belonging to the Imperial Princess.
Suddenly, the air was knocked out of her, and she dropped the bags of food. Her mind no longer belonged to her, as she could feel her soul being ripped from its anchor. Images flashed, and pain burned on her arm. Quinn knew she wasn't looking through her own eyes—she had stumbled upon an anomaly in the Force, and with her sensitivity to the flow of memories from the Flow walk, she knew exactly whose memories these were.
It happened. She heard the echo of Kirie's voice in the Force. When she had used the circlet, Quinn was guarding herself, keeping herself protected while with the students. Finally, she received a desperate cry for help.
Reality returned, and Quinn looked down at her shaking hands. Not again; how could she be losing someone again? Even now, they had moved after the attack while she was fighting on Woostri. All the necessary precautions were made - Kirie was hers, which should have been enough to stave off the Kainites.
After the takeout was forgotten on the street, Quinn rushed home. Her fingers pressed the security code, panicking. Every ill feeling suddenly made sense. The Force had tried to warn her, and everything around her had tried to scream at her about the dangers surrounding Kirie. Nothing they had done protected the girl. Quinn realized she was powerless, and there was nothing she could do.
"Kirie!" Quinn shouted, her voice cracking as she pushed through the doorway.
She stumbled in the dark, not caring what she was running into, as she looked frantically for the girl. All she needed was to know that Kirie was okay, that the weird feelings and the dark images she had just seen weren't real. Quinn knew the Force played tricks, that visions couldn't fully be trusted, and at this moment, she needed that line of Jedi thought to be true.
"Kirie! Where are you?!" She stepped forward and stood by the small dining table that held the roses from her garden. She looked, seeing that everything had been as it had been when she had left this morning. Kirie usually kept the lights warmly lit when Quinn arrived home late.
Remembering the text she had sent, Quinn reached for her device.
"Maybe she's off somewhere…" Quinn reassured herself as she flicked through the messages.
Nothing. The message had never been sent.
"No," she suddenly realized that the Force was not lying and that the small wound in the Force had been a moment of pure terror for her precious lover. The device fell from her hand, its screen shattering on impact, and her hand covered her face as she felt every dark emotion begin to bubble up. Her mouth opened, gasping for air as she tried to think of something to do.
Emotions surged, and as she found her voice, she screamed. Pure despair and agony shook the penthouse apartment. Glass shattered. As her hands lowered, the Force pulsated outwardly from the girl. Everything near her blew away, cracking against the wall.
"KIRIE!" She collapsed, fingers digging into the marble floor as she felt her tears roll down her face. Her heart shattered in her chest, hurting more than ever before. Kirie was hers to protect and cherish, yet she couldn't do that.
She was powerless, more than she had ever been before.
Quinn fell apart, desperately reaching through the Force to find the tethers of their bond, reaching out to search for the blood trail that she had marked the girl with when she had confessed her love.
It had happened again; her cursed love had taken something from her. She wouldn't let it win; the Princess would fight. As she exhaled, their connected fates breathed life, and the blood trail began to connect the dots on where her lover had been taken.
Through their connection, Quinn whispered in Kirie's hour of darkness.
I'm coming.
