Private A Fanged Encounter

[Valaine Valentine]

Tags - Viscountess Pandora

Upon Malachor V construction of Darth Virelia 's dark fortress continued but was still far from complete. Despite that however, the courtyard in which Valaine often found herself training in was relatively progressed and just about done, enough so that she could focus and train within it without being much disturbed by the sounds and efforts of general construction.

The young Sangnir herself was dressed in the typical black flowing robes of an Acolyte as she stood at the center of the courtyard. Before her was a spool of thick dark chain which she had taken from some of the construction supplies nearby for use in her training. The chain sat coiled in front of her upon the floor and she extended her hand out towards it as she closed her tired eyes, trying to visualize her intentions upon it.

Steadily did the end of the chain start to lift from the coil like a snake from a basket, slowly and surely. It was clear that Valaine was practicing her manipulation of objects with the Force as the chain was raised higher before her; the coil beneath it started to rattle and unspool. But then suddenly the Sangnir's focus seemed to falter as her brows furrowed and the chain rattled louder as it shook in the air. Suddenly the chain fell with a clatter back into the spool below it.

Valaine exhaled a hot breath and opened her eyes to see her failure as her lips thinned in annoyance. The Force was difficult for her to grasp, to understand, and so she had started practicing its use even outside of Virelia's guidance. Progress however was slow...

With a frustrated sigh the pale girl tilted her head back to gaze up to the construction that still took place high above the courtyard, watching errant sparks of welding here and there as her dark hair swayed gently in the breeze, unaware that she was perhaps about to meet one of her peers...

 

[Viscountess Pandora]

"Trust But Verify"

Tags - Valaine Valentine

"Training I take it? Hoping to impress the Mistress?" Pandora asked this in a casual but judgemental tone. But the woman was without her helm, her hair had grown longer and been put up into pigtails. Red black wires were woven into her hair, connecting to more machinery and cybernetics within her skull. Pandora's flickered a bright red, though a tint of green seemingly came through. Much like a virus that kept trying to worm its way in but was constantly being suppressed

Unlike the robes Valaine wore, Pandora wore a slim form fitting black outfit. It paried well with her techno-organic body, seemingly look both high tech but organic as well. More like a sleeve than clothing. Pandora looked to the construction of Darth Virelia 's fortress, her mind pondering on how to improve or add to it. After all, if this going to be a stronghold of the Mistress and the Court, Pandora must be able to add to it.

Perhaps to rub some salt into Valaine's frustration, Pandora reached out witth her hand, using the force to pick up the chains. Seemingly effortlessly, the chains unwraveled as they levitated into the air. Then Pandora dropped them in front of Valaine "Practice makes perfect. And you should be nothing less than perfect."

 

[Valaine Valentine]

Tags - Viscountess Pandora

Valaine blinked as Pandora's presence became known to her, tired eyes shifting towards the woman with a curious tilt of her head. "Impress...?" she began. In truth her training was for herself, trying to strengthen her faults, whether that impressed their mistress or not was not particularly a concern of hers. But... She knew saying such things might be looked down upon, for all these other apprentices seemed very much taken with their mistress after all. "... Just practicing. I'm not very good with the Force." she answered.

She paused to take the measure of Pandora. She recalled her from the meeting, but she hadn't spoken to her before now. She hadn't really spoken to any of her fellow apprentices, so perhaps now was an opportune moment...

It was then that Pandora displayed her control over the Force as she turned to glance at the chain effortlessly rising into the air until the whole spool was suspended. The young Sangnir huffed in annoyance before glancing back at Pandora. "Show off..." she muttered lightly before she approached her.

"Your name... If I recall, our Mistress said... 'Morsel'...?" she asked in something of a light tease of her own. "I'm Valaine. Since we're both apprentices under the same Master, we should probably get along, hm?" she asked as she extended a delicate pale hand towards her in an offer for a greeting shake.

 

[Viscountess Pandora]

Tags - Valaine Valentine

"Only the Mistress may call me Morsel. It is a nickname she bestowed on me. Prove yourself enough in her good graces and she may honor you with one as well." A flicker appeared in Pandora's eye. Another hint of green before the red took over. "Us getting along is to ensure that the Mistress's plans go perfectly. This will be the first of many plots and plans. So for the betterment of our Master, yes getting along is probably the better than infighting."

