An Amicable Visit

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Alize Rosenheim"]


Welcome to Awkward City. Inhabitants: Three. Two organics, one droid, who admittedly blurred the line between man and machine. Suffice to say Siobhan found herself in a rather awkward situation, though in all fairness she was partly responsible for it.


Part of her felt bad for bringing up the topic, though she felt like it needed to be raised. Her friendship with HK-36 notwithstanding, Siobhan did regard most droids as property and seldom questioned that belief.


Ergo she had mainly looked at the issue from the perspective that Frederick needed to be able to perform his duties as Alize's guardian. This was probably not a particularly enlightened perspective, but it was the prism through which she viewed the situation. It was ironic that the droid was very human now.


On a certain level, she did think Alize might be too attached. "It's alright, dear. I apologise for causing discomfort. I was trying to look out for you. If you'd two like a moment alone to say goodbye, that's fine with me."

Spoiler

No problem! Basically we helped defeat the Sith superweapon and stole a Star Destroyer, so we're gonna celebrate that now. Basically more of a social thread for Tygaran folks and allies. Plan on doing threads for Sio and her apprentices in the future.

 

[Alize Rosenheim]

"No need to apologise, Countess Kerrigan, I would rather not be accompanied by someone who thought so lowly of me," Alize replied and turned to address the droid. "I hope I never have the displeasure of seeing you again."

Frederick opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something but closed it when he decided against it. It was better this way, he told himself as he stood up to leave. "Goodbye, Countess Kerrigan, Alize..." His voice trailed off as his gaze lingered on Alize’s delicate visage.

He had been selfish and did as he willed thus far so what was one last act of selfishness? I love you. I think. He thought to himself as he bent down beside Alize and gently kissed her cheek. “Goodbye Alize,” he whispered softly in her ear and saw himself out.

Stunned by the unexpected kiss, Alize sat in silence. The droid’s kiss felt different from the ones used as a gesture of greeting that she had been accustomed to and provoked something within her. Her heart wanted to chase after him and speak to him but her pride held her back.

“Men are such idiots,” Alize remarked, annoyed by the feelings that Frederick had sparked within her.

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]​

​

Spoiler

I see. I'll jump in when the celebrations start then! And awesome, I look forward to it!

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Alize Rosenheim"]


Siobhan was taken aback and surprises when Frederick suddenly planted a kiss on Alize's cheek. Did the droid have feelings for her? It sounded absurd...but then there were machines who transcended their programming. Or become far too much like the humans they sought to imitiate.


However, then he was gone. One of the maids saw him out. It may be for the best, Siobhan thought to herself. It was harsh and sad, but it might help Alize stand on her own two feet. "They are. Itty bitty living space. Women are far superior," Siobhan remarked. She was unrepentantly sexist. "He made his choice. You'll be fine, dear. You're a good girl. We can start with training, if you like."

 

[Alize Rosenheim]

Alize nodded silently in agreement. It was better that he was gone, she tried to convince herself. She had grown too comfortable in his presence and had neglected to learn anything in the way of self-defense as she had felt it unnecessary, but now he was gone. She couldn't rely on him anymore. She had to toughen up, to be independent, and be able to stand on her own without the need of a crutch to support her.

"How do we start?" The Epicanthix-hybrid inquired with a determined look on her face. Frederick made his decision, and now, she made her's. Gone are her days of crying and hiding behind the safety of another - or at least she hoped.

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]​

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Alize Rosenheim"]


Siobhan smiled slightly. "Come with me, dear," taking Alize's hand, she led out of the living room. They would pass a classy art gallery and a grand conference room, before heading down the stairs towards the basement level.


This floor was quite large and contained two areas: A fairly normal one for storage and supplies and a more secure, blast door locked section. A security control from where surveillance and villa defences could be controlled lay in the latter. Alize might catch a glimpse of a magnificient, towering statue of Ardarvia, the Eldorai goddess of law, order and justice, for there was a shrine dedicated to her on this floor.


