Bruise Pristine

[Beatrice Govan]

The Dark Force Temple, Dromund Kaas

“We have been through so much, you and I...”

The voice hissed in the darkness. The words were elongated, drawn out to a painful degree and tinged with a hint of mirth.

“Destroyed and rebuilt. Destroyed. And. Rebuilt. Deeestroooyeeed....”

It savoured that last word, like the glutton savoured his very last meal, licking the plate clean and trying to cling onto the very last of the scraps. One more sliver of enjoyment, please, I beg of you. A pause, a shiver. That word conjured the fondest memories. Of flesh and bone. Crimson and steel. Pain. Hurt. Suffer. A deep breath inhaled shakily as the voice that rasped tried to collect itself.

“...and rebuilt.”

That voice belonged to a lone woman that stood at the foot of the temple. She was short in stature and clad in the most basic of Sith robes that were thankfully tailored to avoid hanging off of her small frame. Neck craned uncomfortably, emerald eyes searched for the top of the structure that was shrouded in Dromund Kaas' seemingly perpetual darkness. Looking for something, but not quite finding.

She was Evelynn and like so many Sith temples before her, she had been rebuilt.

Reborn.

“Pray tell, which do you prefer?” The woman enquired with uncanny earnest, “Do you lose a part of yourself each and e v e r y time?”

A finger rose to her lips, as if to hush The Dark Force Temple before it could respond.

“Not to worry. We are cutting the fat out. Useless things that we don't need. We're better now, don't you think?”

A hand moved to roll up her left sleeve and for a moment the world was still. She stared at her bare arm, expression lost in thought. Not a single scar or imperfection laid upon that arm, created in a tube, made to be perfect. Pristine, untouched. A new canvas. She, the painter.

“I prefer destruction.”

Oh so swiftly the finger nails of her right hand dug into the flesh of the arm. Eyes fixated now, wide with anticipation as an open mouth revealed ever-eager teeth in a manic smile. Then with very deliberate force she dragged those nails down the entire length of her arm, from elbow to wrist. A gasp. Breathing heavier, chest heaving. The skin peeled, mingling with fresh blood that collected beneath the keratin, leaving five long individual gashes down the limb, the crimson beginning to dribble.

Sensation! Nerves aflame! To feel! This was the pinnacle of what it meant to alive!

And it had been so long...

-

[member="Elani Zambrano"]

 

[Elani Zambrano]

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In the dark depths beneath the Dark Force Temple, bodies were swinging from the ceiling, restrained by rusted chains from above. Each one's form was covered in blood. Blood leaking from several lacerations across their bodies. Most of these bodies were lifeless. Some still clinged onto the last vestiges of living. Pools of crimson formed beneath them in reservoirs. These reservoirs lead to a central pool where they mingled with one another. Just on the rim of the pool, a lone figure stood. It's face was covered by a veil and a hood hung on it's head. It's head was tilted downards, looking towards the pool as it slowly rised in volume. Behind this form was a massive one, clad in golden armor with a mighty hammer in it's right hand.

A soft voice came from the smaller figure. "It's almost enough. We may need another. Go." The large form nodded and walked to the far edge of the room. Several cages were lined up against the wall, each one holding a barely living body. Their breaths were shallow as they barely held on. The large figure opened one of the cages and grabbed a body, it's emaciated form being easily pulled by the brute. The door slammed shut by the brute's strength. The small form turned to look at the brute. "Careful. Don't harm it too much. I need it as alive as possible. We need as much blood flow as we can get in order to bleed them dry." said the small figure.

The brute threw the body up, tying the free chain, around their wrists causing the blood to drip from their body much like the others. "Good. That should be enough." Then, the smaller being turned quickly to face the rear. It then brought it's hood down, revealing a head of long, silky hair as black as night. Then, the veil was removed by a soft, pale hand. "We have company."

[member="Evelynn"]​

 

[Beatrice Govan]

Soft footfalls pitter-pattered throughout the halls as Evelynn wandered. Her eyes drifted lazily from wall to wall, the odd soft spatter of blood from her arm leaving a slight trail of where she had walked. There was no describable direction to her movements, both dazed and dream-like it almost seemed like she was floating.

A pause, a smile.

Approaching a wall the woman pressed her face against the cool stone and shut her eyes, seemingly listening to what the Temple had to tell her.

“Do you have secrets?” Evelynn whispered delicately to the wall, pressing her palm against the stone in an almost intimate manner, “Tell me yours, and I will tell you mine,” she breathed, smiling softly as if the reborn woman was having a hushed conversation with an old friend, “I promise.”

Her practices might have seemed mad to the common man, but to those who knew better, ah, they would see further. The Force was weaved throughout the galaxy in some form or other, through people, flora, fauna, even structures had a signature of sorts, an echo of deeds that took place within those walls and of those who lived within, but this was not just any ordinary building. This was a temple in the name of the Dark Side of the Force, upon Dromund Kaas, a steadfast stronghold of the Sith. If there were walls that could talk, it would have been those walls.

