A Place I Haven't Been

[Matsu Xiangu]

[SIZE=12pt] Praesitlyn[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt] Early Afternoon[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt] Explaining why she had joined the Beast Hunters’ Guild was always an interesting prospect. She didn’t need the credits – working for her old Master was lucrative and easy. Animals weren’t a particular interest of hers. She didn’t need to make any connections. The easiest answer was always that in some ways, despite all the changes she’d gone through since finding her way in the Fringe, she still sought the high of adrenaline. She had struck out from home young because sitting still didn’t work for her. The Beast Hunters provided a way to not only practice her skills with the Force, but satisfy some sick urge in her to feel for a moment that she might lose control.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] But regardless, she was delivering the bounty of her latest catch to the person who ordered it. It was unusual as she usually dropped off the contract at the Hunters’ Headquarters to be processed by them, her job done. But there were extra credits in it for her and she was curious to see what buyer was getting such special treatment.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] Praesitlyn was a planet that she had – surprisingly – never been to before and as she entered atmosphere she looked out the viewport at brilliant greens. It was different than Annaj, who’s hellish red sky had become something expected. She had coordinates of an exact place to meet with the client and who to be looking for, and she slid the small stealth ship down to the planet’s surface, some ways off from a gathering party of men and women. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] At least she’d been invited, apparently.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] She was still dressed in cargos and combat boots, attire much different than her usual weakness for fashion. She appreciated function as well and she fit in easily with the group milling about, all seeming to wait their turn for something.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] At the center of it all was a woman, taller than Matsu (but wasn’t everyone?) and seemingly drawing the attention of several of the people around her. Matsu watched for a moment, trying to figure out what she’d disturbed. It didn’t become immediately apparent but what did was the startlingly white right eye of the woman she kept her gaze on. Like all humans she had an innate knack for pattern recognition but instead of craving order she was drawn to that which broke the mold – all the sudden she was wrapped up, moving forward and catching a moment between conversations to sneak her way in.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] “Lasedri?” she asked. “I’m from the Beast Hunters,” she said by way of explanation, offering the neatly packaged skins and talons. She didn’t care what the woman needed them for but they looked deadly and that was something she could get behind.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] She glanced around, about to be on her way though something called her to stay, some pinprick of danger – something off – crawling up her spine. “Mind if I ask what you’ve got going on here?"[/SIZE]

[member="Geneviève Lasedri"]​

 

[Geneviève Lasedri]

"Actually, I do mind." Geneviève spoke with little tact, per usual. She liked controlling what information others knew about her. She was a very private person, despite what the current situation would suggest. She was also a bit of a jerk.

She was dressed completely in black from head to toe, also per usual. Her unbuttoned, ankle-length trenchcoat swayed slightly in an intermittent breeze, accentuating her dark demeanor. With her asymmetrical stare, Lasedri studied the stranger, her one good eye flitting automatically to the usual places weapons are carried.

The secret leader of the Rebel Alliance slowly clamped her fingers around the package that the stranger presented, very much aware of the fact that she now was vulnerable with her hand occupied. "Thank you," she responded, eyes narrowing. There was something odd in the way the other woman maneuvered her left arm. A bit of paranoia goes a long way, and Geneviève was not one to ignore the small details. She delayed in dismissal and repeated herself to see what reaction she would get. "Thank you."

[member="Matsu Xiangu"]

 

[Matsu Xiangu]

[SIZE=12pt] Oh, a little spunk – Matsu liked that. This woman reminded Matsu of her best friend, Kesare – no nonsense, short, and absolutely no room for stupidity. (Though in all honesty, Kesare was…off.) Most Sith were temperamental, flying off the handle at the slightest hint of disrespect as if the opinions of those they didn’t know mattered. But Matsu didn’t expect someone to be able to know what she was capable of or the things she’d done just by looking at her (they couldn’t rip through minds like she could, couldn’t pick out everything and know someone when they weren’t looking). Respect needed to be earned. And besides – being blindly obeyed all the time got boring.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] She could see the woman eyeing her arm though it seemed less out of an interest than wariness – a good trait. It was stronger than the average appendage and the claws that poked out from beneath her sleeve were clearly deadly. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] Matsu was about to reply to the thanks and the rather snappy dismissal when a thought drifted across her mind.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]All I have to do is get her to trust me…[/SIZE]​