Ultimately, Siobhan would lead her to the training room. It was rather spacious and resembled an Atrisian dojo. This was probably no surprise since a few of Firemane's top employees were Atrisian exiles. A collection of weapons and tools was laid out on a table. Others hung on the wall. It was rather unlikely that Siobhan had ever used a lightwhip or a Spear of Rae, but she kept them around for show. Another thing that might catch a visitor's eye was the fact that the room contained several absurdly big rocks. Some of them weighed a ton or more. They were based on the Jedi Order's Muuntur stones.


"This is the room I use for training and meditation. You'll have to wear something more practical. I wouldn't want your outfit to get dirty and you need more freedom of movement. I have some training clothes that should fit you."

 

[Alize Rosenheim]

Alize stayed silent as the Countess took her by the hand and led her out of the living room, past an elegant art gallery, a grand conference room and down to the basement level. Without Frederick as her safety blanket of sorts, Alize was scared. She felt alone. Although she was still annoyed with him, she missed him, yearned for him - something that could not be.

Toughen up; she mentally reprimanded herself as she caught a brief glimpse of a striking and imposing statue of a feminine figure she did not recognise.

After a while, the pair entered what Alize assumed was a training room of some sorts, judging from the layout of the room and the weapons laid out on the table and hung up on the wall. Unaccustomed to the sight of so many weapons in one place, the Epicanthix-hybrid was a little intimidated by them.

“Okay,” she replied nervously, scared of what was unknown to her.

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]​

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Alize Rosenheim"]


Siobhan briefly left Alize's side and looked through a closest before getting out two pairs of training clothes. "Here, these should fit you," she told the girl, handing a pair over to her. Luckily, they were about the same height.


In order to give the Panathan some privacy, Siobhan turned around and then took off her suit, stripping without any sign of modesty. It did not occur to her that this might embarrass her guest a bit, but on the positive side she would let Alize change at her own pace. Having relieved herself of her suit, she put on the shorts and tank top, then neatly folded her stylish outfit and put it into a corner.


She would wait for Alize till she took the next step. Siobhan's style of training tended to be rather abrasive, but she'd resolved to be more patient this time. "I'm not going to lie, Alize, this won't be easy. You're entering a whole new world. Some of it might be scary, the tests cand and will be gruelling. I will push you...but I will never hurt you. At the end, you will be a stronger woman. For starters, I need you to sit down and relax. Think of things that make you feel safe."

 

[Alize Rosenheim]

"Thank you," Alize smiled weakly as she took the change of clothes and turned away, embarrassed when the Countess began to change before her and turned around so that neither woman was looking at the other.

Her face flushed red as she struggled to unzip her dress as she had been accustomed to Frederick assistance when dressing and undressing. After approximately a minute or so of struggling, Alize finally got a hold of the zipper of her dress and let it fall to the floor and changed into the training clothes the Countess had so kindly loaned her. Carefully, she folded her dress and placed it out of the way with her shoes beside them. Although she had never undergone any type of training that was not traditionally required of an upper-class lady before, she had a feeling that the high-heels would be nothing but an annoyance during training. Furthermore, the idea of having to leave barefooted with a pair of broken heels in hand did not appeal to her and seemed rather embarrassing.

Quietly, Alize nodded at the Countess' words. She had fully expected the experience to be a stressful and gruelling one but she fully trusted Countess Kerrigan when she said she would never hurt her. Obediently, she sat on the ground femininely with her legs to the side and closed her eyes. "Think of things that make you feel safe," the Countess had told her.

Safe, safe. What made her feel safe? Frederick? No, she had sent him away, freed him from his obligations. Countess Kerrigan? Although she had taken quite a liking to the woman, she barely knew her having only met her recently with this being their second meeting. Think harder, Alize thought as she squeezed her eyes tighter and furrowed her brows.

