Bonding Time

[Lira Dajenn]

In a white room in the converted cargo hold of her H-type Nubian Yacht Nemene sat with crossed legs before a woman tied to an upright table of sorts. Her face was placid and unemotional, it could have been carved from stone. The orange orbs in her eyes stared at the unconscious girl as if looking at her could awaken her.

Blood dripped from the girls face, bruises and fractured bone were openly showing and Nemene could tell every detail of damage she had done to the girl. It was quite extensive, and truthfully the back of her hands still hurt quite a bit from the beating she had dealt out to @[member="Evelynn"], which concerned her the most about this whole situation. Her frown deepened slightly as she inspected a knuckle with a deep gash in it, and rage flowed through her again, stupid peasant.

“Wake up!” A weave of the force flowed through the room, and a whip like crack of air smacked Evelynn in the face.

The strike wouldn't do much more than shock the girl awake, but it would be enough. Nemene sat upon her chair like a throne, her hands on her knee's and her face made of stone. She waited for the mute woman to rouse.

 

[Evelynn]

Oh, and it had been such a nice nap too.

Her head lolled around lazily as the not-so-gentle jarring sensation caused the girl to stir. The first thing she noted was that one side of her face was throbbing, a vicious heat that accompanied what was a very swollen and bloodied visage, the fact that you could see bone was the surest testament to how furiously she had been beaten. Of course, this was swiftly forgotten due to one problem.

Her eyesight had not returned.

Well, naturally she couldn't even open one eye given how dramatic the swelling was but through the other there was still only white. This caused panic. Evelynn attempted to bring her hands up to her face but found herself bound. This caused more panic.

That woman from the cave. Oh gosh. The pace of the mute girl's breathing stepped up a notch as she realised that her predicament was grim. She had to reach out, the only way she could. Telepathically.

I cannot see! Help me, please!

@[member="Nemene Talith"]

 

[Lira Dajenn]

A spike of absolute rage ran through Nemene as once again the girls voice broke into her skull.

Would this peasant never learn! In a heartbeat the woman was on her feet, legs uncrossed and hand on the pommel and then hilt of her sword. With the force she tied a knot of air around Evelynns hair, wrenching the womans head back and exposing her throat.

The cool silver blade flickered out of its scabbard and slashed towards Evelynns throat, the blade sliced towards her with no hesitation. Nemene had intended to torture the girl, to play and have fun, but the irritation of having her mind broken into, the breach of privacy.

She would not stand for it.

Then suddenly her blade stopped as if it had struck a steel pillar, her eyes narrowed and focused on something. A small nick on Evelynns throat, almost unnoticeable. She stopped herself and stared. It was a scar, a surgical one. Quickly the Queen put two and two together. The woman had not spoken properly...because she could not.

“You're mute.” Shock was evident in her voice, though it was hidden by currents of rage.
@[member="Evelynn"]

 

[Evelynn]

Thankfully Evelynn could not see what was happening before her. I do not doubt that the girl would have pissed herself if she had seen the blade rocket towards her throat. So, y'know, every cloud has a silver lining.

Although how she could have forgotten how violently the woman had reacted to her telepathy before I have no idea. The moment her head was wrenched back her her eye flickered around the room feverishly, as if trying to look directly at the woman. Which was very difficult, given the current status of her eyesight.

Ah, but then she spoke.

This woman, was so angry. So far all of her actions had seemed to be punctuated by rage, even here with Evelynn at her mercy she was composed of fury. This time the silent girl did not dare to speak into her mind again, instead she offered what was an entirely feeble and frantic nod to accompany the statement.

Being her current situation was pretty dire the young woman could not offer anything else, with wavering breath she tried to remain as still as possible, lest attempting to move offended the vile creature.

@[member="Nemene Talith"]

 

[Lira Dajenn]

She nodded back at the blind and mute women, as if she could see it. Her rage has subsided slightly, but only slightly. Her urge to kill this woman on the spot had now been overshadowed by the curiosity that had grown from the scar on her neck. Clearly she had not always been mute, someone had made her that way and from what she could see it had been done quite sloppily.

Nemene was by no means a surgeon, but when it came to cutting and slicing into bodies, she was quite deft.

For now the Queen of Byss lowered her sword, returning the blade back to its scabbard and placing the weapon in the chair she had just sat in. Slowly with measured paces she approached the girl, grabbing the bottom of her chin and lifting her head. Her soft hands brushed against the broken and bruised face, her nails digging into the already swollen cheek.

She inspected the scar on her neck, and then with her off hand ran a soft nail over it, tracing the line of it almost seductively. She watched the girl swallow and the scar swell slightly as she did so. Very sloppy work.

Nemene frowned, then spoke, her voice now soothing, as if such a thing would make the girl forget who was interrogating her. “Who did this to you?”

