Private An Old Shadow

[Leliana]

Location: Jutrand, Luxury Apartments
Quinn Varanin​

Leliana had never been one to build real connections, it was how she was taught to be, as an assassin. They were simply a tool to manipulate and get close to a target in order to kill them. Which became very handy during her ‘education’ in the facility, pitting students against students, until she was the last one standing.

But then she found herself enrolling in the Sith Empire’s academy, and the seemingly quiet assassin caught the interest of a certain Echani Princess. Leliana had never quite known what had initially garnered that interest, but she played along, amused by the haughty attitude on display.

And Leliana wasn’t one to shy away from challenging her.

It formed a…interesting relationship, if one could’ve called it that. But just as real emotions began to enter the equation; at least on Leliana’s part, the assassin disappeared.

During her time immersed in shadows, there were only two people that Leliana missed.

Quinn Varanin was one of those two.

With her return to the galaxy, taking a place within the new Sith Order, Leliana decided to pay a visit to her old friend. It hadn’t exactly taken long to pin down where exactly Quinn frequented. Jutrand was an obvious answer, and of course she was residing in one of the fancier apartments.

So as the night had drawn on across Jutrand, the peaceful atmosphere of the Echani’s abode was interrupted.

Caw-Caw! Tap. Tap.

Caw-Caw! Tap. Tap.

It was the sound of a bird, one distinctively not native to the planet. And yet at the same time, it felt familiar, or perhaps it didn’t? Time had certainty passed, and one could have forgotten the sound of a certain dark-haired assassin’s familiar.

Upon investigation, Quinn would find a black bird perched outside one of the large windows, its glowing blue eyes staring through the glass. Beak opening to call, before gently tapping against the window.

And just as she would step towards it, the shadows around would shift and a figure would step out from their depths.

“Hello Quinn.” Leliana said, reaching up to pull down her facemask.

 

[Quinn Varanin]

//: Leliana //:
//: Quinn's Apartment //:

Quinn caught her breath; for a moment, she thought she was imagining it all. As if it was a cruel trick of the mind a ghost had conjured from the depths of her mind. Yet, the figure before her was no phantom. Leliana stood there, real and solid - her voice low and smooth, just like Quinn remembered.

A hand rested against her chest, feeling the warmth that spread through her. It had been years of silence from the shadow and unanswered questions. The sting of abandonment soon followed the heat. Quinn had felt betrayed and hurt when Leliana had left her, especially for that red-headed filth. Quinn's possessiveness was nothing new, and Leliana hadn't dodged the princess that way. However, Quinn was still happy to see Leliana standing on her balcony.

A slow smile tugged at the Echani's lips, "You absolute menace," she breathed, her voice trembling with disbelief and a dangerous hint of something close to joy. She crossed the distance, reaching out before she could stop herself. Her hand curled around Leliana's wrist, making the woman's presence a reality. "You disappeared," she accused the woman, but there was no malice in her tone - just the barest waver of emotion. As much as she hated to say it, losing Leliana hurt her more than she wanted to admit.

The Echani searched her face, wanting to find any sign of why she had left or a clue as to what made her come back. Quinn knew her well enough to catch the small details, but it seemed Leliana had gotten better at hiding them, or it had been too long for Quinn to pick up on them. Leliana had obviously changed, and the thought made her smile soften.

Quinn exhaled, a breath she didn't realize she was holding. Her grip tightened slightly as she nodded. "You have no idea how good it is to see you again."

 

[Leliana]

Location: Jutrand, Luxury Apartments
Quinn Varanin​

Her face was a stone mask, giving away none of the emotions that the assassin was feeling internally. It was an old-fashioned skill, one Leliana had been taught as a child. And yet, during those academic years, it was impossible to keep that mask up when around Quinn. But time had passed since those days, and the raven-haired assassin had gotten particularly good at masking her emotions.

Being alone in the shadows had that kind of effect.

And yet as her dark brown eyes met hazel, Leliana felt the slightest push to let the mask slip. To allow an old habit to rise back to the surface, as though nothing had happened or that no time had passed at all. But Leliana held her ground, and she kept herself emotionless as Quinn opened her mouth to speak.

Even her first words almost had Leliana crack into a small smirk, but again she remained resolute. She just watched as Quinn slowly approached, cautious and yet seemingly on auto-pilot as she reached out to grab her wrist.

“I did,” was her simple response to the accusation. But her voice was quiet, a soft warmth, like a memory of the past. As Leliana looked down at her, she searched for differences she could notice in the Echani Princess.

Barely looks like she’s aged a day, but she holds herself differently now. She’s not dealing with simple academic duels…

It was only at the end that Leliana’s stone mask finally cracked a little, as she raised an eyebrow to Quinn’s words. The assassin had been worried how this reunion would unfold, whether Quinn would be angry and upset with her, would lash out at her at first sight. And even though Leliana had hoped she’d be happy to see her, actually seeing it; seemingly so at least, caught her off guard still.

“Truly?”