​

[SIZE=12pt] All the ease in her face disappeared, replaced by a hunter’s gaze as she darted her eyes over the crowd. It was only a moment before she saw who she wanted: a man, face set in an expression that was surprisingly free of the subterfuge roiling in his brain. Matsu didn’t know who this woman was that he brought the order to, but considering the amount of people milling about her she appeared at least a little important – and perhaps important enough to try and sabotage. As the man stepped forward, jostling his way to the front of the group looking to speak with Lasedri, Matsu let her expression flatten in to something deadlier, pointing at him with her durasteel claws. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] “Not that one,” she said quietly, though she didn’t explain herself. Though perhaps her reasons were made obvious when the man realized he’d somehow betrayed himself and shoved his way through the crowd to attack Lasedri, a last-ditch attempt at getting his job done.[/SIZE]

[member="Geneviève Lasedri"]​

 

[Geneviève Lasedri]

Not... which one? Gen whirled about to confront whoever had been indicated while tossing the package of animal remnants at the woman's face, just in case this was one of those 'look behind you' ploys. The Chandrilan was no fool--at least, not in this context.

The man had come upon her and overpowered her, shoving her to the ground just as she put her hands out to ward off his attack. But she had his wrist now, and with a sweep of her leg, she brought him down on top of her in the dry, needly grass. With a swift movement, she curled his hand into his own shoulder. He continued to strike at her. She gave a little nudge and snapped his wrist, eliciting a growl from her assailant.

Geneviève still might have a problem, however. A broken joint would not stop a desperate man for more than an eyeblink, and Lasedri was now vulnerable to an attack from the parcel delivery agent. Of course, the package delivery girl might actually be just a tricked-out package delivery girl. One never knew these days. Gen glanced briefly at the mailwoman to assess just how much trouble she was in.

[member="Matsu Xiangu"]

 

[Matsu Xiangu]

[SIZE=9pt] Matsu snapped her hand up to intercept the package before it could smash her right in the face, wondering if the woman played any of those quaint little sports where people threw a ball at each other and that’s why she had such dead aim and a serious arm. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt] She watched with little expression on her face as Lasedri fought off the man, though the edges of her lips quirked in a smile when she heard the snap of bone and the scream of confirmation it was the assailant that had gotten the short end of the stick. Call it slightly unethical, but Matsu had been willing to risk the woman getting hurt – or killed – just to see if she had the guts she at least acted like she had. Matsu wasn’t disappointed. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt] Without missing the continually suspicious glance that Lasedri tossed her Matsu brought her metal arm up, gears whirring in the silent air between them, and closed her fingers slightly in a pinching motion. The man lifted off the ground, clawing comically at his throat with both hands, the one with the wrist Lasedri broke flailing uselessly. Matsu let it go on for a moment or two, savoring his panic and fear until she pressed hard enough to snap his neck. She had none of the lightsaber skills that made many of her fellow Sith so formidable, but what she lacked in combat she made up for in sheer strength in the Force. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt] Dropping the body without ceremony Matsu held out the package she’d caught in her natural hand out to the woman on the ground. “Can I give this to you without you trying to break my nose with it?” She spared a small sweep of her eyes to the man’s body as it twitched before slipping them back to Lasedri.[/SIZE]

[member="Geneviève Lasedri"]​

 

[Geneviève Lasedri]

A blow to the face had been averted. Immaculately, the thrashing, powerful body of Lasedri's attacker was removed from its suffocating position on top of her, his arms pulling back and uselessly trying to dispell the crushing power being employed on his neck. A sickly crackling was subsequently heard, and the man dropped lifeless next to Geneviève's prone body.

The Benefactor rolled off her back and arose from the ground, eye intently studying the courier as she cautiously accepted the package once more. She would not betray her true thoughts, but the mysterious woman frightened her in spite of the rescue she had just performed. This person had a power she had not yet discovered the ablity to utilize, and it made her feel weak in the presence of such a person. "A neck to save your nose, then?" she asked, unorthodoxly lighthearted for Geneviève's prevalently murky personality. Never let them feel comfortable with their advantage.

Gen glanced at the corpse for a second, then returned her eyes to the other woman. "Why are... you here?" she questioned now, almost accusingly.