She knew the answer would come with a voice in her head, but curiosity over came even that dislike. Nemene had found something interesting, she did not oft see women with their throat cut out...well live ones anyway.

 

[Evelynn]

At the current moment all the girl could do was listen.

She heard a blade returned to its sheath and it was only then that she realised that a weapon had even been drawn. How close she had danced to the very border of death. Footsteps as she slowly went away and came back.

Evelynn jolted slightly as her chin was grabbed, the inability to speak was one thing, a punishment twisted into the view of a godsend. Being blind on the other hand, was absolutely awful and left the girl feeling defenceless to an extreme. There was a gasp as the woman toyed with her brutalised cheek, pain shooting through her. She felt like a plaything. Was that her life's destiny? To be a toy for the universe's amusement?

My Lord and Master.

There was almost a hint of defiance to her chilly telepathic tones. Despite her powerless state she wasn't going to give out the name of her Master so freely.

He did not do this to me. He did this for me.

Ooh, a bit of defiance there. Well, I mean, not exactly bold bravado but there was definitely an ounce of pride there. Through her time spent imprisoned by Lord Zambrano she had truly began to believe that every horror committed against her was for her own benefit. The manipulations certainly ran deep.

@[member="Nemene Talith"]

 

[Lira Dajenn]

Nemene scoffed. She had heard that some Sith Masters mutilated their apprentices, she assumed that she spoke of a Sith Master due to the scarring and the girls words afterward, she doubted a Jedi would do this. Of Course Moridin had never been one for beatings or carving or anything of that nature, especially with his daughter and true heir. He had believed that these things took away from teaching, that they made an Apprentice weaker, more malleable, not just for the master, but anyone with a strong hand.

Truthfully Nemene did not agree with her fathers way of thinking, she enjoyed the giving of beatings, the carving of flesh and she felt a twinge of delight at the thought of replicating what had been done to this girl to someone else. Though she didn't let it show of course.

“I see.” Her voice was cold, frozen enough to send a shiver down the spine. “And did he make you this weak? This easy to beat and break?”

She still held the girl, and as she taunted her Nemene's grip tightened. Her nails dug into swollen flesh and the warm pads of her fingers pressed into broken bones.

The question of how this girl was speaking in her mind still plagued her, but that would come later.

 

[Evelynn]

There was a sharp intake of breath as the woman applied pressure to her cheek, almost as if she was hissing in response. She found herself right there in a moment of indignant rage. Who was this impossibly self-absorbed woman? Who the hell did she think she was?

I have been blinded!

The telepathic retort came with a wallop of fury. Each word punctuated both slowly and deliberately, just so this creature could understand. It was the benefit of telepathy. Emotions could be imprinted upon words. There was a fire in her now. Never forget that ice too can burn.

This idiot woman thought it wise to light up an entire formation of sun crystals in my face and now, now she's overcome with smugness that she can beat somebody that cannot even see!

Evelynn spoke as if she were speaking about the woman, rather than to her. Sassy and dismissive in it's own right but she was not willing to be bound here and listen to this cow and her superiority complex.

I am not weak.

I AM NOT BROKEN!

That last snippet was quite loud, by the by.

@[member="Nemene Talith"]

 

[Lira Dajenn]

Inwardly Nemene winced at almost every word, her face contorted slightly as Evelynn screamed inside her mind. A tingle went up her spine, a strangely...pleasurable sensation. Something about that anger, it brought her joy. She smiled slightly at the woman, a false smile. Truly she was still angry, and even more angry when Evelynn had resorted to name calling, but it also made her realize something, she was breaking through to this girl.

Sure they had only been speaking for a few seconds, but Nemene had struck a nerve and the pleasure of knowing that, that superseded any and all anger she felt. She continued to speak, this time smug oozed from her voice, not a hint of anger.

“You sit bound, your face smashed into a hundred pieces, your eyes ravaged, and your entire body at my mercy.” She softly stroked the underside of the girls skin, her touch gentle now, not harsh.

They both knew she had the upper hand here, not Evelynn

Her eyes flickered across the girls form, frail and small, a contrast to her own. Nemene was pretty certain that in a fair fight she could still kill this girl, a fact that stroked her ego and boosted her confidence as she began to speak. “I can fix it. Your eyes. Your voice. Every cut. Every scar. You need only to ask.”

From the tone of her voice it was clear that the “asking” in question, would be nothing less than begging on all fours.

 

[Evelynn]

The smug tones in this woman's voice made the girl wither slightly, by her own admission she had lost her rag and had given this cow the perfect stepping stone to conversational superiority but this woman! She thought she was the bee's knees and beyond, she was so completely vile and it was such an intoxicating fury that was brought forth.

Even this woman's touch made her boil, made her feel nauseous with rage.