“I have need.”

The question was whether or not they spoke to Evelynn.

After two decades in the Netherworld, she was not quite what she used to be and in a sense beyond her mental well-being. Once a formidable Sith Sorceress, Queen of an entire planet, now not so. Out of tune like an old instrument left to the devices of rot and decay. It wasn't a source of devastation for the woman, power had never been her priority, but it was an inconvenience.

“I can feel the suffering,” she hissed, the hand pressed against the stone beginning to tremble as her upper lip drew back to reveal eager teeth. Her excitement was spurred on by the smallest echoes of pain, easily missed but if you stopped to really listen you could feel it. Those minuscule reverberations danced beyond the wall before shifting to below her very feet. It was below, the walls had spoken.

Suddenly Evelynn shoved herself off of the wall and instead of wandering, broke into a determined stride, her demeanour shifting once more to one of staunch conviction. She would seek out this font of agony, and then...

“I want it!”

-
[member="Elani Zambrano"]

 

[Elani Zambrano]

A circular staircase that rose to the heavens above the cold, dark cellar beneath the temple. The witch and her follower ascended to reach the above. As she rose from the depths, Elani could sense the other presence even more. She could not tell what it was. She had to know. Any foreign entity within the temple was a potential threat.

Threats were not welcome.

Elani came up to a massive door. It's stone was ice cold to the touch. As Elani stood there, he follower shifted past her and heaved the door open, revealing the main hall of the temple. "They're close," Elani whispered. "Ready yourself." The brute gripped the hilt of his hammer tightly as he walked down the hall. Elani treaded behind him, readying herself for what may come.

She could feel it getting closer with each step. And closer. And closer. Until...the clean, sharp shrill of one of Elani's swords echoed through the halls. The hilt was held tightly within her grip as her crimson eyes were locked onto the intruder. The source of the stench. A yellow haired female. Young. An odd, yet familiar presence. At Elani's side was her sentinel, Koren Merr. His mighty mace was ready to strike when he was given the order.

"Speak fast. Who are you?"

[member="Evelynn"]​

 

[Beatrice Govan]

Her wants began to swiftly turn into frustrations as she sought out the source of suffering, for there seemed to be no obvious passage into the depths. Of course, the temple's secrets would not be so simple to find but her ever-growing need held no patience for such trials. Perhaps it might have been easier to crack her head off of the walls.

Hands fidgeted as the woman searched, her delicate fingers moving to pick at the still-healing scabs upon her palm from a previous bout of want. There was the smallest consideration towards giving up, as there were plenty of other ways of being satis-

Confrontation.

Emerald eyes found themselves fixated upon a blade, her stare was wide and brimming with naught but desire and all of Evelynn's prior thoughts drained away into beautiful, rich crimson. Why, she could have just reached out and grabbed the blade with her hand, just to feel its kiss. The want was so strong it emanated from her core, like the very stench of depravity itself. It would be everything and more.

“Evelynn,” she whispered eagerly in response, her eyes not yet shifting from the sword that threatened her very second existence.

Perhaps it might have been more prompt to mention her entire name in this scenario, she was a little known Zambrano in the grand scheme of things unless you specifically studied the disowned ones. However, it mattered not, the point was that people were less inclined to harm the spawn of the Emperor, but then again, why would she want a silly thing like that?

Finally her gaze shifted, first to the impressive figure beside the dark-haired woman, or more accurately towards his mace. Would it be better to be cut or to be broken? Finally her green eyes met with the red of the other woman, and a perverse grin began to spread across Evelynn's features.

“And I seek suffering.”

-

[member="Elani Zambrano"]

 

[Elani Zambrano]

Elani was stone faced. she was not interested in entertaining the insane who dared tread the halls of the temple. Whoever this person was, they had pulled Elani from her ritual. She did not recognize her, but her essence was familiar. It was a sensation she had experienced before. For a moment, she tried to decipher who it was, but quickly gave it up once she remembered the ritual on hold.

"I see. Well, Evelynn," Elani began. She was unsure of how to respond to her answer. "If it is suffering you seek, perhaps you need to search elsewhere." Maybe she was after some sick thrill. Or perhaps it was something more. Elani couldn't tell. The grin she was giving Elani was of hunger. She had seen it's kind before. One that Elani gives quite often.

[member="Evelynn"]​

 

[Beatrice Govan]

The grin fell away in an instant, manic aberration turning into grievous wide-eyed staring in a single blink. When gripped hard by her desires it was not so uncommon to see the woman change mood in such a jarring manner. Especially given such a blatant dismissal.

“Why!?” Evelynn hissed in response, disgust beginning to frame her sharp features upon the denial of her request, “You reek of it, and yet you hide it!”