[member="Matsu Xiangu"]

 

[Matsu Xiangu]

[SIZE=9pt] She smirked, surprised by the near-joke the woman offered. “Certainly. My face is more important than someone’s neck,” she quipped, playing back a near-joke of her own. (Only half a joke because Matsu was impossibly vain – breaking a neck to keep the integrity of her face was not a far-fetched concept.) She appreciated the jab though; it was good to keep oneself in check, even if naturally liable to snap vertebrae for petty grievances. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt] Admittedly, she was puzzled when she received almost an accusatory tone. “What did you expect, a flock of bats to deliver that to you? Mrrew made it clear you were someone that warranted delivering this in person, making sure it got in to your hands,” she explained, still not minding the suspicion. Funny how hard it was to push her when it came to most things (bar her face of course). “I suppose he wasn’t wrong. That,” she said, pointing down to the corpse rapidly cooling a few inches from their feet, “was pretty intent on killing you after convincing you to trust him. His thoughts were very...loud.” [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt] Frankly, Matsu didn’t care what the woman had going for her or what she was setting up. Her business was her business. But she couldn’t help but give a little sass back when she received it.[/SIZE]

[member="Geneviève Lasedri"]​

 

[Geneviève Lasedri]

"I trust Mrrew. But I didn't expect someone with your... expertise to play the flower delivery girl," Geneviève muttered. "It's not usually a level playing field." She lied. She totally lied, trying to project the idea that she had harnessed powers equal or greater to that which this woman had just displayed.

Really, it was interesting that this woman might be an associate of one of Lasedri's generals. She relied a lot on his good judgment, but sometimes Mrrew's commitment carried him into situations that Gen would rather him not risk. And this cybernetically-armed woman was enough to make her uncomfortable. She needed to get rid of this bag; take it where it belonged. You're sort of a liability, chick. It would have been nice to be able to draw her gun if any more surprises should surface. "Are you expecting a hug, then?"

[member="Matsu Xiangu"]

 

[Matsu Xiangu]

[SIZE=9pt] Matsu grinned when Gen commented on the rather strange task Matsu had agreed to carrying out. She wouldn’t deny it was out of place for someone capable of snapping necks to be found playing errand girl. But she wasn’t exactly the most normal individual in the galaxy to begin with. “I won’t say no to a few extra credits,” she answered, though even that in itself was a strange excuse because between the numbers she pulled for the Guild and the money she made working for the Fringe and her old Master she was not hurting for money whatsoever. She raised her eyebrows slightly when the woman mentioned a playing field. She hadn’t necessarily felt anything from her in the Force but that didn’t mean much. What she was implying could mean she had enough power to mask her own signature. That or she was bluffing and she had the Force but in amounts Matsu would only be able to pick up if she were trying…a possibility that seemed kind of distinct considering her first reaction had been to physically attack the man who’d gone after her.[/SIZE]


[SIZE=9pt] Luckily for Lasedri, Matsu wasn’t in the habit of busting in to people’s minds just for fun.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt] Ignoring the sarcastic (and rhetorical) question about a hug, Matsu crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head, the little smirk on her face revealing the canines she’d filed to a curved point herself. “Yeah? Let’s see what you’ve got then.” If she didn’t want to play on this particular field Matsu would just leave like Lasedri clearly wanted her to – she had other things to do.[/SIZE]

[member="Geneviève Lasedri"]​

 

[Geneviève Lasedri]

Great. Special Delivery had called her bluff. It was time to do some quick thinking, because most people with neck-snapping powers usually have a lot more promising opportunities for making spare credits than transporting poached animal parts around the galaxy like an everyday smuggler. There had to be a motive to her showing up--something more devious.

Someone seemed to have dental problems--or they were just as shady as the Benefactor had already deduced. Gen raised an eyebrow as she observed the woman's unique teeth, taking advantage of this revelation to distract from her own hesitation. She could only so far use the Force to see, much like a Miraluka, but not quite as advanced. There was no way she could prove anything, much less intimidate the stranger. "I prefer not to show my hand, if you know what I mean," she said. Satisfactory, right? "But I would strongly advise you to not press your luck."

She had painted herself into a corner now. She just hoped the other woman did not know this.