Pandora then clasped her hands behind her back, keeping her distance from Valaine for the time being. She didn't fully trust this woman, especially one that has been taken under the Mistress's wing. Competing for her attention. "Though as long as the hierarchy among us isn't disrupted, I see little reason there would be infighting. Everyone should know their place."

Pandora then looked to the fortress being built. "If even one part of building isn't perfect, the whole structure risks collapsing in on itself. I will ensure that the home that the Mistress is buidling for us all, is flawless." She then turned to Valaine. "Pandora is my name. Best to know that."

 

[Valaine Valentine]

Tags - Viscountess Pandora

Valaine's tired gaze narrowed slightly at Pandora, something about the way she spoke just seemed to rub her the wrong way, and if she wanted to play this game... Then the young Sangnir would oblige.

"Prove yourself enough in her good graces and she may honor you with one as well."

A soft smirk and a shrug as she closed her eyes, "She seems to have several for me. Ember and flame being just a couple of them she likes." she paused and opened one eye to look at Pandora. "... What? She only gave you one?" she breathed in a low hiss, "Ouch..." she muttered, but clearly loud enough to hear, that was the intent after all. Perhaps Valaine was feeling just a little spiteful that her open gesture for a handshake had been refused, a lot of people seemed to do that to her lately...

And then, perhaps once more in something of a fashion that mimicked their Master, she started to slowly circle Pandora with measured steady steps. "What are you, anyway? A lot of cables and stuff on you, and the way you talk is pretty interesting. Are those all implants you did yourself?" she asked as she regarded the appearance of the woman, coming to a stop behind her as she tilted her head while she examined her. "Don't think I've met anyone so augmented yet. Why don't you show me a few tricks, Pandora?" she asked with a smug smirk as she used her name for the first time.

It was clear the young Sangnir was trying to have a little fun at the expense of her fellow apprentice, but it didn't seem malicious or mean-spirited, just... bratty and annoying.

 

[Viscountess Pandora]

Tags - Valaine Valentine

One eye turned fully green. Jealousy flew through Pandora at the mention of Valaine having more nicknames than her. How Valaine was acting so smug and suprerior about it. Pandora stood there looking at Valaine as she inspected her, much like Virelia did when they first met.

"Don't think I've met anyone so augmented yet. Why don't you show me a few tricks, Pandora?" she asked with a smug smirk as she used her name for the first time.

A trick you shall have then. Pandora opened up her palm to force push Valaine against the wall, keeping her pinned there. She simply turned around to face Valaine, that green eye then aggressively shifting to purple. Pandora winced as the purple code overrode her cybernetics to tell her a message.

"Morsel, remember your lesson."

Pandora then droppd Valaine to the ground, as her eye shifted back to red. She sighed. She could not let herself be goaded so easily. It would make her look weak. Desperate. Not the perfect being she aspired to be. That she wanted to be. "The cybernetics originally were not done by me. I made improvements as time went on." This time Pandora spoke more casually, maybe even more friendlier? Though that could be either genuine or Pandora believing she has established a dominant position in this conversation.

 

[Valaine Valentine]

Tags - Viscountess Pandora

Valaine certainly wasn't expecting the sudden Force Push as she was pressed against a wall with a gasp of surprise. She seemed pretty helpless in that moment, unable to do anything about the power exerted over her as she struggled. When Pandora dropped her back to the ground she stumbled onto a knee with a light cough as she steadied herself, and then swiftly stood herself back up as she brushed her robes with a huff of annoyance.

Her tired eyes narrowed towards Pandora, Valaine seemed embarrassed that she had been so easily pushed and such embarrassment only fueled her spite further. She took a few steps towards Pandora as she squared up to her, eyes staring up at the other woman with a furrowed brow. "You're a little sensitive aren't you, 'morsel'?" she asked, using the nickname she was given against her now. "First bit of confrontation and you start throwing people around huh? Totally not insecure at all." she continued to goad as she tilted her head to the side as she stared up at her.

She raised a finger to prod accusingly against Pandora's shoulder, jabbing her roughly with it. "Maybe one of the improvements you should make is a social behavioral chip that actually works?" she prodded her shoulder again. "If you apologize though, I'll just forget it ever happened."

Valaine could certainly be very annoying...