An image of a respectable looking man and a beautiful woman appeared in her mind's eye. The man's face she had seen many times in photos in her grandparent's house, her father, the man who gave up everything for her mother - or that harlot as her grandmother often called her, cursing her for tempting her son with her wicked charms and stealing him away. Yes, the pair who had appeared in Alize's mind were her parents, a man she had only ever seen in photos and a woman whose features Alize had imagined from the bits and bobs she had heard about her. Although she hadn't the chance to remember them, the pair made her feel safe. Whenever her grandparents were cruel to her during her childhood, Alize would imagine the pair comforting her with their kind words and their warm hugs and kisses.

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]​

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Alize Rosenheim"]


"Good. You've done well. Keep that image in mind," Siobhan remarked, after Alize had found her safe place, remembering the image of her parents, who'd been scorned by her cruel grandparents. Now came the more difficult part. "Now think of something that makes you angry. Visualise it in your mind. Those moments when you felt small, weak, without control over your life, when you were scorned and oppressed." She would hopefully perceive a spike in Alize's mental power.


Siobhan did not know the full story of Alize's past, but she liked to think she was good at reading people. She could tell that the girl had been oppressed and treated like a lesser being. She'd lashed out, and bad things had happened.


She had to learn that she could take control over her own destiny and use her power, without becoming a monster. "You're stronger than those who wronged you. Deep down, you know you are better than them. A veil shall be lifted from your eyes, if you will it."

 

[Alize Rosenheim]

Anger was not an emotion she had been well acquainted with or, perhaps this was because she was merely unable to recognise the emotion. As a child, she had been taught to obey. Anything short of absolute obedience earned her a smack across her face from her grandmother on a good day and much, much worse on a bad day.

Scared, Alize trembled at the memories of her grandmother as an image of her replaced one of her parents. Everything she did was because she loved me, the Epicanthix-hybrid would often rationalise, unable to accept the fact that she was despised by her family, the people who were supposed to love her unconditionally.

[SIZE=14.6667px]Tears forced their way out of her closed eyes as she broke into sobs. [/SIZE]Although Alize struggled with recognising times where she had felt anger, her life had been riddled with moments where she had felt belittled, insignificant and a slave to her family's whims. Like their puppet, she would do as they willed as the days passed her by. Every day she endured was one filled with fear - as if she was navigating a minefield.

"You're stronger than those who wronged you. Deep down, you know you are better than them. A veil shall be lifted from your eyes, if you will it." Alize could hear the Countess say though she did not quite understand the woman's words. She had never thought herself strong or really felt that she had been wronged until her unwilling engagement. Furthermore, what was this veil the Countess spoke of?

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]​

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Alize Rosenheim"]


Siobhan saw the tears. Moreover, she felt the fear. Anger was not something Alize was that familiar with, but she was with fear. She'd been belittled, treated as a lesser being and been compelled to make excuses for the awful treatment meted out to her.


Slowly, Siobhan stepped forward and placed a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder. It had not escaped her that Alize was confused and it was also apparent to the Countess that she was probably lacking important information about the young woman. Training required understanding, both on part of the student and the teacher. Perhaps Siobhan should explain things a bit more!


"What's wrong, Alize? Tell me. You can confide in me if you have questions. I'm here to help." The power to take control over her own destiny was inside Alize, she just had to be guided on the right path to harness it and ignite her inner flame.

 

[Alize Rosenheim]

Alize tensed at the Countess' touch and bit her lip as she became overwhelmed with emotions. Emotions that she had previously brushed away sparked something inside her.

"I am a murderer, I unintentionally killed innocents in order to gain independence from my grandparents," she choked as tears welled up in her eyes. "A few years ago, I was engaged to a most unpleasant man who had a reputation of toying with women. He was ten years my senior but, he was heir to a formidable family and a powerful allegiance would have been born had we married. Although he fancied me, I did not feel the same way and as a result, he would often harass me in his frustration."

A look of disgust appeared on the Epicanthix-hybrid's face as she mentioned her former fiancee's harassment. "No matter how hard I tried, I could not bear the thought of being bound to that repulsive man for life. Call me naive but, isn't marriage meant to be a sacred union of two individuals in love with each other?" Alize paused and took a deep breath. "I despised my betrothed so much, I hired a group of mercenaries to drug my grandparents and bar the exits for good measure and set Rosenheim Manor, the historic home of my family ablaze. No one escaped."