[member="Matsu Xiangu"]

 

[Matsu Xiangu]

[SIZE=9pt] Surprisingly, one wouldn’t expect poached animal parts came with more than million credit paydays. There were days her former Master didn’t take that kind of money home and Matsu had a weakness for fashion and things. She spent a lot of time on her own in her older teen years and had gotten used to living sparsely. She had vowed never to see those lean days again, and if delivering a package safely meant another 5,000 credits, she was willing.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt] Although she wouldn’t go in Lasedri’s head unless the woman gave her a reason – say, attacking her, or perhaps someday in the future having information in that skull Matsu needed – she smelled something false.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt] Reaching outwards with her mind she pressed gently, finding the spot when Lasedri was concentrating on keeping her composure and sneaking in. Telekinesis – choking, throwing, breaking, in all its destructive glory – was a functional way to fight when she’d left weapons by the wayside. But if she were able to break necks, she was able to tear the mind to pieces. This was where she excelled, illusion and deception.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]A whisper in the other woman’s mind, soft, comforting…[/SIZE]​

[SIZE=9pt]You can tell me the truth.[/SIZE]​

​

[SIZE=9pt] Matsu’s right eye blanked out, as snow-white as the woman’s standing across from her, before it started slowly melting down her face.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt] And in a blink everything was fine – nothing had happened. Still smiling.[/SIZE]

[member="Geneviève Lasedri"]​

 

[Geneviève Lasedri]

She practically gasped as the voice penetrated the calculations of her mind--a voice that was not hers. But the image so briefly cast before her certainly was hers, the stolid white eye even making an appearance. What are you? Gen asked, shaking off the residue of shock. She was almost scared that the voice--this woman's voice--might reply to her mental question. If that was possible then this was bad. Very bad.

Yet, despite the creepiness and outright insanity Lasedri was convinced that she had experienced, there was a serenity that arose from it. It was so out-of-place; so wrong. But it was the truth. What do you want from me?

[member="Matsu Xiangu"]

 

[Matsu Xiangu]

[SIZE=9pt] She heard the question and smiled. She sensed apprehension but not outright fear – good, she didn’t want Lasedri’s fear. Matsu was no bully, poking and prodding for reaction from someone who hadn’t done something to her first. In her mind, respect and fear were things that could not be forced and retain their sincerity – give them reasons.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]What[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] are you?[/SIZE]​

[SIZE=9pt](Anything.)[/SIZE]​

​

[SIZE=9pt] One thing after the other, and in between each a flash of chameleon change abrupt but flashy: first she was a Twi’lek, then a Zabrak, then a Rancor (hmm, let’s not stay in that one long), then she was a colorful bird, and then she was Lasedri herself again.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt] She let go of the moment again – what she’d done was a form of a mind trick, though it required more fine motor skills in the art of plucking strings in the brain, manipulating directly what one might see. If she were feeling cruel she might find what scared Lasedri, but that would require an intrusion Lasedri hadn’t bought herself. Matsu answered out loud, still just as placid and gentle. “Nothing. What do you want from me?”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt] She thought the woman would have sent her away by now if there wasn’t a shred of curiosity there.[/SIZE]

[member="Geneviève Lasedri"]​

 

[Geneviève Lasedri]

There was nothing at all normal about whatever had just occurred. Her mind had been taken for a trip, skimming through the shortest realization of fear at the ghastly rancor before another--yet more breathless--state of shock as she beheld her own form standing in front of her. The image lingered in Gen's eyes even after the illusion had been removed.

Or was this all an illusion? The Benefactor had not been killed by this cryptic visitor yet, so there was still a likelihood that she would not be killed if she reached out. Extending her hand in invitation to shake, Lasedri stifled her breathing to provide her own illusion of unchallenged composure, still trying to salvage some sort of upper hand in whatever this otherworldly engagement was. "You never gave me your name. But you make for a neat show."

She awaited the grasp, tensing her biceps in preparation for a swift manipulation of the other's wrist should this gesture turn out to be the blunder of the century. How Gen wished she could have both hands free...

"I'm waiting..." she added, almost cryptically, "for enlightenment."

[member="Matsu Xiangu"]

 

[Matsu Xiangu]

There were branches of illusion like the one Matsu had mastered that faced their limitations. It came in three flavors – mentalist, magic, and a brand called the white current that Matsu respected if she didn’t necessarily seek. Mentalist illusions were powerful, elaborate, and in the right hands could be used to pull the wool over someone’s eyes effectively and with ease. But find the flaw and it was over, unraveled…and they couldn’t truly hurt, couldn’t maim or kill.