 

[Viscountess Pandora]

Tags - Valaine Valentine

She wanted to hit Valaine. But then she remembered something else she could do. When Valaine jabbed her finger against her shoulder for the second time, Pandora grabbed Valaine's wrist. She pulled the woman closer to her, the red eyes analyzing everything about Valaine's facial features. The pale skin. The pointed ears. The gaunt look. Pandora couldn't help but chuckle at such things. Her chuckle turned into a laugh as her grip tightened on Valaine's wrist.

"Insecurity? I dont particulary care about what you think of me Valaine. Any sort of social behavior issues you think I have are just me wanting to be perfect. But I don't think you can ever grasp that concept. You go out in public looking like this, not even a spec of makeup on you. Nothing to compliment the pale skin you have. I can't stand such things."

Perhaps unlucky for Valaine, Pandora's cybernetics allowed for a hologram to be displayed. One fo her eyes flickered to show a hologram Valaine with black eyeshadow and lipstick. "Imagine the perfection you are missing out on."

 

[Valaine Valentine]

Tags - Viscountess Pandora

Valaine's tired gaze shifted to the hand that grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her in. She was already pretty close to Pandora, so now she was practically almost leaning against her as those tired eyes shifted back to meet the analyzing red ones. The young Sangnir definitely had enough strength to wrench herself free from Pandora's grasp, her innate speed and strength gifted to her by her nature was enough to see to that. But instead she chose to just wait and see what her fellow apprentice would do.

She gave a light tilt of her head as Pandora chuckled, narrowing her eyes in a lightly confused manner. "Mm...? Makeup...?" she questioned, she had indeed never bothered with makeup her whole life. "Why would I need that? I'm not trying to impress anyone..." she huffed softly. There was perhaps a single person she did want to impress, but that was something of a complicated matter.

Then the hologram appeared and the young Sangnir looked to it with a lost expression. "Huh...? What did you do to me? Is that... lipstick?" she asked as she squinted her tired eyes at the hologram. "It makes me look more monochrome than I already am... I don't see how anyone would like that." she replied. Valaine perhaps lacked some confidence in her own appearance, and she was by no means unattractive even without makeup, but she'd lived a life where it had never mattered to her. To see an image of her suddenly wearing makeup was strange to her, like she wasn't quite looking at someone she could call herself.

Her tired eyes glanced back up towards Pandora. "So is that what you're about? Physical appearance?" she asked.

 

[Viscountess Pandora]

Tags - Valaine Valentine

"Beauty." Pandora corrected. "Beauty, grace, elegance. All of them to be combined into perfection. Beauty after all is one of the most important things when it comes to perfection. For those to look at you with envy, to make them feel that they pale in comparison. To some, you might even be an angel from another plane of existence."

Pandora simply let go of Valaine, as she closed down the hologram. "But I suppose you do not understand nor are willingly being ignorant about these facts. Perhaps the Mistress sees something else in you and that's why she keeps you around. But as infighting between apprentices does not bode well for our Mistress, I am willing to offer my assistance in changing your looks. Ranging from makeup to even cosmetic surgery to enhance your physical looks"

Pandora chuckled "After all, you can use a bit of work yes? You feel insecure not only by your lack of force powers, but also your appearance." Now it was Pandora's turn to poke and prod.

 

[Valaine Valentine]

Tags - Viscountess Pandora

The young Sangnir tilted her head at Pandora curiously. "And you're... All of those things, are you? Beauty, grace, and elegance?" she questioned to see if the woman would indeed describe herself as such.

Valaine had never typically cared for her appearance but she didn't seem to like the way that Pandora prodded at her about it regardless. She huffed softly and gave a light shrug of her shoulders. If Pandora was going to joke and jest about a makeover then perhaps the correct response was to simply put her on the spot with it, force her to put her words into action. "Sure, why not? Miss me with the cosmetic surgery, I don't think I need that. But the rest? I'm sure someone like you, so focused on beauty, wouldn't make me look like anything short of perfect, right? It'd reflect poorly on you if I was lacking."

She then offered a cocky smirk as she aimed to make another verbal jab, "It'll help too, you'll know the next time the Mistress gives me a kiss if I've got lipstick on, I didn't last time." Valaine really didn't care for the affection her Mistress showed her, but she had a feeling Pandora did, so to her using that fact was nothing short of a knife aimed to the ribs.

There was uncertainty within the Sangnir on whether Pandora was actually willing to help her, and if their little back and forth at odds had ended already, but she was a sucker for trying to get the last word...