She flipped her nail-marked arm over and stared, emeralds glazing over and seemingly being transported to another realm as she studied the five trailing gouges along her forearm, the blood now beginning to form a crimson crust. Her attention was now gone from dark-haired woman and her hulking sidekick and more focused upon her own personal considerations.

Had the Galaxy changed so much in two decades? The woman recalled that when she didn't even wish harm upon herself it had been there every insidious step of the way, there was naught but suffering to mould her into the abomination stood there on that eve. Now that she sought it? Her father seemed almost Jedi-like in comparison to the man she had first met, and now this woman...

Her upturned palm was trembling under the weight of her frustrations, soothed only by the promises of a more agonising future, provided by those that were willing and able.

“So be it,” she finally said matter-of-factly, as if the revived woman had made some deeply personal resolution.

Then Evelynn began to approach the woman, not a single shred of unease in those steady steps. If allowed close enough she planned to reach out and grasp the brandished blade, hoping to run her delicate fingers down its tantalising edge. One way or another, she would be sated.

Or she would die trying.

-

[member="Elani Zambrano"]

 

[Elani Zambrano]

Elani was confused. That confusion turned to frustration. This girl spoke to her in riddles. Cryptic riddles. Elani began to lose her patience. Her grip on the hilt of Murakami tightened as the girl approached her. Koren was ready to strike on Elani's word, but not until it was given. With each step Evelynn took, Elani took one back as she faced her down. Initially, Elani thought this womanw as under some spell. Then, perhaps she thought it was a potential acolyte for the Murakami, attempting to prove their worth to her.

Then another thought came to her mind.

That look on Evelynn's face. Those veridian eyes. The golden locks of hair. That signature stench of untapped power.

Elani dropped her sword to her side. She brought her arm up, facing her palm to Evelynn.

A soft gasp escaped her lips. "You." Koren held back. "Evie?"

[member="Evelynn"]​

 

[Beatrice Govan]

This woman's lack of willingness to feed her twisted desires was growing irritating. Why did she deny? Did she feel no wish to shed blood? It was an outrage! An abomination! Why won't you let us bleed? She was then faced with a palm that halted her advance, a further frustration that gave cause for the blonde to bear gritted and feral teeth. Perhaps going after the hammer would have been the bette-

Evie.

Memories, violent and jagged flashed suddenly in the forefront of the revived woman's mind. Recollections of fear, love, pain, hate and death screeched before her very eyes. Queen.Rattatak.Blood.Hurt.Nemene.Stop Please.Iloveyou.Ihateyou.Iwantyou.

Eyes grew wide, scared and confused and a sharp gasp came as Evelynn caught herself in the clutches of madness, arm throbbing from where she had raked her nails earlier.

Her mind was now scrambled, pulled between delirium, sanity and memory. So loud. Hurt me. So hard to think. Let me bleed. Every side was screaming, demanding control and throwing their wants and needs into the pandemonium. Make me suffer. Hands were thrown up to clasp around her own ears, as if that could even begin to silence the inner-maelstrom.

Pain.

“...help me!”

She fell to her knees before throwing herself at the woman's feet as if she were capable of curing her madness. A perplexing scene. Hands that just a moment ago sought the kiss of a blade now grasped at the woman's feet in sheer desperation.

“Please! I need you to....hel...HURT me!”

-

[member="Elani Zambrano"]

 

[Elani Zambrano]

Elani's face had a look of shock and disbelief upon it. "Get her up," she commanded of her sentinel. "Bring her downstairs. Quickly." Elani sheathed her sword before swiftly descending the steps that lead to her hidden chambers. Koren bent down and lifted the blonde off the ground, heaved her on his shoulder, then followed behind Elani. His strength seemed supernatural to some. He reeked of dead flesh. Likely a result of the transformation.

Once they had returned to the torture chambers, Elani looked down at the pool of blood forming in the center of the room with Koren right behind her. "Restrain her and string her up so she doesn't do anything stupid."

Koren followed his master's orders and retrieved more rope. He tied them around Evelynn's wrists and ankles, ensuring that they were tightly knotted. Once done, he hung her up on a vacant hook by the ropes around her wrists. The chain groaned even under Evelynn's light frame. Elani stepped closer to the blonde, looking her over with eyes of crimson. "What happened to you, Evie?" Elani whispered. Thoughts ran through Elani's head. Her sister had returned, but something was wrong with her. She felt it was some kind of psychosis. But from what? More thoughts ran through her head. Scenarios of what could have made her how she was currently.

Then it clicked.

"That son of a...What did he do to you, Evie?" Elani gently slid her hand beneath Evelynn's chin, looking at her in her eyes. She had forgotten the fate of her sister. It had been so many years. She grieved. She forgot. She moved on.

Then again, nothing stays gone in the galaxy for very long.

[member="Evelynn"]​