But Sith Magic…that could hurt a target as effectively as the real thing. Realistic, hard to escape, and lethal – sounded like sweet music to Matsu and she was on her way to unlocking the art and mastering it as she had mentalist illusions. A glorious day for her, less so for the galaxy at large.

Extending her natural hand she wrapped her fingers loosely around the woman’s and shook lightly, running her tongue over her teeth before answering. “I’m Matsu Xiangu,” she said, dropping the shake along with her name (and just her name, no rank, no title, none of anything that would lead back to her own personal missions or those she’d completed for the shadowy Fringe, though if this woman was informed she may know the name) and contemplating ‘enlightenment’. She’d never imagined herself with the godlike connotations the word expressed though she pegged it for a simple choice of vocabulary more than crediting the Sith with anything more than the Force.

But what to offer? What to give like a present, some manipulation from a woman who’d dedicated her life to the art? She’d felt the tenseness in the handshake, a snap-second movement from having her wrist twisted when the woman deflected anything she might try…

Something useful then.

She looked around the group of men and women who’d seemed to pair off, hanging back while they waited for Lasedri to finish speaking with the admittedly unsettling woman who’d made a delivery, probing around their heads and finding someone with fairly weak resistance. “That woman, right there with the light hair…tell her she was thinking of climbing that tree over there. And when you say it…mean it. Say it like it's most sensible thing in the world...and imagine it blooming in her mind.” There was nothing beyond the meager explanation and Matsu expected either a sneer and a disgusted dismissal or…a sneer and an effort that would unlock tricks with the mind that would open doors for the woman in front of her.

[member="Geneviève Lasedri"]​

 

[Geneviève Lasedri]

Matsu Xiangu... If she thought Gen would not run a background check on her later, she was sorely mistaken. Especially with teeth like that. People can be weird. "I'd introduce myself, but it would appear that you know..." ...too much about me. Had this woman had to practice matching Lasedri's form beforehand? The Alliance Benefactor was not sure whether it was scarier if she had or not.

But they were getting somewhere now. Though it was still curious as to what true motivation this 'Xiangu' had in transporting some trophy to the rather uninteresting world of Praesitlyn. Sure, it was possible that she really was here for the money, but Gen's intuition insisted otherwise. It must be something more-or-less abstract, considering the nature of her 'guest'.

The optically asymmetrical woman followed the glance of 'Xiangu' and processed the instructions. "You can't be serious." Was this person trying to set her up; embarrass her publicly and destroy her reputation as a rational leader? "I think your imagination is a little more vast than mine."

Still, she did it. Why she did it, she could not justify. Part of it was pride, that much was certain. But to follow orders was simply not in her nature. And yet the words leapt forth from her mouth in more of a suggestive recommendation than an implied understanding. "Hey, I think you were wanting to go climb that tree, were you not?" Gen probably could do with tapping into a few more emotive faculties.

[member="Matsu Xiangu"]

 

[Matsu Xiangu]

Matsu did a lot of flying under the radar. If one was to run her name they’d find her with ties to Santhe Corporation, the Beast Hunters’ Guild, and her loyalty to the Lords of the Fringe. But most of her duties – the atrocities she committed, her role as an Inquisitor for the Empire of the Hand, the lives she took without blinking – were under wraps. She worked best when being underestimated. (If they did not see the knife falling, they would not hold their hands up in time to stop it from slicing through their heart.) “I only know your last name. I didn’t ask for more,” she said quietly, telling the truth. She’d had a last name and description – heterochromia was hard to miss.

She could press her way in to Lasedri’s mind and take her name, but as established – not until the woman gave her a reason.

She stifled a laugh when Lasedri commented on her imagination. (You don’t even know – at night I dream of a two-headed beast, and on each head are ten horns, crowns surrounding each. And in – my – dreams – I – see – a – beast – rising – from – the – sea.) She was sure that despite the fact that the woman in front of her was far more practical than Matsu could ever be, she could achieve something more abstract.

It started off well, Lasedri approaching with intent. But although it was brooked as a suggestion, it lacked the correct tone, the emotion that came with the Force and made the trick come to life. The woman looked confused, as if she’d felt a tug or something and thought about climbing the tree for a fraction of a second before opening her mouth to refuse Lasedri. Matsu reached in to the blond woman’s mind and erased the last moment or so (and this too is sith magic, the power to take away whole stretches and rewrite anew), giving Lasedri the chance to try again.

Matsu spoke in to her ‘student’s’ mind, quietly so as not to appear to be giving commands to a woman clearly in charge of the group milling about.