 

[Viscountess Pandora]

Tags - Valaine Valentine

Another flash of green code flickered in Pandora's eyes. The last comment had struck a chord within the woman but then again, she did remember what Virelia told her back in that meeting. Plus a small kiss? Hardly something to lose one's mind over. Pandora simply gave a small forced smile as she then circled Valaine. "Yes do let me know that. Maybe the Mistress will actually enjoy the fact you put in effort in your appearance."

"Am I the emodiment of beauty, grace, and elegance? No, not yet. The Mistress will help shape me into that perfect being. And I wish for others to follow that path. You want us to get along? This is how we are going to get along." Pandora then stopped, looking at Valaine up and down "Plus, I am sure the Mistress would enjoy having something more than a pale board with her. Though that's insulting to boards. Some boards actually aren't flat."

She gave another smile. "But you know, maybe you enjoy being less than. Something I can't fix." Pandora wasn't going to let Valaine get the last word in.

 

[Valaine Valentine]

Tags - Viscountess Pandora

A twinge of annoyance appeared on Valaine's pale visage once more as she narrowed her tired eyes towards Pandora. A pale board? What exactly did she mean by that-... The understanding of the insult directed towards her was found and her jaw tensed with a desire to lash back towards the other woman.

But... She'd already fired most of her verbal ammo at her and she seemed to shrug it off easily enough. To go beyond this would leave the Sangnir without more avenues of attack... And so she breathed in a deep and calming breath and exhaled before she untensed and stared at Pandora. "... You didn't waste much time in eyeing me up, did you?" she huffed in light annoyance.

With a shrug of her shoulders she conceded. "But... Whatever, I guess... You're right, this back and forth doesn't do much for us. So... Kiss and make up? No more comments from either of us." she asked as she held a hand towards Pandora once again, maybe she'd take it this time...

 

[Viscountess Pandora]

Tags - Valaine Valentine

Pandora looked at Valaine, once more looking her up and down "No it didn't take much time at all. Not much to look at." But the woman did take Valaine's hand firmly into her own. It appeared she was going for a handshake to call a truce. But Valaine said kiss and makeup yes? So Pandora instead pulled Valaine, close to her dipping her low a bit. Before the Sangnir even had a chance to react, Pandora kissed her firmly on the lips.


Pandora held it for a long time, before then pulling away, letting Valaine breathe for a bit. "There, we made up,yes?"

 

[Valaine Valentine]

Tags - Viscountess Pandora

The last thing Valaine was expecting was to actually kiss and make up. With a light gasp of surprise she was pulled forward and tilted back as Pandora leaned to plant her lips upon hers. The angle she was held at all but forced her to place both her hands upon Pandora's back for support and of fear that she'd just fall over. This was the second time someone within the Court had suddenly kissed her without warning...

As the kiss was held the Sangnir let out a light muffled sound in response. She felt that softness upon her lips, the closeness, and gazed into Pandora's eyes as she blushed from the interaction. What was seconds felt like minutes, and then finally the kiss parted as Valaine let out a soft gasp of surprise and she was released.

She looked towards Pandora with a sense of bafflement for a moment, perhaps she didn't quite understand idioms? Either way it was likely her own mistake for using them with someone who by all intents didn't seem like the most socially adjusted person. She reached a hand to her lips at the thought of the kiss that had just taken place, and then she glanced aside swiftly as her dark hair fluttered with the motion.

"I- I... I didn't mean actually kiss...!" she huffed in embarrassment, but a different kind of embarrassment as opposed to the humility earlier. She breathed in a deep breath and sighed, giving a shrug, "But-... Y- Yeah, I guess we've made up, sure." she consigned as she turned back to Pandora. "... Next time someone says that though, they're... They're not actually asking you to kiss them... Just so you're aware..."

 

[Viscountess Pandora]

Tags - Valaine Valentine

"Oh I know, Valaine. But something tells me you do not mind it when women kissed you." Pandora chuckled as she then stepped away from Valaine. "But I expect to see you soon to help the Mistress. So try not to get lost okay?" It was more of a playful tease than an actual barb "See you around Valaine."

With that Pandora walked off humming a tune.

 

[Valaine Valentine]

Tags - Viscountess Pandora

Valaine continued to appear baffled, and she blinked at Pandora's assessment of her. She wasn't entirely wrong, but to say it like that? It left her stunned.

When Pandora departed Valaine could only watch her, and when she had entirely left her view she voiced to herself in wide-eyed confusion, "Huh...?".