Her small fists were clenched, knuckles white and trembling. There was nothing she could do. Even calling on the force to aid her was out of bounds, the girl worked in tandem with her sight, she needed to visualise to weave her ways of the force. It was true, Evelynn was completely at this woman's mercy and it didn't sound as though she kept a lot of it in stock.

No. She would not beg. She would not even dignify this woman with an answer, instead she chose to close her eye (the other of course already swollen shut) and ignore her.

Just cool those jets.

@[member="Nemene Talith"]

 

[Lira Dajenn]

Nemene let out a soft, smug chuckle, and then she finally allowed the girls chin to drop. Her hand drew back, and for the first time she allowed her gaze to fall all over the woman. She was tiny, slim, and not unlike Nemene herself, though built smaller and with the direct opposite color hair. The Orange orbs of her eyes flicked ever downward, until they stopped one something oddly familiar. Her eyes bulged slightly inside of her head and like a viper she snapped her hand forward.

Her palm closed around the curved lightsaber hilt on Evelynns hip, the strange living coral squirmed slightly as it felt a familiar touch. Before the other womancould react Nemene brought the weapon up diagonally and ignited the blade.

A deep orange blade sprang to life with a snap and a hiss, unique in its hue and exactly matching Nemene's own lightsaber. This time there was no containing her rage, no keeping the anger from her voice, no remaining calm and steady. This was Moridin's lightsaber, this was the blade that she had first used as a child, this was the blade that she had slaughtered her servants with. She knew it, she could feel it.

“HOW DID YOU GET THIS!” Her voice was a roar, a thunderclap inside of a small room. The Queen shook with rage, unable to even threaten Evelynn physically.

The short fuse that was Nemene's rage had been completely burned away, this was the final straw. If Evelynn gave the wrong answer here, she would die.

 

[Evelynn]

Talk about your change of pace.

She could almost feel the atmosphere in the room change before the grand revelation was made. There was malice in the air. Then she felt the tug at her belt. Her lightsaber? Why would she want her lightsaber?

Admittedly she tensed up as soon as she heard the blade ignite. What was she doing? Why her lightsaber?

Oh gosh.

The fury that erupted in this woman's voice shook her, for a moment her indignant nature melted away and she was frightened. What a temper. Of course she quickly recovered from the spike of terror, confusion seeming to form across her brow. What did her weapon even mean to this woman? Best not lie about this one, not that Evelynn was prone to lying in the first place.

It was given to me by my first Master, I swear!

@[member="Nemene Talith"]

 

[Lira Dajenn]

Nemene's eyes narrowed, anger still flaring throughout her. The room became thick with it now, the force carrying her emotions like a tidal wave. She no longer cared for control, she no longer cared to show a calm outer face to this girl. Where her father was concerned Nemene had no control. She had been the only thing in her life she had looked up to, and he had simply disappeared. Now to find his lightsaber in the hands of some strumpet!

Anger renewed flowed through her.

“HIS NAME!” Her voice was like a banshee's screech, it seemed to break the very air. “I WANT THIS NAME!”

The thrum of the lightsaber seemed to die completely as she screamed the inside of the starship hangar beginning to moan and groan and Nemene unconsciously exerted control of the force within it. She cared for none of it, she would tear this ship apart if she did not get her answer.

And soon.

 

[Evelynn]

Never before in her life had Evelynn experienced such dramatic and dangeorus rage. This woman had problems. Deep-seated emotional and behavioural problems that were far too progressed to even think about fixing. The role of this woman's therapist was a certain death sentence.

Her shrill screaming caused the girl to flinch, was she going to end up deaf too?

What a thought.

Soliael! His name is Soliael Talith!

Her response was frantic, almost a call-back to her former timid nature but this beast of a woman needed to be pacified. She was going nuclear and Evelynn had not intended to die at the hands of a brat with extreme anger issues. The mute could feel the pressure building within the force, she needed a sedative or better yet a blunt object to the back of the head.

Please! Calm down!

@[member="Nemene Talith"]

 

[Lira Dajenn]

Evelynns last words were lost to her, as soon as she heard the name Talith it triggered something. Whether it was the force itself or Nemene's subconscious it was difficult to say, but whatever it was Nemene's natural gift with Psychometry had been kickstarted by hearing her brothers name. Like her Father before her, and anyone related to her Nemene was incredibly gifted in psychometry. It came to her naturally and in powerful waves.

Psychometry of course allowed one to see the history of objects as though it were a living thing. In this case the object was the lightsaber she held in her right hand.

As soon as Evelynn said the name of Nemene's brother a series of images flashed within her mind. Soliael getting Moridins saber. Soliael prancing around with the blade, snippets of Evelynns original training, a conversation with Soliaels mother, part of Evelynns torture. Pieces and flashes of memories fell into place in the girls mind, and as they did so her rage began to subside and was replaced with a sense of...wonder.