“Close – you could see her think about it.​

Don’t question yourself.​

Climbing that tree is the best idea in the world – let yourself feel it, and she will too.”​

​

[member="Geneviève Lasedri"]​

 

[Geneviève Lasedri]

So they were going to continue this game of telepathic communication. Gen could get used to this--especially the privacy it offered. Still, the other woman held the advantage, being the one who actually knew how to initiate such communication. Of course, Lasedri had been forced to come to terms with this fact by this point, but she would never be satisfied with her reliance. Was it possible for her to control such things? And if not now, then sometime in the future? There must be more power to be accumulated; utilized--and potentially abused.

Like this minor manipulation of the blonde's free will. The Alliance's leader had no qualms about it, but where was the line to be drawn? If she truly had this power within her, then what were its bounds? We'll climb the tree, then.

Thankful that her drooping trenchcoat concealed the deep, slightly apprehensive breath she took, Geneviève anchored her mental processing to focus on the task at hand and not the code to telepathy. This kind of skill required nothing less than hands-on instruction, and if she was to realize her capabilities in this still-unkown field of the supernatural, the Benefactor would have to reconcile herself to 'practicing' on those random--perhaps unlucky--minds.

And so, with a deliberate finger, Gen pointed to the subject and spoke. "You were wanting to climb that tree. What's delaying you?" Imagination, imagination... Her imagery was less of a gentle flower 'blooming' and more of a proton torpedo erupting against the unseen bastion of a mind. Even without physical involvement, she was just as direct and cogent as ever. Do it.

[member="Matsu Xiangu"]

 

[Matsu Xiangu]

For the most part, Matsu realized the concept she was asking for was abstract. She played with a full deck of cards but her cards were…in an alternate dimension, playing by different rules and less familiar with the laws and reality of the place they were truly standing in. It was what made her more suited to mentalism and magic and less to the things it appeared this woman heeding her instruction gravitated towards. Leadership was not something Matsu shied from, but she didn’t seek it either. She had too much fun in solitude, in exploring by herself.

She watched with almost no expression on her face as Lasedri tried again, feeling the intent much clearer as she felt from the sidelines of the blond woman’s mind. There was almost no hesitation, and anything that may have existed was obliterated under the weight of pressure that Matsu’s temporary student applied in the final second. The practice subject looked slightly dazed, as if she’d lost her train of thought before nodding to the woman who’d suggested the activity. “Yes, I think I…want to climb that tree.” She proceeded to do just that, grappling up rather ungracefully and slowly as if not entirely sure what she was doing there.

Matsu drew herself up next to the brunette, crossing her arms over her chest and watching the blonde as she found a branch to sit on. “Well done. In about a minute she’s going to wonder why she’s up there, but the point is that you got her to do what you wanted.” She was sure she didn’t need to elaborate on how useful that could be in any number of situations. “She has a weak mind. That was easy. Others won’t, but it’s a matter of practice and knowing where to push.” Tearing other’s minds apart: as benign as peeling an orange.

[member="Geneviève Lasedri"]​

 

[Geneviève Lasedri]

This time, she had done the deed. Somehow, she knew it would happen, and yet she did not think it would--as if she had no belief, but the tiniest amount of faith in the unconfirmed had won out in the end. The galaxy seemed constructed on paradox, and that much Gen was certain of. Why else would this 'Xiangu' show up here?

Inwardly, she sighed as her eyes darted about, scanning the small congregation and their reactions. They looked slightly confused--maybe even perturbed--but the fact that the woman had obeyed the Benefactor's 'suggestion' seemed to bolster her authoritative presence. There were those who might fear, and those who might reinforce their trust in their leader. Even the illusion of power was enough to manipulate the masses.

She had entered a new world. From this point onward, the black-clad oracle of anti-Imperialism would need to check herself, lest she publicly betray the initial ideals she had sworn herself to. And even as Geneviève watched the blonde submit and climb awkwardly to the heights of the sparsely clothed tree, she questioned the intent of her educator. Nothing was ever free--not even the right to think, as she had just learned firsthand.

Turning to Xiangu, she pried for elaboration. Her response would surely be most interesting. "And how does one practice such things?" The concept of sounded malignant indeed. But Gen had ideas...

She began imagining. Imagining on Xiangu.

[member="Matsu Xiangu"]