Ashamed of her past actions, Alize covered her face with her hands and sobbed quietly for a minute before she pressed on with her story. As difficult it was, it felt good to tell another the story of her past. "After I received news of the fire, I sent a letter to his family to break off the engagement before and quickly left, emptying one of my grandparents' many accounts. I was young and stupid and planned for everything except for the resulting deaths of our servants. Even my nursemaid, who was the closest thing to a mother to me and my governess, my only friend perished in the fire. I should have died, not them."

Unable to contain her emotions relating to the arson any longer, the young woman balled herself up where she sat and started crying uncontrollably. If only she had chosen flight instead of fight, many families would have remained whole but, the thought of suicide had never crossed her mind at the time. Perhaps it was because she wanted to live or, perhaps it was because she was scared to die. She could not remember.

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]​

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Alize Rosenheim"]


"Oh, my poor Alize," Siobhan said feelingly, pulling the sobbing woman into a bear hug. "There, there, I'm not condemning you. You were forced into an impossible situation." Hatred and anger rose like bile in her stomach. They were not directed against Alize, but her monstrous grandparents.


"Marriage should be a sacred union between people who love one another. What your grandparents did was unconscionable. It should be your choice, no one else's. You're not a piece of live stock to be sold on the market for political convenience. That's...sick. You're not a toy. Your grandparents deserved their fate. They were evil. So was that pig they wanted to force you to sign yourself over."


She reached out with her hand to gently stroke Alize's cheek, wiping some tears away. "Killing those servants was wrong. You feel guilty about their deaths...as you should. That's blood you cannot just wash away. But it wasn't a crime of malice. As you said, you were wrong and stupid...and desperate. It's something you can make amends for."

 

[Alize Rosenheim]

Unaccustomed to being comforted by others, Alize was a little taken aback by the Countess' hug but, her surprise was soon replaced by a strange warm feeling inside of her. This feels good. Embarrassed and deeply ashamed of her past, Alize looked up at the woman, her face flushing red as the Countess softly stroked her cheek, and wiped away some of her tears.

"I've never thought what my grandparents did was wrong. Everything they did was for the good of the family. They told me that marriage was my responsibility as a Rosenheim, that I shouldn't be selfish by complaining and put the family first. Anyone else I could have endured, but not him," Alize spoke weakly as she attempted to defend her grandparents. Though she was unhappy with the circumstances she had found herself in during her time with them, she never blamed them instead, she blamed the misfortune of her birth and perhaps, her father for running away and having her out of wedlock.

"Can I truly make amends for their deaths without returning to Panatha? A part of me want to return, speak with those who had been affected, and help them at least financially if they would let me but, I'm scared. The investigations would have probably revealed that I am to blame."

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]​

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Alize Rosenheim"]


"I hate to say this...but all that 'it's for the good of the family' talk was just rhetoric to control you. When they said it's for the good of the family, they meant their own good. They were the selfish ones. I'd never force my daughter to marry a monster, no matter how much I'd benefit. It would be cruel. It would show I valued power more than my own family. That's the mark of a sociopath," Siobhan said firmly.


She did not expect her words to get through to Alize right away, but she needed the young woman to understand that her life and desires had value. She frowned when Alize brought up the idea of returning to Panatha and looked troubled. "Alize...your desire to atone and help the affected is noble. It shows that you are a good person. But Panatha is ruled by a bloodthirsty tyrant and his minions. True monsters. If you go back there...you'd place yourself in grave danger. Especially since you have the Force, something Sith would sense. Your life has value."

 

[Alize Rosenheim]

Alize opened her mouth as if to say something but, closed it when she couldn't think of what to say. It hurt to think that her grandparents were only using her for their own personal gain. Even though she wasn't close with her them, she liked to think that they at least felt some affection towards her, even if it was only in minuscule amounts. "Maybe the difference in views is the result of a difference in cultures," the Epicanthix-hybrid thought aloud, unwilling to accept the fact that her family only thought of her as an instrument for personal gain as that would have been too much for her to bear.