She had siblings...more than one.

This woman...this girl had once been her brothers apprentice, she was part of her fathers legacy, if only a tiny part of her. Unconsciously Nemene took a step backwards from Evelynn, as if slightly spooked. The lightsaber deactivated in her hand and her arms dropped to her side. Her face looked somewhat defeated, and she mouthed a word, barely audible. “Brother.”

It felt strange to her, to think of having siblings. Yet she knew it was true, psychometry did not lie, not ever.

 

[Evelynn]

There's not much to put here.

Evelynn could not see, she could only feel but given the fact that aura of rage that choked up the room had faded she had to assume that this woman had not exploded and for a little while longer the story of the quiet girl continued.

Of course, right now her story was irrelevant. Though she was an unpleasant schutta for sure, this other woman was clearly experiencing a rather important moment, a revelation perhaps, it was pretty difficult to tell for, obvious reason. Evelynn simply had to hang there, feeling as if she had intruded on an important moment. Although, if it took the spotlight off of her then it wasn't all bad.

For a moment she contemplated fate. What were the chances that they would meet in those mines? That Evelynn would chose to strike this woman? It had to be slim to none at best. Perhaps as likely as getting struck fourteen times in a row by lightning.

The girl did not interject on the other woman's moment, choosing to remain there in her usual silence with her head bowed in relief.

@[member="Nemene Talith"]

 

[Lira Dajenn]

Nemene stared at the lightsaber for a a few moments, her thumb fingering the intricate grooves and small niche's that existed within the hilt. She wondered if her Father had ever foreseen this happening, if he had ever thought that his lightsaber would be passed down like this. She doubted it, Moridin had probably never seen past his own death. She scoffed slightly at the thought of her dying, even now that it had come true it seemed rather...ridiculous.

“Do you know who this belongs to?” Belongs, not belonged. It was as if Moridin had loaned it to his son, and his son had in turn loaned it to the girl now strapped into the chair before her. To Nemene her father was not dead, but simply away, a little girl in denial.

She knew otherwise of course, Moridin was dead, but that didn't mean that his legacy wasn't still alive. If this girl carried his saber then that was proof enough of that, heck Nemene herself was proof enough of that. Suddenly her grip on the hilt became white knuckled, she would have to meet this so called brother.

 

[Evelynn]

There was a hidden wild streak buried beneath years of being told how to be a proper lady, a bolder side to Evelynn that wanted to answer the question with one simple word:

Me.

Thankfully, she possessed more common sense than a gizka and therefore kept on existing in this galaxy for a few minutes more. She had to tiptoe carefully here. This was a delicate subject. While Soliael was more than content to hold a certain degree of contempt for his father this woman was a completely different matter.

Be neutral, be impartial, keep it short, simple and there should be no risk of offending.

Yes, I do. The Sith Lord Moridin.

The girl faltered, this experience so far had left her nerves shot.

Please. You can have it. Just let me leave.

@[member="Nemene Talith"]

 

[Lira Dajenn]

Nemene paused for a second, she hadn't actually thought of what she would do with the lightsaber when she got the right answers from the girl. The weapon was not in her fighting style, and truthfully it would remain nothing more than a trinket if it stayed with her. She frowned slightly, and questions began to form in her mind. Slowly she took a step forward towards the girl again, inspecting her.

“Why?” The question was simple, but she expected the answer to be complex. “Why would my brother give this to you?”

She spoke as if she and Soliael had known each other from birth. Her fathers own lightsaber had told her of her new sibling, and because of this she took it at face value, Soliael was her brother, and even thought they had never met it meant he was family. Most of her life Moridin had been the only family she had had, she had treasured him, even loved him. Now Soliael was a new member of that family, and just as she had loved her father, she had already decided to love her brother.

She was a spoiled brat, but a brat that loved her family.

Now of course she was hostile to the outside influence of that family, to Evelynn. She wanted to know why he had given her this saber, but more importantly, why she had abandoned him after he did so.

 

[Evelynn]

Oh gosh, the interrogation continued.

Perhaps she should have asked for a cushion instead.

This other woman wasn't exactly the world's finest empath. I mean, here she was, bloody and beaten, terrified that the rest of her life was either going to be spent blind or last for about thirty more minutes and he she was getting a pop quiz on this bloody lightsaber.

Because I was his Apprentice.

In truth Evelynn was not Soliael, she could not speak for him, she did not know his true intentions. She could attempt her best reasoning but at the end of the day, his actions were his own and his real motives could have been a mystery. However this woman wanted answers and Evelynn would oblige.

The style of the lightsaber suits my form. I am a duellist, it fights the manner in which I fight. If you're looking for any deeper motive then what can I tell you? Perhaps he simply thought it apt, perhaps it was a joke, that question should be reserved for him rather than me.

@[member="Nemene Talith"]