"I know it's dangerous for me to return to Panatha as long as it's ruled by the Zambranos but, I don't know what else I can do. I'm desperate," Alize looked down, her eyes welling up with tears again. "And I still don't quite understand how having Force sensitivity would endanger me. If I've had it all my life, I've lived 19 years without it causing me any issues so, why would it suddenly cause me trouble? Aside from being a mass-murderer, and the owner of a growing makeup company, I'm just me. Nothing special."

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]​

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Alize Rosenheim"]


Siobhan felt like pushing the point, but decided against it. Alize was already in a poor state, and she did not want to add to the turmoil. To a degree, she could empathise. Her own parents had...not been nice people, but not as bad as Alize's grandparents. It was natural to want to believe that, even a little bit, they'd had her best interests at heart and cared about her.


So she focused on the other issue. "Sith prey on people like you. If they sensed you had the Force, you'd be a target for them. I felt you're a Force-sensitive, so they would, too. And they'd see your soul isn't black like theirs. They'd force you to become one of them, a monster, or make you suffer. A lot. And Panatha is under their thumb and their king's. It would be even worse if they learned you're my friend," she did not raise her voice, but her tone was very firm to convey the gravity of the situation.


"Those stories people tell about Kaine's torture dungeons? They're true, all of them. I care about you. I don't want you to get yourself killed. Then you can't help anyone." It seemed like a suicidal crusade to Siobhan. At the very least, Alize would need to be thoroughly trained.

 

[Alize Rosenheim]

Monster. That was a word that sent chills down Alize's spine. The very thought of becoming one of them made her tremble uncontrollably but, what scared her was when she heard the Countess say that the tales of Kaine's torture dungeons were true. Surely, that was where she would end up if she returned, and her presence discovered by one of the treacherous king's henchmen. The Sith Lord's penchant for violence and brutality preceded him.

"I suppose being smuggled in, and changing my appearance wouldn't do me much good would it?" the young woman asked as her dark hair turned blonde, and returned to its original colour as a display of her shapeshifting abilities. "If I can't return, what should I do instead? I'm at a loss as to what I should do." Alize said and looked up at the Countess with a desperate expression. She felt weak, helpless, and directionless without someone to tell her which path was the right one to take. The young Epicanthix-hybrid needed someone to tell her what to do, and how to do it like the obedient doll she had been groomed to become.

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]​

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Alize Rosenheim"]


"Oh, so you're a shifter," Siobhan muttered, more to herself. She obviously did not know that Alize's genetic makeup was a bit complicated. This was not the most pressing issue at the moment.


She did not need the Force to perceive Alize's uncertainty, her desperate need for direction. Siobhan faced the choice of letting Alize make her own decision, or to take control and provide her the guidance she needed. She did not want to make her an obedient doll and force her will on her, but she'd once been in a similar place.


"I once faced a similar choice. My actions hurt good people. Innocent people. I did not mean for it to happen...but it did. It broke me. I was haunted by their deaths and saw no value in my own life. It became an obsession. It took me to some rather dark places. I don't want you to repeat my mistakes," Siobhan said firmly. "I strongly suggest that you wait, train and, if you then still want to return to Panatha, only do so when you ready. There's much good you can do. I can show you."

 

[Alize Rosenheim]

Alize simply nodded in response to the Countess' observation.

"If I want to return to personally make amends to those whom I have wronged, the only thing I can do is to get stronger," Alize managed weakly as she made her decision, a daunting task. It was not that her decision was a hard one but, because she was now responsible for her own choices now. To others, freedom was a good thing; however, Alize did not feel inclined to agree. To some extent, she enjoyed being a caged bird with its wings clipped, unable to fly and soar above the clouds but, everything seemed much simpler then.

"How does training usually take?" she asked as a million questions filled her head. "And are Kaine and his lackeys as strong as people say? How will I know I am ready? What happens if I'm never ready?"

"I'm scared," Alize whispered realising that she must have said those words countless times already.

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]​